Test And Balance The Water
Ensure first your pool water levels. It will help determine how much pool shock to use when the situation calls for it. Shocking your pool is another effective way of eliminating and preventing algae regrowth.
After ensuring that your water level is correct, you can now start testing your pool water. You can use either a liquid test kit or test strips. Test the alkalinity, pH level, sanitizer, and aim for optimal levels of these chemicals.
When checking for the pool chemical balance, you can refer to the information below.
- Alkalinity 100 to 150 ppm
- pH level 7.4 to 7.6
- Chlorine 1 to 3 pm
If there are unusual levels changes, adjust the chemicals accordingly before continuing the process.
Yellow And Black Algae
Sometimes yellow or black algae can be found in your pool. You can use some natural algae killer for pools in that case. For the black algae, use baking soda and brush hard to uproot them entirely from the pool. Your treatment needs to be aggressive because the black algae are very stubborn.
On the other hand, the yellow kinds are harder to get rid of than the green but easier than the black algae. They are chlorine resistant, so shocking wont work against them. So, you need to clean them with a brush and hard scrabbing.
Things To Do Before Cleaning Pool Algae
But you can get into cleaning right after knowing algae presence in your pool. Follow these steps before cleaning the pool.
Clean the filter
Having a pool filter is a great advantage as it plays the best pool cleaner role to clean algae from pool water. However, cleaning filters is more important for cleaning a pool. Turn off the filter and use a brush to clear dust and debris. If you find excessive dirt, use a garden hose to clean the filter thoroughly.
Check your pump:
As mentioned, stagnant water causes algae. To circulate water properly, nothing can play a better role than your pool pump. If your pump gets clogged, its performance will go down that promoting algae growth. Wash your pump regularly before getting algae out of the pool.
Brush pool wall
Lose the clingy algae on the wall by using a brush with a telescopic pole. Take your ladder, climb down, and brush the wall. It helps kill algae when using chlorine or shocking.
Test pool water
Know Ph and alkalinity levels of pool water. A balanced Ph and alkalinity levels work better with chemicals to kill algae. Make sure to check and adjust the level.
You May Like: Repair Pool Deck Cracks
How To Remove Algae From Your Pool Water
Removing algae from your pool involves several components. First, double-check that your pools sanitation, filtration, and circulation systems are all working. Check your pools chemistry too. Make sure to vacuum your pool at least once a week to remove debris if you dont have a self-cleaning pool. For an isolated algae bloom, use granular chlorine to treat it. You can also get a brush, apply algaecide to the water, and scrub. If you have free-floating algae, youll have to shock your pool.
To start, balance your pool water to get your pH between 7.1 and 7.3. Check your filtration and pump systems, and shut off your heater if you have one running to lower the water temperature. Adjust the valves on your pump and let it run for 24 hours. You can stir the algae up by switching your pool cleaners on. Get a stiff bristled brush and scrub at your pools walls and floors every day, and vacuum your pool. For green water, apply a flocculent and shock it.
Shock the pool vigorously to get rid of suspended algae. You should add enough shock that it turns your pool water a blue/grey colour. Youre aiming for 30 ppm of free chlorine, and youll need roughly 2 to 5 kg of shock for every 10,000 gallons in your pool. The day after you shock your pool, test the chemical levels, paying close attention to your pH and chlorine. If your chlorine is below 5 ppm, you have to shock it again.
What To Do When Swimming Pool Water Turns Green
If you have noticed that your swimming pool water has turned green in colour all of a sudden, theres no need to fret. The most common reason for this to happen is a lack of cleanliness or lack of chlorine for sanitization. Another very common reason for green pool water is an accumulation of algae on the swimming pool floor or walls. Proper water circulation and regular cleaning is the best preventive measure against these problems in your swimming pool. Investing in a retractable roof or pool enclosure can also reduce the risk of algae problems.
Don’t Miss: Does Pool Chlorine Kill Head Lice
How Do You Kill Algae
The treatment of grouped algae requires circulation, water balance, hygiene, and filtration so that all are at their best or their best. A clean swimming pool is also essential. Vacuum the pool to remove large debris before treating the algae.
Small, single flowers can be brushed hard after being treated topically with granular chlorine or a right pool algae pesticide. Algae that grow in more extensive parts of the pool or floats in the water require a large amount of shock chlorine or granular chlorine to kill the algae.
Commit To A Deep Clean
The grunt work comes firstyoull need to uproot that algae before you can make sure its gone for good. Scrub your pool floors and walls using a brush like the patented 360-Degree Bristles Pool Brush, which was developed by pool maintenance experts to help get tight corners without any of the aches or pains associated with a good clean.
