Pool help in Miami-South Florida

Last updated October 29, 2026 · Reviewed by the Pool Helpline tech team

Power out? Electric utilities in South Florida

• FPL (Florida Power & Light): Report or check an outage

FPL serves most of Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Some homes are served by a city utility or co-op instead. Use the outage page for the utility on your bill.

How Pool Helpline works in South Florida

We're a video service, not a local pool company, and we don't have an office in South Florida. You book a call, point your phone at the equipment pad (pump, filter, heater, salt cell and any display codes) and a real pool tech guides you by voice. Many problems can be diagnosed, and often fixed, in one call. If yours needs hands-on work, we'll help you find a local pro.

Flat prices, shown before you book: Quick Fix $49 · Full Diagnostic $89 · Priority Fix $139.

Power outage or a tripped breaker?

When the pump and the rest of the equipment go quiet in South Florida, first work out whether it's the pool or the grid. If the neighbors and streetlights are out too, it's an outage: report it to your utility (links above). If everyone else has power, the problem is on your side, usually a tripped breaker or GFCI for the pool equipment. Reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off and call a licensed electrician (see pool light or electrical problem).

Anyone in the water who feels tingling, or a pool light flickering or on when it shouldn't be, is an emergency sign, not a repair to try: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says to get out of the water, turn off all power, and call 911 if someone may have been shocked. During an outage, SRP suggests turning off appliances so there's no surge when power returns; when it does, check that the pump primes and that the timer or automation clock didn't reset (see pump not priming).

The rainy season: heavy rain, heat and algae

The National Weather Service in Miami defines South Florida's wet season as May 15 to October 15, the stretch when 60 to 70 percent of the year's rain falls, with near-daily showers and thunderstorms. Miami averages about 44.84 inches of rain in those five months, and July and August are the hottest, with heat index values that often reach 100°F or more.

For a pool, that means rain diluting the chlorine and raising the water level, and hot water letting algae take hold fast. The CDC recommends a home pool pH of 7.0 to 7.8 with at least 1 ppm free chlorine (at least 2 ppm with stabilized chlorine such as trichlor tablets), so test after every heavy rain. When it slips, water can turn cloudy or green within days. If the pump struggles after a storm, check the skimmer and pump baskets for debris first (see pump not priming).

Hurricane season: keep the pool full

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and the Florida Swimming Pool Association's first rule is not to drain your pool: Florida's high water table can push an empty shell up out of the ground. Before a storm, FSPA says to shock the pool in case the power goes out and the pump can't run, turn off the pool breakers and cover the equipment, and bring furniture and toys inside. After the storm, make sure everything is dry and the breakers are off before you restore power. If the equipment pad flooded, show a pool tech by video before you restart it (see pool light or electrical problem).

Miami-Dade pool barrier rules

Miami-Dade County requires a barrier around a residential pool: a fence, a wall of the house, another wall, or a combination that surrounds the pool and blocks access from the house and from the yard outside it. The county lists screened-in patios, wooden or wire fences and rock or concrete block walls as common types, points owners to Section 33-12 of the county code, and says new pools need a permanent barrier whose top is at least 48 inches above grade on the side facing away from the pool. Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (Section 515.29) adds that gates must open outward from the pool, self-close and self-latch. Cities such as Miami, Hialeah and those in Broward County run their own permits, so check with yours before changing a fence or screen enclosure.

Miami-South Florida pool not working? Start here

• Pump not priming: Pump runs but the basket won't fill. Almost always air or water level.
• Heater won't fire: No heat, a flow or pressure code, or an ignition lockout. Flow comes first.
• Salt cell / chlorinator codes: No Flow, Check Salt, Inspect Cell and what the IntelliChlor LEDs mean.
• Green pool water: Green means chlorine ran out. Find out why so it doesn't come back.
• Electrical safety & pool lights: Tingling, flickering lights or a GFCI that won't reset. Treat it as an emergency.
• Need a replacement part? Send us your model and the old part's label, and a tech matches the exact part.
• Need someone on site? Tell us your ZIP code and we'll help you find a local pro.

Common questions

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