Help My Pool Is Green
It’s a hot summer day and the sun is brightperfect weather for taking a dip in your pool. You venture out to the backyard to check out the pool you haven’t used since last summer. Lo and behold, it’s green!
You take a closer look and see green, yellow, even black algae growing in your pool. You know it can’t be safe to swim in that infested waterplus it’s just gross and slimy. How on earth did this happen?
Tips For Cleaning Your Above Ground Pool
Summer is here, and one great way to beat the summer heat is with an above ground pool. Like an in-ground pool, an above ground pool requires some maintenance to keep the water clean and crystal clear. But with regular maintenance and cleaning, you can enjoy your above ground pool all summer long and even into the autumn months. Dont know where to start? Try these tips for cleaning your above ground pool.
Repeat Offender Try Algaecide
Despite its name, algaecide doesnt hold a candle to pool shock when it comes to actually killing a major algae infestation. Its much better as a preventative measure, and if you have a recurring algae problem, its an effective chemical to add to your pool after youve cleaned and shocked. Just add a dose of algaecide after your chlorine falls below 5 ppm, and give your pool an extra scrub to make sure any algae too small to see is detached. The algaecide will make sure any microscopic remaining algae is long gone, and your pool is back to inhabiting humans, and humans onlyand maybe the occasional swimming dog.
Want an easier maintenance routineand more comfortable swim? For the lowest, safest, and most consistent chemical levels, make a smooth transition with the Salt Ways Eco Friendly Salt Chlorine Generator. Its ultra-reliable and comes with a lifetime warranty.
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Is Hiring A Cleaning Service A Good Idea
Having a professional cleaner can help you save time and energy you might want to spend doing something else. They tend to be faster and more efficient at performing the task since they simply have the practice.
They already know how to keep your water chemicals balanced, keeping you from guessing whether or not you actually used enough. More importantly, they have the experience to spot algae and attack the problem before it begins to spreads
You can take advantage of their professional and more powerful equipment, and save some money in the process by not having to purchase them yourself. They will also give the proper maintenance to the equipment you already have.
Maintaining Ph And Chlorine Levels
The most common type of maintenance you will do on your pool is checking and balancing the levels of chemicals in your pool water. The two main things to check for are pH levels and the amount of sanitizer in the water. Its best to test the water about three times a week, or every other day. This will give you a good idea of the factors that affect your pools pH and sanitizer levels. Factors include the number of people using the pool, the temperature, amount of sunlight, and rainfall.
One of the easiest ways to test your pools water is with a test strip and a digital reader. A digital reader will give you a quick indication of the pH level and the amount of chlorine left in your pool. If the pH is outside of the 7.2 to 7.6 range, adjust it. You can adjust pH with acidic pH reducers and basic pH increasers. Chlorine should remain around 1 to 3 ppm. If you are having trouble maintaining a steady pH balance in your pool, the next thing to check is the alkalinity. If the alkalinity is outside of the normal range, it can affect pH. Add the appropriate chemicals to stabilize the alkalinity and your pH should stabilize as well.
Chlorine in your pools water will eventually break down. One way this occurs is when the chlorine is exposed to UV rays from the sun. Another way that chlorine levels decrease is through interaction with other chemicals. Bathers introduce a whole variety of chemicals, including sunscreen, hair lotions, and uric acid from sweat and urine.
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Pool Algae Health Issues
Is algae in the pool harmful, or can you swim in a pool with algae? You can, but you may not want to, especially for young children, or others with under developed or compromised immune systems.
Small patches of algae here or there is not a health concern, but if the pool is having a full blown algae bloom, with low water clarity and low chlorine levels, it may not be healthy for swimming.
If the chlorine is not killing the harmless cyanobacteria algae, the chlorine is probably also not killing harmful pathogenic bacteria that may also be present in the water.
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Is There Really Algae In My Pool
If youre looking to identify algae, first take a quick look at your pool water. If its cloudy and has taken on a green, yellow, or even black hue, you can be sure algae is the culprit.
Next, check the corners of your pooland this includes the hidden parts of your stairs. If youre at the beginning of an algae infestation, youll see green, yellow, or black spots around these covert areas. Wait a bit, and the algae will make itself knownand will be a lot harder and more costly to clean out. Again, if theres one thing I can tell you, its this: dont wait.
Oftentimes, its hard to see the actual color of algaeespecially if your pool is extra cloudy. If this is the case for you , its probably helpful to know exactly what youre dealing with.
