If your pool water is green, you may be wondering how to go about restoring its natural color. Today, we will examine the causes of green pool water, how to fix it, and more. Let’s get right in!
What Causes Green Water?
Before learning how to eliminate green water, let’s first see how it forms. Pools develop green water due to algae, but there are several ways that it can develop. Here are the most common:
Weather: Weather plays a large role in algae formation. Algae typically thrive in warm, humid environments. If there’s a sudden swing in temperature, your pool may succumb to green water.
Improper pH levels: Ideally, your pool should have a pH of right around 7.4. If your pH changes for some reason, it will allow algae and bacteria to thrive. Most likely, if the pH level in your pool is wrong, it will develop green water.
Backed up a filter: Lastly, a common cause of green water in residential pools is a backed-up filter. If your filter becomes clogged by some object, it won’t be able to perform its job. To avoid this, we recommend checking your filter every few days.
How to Get Rid of Green Water
When confronted by green water, you have two options: hire a professional or rid the pool of algae yourself. We will explain in depth how you can get rid of green water through a step by step process.
Step 1: Assess your situation – In this stage, you should be focused on determining the severity of your algae problem. If your algae is so thick that you can’t see past a few inches, you may need to add 10 gallons of chlorine first. Otherwise, continue onto the next step.
Step 2: Test the pH of your pool – It’s valuable to determine the pH of your pool if you are going to use a chemical or shock treatment. You can then determine how many times you need to shock or how many chemicals to put in your pool.
Step 3: Use either a chemical or shock method – If you’re using the chemical method, purchase a quality algaecide product. Meanwhile, before using the shock method, first determine how green your pool is. For light green colors shock twice for the best results. For dark green algae, shock at least three times.
Step 4: Test the water. Finally, once the algae are gone, you should test the pH and alkalinity of your water.
How to Maintain Your Pool
The best way to prevent algae from causing your pool water to turn green is to maintain your pool. A few maintenance tips that we recommend include:
• Remove debris from your pool.
• Check pH levels.
• Clean out your filter.
• Get your water tested regularly.
• Add chemicals if necessary.
• Shock the pool 1x/week during the summer months.
Hopefully, you recognize how to get rid of green water in your pool. Use these tactics to restore your pool water to its natural state. Contact us today and see our swimming pool supplies in NJ.