November 2011
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Changing Your Hot Tub Water in 4 Simple Steps
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How to Choose the Right In-ground Pool for You
in Maintenance
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Whether your pool is the centerpiece of your backyard, or just a fun oasis to escape to on a hot summer day, clear blue water is essential to enjoying it. To maintain a pool you can be proud of, you need to defeat one of summer’s biggest nuisances: algae.
“Algae is a single-celled plant that multiplies in the right conditions: sunlight and warm water,” says Touraj Rowhani, research chemist at Arch Chemicals, Inc. Algae spores enter your pool from the surrounding environment that can include nearby plants, ponds or trees. Wind and rain can also carry the spores into your pool or onto your pool deck, where they can be washed in or carried in by swimmers. The hotter the temperature is, the greater your pool’s vulnerability to algae.
Pool owners need to watch out for three types of algae: green, mustard and black. Green algae floats freely in the water and can make your water appear cloudy. Mustard algae is yellow-brown and grows on pool walls. Black algae also grows on pool walls and tends to grow in the crevices of plaster pools, making it the most difficult to remove.
Regardless of algae type, pool owners see algae as a problem because it’s unsightly and leaves a slimy residue on swimmers’ skin. Algae can also increase your pool’s pH level, clog your filter and increase pool chemical consumption.
Preventing Algae in the Pool
It’s impossible to completely prevent algae spores from creeping into your pool. But washing your deck regularly can help reduce them. If you have plants or trees surrounding the pool area, you will need to be extra vigilant because they are a common source of algae spores. Trim leaves and branches back as much as possible so they are not hanging over the pool, and check the sanitizer and pH levels of your pool water multiple times a week. Cleaning and storing your pool cover properly will also help to prevent organic matter from getting into the pool. If leaves or other debris do land in your pool, it is important to remove them right away.
The key to an algae-free pool is to kill any spores that enter your pool right away, and filter them out of the pool, so they can’t form visible colonies. To prevent colonies, you must brush your pool weekly and keep up with your weekly chemical additions, make sure your pool filter is clean and functioning, and ensure the water is circulating properly.
For a chlorine-based pool system, combat algae with your weekly chlorine shock treatment POOLIFE® TurboShock® or POOLIFE Rapid Shock, and your algaecide, POOLIFE AlgaeBomb 30™, POOLIFE Super AlgaeBomb 60 or POOLIFE AlgaeBan™.
For chlorine-free pools, keep your BAQUACIL® Sanitizer and Algistat level within the recommended range of 30 ppm to 50 ppm. A good guideline is that when the sanitizer level drops 10 ppm, top up to 50 ppm. Routine addition of BAQUACIL Oxidizer and BAQUACIL Algicide or BAQUACIL CDX also plays a key role in preventing algae.
In addition to keeping your chemicals at the proper levels — to truly combat algae — brush your pool walls once a week. As algae multiply, the colonies form a protective outer layer. Brushing destroys that outer layer so the chemicals can penetrate the algae.
Cleaning your filter regularly will also help eliminate algae. The chemicals attack and kill the algae, but the filter removes dead algae spores from your pool. Your filter should be running for 8 to 12 hours a day, and the pump must be operating properly for circulation.
Treating Algae in the Pool
If an algae problem does develop in your pool, there are steps you can take to treat it.
Brushing and vacuuming your pool thoroughly, and physically removing as much of the algae as possible, can limit the amount of chemicals you’ll have to use. Once this is done, you’ll need to use chemicals to kill the algae spores. Adjust the pH level to between 7.2 and 7.4, and then for chlorinated pools add POOLIFE TurboShock as instructed on the label. Add one of the POOLIFE algaecide products such as Algae Bomb 30 or Super Algae Bomb 60 for green algae and AlgaeBan for mustard or black algae. Remember to follow label instructions when adding algaecide. After chemically treating the algae, continue to run your filter, and brush and vacuum your pool to remove the dead algae spores.
For chlorine-free pools, the most important step after brushing and vacuuming is ensuring that your BAQUACIL Sanitizer and Algistat are at the proper levels by topping them off at 50 ppm. Then add BAQUACIL Performance Algicide and BAQUACIL Oxidizer according to label directions. For more information on combating algae in a chlorine-free pool, print out our easy-to-follow reference sheet.
After you’ve had an algae problem, it’s always a good idea to chemically clean your filter. If algae problems persist, visit your authorized dealer for advice.
