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.
More Pool Cleaning Tips
- Chlorine comes;stabilized or unstabilized. Stabilized chlorine is coated with Cyanuric acid to prevent;Cl2 from evaporating. Unstabilized chlorine, such as sodium hypochlorite, is not treated with Cyanuric acid.
- Sodium hypochlorite, also known as pool bleach, is available as a liquid and is highly concentrated compared to household bleach. Calcium hypochlorite is available as a granular powder or slow-release tablets. Both of these chemicals are used to shock the pool in order to raise the concentration of free chlorine in the water.
- Calcium hypochlorite reacts vigorously with water to release free chlorine; but it dissolves slowly. To get the most free chlorine into the water, add it to your pool at night so it wont evaporate as quickly. Youll need to wait 8 hours to use the pool, anyway. The calcium acts as an alkaline buffer.
When in doubt, consult the instructions that came with your pool, or schedule an appointment with a professional to resolve any questions and ensure that your pool provides a clean, safe and relaxing environment for you and your family.
Basic Chemical Requirements For Clear Pool Water
Just to summarize, these are three basic chemical requirements for a pool that stays clear.
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How To Clear Green Pool Water In 5 Days Or Less
What’s the most common problem facing pool owners?; A bad pump motor?; Maybe a leaking filter?; While those are problems that need to be dealt with, the biggest problem is a green pool.; And it may have happened to you a time or two.; It can ruin your pool, your weekend, and quickly drain your wallet.; Have you been there yet?;;If the proper steps are not taken to avoid, eliminate, and control your pool algae, it can reproduce like rabbits and drive up your pool maintenance cost.
Vacuuming Pool To Waste
This means we are not going to try and filter the water, we are going to pump it onto the lawn, or nearby wood line. This is a recommended procedure when opening a pool with a mesh pool cover. Algae grow in pools with mesh covers, and dirt sifts through the as well. Again, filters were never meant to clean super filthy water.
I use a side vac , meaning I bring my own equipment. I use a ;Hayward 1.5 HP Super Pump, a 30, or 40-foot I-Helix Vacuum hose, a vacuum head with bristles, and relief valves. Many pool filters have a waste setting, but you run the risk of clogging the skimmer line with acorns, broken pieces of tile, small rocks, etc. With a hose connected right to the front of my super pump, I dont run the risk of clogging or damaging the customers plumbing.
You can see an example is this, in the short video below. When customers are not around to see how bad the pool looks under the cover. I like to shoot a quick video to show them, and justify my bill! I usually charge 150.00 for a side vac.
The pool in this video, had minimal leaves, so I was able to vacuum the heavy algae and dirt straight to waste. I usually run a garden hose adding water to the pool while vacuuming to waste, even in cases where the pool is overfilled.
With this method. My customer , will have a clean and clear pool by the next day! Watch the next short video below to see complete set up.
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I Shocked My Pool So Why Is It Still Cloudy
If your pH is not too high, filtration issues are likely the cause of your cloudy pool. The issue may depend on the type of filter.
- If you have a sand filter, it could take a week or more for the pool to completely clear. That’s even if it’s a working sand filter.
- If you have a cartridge filter, it needs to have a good cartridge. A cartridge can only handle so much. If your pool is cloudy, the cartridge needs to be cleaned DAILY until the pool is clear.
- If you have a diatomaceous-earth filter and the pool is cloudy, then
- Either the pump is not being run on a long enough cycle
- The DE is not fresh because its not being backwashed
- Or the filter is defective and not working properly.
So remember, a cloudy pool can be caused by a bad filter.
If the pool is being filtered properly, you won’t need a clarifier solution. In some cases, you can use a flocking agent, a product called “drop out” or “drop and vac,” that will bind small particles together and sink all of the algae to the bottom of the pool, where it can be vacuumed up as waste.
Green, Cloudy Pool
How Long Will It Take
There is no doubt that if you use the right amount of chlorine, you will see a huge difference in 24 hours. But there are some considerations:
- Your water is still likely to be cloudy, not clear. It may take your filters days or a week to clean the water back to crystal-clear.
- Check your filters often during this process. You dont want to add stress to your pump.
- You may have stubborn green spots that need to be scrubbed to get off. That is just part of the process of making your pool clean again.
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How To Keep Pool From Turning Green: Maintenance Tips For Clear Blue Water
The best way to keep your pool clear and blue is with regular maintenance. There are a number of preventative actions that homeowners can manage on their own, which can be considered pool maintenance for beginners, such as removing debris with a leaf net; others are more complex and may be better handled by a professional.
Why Is My Swimming Pool Green
There can be a multitude of reasons for a swimming pool to turn green, a lot of these can be tracked down to improper pH/alkaline levels, presence of metals, growth of algae, failing filtration system, or organic debris in the pools water. Some of these are easier to because there are tree branches, leaves, insects, or possibly clouded water floating in the pool. Nevertheless, something such as pH or alkalinity is required to be measured with a testing kit and then adjusted accordingly using chemicals such as chlorine or algaecide.
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How To Get Rid Of Green Algae In A Pool
The only way to clean a green pool fast is to kill the algae that have bloomed in the water. This can be done by shocking your pool with high levels of chlorine. The experts at Trouble Free Pool coined the S.L.A.M. method . The basic premise is to determine what level of shock you would need to kill all the algae, and then maintain this level until the pool is completely clear again. If you dont know, shock is when you add three to five times the normal amount of chlorine to kill the bacteria fast. Then Maintaining is the process of waiting and checking all your other levels until its safe again. If you would like to learn more from the experts at Trouble Free Pool then check them out at Trouble Free Pool
Brush The Pool Walls And Floor
Rather than just your usual, regular pool brush, its best to use an algae brush for this task. Algae is tough, and will stubbornly cling to the pools surfaces, so a heavy-duty brush works better than soft nylon bristles to remove it.