Once youve scrubbed your walls, floors, and steps clean, remove large debris like leaves and twigs with a skimmer net on a telescopic pole, and then vacuum out all the algae to wasteor, if youve invested for the long haul, turn on your powerful robotic pool cleaner and clean it out automatically. You dont want any algae to circulate back out, or youll be here again before you know it.
As algae found a home in your above-ground pool due to poor circulation? Above-ground pumps are notorious for not firing up, but the Copper Force Above Ground Pool Pump, has a start capacitor to circumvent this very issue. According to customer Doug Paar, The pump is very quiet and has good pressure. I would recommend.
Read Also: Is Jones Beach Pool Open
What Are The Types Of Swimming Pool Algae
Green Algae: This is the most common type of pool algae. Every pool owner usually encounters this type of algae at least once. Green pool algae can float at the bottom of the pool or stick to the walls in green patches. Dont worry too much about this algae, as it can be removed easily. Any basic sanitizer for swimming pools will help you to get rid of it. The main cause of the green algae is a lack of sanitization and water filtration.
Mustard Algae: Mustard Algae is also known as yellow algae, and gets its name from its yellow colour. Unlike green algae, mustard Algae accumulates in areas of the pool that get the least amount of sunlight. This is another type of algae that pool owners commonly see. This type of algae can cause a bit of trouble upon trying to remove it as youll need to employ harsher chemicals such as chlorine.
Black Algae: This is the third and the most stubborn type of algae. Thankfully, this type of algae is very rare in swimming pools. Black algae appears dark in colour and can look like black spots on the pool wall. The algae usually appears in places that arent receiving an adequate amount of sunlight. But how to remove them? Removing this type of algae can be challenging. This can be done with a pool cleaning brush and a harsher cleaner and/or acid.
But Why Did I Get Algae In The First Place
This is a tough one, because again: it could just have been a microscopic piece of algae on a swimsuit or pool toy that gets your pool growing. But good sanitizer levels, proper circulation, precise chemical balance, and consistently removed debris? These are sure to do a little damage against algae. Theres also more you can do, like some specific routine maintenance measures and a tiny bit of algaecide.
Read Also: Is Mandalay Bay Pool Open
How To Remove Dead Algae From Bottom Of Pool
If you pool has Algae on the walls, use an Algaecide detergent to pre-treat the wall before cleaning it. You can also use a strong bleach mixture with water that will also do the trick. However, some people dont like the scent of bleach and it can irritate the nose. If you use the bleach method, mix together 1 part bleach to 4 parts water. You may need to use a bucket and a scrub brush and pre-treat the walls by hand. Bleach can damage pressure washing machines and it is not recommended the chemical be used with a pressure washer. The bleach may need to set on the wall for about 10 minutes before you rinse it with water. Repeat the same process on the pool floor.
Defining Algae In The Pool
Almost any soil or plant debris contains cyanobacteria algae. The spores are light enough for the breeze to carry them right into your pool water, or they can catch on your swimwear and you can add them to the water yourself. Youll always have algae in your pool, but a few things can kick off an algae bloom. You could have inadequate filtration for your pools size or low or inconsistent chlorine levels.
Bad water circulation with dead spots or pool imbalance in your pool chemicals are also two big culprits. One or any of these factors can kick off a pool algae bloom that spreads across your pool. If its warm and sunny out, you can have a full-blown infestation in a few hours. Algaecide is an effective way to help you with filtration, sanitation, and water circulation and get rid of black, green, or yellow algae growth.
Read Also: Aria Las Vegas Pools
Take Care Of Your Pump
Algae likes to grow in stagnant water, so you need to make sure your swimming pools water is always circulating.
Clogged or under-performing pumps will create an optimum environment for algae to get comfortable.
At least twice a week, you should check and clean your skimmers and pump strainers.
> > Read: How to troubleshoot your pool pump
Its a good idea to give them a good rinse-off outside the pool to wash away any spores that are too small to see.
Sand or D.E. filters need to be backwashed regularly, and there are some cleaning solutions made just for this purpose for a little extra cleaning power.
Always run your pump around 10 hours a day during heavy swim season to keep the water moving.
How To Treat Mustard Algae
Mustard algae is yellow in color, and its rarer than green algae. Its also more difficult to remove. Mustard algae typically looks like yellowish-brown or dirt-colored spots on the floor and walls of your pool, often in shadier spots. Although mustard algae is fairly easy to brush away from the pool surface, it can quickly return.
One of the main reasons why mustard algae is so difficult to remove is that it can adhere to anything that enters the pool. Once you remove the algae, thoroughly clean everything that has been in touch with the water, including toys and swimsuits. To remove mustard algae from your pool, follow these steps:
- Test and balance your pool chemical levels using a test kit.
- Boost any residual chlorine by adding a quality pool shock product according to label directions.
