Shock That Algae Away
If this is your first time with algae, youve probably never used pool shock quite like this before. Depending on the type algae youre dealing with, youll need to shock twice or four times as much as the average dose. Make sure you use conveniently-packaged one pound bags to make sure youre using the right amount for your pool.
For green algae, double the average dose. For yellow algae, youll need three times as much. And for black algae, youll need four. Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures.
Just remember, as always, to shock your pool at dusk or night. You dont want the sun burning down your pool shocks ability to work when you need it the most. Also, dont swim for at least eight hourscertainly not while your pool is still cloudy with shock. Yikes.
The Disadvantages Of Pool Ionization
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A swimming pool ionizer cleans and sanitizes pool water by releasing positively charged copper and silver ions into the water to destroy algae and bacteria. Even though ionization is a proven method for destroying unwanted bacteria and viruses, it’s generally not as effective as chlorine alternatives. Pool ionization still requires you to shock your pool with chemicals on a frequent basis.
Clean Your Filterwith More Than A Hose
The water that goes through your filter comes back out into your pool, remember? So now imagine that your filter has microscopic deposits of algae from when you shocked your pool and turned on your pump. Yeah, lets make sure that algae isnt coming back in. Youll need to clean your filter, meaning a chemical rinse if you have a cartridge filter and a backwash if you have a sand or D.E. filter. But my recommendation? Just replace the filter media entirely. Its not risking a return of the plant youve already worked so hard to get out of there.
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What Problems Can Algae Cause
The first noticeable problem is that no one seems to want to go swimming. The second problem is that it requires effort and money to rid the water completely of algae. Third, once you experience a large algae bloom, it becomes easier for future algae blooms to occur. It is therefore best to use preventative pool algae chemicals and techniques to constantly control algae and prevent a bloom from occurring.
Algae can cloud and color the water, making rescue attempts difficult and reducing depth perception of a diver. Algae is not harmful to swimmers per se, but pools with algae may also be a safe harbor for pathogens like E-coli bacteria.
In addition to clogging up sanitation pathways in the water, algae also clogs up the pores in a pool filter, decreasing filter effectiveness and requiring more backwashing or filter media replacement.
It can hide deep in the crevices of a filter or in rough spots on pool plaster and tile, or behind the pool light and under the ladder treads. Some strains of pool algae will send roots into the plaster, and slowly degrade and stain pool surfaces. Algae can even grow under vinyl pool liners, on the walls or floor beneath the liner.
Algae create a chlorine demand in the water for itself, consuming chlorine that should be working on other contaminants. As it expels carbon dioxide, the pH level of pool water can rise.
Eliminating Phosphates Prevents Algae Growth
Algae, like all plants, are living organisms that require food and nourishment to survive. Phosphates, which can enter your pool through dust, leaves, debris, and swimmer waste such as sweat or oils, act as fertilizer for algae, allowing spores to grow into fully-developed algae blooms. By eliminating phosphates, you can stop the growth of algae before it ever begins.
Pool Perfect + PHOSfree is made from 100% natural and safe enzymes, and it is designed to help keep your pool algae-free by getting rid of the phosphates in your pool. Just 1 ounce of Pool Perfect + PHOSfree per 2,000 gallons of water, added weekly directly into the skimmer, will help to eliminate phosphates and prevent algae growth.
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Make Sure Your Circulation System Is Running Properly
A circulation system in good working condition is one of the most important pool algae prevention steps. To keep your circulation system running properly, you will want to regularly check and clean the skimmer and pump strainer baskets. This will keep the water and the sanitizing chemicals flowing evenly throughout your pool.
Along with emptying the skimmer and pump strainer baskets, it is also important to routinely clean or backwash your pool filter. Over time, filters become clogged with dirt and debris, and require some simple maintenance. No matter what type of filter you use, it is necessary to clean your cartridge filter or backwash your sand or D.E. filter whenever the pressure gauge reads 8-10 psi higher than normal.
When cleaning or backwashing, Leslies recommends using a specialized cleaning aid to help you get the most out of your filter. Leslies Spray & Rinse, Sand Filter Revitalizer, and Cartridge Cleaner and Degreaser will help make cleaning a breeze and keep your filter working properly all season.
Routinely checking and cleaning your skimmer, pump, and filter will help promote pool algae prevention.
DIY TIP: During swimming season, Leslies recommends running your pump and filter between 6 and 8 hours a day, and you can even increase the cycle to between 10 and 12 hours during times of heavy swimmer usage.