Use the brush to scrub the pool walls, floor, steps, and any other surface the algae may be clinging to.
Note: You may be wondering, why dont you brush the pool first, then vacuum it? Dont you want to vacuum up the algae? No. No you dont. You want to kill the algae, and it still has to be in the pool for you to do that. Trust us.
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How Green Is Your Pool
Because if it’s too green, these six steps wont be enough; you may need to have the pool drained and acid-washed, instead of shocked. I have seen many pools that were not just green, but black. In severe cases like this, it is more cost-effective and less time-consuming to simply drain the pool and have it acid-washed, even though it costs money to refill the pool.
This is my general rule for determining whether the pool can be treated chemically or needs to be drained: if you can see at least six to eight inches below the surface of the water, most likely the pool can be treated chemically. An example is in the photo below; you can see the top of the first stair down into the pool.
Once we establish that the pool doesn’t need to be drained and can be treated chemically, we can go from there.
An example of green pool water that can be treated chemically.
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.
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What Causes Green Water
Before we discuss how you can clean a green swimming pool, it is useful for you to know the cause of this.
As we have touched upon in our introduction, the green water is caused by algae.
Algae is something that occurs naturally in water, because of a number of reasons. Some of these reasons include unbalanced pH, the weather, and the environment.
While it is fairly harmless when thinking about ponds, it is not ideal to have in your swimming pool.;
The algae can cause skin irritations, and it is not recommended swimming in a; pool that has green water.
The good thing about algae is that it can be removed and cleaned away fairly quickly.;
Properly Balanced Pool Water Is Easier On Your Eyes And Skin
We mentioned in the opening paragraph that pool water can sometimes sting your eyes. This is often due to the same conditions that can cause cloudy pool water, which is usually low alkalinity and pH.
When your pool water is to the acidic side, it not only will burn your eyes, but it can impact your skin too. When this happens, once again you will have to bring your pool water pH and alkalinity back up to bring it into proper balance. Adding baking soda is again the best way to do this without affecting the other chemical balances of your pool water.
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What Makes The Pool Green
Algae make it green, and a chemical imbalance lets the algae grow. If there is enough free chlorine in the pool, algae will have a hard time forming. If for some reason the chlorine cant build up to a high enough level, algae will grow. That’s why you shock your pool with chlorine as part of the six-step process below. If the green comes back, you can adjust the levels of other chemicals besides chlorine, as there is more to pool water chemistry than chlorine alone.
Quick Dos And Donts List
- For the Sake of the pool, please do not rush! if you follow our guide and use the right kind of supplies you can have a clear pool in 24-48 hours.
- Do Not Use Bleach or Baking Soda as a replacement for proper chlorine or chemicals. Not only are these not as strong, but they can do major damage to your pool and equipment.;;
- Please do realize, all these Methods we have given you in this blog will work for above and inground pools.;
- Please Feel Free to contact our experts at USA Pool Direct if you have any questions or concerns cleaning your pool at 855-737-8983.;
Now you have all the tools and knowledge to clean your green pool fast, you are the expert. Never again will you be caught calling a pool cleaner and spending too much.; If you have any further questions regarding algae, chemical balancing, or pool maintenance at large, please feel free to comment below or contact our pool experts at 855-737-8983.;
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Cause #: Environmental Effects
If your cloudy water has nothing to do with the chemicals or the filter system, then the only reasonable explanation left is that its being caused by the surrounding environment.
Yep, Mother Nature can be a real b*tch sometimes. Here are some of the likely environmental causes:
Leaves & Small Debris
While leaves will be easy enough to remove before they dirty up your water, its really the build up of smaller dust and particles that can get you into trouble.
Small Animals & Insects
Insects and small animals will always find their way into your pool eventually, but the biggest things to keep an eye out for is droppings, particularly bird poop.
The Dreaded Algae
Insects and small animals will always find their way into your pool eventually, but the biggest things to keep an eye out for is droppings, particularly bird poop.
Surface Runoff
Heavy rain can cause water to accumulate on the ground, in some cases making its way to your pool bringing plenty of other nasties with it .
Dont forget On top of all this, you also have to account for the countless things that we humans take into the pool every time we decide to go for a little swim. Thats right, youre not as clean as you like to think.
Simple Steps On How To Clean A Green Above Ground Pool Quickly
Whether you have an inground or above ground pool, the green water seems like one of the most common problems that you have to deal with. Almost every pool owner should experience this kind of nasty case, and you may be one of them.
Of course, once you notice that your pool water has turned green, you have to solve it as soon as possible. The swimming pool with green water is not really safe to use due to some reasons like the imbalance chemicals of the water and the bacteria that may harm you.
There are some factors that cause the green pool water problem, such as:
- Low Chlorine Level; The lower the level of chlorine of your swimming pool, the more contaminants you will get.
- Low Cyanuric Acid Level; Cyanuric acid works to stabilize the free chlorine level, and when its lower than recommended, the pool is not sanitized optimally.
- Irregular Cleaning When you dont clean up the pool regularly, the debris and dirt in the water can bring the algae which then leads to a green water problem.
- Broken Filtration and Circulation System ;Both of them have a critical role in maintaining the hygiene of your pool water, they have to work properly to give you an enjoyable pool.
Fortunately, you can actually solve the green water problem all by yourself without any needs to call a pro. The tutorial on how to clean a green above ground pool below will guide you to deal with it.
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