MASSIVE Wind Event Clean-Up Tips: Santa Ana Wind Wreck the San Gabriel Valley, California

If you service pools in Southern California or own a pool in the area, you will experience a major Santa Ana Wind event at least once every year. This year we were hit by a massive wind event in my service area, Claremont California. I would say wind speeds were well over 70 MPH with the highest wind gust recorded at 89 MPH at a station in the San Gabriel mountains. Trees that were over 100 years old fell over like toothpicks.

First off if you are a homeowner who has their pool serviced weekly by a pool service professional a major Santa Ana Wind event will require some patience and understanding on your part. The pool service company can only spend about 25-30 minutes at your pool the first week and it may take as long as 3 weeks for your pool to get back to its 100% clean state. With 14-18, service stops each day it is unrealistic that your pool service company can spend an hour or more at your pool that day. If you take your car to a mechanic and it needs major service you have no problem leaving it there for a few days. The same goes with your pool, it will take a few days to get it all cleaned up staggered over your weekly service weeks.

For the pool service professional, you will need to set a timer for each pool for 25-30 minutes. If you spend less time at another account you can use the time for your current stop. But realistically with the short amount of sunlight in the Winter, you will not be able to complete your route each day if you spend 50 minutes to an hour at each pool. Besides that it is exhausting and you could hurt yourself by trying to do too much each day. Explain to your customers that your priority the first stop after a wind event is to skim the surface and get the pool running.

Week two is when you focus on the pool bottom. It may be covered in leaf debris, dirt, and ash. Your focus should be to remove the leaves and debris from the bottom and not worry about the dirt and ash. I highly suggest investing in a Vacuum System like the Bottom Feeder, Power Vac, Riptide, or Hammer-Head Vacuum System. It is a major expense but will pay off greatly in a situation like a Santa Ana wind event.

The dirt and ash present another problem and I suggest using some type of Portable Filtration System or Portable Pump. Here in So Cal most of the pool filters are either Cartridge filters or D.E. Filters with only a Push/Pull Backwash Valve. Very few accounts have a Multi-Port Valve with a “Waste” mode where you can vacuum the pool and bypass the filter. This means that all of the dirt and ash will have to be vacuumed up and go directly into the pool filter. Then you will have to take the filter apart and clean it which takes time. Better to vacuum the pool out with a Portable Pump which is easy to build or invest in a Portable Filtration System like the PORTAVAC by Advantage Manufacturing.

It is a good idea to have a Service Contract so that your customers are aware that the Santa Ana winds are an “act of God” and out of your control. Also, explain the clean-up process in the contract so that they are aware you can't spend hours each week cleaning up the pool. The Podcast goes over this and more in greater detail so listen to for more detailed information. If you would like a copy of my one-page service contract email me at david@swimmingpoollearning.com and I will get one over to you.

Products are shown in order in appearance in the video:
Purity Pool SUPERRAKE: https://amzn.to/3H3uCdp

Bottom Feeder: https://bit.ly/3FUUdE1
Riptide: https://www.riptidevac.com/
Power Vac: https://powervac.com/
Hammer-Head: https://www.hammerheadvac.com/
PORTAVAC: https://www.advantageman.com/Portable_Vacuum_System_p/adm_portavac.htm
Advantage Manufacturing T-Bar Mount: 1-800-636-8866
Purity Pole GATOR Leaf Rake: https://amzn.to/33O6P2w
Bottom Feeder Service Cart: 1-800-636-8866
Honda Ridgeline (Awesome Truck!): https://automobiles.honda.com/ridgeline


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