Does your pool have suspicious-looking green or black water? Does it look like something swamp creatures would love to paddle about in? The bad news is that there is no quick, magical way to clear your black or green pool overnight. Of course, the best swimming-pool maintenance tip anyone could ever give you at this point is NEVER to let your water get that dirty.
However, if the damage has been done-and you have the color to show for it-here are some swimming-pool maintenance tips to do away with the black or green.
1. Remove the large debris on the pool floor. Use a large leaf net, NEVER a hand skimmer. Your pool will look even worse off than it was in the first place-but this is temporary. The debris will eventually settle.
Tempted to take the easy route by vacuuming the pool? Sure, it makes swimming-pool maintenance routines easier, but you shouldn’t do it if you can’t see the bottom or if you can see plenty of debris. You could only end up clogging your filter, underground pipes, or skimmer!
2. Adjust the water’s alkalinity and pH levels. You can do this using pH Minus, pH Plus, or Alkalinity Plus. The water will never clear unless you maintain proper pH and alkalinity levels.
3. Shock the water. How? By super chlorinating! This will kill any algae or bacteria that may be existing and thriving. If the water is very dirty, you may need gallons upon gallons of liquid chlorine, to be used over a span of days until the water clears. Start by using 3 to 4 gallons. If you don’t see changes overnight, toss in 3 or 4 more the very next day.
Remember, you cannot overshock your pool. Note, though, that it’s best to use liquid shock because it yields results quicker. Don’t stop shocking the water until it changes its color to light green, cloudy white, or-best of all-clear.
4. Run the filter 24 hours daily. Moreover, backwash at least 3 times a day. Cloudy or green water quickly clogs up a filter, so you may need to backwash the filter several times daily until the water clears. Remember, it’s not possible for you to over-backwash your pool filter. The more frequent the pool “running” and the more numerous the filter backwashing, the faster it will take your pool to clear.
Follow these swimming-pool maintenance tips to clear your water quicker-you should start seeing results within 4 to 5 days. If you don’t, it’s possible your filter isn’t functioning as it should. In this case, it may be time to call in the pros. Of course, you can always check your filter system yourself, but hold on a minute-do you know how to? In the end, you may be saving yourself time, money, and grief by letting someone else do the grunt work.