- Use a pool brush to vigorously scrub the surfaces where the algae has grown.
- Use a vacuum or backwash the pool to remove the dead algae.
- Apply a mustard algaecide following the label directions.
- Allow the water to circulate for 24 hours.
- Use a pool vacuum or backwash the pool again to remove the remaining dead algae. In persistent cases, brush the pool and apply algaecide once more after two to four days.
After treating, test and balance your pool chemicals and levels again. The ideal ranges are:
- Free chlorine
- pH
You May Like: How To Clean Pool Tile Grout
Power Washing Pressure Cleaning & More In Mcdonough Barnesville Fayetteville Covington Locust Grove & Griffin Georgia
If your pool in Stockbridge, GA has turned into a swamp this past season, and you need help making it ready for summer fun, contact Big Moose Pressure Cleaning. We can pressure clean your pool. For all of your pressure washing needs, contact Big Moose Pressure Cleaning and schedule our services today!
How The Pool Types Compare
Concrete pools are the most prone to algae because theyre super porous. Vinyl liners are less porous and therefore less prone to algae, although it can still grow in cracks and seams where water doesnt circulate well.
You can read this comparison of the three pool types and download our ebook on how the three pool types stack upfor even deeper detail.
River Pools manufactures and installs fiberglass pools in Virginia or Maryland. If you live in our area and would like to speak with a pool company to see if a fiberglass pool is right for you, contact us. We’d love to hear from you!
Read Also: Dolphin Pool Cleaner Troubleshooting
Use Brush To Remove Algae
Brush the walls and floor vigorously to remove all the algae. This will lessen the time it takes to eliminate and clear the algae bloom. Focus on the steps, ladders, and other crannies and nooks where algae usually gather.
Choose the brush that is compatible with your pool. Nylon brushes can be used on vinyl, while steel brushes are recommended on concrete.
Safety And Health Risks
If youve ever touched algae, you probably knew right away thanks to its characteristic sliminess. Algae can cover surfacesthe pool itself as well as pool ladders and deckswith a slimy, slippery coating, creating a potential recipe for disaster.
Algae growth also turns water in swimming pools opaque, making it difficult to see whats happening beneath the surface. If someone is in distress or begins drowning, the cloudy water could prevent people nearby from realizing whats happening in time to offer assistance.
Time is of the essence when it comes to saving drowning victims, so any barrier to a quick rescue is unacceptable.
While the algae themselves are unlikely to cause illness, there are some exceptions. The conditions that permit pool algae to gain a foothold also allow bacteria to flourish, including the infamous E. coli.
Add in the fact that these bacteria use algae as a food source, and you have a rapidly multiplying health hazard on your hands. To curb the bacteria, youll have to stop the algae in its tracks.
Also Check: Does A Pool Increase Home Value
Remove Any Debris From The Water
The next step in the cleaning process is removing debris from the water using a net or other suitable tool. The pool net will remove floating algae, leaves and other unwanted items in the water. Depending on the size and depth of the pool, you may need to go to the bottom of the pool which might take a while.
Go From Green To Clean
One of the most prevalent problems that pool owners deal with is algae. This is especially true in warm, humid states like Florida and throughout the South. How does algae get in a swimming pool in the first place? Wind, rain, contaminated swimsuits or even pool cleaning tools can bring algae spores into pools. The presence of nitrates can also help contribute to algae blooms. Combine this with a lack of good circulation, filtration or sanitation and you have a recipe for algae. Algae multiplies rapidly on warm, sunny days in above or inground pools. When conditions are right, an algae bloom can occur in a matter of hours.
Whats the best way to get rid of green algae?
Suncoast All In One Algaecide is the best way to get rid of algae in your pool. It kills and prevents every type of algae, including black, green and yellow mustard algae, as well as pink bacteria. In addition, it has clarifying properties to help keep your pool clear.
This free-floating algae variety, which imparts a cloudy green color to the water, is easy to correct if treated early. Getting rid of it requires only 2 chemicals. Just follow the instructions below and you will be back to blue in no time!
1: Adjust pool water pH to normal range of 7.4-7.6 and the alkalinity to 80-120ppm. Your neighborhood Pinch A Penny offers free water tests to help you with this step.
3: Brush the pool walls and let the filter run continuously until it eliminates the algae.
6: Repeat step 2 after 48 hours.
Read Also: Pristine Blue Maintenance
Procedure : A Smart Move With Algaecides
This is both a preventive and attacking measure and also the quickest one to solve the problem. According to which algae has been making you suffer, you select your lethal weapon.
- Before putting the algaecide in the pool, you must run the pump.
- Grab 1 ounce of algaecide for a 10,000-gallon pool and pour it into the circulating water.
- Keep the filter procedure for 12-24 hours for the best outcome.
