Green Pools Are Challenging To Take Care Of!

Green pools are challenging and with temperatures reaching 110 degrees and higher over the next week, this blog post has perfect timing. Summer officially starts today and when this happens we see a major increase in the number of green pools! In all honesty, over the past couple of weeks, we’ve had a major increase in the number of phone calls because there has been an issue with homeowners pools turning green so we thought it would be a great time to discuss why this happens, what you can do to help and how to prevent it in the future. There have also been a few news stories about green pools too because of the fear of West Nile Virus! Green pools are a direct result of lack of chlorine and/or poor circulation! Even if your calcium hardness, total dissolved solids or Cyanuric Acid (CYA) levels are high that is not what causes your pool water to turn green. When those levels get high, it’s time to change out your water BUT this doesn’t cause a swimming pool to turn green.

Typically, during the winter months you can get away with shorter filter run times and less chlorine (about 1 part per million) but when the water warms up you must increase your filter run times along with the chlorine levels too! So, if your swimming pool is green we recommend the following….

• Running the filter all day and night until the water is clear (this will take longer with a sand filter)
• Dumping 2-3 gallons or more of chlorine in the swimming pool each day until the water is clear
• If you have a sand filter, check the sand for clumps or aging (this could be a sign that a sand change is necessary)
• Make sure the grids of a DE or cartridge filter are clean and filtering properly
• Brushing the sides, steps and benches of the swimming pool to loosen up the algae

One other issue to keep in mind that can be troubling for swimming pool owners is phosphates. They are an issue because pool stores will always test for them and sell you chemicals to get rid of them. They are always brought up when you have either green or cloudy water. The truth is, you are always going to have phosphates in your pool water! They get introduced to your pool water in several ways, including:

• Tap (Fill) water
• Vegetation (leaves and dirt)
• Lotions and hair products
• Certain pool chemicals

Please also note that after the crazy spring we just had that included a lot of wind and storms, checking your phosphates would be a very good idea! In the end, they are pretty hard to avoid, and they are considered to be “food for algae.” You might need to do a phosphate treatment if the levels are high. At Clark County Pool & Lawn we have a variety of services available for you. Taking care of a swimming pool can be extremely challenging especially when the water temperatures increase. If you’re looking to save a headache and be assured your water is looking great, then you need to contact us today for a weekly pool service quote!