There are three types of pool algae:
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How Do I Know That Something Is Growing In It
Algae growth is usually the first thing. They reproduce so quickly that you will notice cloudiness well before you see any hint of green.
Since the life that grows in your pool is so small, when you even start to see cloudiness, this means that algae are already growing out of control. You dont want to wait to treat it any longer. Think of crystal-clear water as your standard for drinking and swimming.
If your pool does begin to look green, there is a vast population of algae within your pool and so the growth continues from there. The greener the pool, the more algae you will find within it.
So the bottom line is that something is living in your pool that needs to be exterminated before you get your beautiful pool back.
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.
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How To Get Algae Off The Bottom Of Your Pool Using A Pool Vacuum
A skimmer is an excellent tool for cleaning floating or suspended debris out of your pool. However, pool vacuuming is usually required to remove contaminants on the sides or bottom of the pool.
Vacuuming algae out of your pool works best after using a flocculant, so the particles bind together and fall to the bottom in large clumps.
Most pool vacuums connect to the pool filter to run on the normal setting. For light to moderate cleaning, this is fine.
However, when cleaning up significant algae blooms, it may be necessary to set your pool vacuum to waste or drain mode. The contaminated water gets drained externally and bypasses the pool filter.
How Do You Clean An Empty Above
Since you have an algae-infested above-ground pool, how can you get it cleaned since it is empty? Since there is no water in the pool, one of the easiest ways is to use chlorine.
Chlorine usually takes the place of algaecide. That means when an algaecide is not seen, chlorine can stand in its place.
Now add chlorine to the pool although this might take you 3 days to get it all cleaned out! although this has to be done manually since the pool is empty.
The chlorine will kill the algae and thus, give you a better sight of how your empty pool should be. But if the algae dont come off completely from the pool, then you need to add more chlorine to the pool.
When this has been done, you can now vacuum the pool manually using a garden hose, and then rinse your pool to get rid of the algae stains.
Furthermore, to clean an empty above-ground algae infested pool, you need
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Test The Water For Ph And Alkalinity
Using test strips or a liquid test kit, test the pH and alkalinity levels. Note the levels as youll refer to them later.
If you want to, you can also note the chlorine level. Were willing to bet its going to be too low or even nonexistent. If the sanitizer level was where it should be, you wouldnt be dealing with algae. It also wont matter once you get to the next step.
Note: Testing the water could be the first step. If youd rather test, then vacuum, then brush, go for it. It wont affect the algae removal process.
Why & How Does Algae Grow In My Pool
Algae spores are constantly making their way into your pool either through environmental elements like wind and rain, through swimsuits, or objects that were recently in the ocean and through people dragging them in.
Once the spores reach the water, ideal environments then cause them to bloom and reproduce.
Several factors, some unavoidable, contribute to the overgrowth of algae:
- Low chlorine levels
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How Do I Get Algae Off The Bottom Of My Pool Without A Vacuum
You can have a vacuum that isnt working or that you dont want to use. It is also possible that you dont have it at the moment. In any case, weve got you covered.
The next sections will go through several methods for removing algae from a pool without using a vacuum.
To begin, you will need some basic tools and equipment, such as:
- Scrubbing brush
- A borax solution
- Collecting net, etc.
The scrubbing brush, as well as the net, may be used to remove all varieties of algae. However, borax is primarily used to combat green algae, while baking soda is utilized to combat both yellow and black algae.
When dealing with green algae, apply your borax solution to the algae-infested areas. Borax both kills and inhibits the growth of algae.
After that, use the scrubbing brush to clean them away from those areas. They will get weaker as a result of this, and will finally loosen up. After that, you may gather the algae leftovers using a collecting net and dispose of them properly.
You will need a firm scrubbing brush and baking soda to remove the yellow algae. Baking soda, commonly known as sodium bicarbonate, is a great way to get rid of algae.
To prevent algae revival, apply baking soda to the afflicted areas and scrub vigorously. After youve loosened up the algae, use the gathering net to remove it from the pool.
As previously said, black algae is the most difficult to control. However, they, too, follow the same method as the yellow algae.
Shock The Algae Out Of Your Green Pool
This is the most important step when you clean your above ground pool. When you shock your pool water you are adding a large amount of chlorine to it to kill any algae and sanitize it at the same time.