What Is Pool Algae
Algae is a live plant organism you can find in your swimming pool. Pool algae can be various colors and cause the pool water to appear green, teal, yellow, brown, red, or even black.
You might also notice a cloudy look to your pool water, which is another tell-tale sign that you have an algae problem. Algae is sometimes free-floating and other times sticks to your pool walls or in cracks and crevices. Though it spreads rapidly, fortunately, it can be treated and prevented fairly easily with proper swimming pool maintenance.
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Use An Algaecide Regularly
Regular use of an algaecide is a great way to help keep algae from ever taking hold in your pool. There are many different types of algaecides available, designed to help fight certain kinds of pool algae. Algaecides are designed to be used when your pool is clean and algae-free, and will stop algae spores from developing into full-on blooms.
To help stop algae before it ever shows up, we recommend using Leslies Algae Control, an easy-to-use, multipurpose algae preventer that is safe for most types of pools.
How To Kill Algae Without Killing Fish
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Algae are microscopic plants that live in water. When their numbers grow out of control in water gardens and ornamental ponds, the water turns green, murky and potentially unsafe for fish and other aquatic life. Yet killing algae with herbicides can be risky, too. The safest method for controlling algae is to return the ponds ecosystem to a healthy balance.
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Clean Your Pool Filter
Your filter just processed a lot of contaminated water. And the last thing you want is your dirty filter slowly adding microscopic algae spores back into your pool. Deep clean your filter cartridges by soaking them in diluted muriatic acid, or by replacing them entirely. If you have a sand or D.E. filter, nows the time to backwash.
Want to stop your pool from ever turning green again? Check out our pool care video course. Youll learn how to keep your pool chemistry in check so you never have to deal with algae outbreaks in the future.
Algae And Aquatic Plants
Aquatic plants filter and process fish waste in water gardens, and some of them shade the water surface, helping to keep the water cool and reducing the sunlight that reaches below the surface. Consequently, a water garden that contains insufficient aquatic plants may suffer from excess algal growth. To effectively use up nutrients in the water and provide enough shade that it prevents algae from growing out of control, the leaves of aquatic plants should cover between 50 percent and 75 percent of the water surface.
Water lilies are among the most useful plants for reducing algae in ornamental ponds. The water lily Nymphaea Comanche grows in water 12 inches to 48 inches deep, producing leaves that spread 8 inches wide. Comanche features yellow flowers that fade coppery bronze from late spring through fall.
Arrowhead is another aquatic plant that spreads its leaves over the water surface. A marginal aquatic plant, arrowhead grows in muddy soil at the edges of ponds and in water up to 12 inches deep. The plants leaves grow up to 12 inches long, and in mid-summer, stalks bearing white flowers rise up to 4 feet above the water surface.
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How To Kill Pond Algae Not Plants
To kill pond algae can often result in some collateral damage, particularly in other plants that lie near or in the pond. If you have a choice, always go for natural or manual means of dealing with algae. The following information and chemical-free alternative can help you keep the algae population in check.Alternatives to ChemicalsEradicating algae infestation without harming other plants in the pond involves drastically reducing the amount of nutrients available to algae. Algae are present whenever and wherever there are abundant amounts of nutrients. So, cutting their food supply can effectively kill them. This can be done in three different options.
Option 1– In the first option, you can redirect your gutter spouts away from the pond or by putting up some measures that prohibit fertilizer from your lawn or garden to cascade into the pond. Also, make it a point to clean up debris that may be lying at the bottom of your pond.Option 2– You can set up an efficient filtering device that can prevent organic debris and other objects from getting into your pond. By not allowing potential sources of nutrients to pass through, pond filters can help in keep your algae population in check.Option 3– In the last option, you can place more plants in or near your pond. Such plants will compete with algae for nutrients. In fact, aquatic plants like lilies have been known to always defeat algae in the fight for food.
Chemicals Should be a Last Resort
How To Remove Algae On The Bottom Of Your Pool
In some cases, you may find dead algae on the bottom of your pool. The steps here arent all that different from whats outlined above.
If you have an excessive amount of algae, you should also shock your pool with a chlorine shock treatment. For detailed instructions, check out our guide on how to shock your swimming pool.
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What Causes Swimming Pool Algae
Algae spores constantly enter your pool from various outside sources. Some natural elements that carry algae spores include rain, leaves, and anything carried by the wind. Algae spores can store themselves on bathing suits, especially the same suits used in other swimming areas. Spores can even reside on the pool equipment that frequently enters and exits the pool.
