When you think of “going green” with your swimming pool, chances are if you don’t have a natural pool though, if you notice your pool has “gone green” it’s because algae bloom has taken hold. If you notice that your pool has gone murky and has become algae-filled swimming pool, it’s unfortunate and, unfortunately it is not that easy to bring a green pool back to a clean, crystal clear swimming pool. Your swimming pool contractor from Advanced Pool Care will have to put in time and effort and it might cost you additional money to clean the brackish 
water.
Prevention is always the best way to avoid a green pool and that is best accomplished by being diligent with maintenance. However, there may come a time that no matter how diligent you are you can be faced with a “green pool.” Working with a swimming pool maintenance professional may help eliminate the chance of being faced with this dilemma, though.
These are some of the steps a contractor will take to rid a Memphis, Tennessee swimming pool of algae:
- All debris needs to be removed from the pool. He will use a large leaf net – not a skimmer as that will stir up the water and make it temporarily worse. The pool will not be vacuumed either as that will also stir up the algae and could damage the vacuum or clog the skimmer, filter or underground plumbing.
- The pH and alkalinity levels will be adjusted using a pH plus, pH minus or alkalinity plus chemicals. The levels must be within the proper ranges or the water will never clear.
- The swimming pool will be shocked — Super chlorinated — to kill algae and bacteria. If the pool is filthy and green your contractor may need to use dozens of gallons of liquid chlorine over a period of days before the water begins to clear. He will add three or four gallons of water and if no visible results are noted overnight, add three or four more gallons the next day. This will be kept up until the water changes to a light green, cloudy white or to clear. At this point, you cannot overshock the pool.
- You should plan to run the filter 24 hours a day and backwash three or four times a day if you want to see quick results. Remember that green water will quickly clog your filter so you will have to backwash several times. Just as you can’t overshock the pool, you can’t over-backwash the filter either. The more you run the pool, the more you backwash, the quicker it will clean. If you’re using a DE filter, you will have to add new DE to the skimmer that is closest to the filter after each backwashing. Having a DE filter is more work than a typical sand filter but if you’ve got a green pool a DE filter will clean it more quickly than sand.
After the water clears, you will likely see debris and algae floating on the bottom of the swimming pool and that is when your contractor may suggest using the vacuum. If it is large amounts of debris, you should contact a pool professional to have the swimming pool professionally power vacuumed to save wear and tear on your equipment.
Daily maintenance and chemical balance testing will prevent your pool from getting green and keep it algae free. If pool maintenance is not something you’re prepared to perform on a daily basis, it’s best to contact a pool contractor to perform it for you.
