Algaecide should be added to your pool water on a weekly basis. Preventing algae is the key to fun in your pool. Algaecides act as a backup to your normal sanitization program and prevent algae from starting and growing in the pool. Algaecide should be added after every shock treatment.
Algaecide should be used after each shock treatment, so it has a better chance to support your chlorine as it works its magic. Be sure to shock your pool first, then when the chlorine levels of your pool return to normal, add the correct amount of algaecide to several places around your pool while your pump is running.
The presence of too much algaecide can lead to a foamy pool water. Small bubbles will begin to be produced as the water is pushed through the return jet and back into the pool. Do not confuse these bubbles and foam with another common problem, which is air in your pool lines.
While shocking and adding algaecide is effective in getting rid of algae, it should not be done together. This is because when you mix chlorine and algaecide together, it renders both of them useless. Hence, you should first shock the pool and wait for the chlorine levels to fall below 5 PPM.
Pour the algaecide dose into the water, depositing it in several areas around the pool. Your swimming pool pump should be running at this time to help circulate the algaecide. Wait about 30 minutes before allowing anyone to swim after the algaecide application.
If you add algaecide, keep in mind that some algaecide contains copper, which can actually make a pool cloudy. If the cloudiness persists 24 hours after shocking, then it's possible that you used a poor-quality chlorine shock.
Add Algaecide After Shocking
Wait for the pH to fall to a safe level for swimming (3 ppm or below) and then add a product such as Pool Time Algicide + Clarifier in the amount recommended in the product instructions. Pour this incrementally into the water as you walk around the pool.
Now is the time to add Pool Clarifier and let it circulate for 12 hours. This will clump the algae together into vaccumable pieces. Shut your pump off and let the cloudiness settle. This may take up to a few days for very cloudy pools.
So unless you're dealing with mustard algae or black algae, leave the algaecide on the shelf and get ready to shock the heck out of your pool. But when dealing with regular ol' green pool algae, chlorine is your best bet to kill it dead.
The algaecide in the kit can cause some foam if there is no algae in the pool to destroy – it lingers around with nothing to kill. Spring time algaecides use surfactants to work and these molecules can react with agitation to cause froth.
pH Balance and Chlorine
Algaecides do not directly affect the pH balance in your pool, but too much algae will raise the pH level. By eliminating algae, the algaecide helps return pH levels to normal. Algaecide also works together with chlorine, helping the chlorine to be more effective against algae and bacteria.
A fiberglass pool in its worst condition can be algae-free in 24 hours. For a vinyl liner pool, the process can take 3-4 days. For a concrete pool, this can take a week or more.
Add a dose of algaecide, bring your chlorine level high by shocking, and run the filter continuously until the problem clears. The next day you should vacuum up the dead algae and backwash your filter. Algae thrives in hot weather and in pools with low or no chlorine.
The best time to introduce an algaecide , which functions best as a preventative, is after you've shocked the pool and the chlorine level has fallen below 5 parts per million.
Algaecides treat and prevent pool algae, but not all algaecides are created equal. To treat green pool water, ensure you select an algaecide that kills green pool algae. After treatment, some dead algae may remain in your pool. Continue to thoroughly brush your pool's surfaces often.
Algaecides. While algaecides are pretty shelf-stable and will be viable for up to five years, we only recommend getting enough to cover you for a season and a little bit for the off season.
You can add 200mL every week to prevent algae from growing in your swimming pool. Also, algaecides tend to include metal bases, and you don't want to add too many metals to your swimming pool. Metals in your water can cause staining.
In theory, if you have a cloudy swimming pool, you can add chlorine to “shock it” and clear things up. Chlorine will get the job done. But, the amounts may vary and you may have to really pound the pool with chlorine to get the water totally clear.
Pool water turns green because of algae in the water. Algae can grow rapidly, particularly when it's warm like Summer, which is why it can surprise you overnight. This generally comes down to an imbalance or lack of chlorine in the water.
Pools can immediately turn green after shocking when they have metals like copper in the water. These metals oxidise when exposed to high levels of chlorine which makes the pool water turn green. Adding a metal control product such as Zodiac Metal Remover will help to restore the pool water.
A general amount would be between 2 to 5 lbs of granular pool shock per 10,000 gallons of pool water – using more when cyanuric acid levels are above 30 ppm, or when the algae bloom is especially aggressive. Test the water the following day for pH and chlorine.