You want to really think about the type and amount of chlorine you will need. How much chlorine you will need depends largely on the size of your pool. In general, you want the shock to be a minimum of 70% chlorine. You will want to purchase enough shock to run through the process two or three times.
Consider buying quality shock from a store that specializes in pool maintenance supplies and equipment. While it may be tempting to look for shock at a regular retail store like Lowes or Walmart, the chemicals sold there may be cheaper but, they are often out of date. Remember, you will probably need a lot of chemical. Plus, you want the chemical to do the job right the first time. A better quality chemical means you will be enjoying your pool more quickly.
Two other things to consider:
- Some people use non-chlorine shock. While this may be fine to keep your pool maintained, to really clean your above ground pool you need the real stuff.
- If your pool is very green, consider an algaecide. This works in conjunction with the chlorine to kill the algae.
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Tip 2 Use Pool Cover:
To prevent dirt from getting into the pool, it is best to always cover it up when not in use.
This way, no leaves or animals can get into the pool and decompose there. In addition, the cover protects the pool from too much sunlight, which in turn promotes the formation of algae.
Tip 3 Install a filter system:
A pool with a filter system can make cleaning the water a lot easier. Sand filter systems are particularly good here because:
- they are suitable for continuous operation
- the filter performance is higher compared to a cartridge filter system
- you can backwash and reuse the filter medium
- the operation of a sand filter system is almost maintenance-free
If you have such a system, you only have to add the pool chemicals into the water and switch on the sand filter system.
The pool chemistry is optimally distributed throughout the pool. Algae will then disappear again in no time or cannot even appear in the first place.
If you are still looking: poolomio.de has a great sand filter system for the pool that I highly recommend.
How To Get Rid Of Algae In Your Pool In 13 Steps
Sometimes despite our best efforts to prevent them, those sneaky little spores find a way in and start to grow.
Maybe you just didnt have time to maintain your swimming pool the way you meant to or maybe your filter got clogged without you noticing.
Either way, you have a problem and now you just need to know how to fix it.
Removing algae may not be rocket science, but it does require a bit of biology.
It will certainly take some time and a little hard work, but with the proper steps and equipment, youll be an algae-killing expert in no time.
If you follow these steps to the letter, youll most likely be able to remove all the algae growth from your pool, but if you find some lurking behind, repeat the steps until its clean.
Are you ready to get to work? Great! Lets get started.
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Pool Algae Control & Prevention
Pool algae occurs for many reasons. Low or inconsistent chlorine levels, faulty pool filtration and poor water circulation may be to blame. Preventing pool algae from flourishing helps to keep your pool operational so you can enjoy it all season long.
- The key to an algae-free pool is regular maintenance. Here are some tips to help you prevent algae from flourishing again.
- Test and balance your pool water weekly. The ideal pH range for swimming pools is 7.2 – 7.6.
- Check your filtration system weekly to ensure its working to properly circulate the water.
- Brush the pool surfaces weekly to remove algae that may be building up.
- Shock your pool water weekly to remove contaminants and clear up cloudy water.
- Add a preventative dose of an algaecide to your pool every week after shocking. Algaecides not only kill algaethey can prevent its growth as well.
- Clean all toys and swimwear that have been in natural bodies of water before allowing them into the pool to prevent the transfer of algae.
Now that you know how to get rid of algae in the pool, you’ll be able to help prevent it with easeand treat it when necessary. The sooner you tackle the algae problem, the easier it is to get rid of green algae, black algae and mustard algae. The Home Depot delivers online orders when and where you need them. Shop pool chemicals, accessories and algaecides, and have them delivered as soon as the same day.
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So My Pools Got Algae Does It Even Matter
I know, I know. As with all pool issues, its much easier to shrug your shoulders and go back to all the other things you planned to do today. But although the algae that occurs in pools wont hurt you directly, its a killer for your chemical balance. When algae is present in your pool, your sanitizer and chemicals exhaust themselves working against it. And when that happens, the potentially harmful bacteria that your sanitizer is supposed to neutralize is thrivingand surrounding you and yours on every swim. Not only is it gross, but it can also make you sick.
Is poor circulation the culprit for your algae-infested waters? Try a more powerful unit like this Blue Torrent 2 HP Variable-Speed Pump, which qualifies for rebates, comes with a lifetime warranty, and pays itself off in energy saved. As customer Bill Britton says, Runs great. Super quiet.
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