With the chilly weather we’ve been having, we’ve probably spent more time cuddled up on the sofa with some hot chocolate and a blanket, and not given the swimming pool a second thought.
Summer is coming – that’s the exciting news. The not-so thrilling news though, is that you may be facing a green pool and the disapproving faces of your family.
Don’t worry though, we are here to help you to get your pool in tip-top shape and ready for some fun in the sun.
Help me fix my green pool
Let’s take a quick look at your pool. Is it a little cloudy, a light shade of green or more along the lines of pea soup? If your cleaning and chemical testing schedules have been out on the back burner then you know that you’re about to go into battle with that resilient little beast – algae.
The darker the green, the more algae you’ll be dealing with, and the more chemical warfare you will need to wage. Let’s jump in.
Step 1 – Clean up the debris
We don’t want our chemical efforts to be diluted by sand, leaves, or other debris in the water. So, the first step is to skim anything floating on the surface, set your pool pump to waste and vacuum the pool bottom thoroughly. That gunk will bypass your filter and chuck it straight out of the system, exactly where it belongs.
There is no shortcut for a good clean, and once you’ve vacuumed, you’ll need to get your trusty pool brush and scrub the sides of the pool. This will dislodge the stubborn algae and allow the chemicals to do their job.
Step 2 – Prepare your arsenal
Before you throw everything you have at your green pool, you need to confirm your pH levels and the alkalinity of the water. You will also want to check the sanitiser levels, which we are certain will be fairly low, given that your pool is green.
Then, you’re going to need to shock your pool with chlorine. If your water is a deep green colour, then you may find you’ll need to shock it more than once, perhaps up to four times if you’re facing a dark and swampy situation.
Step 3 – Filter
Now, we wait. The chlorine is going to need time to do its job, but in the meantime, you’re going to need to set your filter to run, a lot! This will circulate the free chlorine in the water and allow it to get to every nook and cranny to annihilate those little green blighters. It can take several days for your pool to clear.
Just keep filtering, cleaning and skimming and you’ll soon find that your green pool and sad family responds to your TLC and everything will be right in the world.
