Brushing your swimming pool walls and floor are key in removing dirt and debris and any algae spores trying to gain a foothold on your vessel's walls. It is the number one way to prevent algae. A pool should be brushed 1-2 times a week. If you are getting algae, you are not brushing often enough.
Brushing the Pool
The most important step in preventing algae is to brush the swimming pool weekly. This eliminates the opportunity for algae spores to take a foothold on your pool's surface.
BRUSHING THE POOL
It is recommended that the pool be brushed with a standard 18-inch nylon bristle pool brush at least twice per week. The entire process usually only takes 10 minutes and is well worth the time and effort.
How often should I vacuum my swimming pool? In general, it's a good idea to vacuum your pool once a week. You should also vacuum your swimming pool any time you notice large amounts of debris, dirt, or leaves on the floor of the pool (for example, your pool may need vacuuming after a heavy storm).
“If a pool's interior is not brushed or an automatic pool cleaner isn't run, algae will cling to the surface and the water will eventually turn green. It will take a lot of work to get the water clean and clear again.”
It doesn't matter how much chlorine, shock, algaecide, algae preventive or algae killer you use, the surface must be brushed to break the algae's protective surface and suspend the algae in the water so that the chemicals can do their job.
Brush the pool surfaces (walls, floors and steps) weekly to remove algae that may be building up. Shock your pool water weekly to remove contaminants and clear up cloudy water.
Brush the walls first
While some people choose to brush the walls of the pool after vacuuming, Adrian Harrison of My Perfect Pool suggests it's the first thing you should do. 'To minimize the chances of algae, the walls and floor of the pool should be brushed weekly,' he says.
“We recommend shocking the pool water by adding a high dose of chlorine powder or liquid, brushing the pool surfaces then adding an algaecide,” Sergiou says. “Algae grows in layers and needs to be brushed to be suspended in the water to be eliminated. Follow with a clarifier and run the pool filter overnight to clear.”
Brush the Pool
Brushing the pool after adding shock helps eliminate the risk of bleaching your pool while simultaneously loosening up whatever algae is on your pool's finish (if your pool walls or floor are slippery, that is algae).
In fact, chlorine can be harmful to your eyes, hair, nails, lungs, and yes, even your skin. Not only that, but depending on your age, existing skin condition, and several other factors including the balance of chemicals in the water, chlorine can be anything from irritating to extremely harmful to your skin.
Although it's important to shower off any residual bugs that might have got through the chlorinated neutralising process, it's most important to shower the chlorine off your skin to prevent damage from those harsh pool chemicals.
On average, you should run your pool pump around 6-8 hours per day during winter and 10-12 hours per day during summer.
Brushing the walls and floor of your pool will indeed prevent algae buildup because it prevents those algae spores from attaching to the surface and beginning to grow in the first place. It is always good to remember with algae that it is better to prevent it than to treat it.
As a rule of thumb, you should shock your pool every week, even if you don't think that it needs it. But, there are several instances when you should certainly shock your pool: Shock your pool when you open it for the season to kill any bacteria or algae. Shock your pool after heavy use or a party.
And it's normal to see cloudy water after killing algae with shock. The water should clear up after you run your filter. Just be sure to vacuum and brush your pool before using shock. This helps remove and loosen up large amounts of algae.
It's important to note that you should not try to vacuum green pool water until you have removed any and all organic debris using a pool net, and have added the proper chemicals to the water, and done proper brushing so that the green algae has visibly settled to the bottom of your swimming pool.
Your swimming pool may look a little cloudy after your pool tech leaves because brushing and vacuuming will unsettle fine debris that was clinging to the pool surface. Your pool filter should remove particles that remain suspended, but some will inevitably settle back onto the bottom of the pool.
Begin the process by brushing the walls of your pool to remove dirt, algae, and debris, paying special attention to the water line. For best results, do this the night before you vacuum the pool. Allow the resulting debris to drop to the bottom of the pool where it can be vacuumed later.
Shocking is the process of adding chemicals to your pool to raise chlorine levels and kill bacteria and algae. We recommend using a calcium hypochlorite shock to treat your algae problems.
Whether mild or severe, it isn't recommended. Significant amounts of swimming pool algae welcome a breeding ground of harmful bacteria that feed on algae. These bacteria pose health risks to swimmers, most commonly resulting in a skin rash. It can also cause various bacterial infections of the ears or eyes.
To eliminate and prevent green algae in a swimming pool, start by adding an extra dose of chlorine to your pool to shock the algae and stop the bloom. Let the chlorine work overnight, then test the pH levels of the pool in the morning to see if the pH is back to normal.