Pool help in Tampa Bay

Last updated October 28, 2026 · Reviewed by the Pool Helpline tech team

Power out? Electric utilities in the Tampa Bay area

• Tampa Electric: Power outages
• Duke Energy: Outages

Tampa Electric serves Tampa and much of Hillsborough County, and Duke Energy serves much of Pinellas and Pasco counties, including St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Some areas are served by a co-op instead. Use the outage page for the utility on your bill.

How Pool Helpline works in the Tampa Bay area

We're a video service, not a local pool company, and we don't have an office in the Tampa Bay area. 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 the Tampa Bay area, 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).

Hurricane season: keep the pool full

The Florida Swimming Pool Association notes that hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Its first rule is not to drain your pool: Florida's high water table pushes up on an empty shell, and a drained pool can "pop" out of the ground. Hillsborough County's 2026 Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Guide calls emptying the pool before heavy rain a myth for the same reason: saturated ground can lift an empty pool, and a full one is more likely to stay put.

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, and keep large debris out of the pump. If the equipment was flooded, show a pool tech by video before you restart it (see pool light or electrical problem).

Year-round heat, rain and algae

Tampa Bay pools rarely get a break: warm water, strong sun and summer downpours all use up chlorine and dilute it. 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), and testing often, especially after a heavy rain. When it slips, water can turn cloudy or green within days.

Hillsborough County: gates and green water

Speaking to 83 Degrees Media about storm prep, Hillsborough County's Code Enforcement Division director said it's a code requirement that the pool gate be self-closing and self-latching, and that black pool water is a code violation as well as a hazard if someone falls in, so he recommends keeping enough chemicals on hand to keep the pool clear if the power goes out. Statewide, Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (Section 515.29) requires a barrier at least 4 feet high on the outside with gates that open outward from the pool, self-close and self-latch. Your city may add its own rules, so check before changing a fence.

Tampa Bay 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

← All cities · All troubleshooting guides