Algae spores easily survive with the abundant food provided for them in a swimming pool. Swimmers carry hordes of debris and solids. This provides food for swimming pool algae, giving it the nutrition it needs to grow and flourish. Algae is always present in your swimming pool, patiently waiting to bloom.
Poor water circulation and filtration promote the perfect environment for algae to thrive. When your pool cannot properly filter out waste and dissolvable solids, algae will take over and turn your pool water green. Not running your pump to filter the water long enough leads to the water standing still for too long, giving swimming pool algae a chance to develop. A sanitized and clean filter is required to completely filter the debris and swimming pool algae out of the water.
Should I Drain My Pool
No! Definitely do not drain your pool. If you absolutely feel like you need to, call a professional company first and ask them their opinion and how to do it.
If you drain a vinyl liner pool, you could ruin your liner. For concrete and fiberglass pools, the pool shell could float.
Instead, go through the following steps to kill that garbage.
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Giving Your Pool Water A Natural Sonic Wave Boost
Although these are not good stand-alone algae killers, using a sonic wave pool cleaner can help your other water treatment methods kill algae easier.
Whats great about a sonic wave pool cleaner is that its a 100% natural way to help eliminate algae that has zero impact on your swimming pools water chemistry while doing it.
How does a sonic wave pool cleaner work? As the name implies, it emits sound waves into your swimming pool. The range of these sound waves causes vibrations in the pool that are undetectable by humans, but help cause algae cells to break apart. This does a great job of keeping algae cells from growing into a large enough quantity to cause a bloom that will turn the pool water green and make it slimy too.
Also Like Any Other Algae It Can Stain Your Swimming Pool And Cloud The Water Which Also Sticking To Things Like Pool Equipment Pool Walls Bathing Suits Floats And Toys
How to get algae out of pool. Another major cause of reoccurring algae, especially if it keeps appearing in the same places, is poor circulation. You can use a pool skimmer to lift off all the algae in your pool but it will take time. You dont want any algae to circulate back out, or youll be here again before you know it.
How to get algae out of a pool without a vacuum? This is the best answer to the question of how to get algae out of pool without a vacuum. Signs of algae appearing in your pool :
This type of algae usually requires chlorine plus an extra chemical like yellow out to finally get rid of it. Usually youll see this algae free floating in your swimming pool or on the pool walls which can cause your entire pool to turn green. But remember, different materials of pool surfaces require a different type of brush, dig some research for it.
How to remove green algae. The longer you put off doing something about your algae problem, the worse the problem will get, and the harder it will be to deal with. New owners should consider the quality of the pool and what can be done for cleaning.
Like i mentioned earlier, algae traces are always present in your pool. Additionally, algal growth in your pool is extremely unhygienic for you and your family. No one would like to take a dip in a pool filled with algae.
It can be damaging to your health. It is said that use vacuum to your pool once a week. Before start the cleaning process.
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Use Pool Magic + Phosfree When Closing Pool For The Winter
Even when your pool is closed for the winter season, algae can still take hold of your water. A week before closing your pool, add one bottle of Pool Magic + PHOSfree for every 20,000 gallons of water, directly into your skimmer. Not only will this keep your pool clean and algae-free all winter long, but it will help you have a quick and easy opening when the warm weather returns. Repeat the process of adding one bottle for every 20,000 gallons when opening your pool to help pool algae prevention and to ensure an algae-free swimming season.
How To Treat Black Algae
Black algae is a stubborn organism. Its protective outer layer sets roots into the surfaces it clings to. This makes it one of the toughest algae strains to get rid of. Black algae appears as black spots on pool surfaces. Treatment needs to be aggressive and requires a good deal of scrubbing. To remove green algae from your pool, follow these steps:
- Test your pool chemicals and pH levels with a pool test kit to ensure theyre balanced.
- Apply a pool shock product according to the label directions to help boost any residual chlorine.
- Scrub the black algae with a pumice stone or a stiff-bristled brush to break up its protective layer.
- Use a pool brush to vigorously scrub all of the affected areas where the black algae has spread.
- Vacuum the algae debris.
- Apply a black algae treatment according to the label directions.
- Let the water circulate for 24 hours.
- Remove the dead algae by vacuuming or backwashing. If the algae persists, repeat steps three to seven in another two to four days.
Once youve completed these steps, perform a final test of your pool water to ensure that all levels are in the ideal ranges:
- Free chlorine
- PH
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