Chlorine—yep, your typical sanitizer—is much more effective at killing algae than algaecide is. Even if your water gets cloudy and your walls get slimy, chlorine can still kill it. That's because chlorine oxidizes bacteria and single-celled algae, which means they trade electrons.
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.
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. Only then should you introduce algaecide to get the best results.
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.
Use chlorine as your go-to algae killer.
When your pool water is green or contains visible algae clumps, your pool does not have enough chlorine. "Shocking" the pool with a large dose of chlorine is the most effective way to kill the existing algae and bring your pool back to sanitary conditions.
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.
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.
There are a few different types of algaecides that contain various chemicals to suppress and fight off algae. Many of them include copper or copper sulfate. It's this copper that oxidizes in the water. And when copper oxidizes it turns a green color causing your pool to look green.
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.
Let the water circulate for at least two hours.
Circulate the water for about 2 hours to ensure the flocculant is fully mixed in, then shut off your pump and let it sit overnight. During this time, the chemical will start to bind the particles together and settle them to the bottom of the pool.
GETTING RID OF ALGAE
Liquid Algaecide is a strong algae depressant used for the prevention of algae growth and the maintenance of sparkling water in pools. Algae growth is the main cause of “off” colours in your swimming pool water.
Winter Pool Algaecide is highly effective at preventing all forms of algae. Polymer pool algaecide stays strong all winter providing dependable control of algae growth throughout the winter season. Unique winterizing algaecide is specifically formulated to fight cold weather algae for up to 5 months in a covered pool.
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.
It is best to wait 30 minutes after adding it to your pool. We recommend waiting at least 15 minutes to swim after adding algaecide to your swimming pool. Most algaecides are perfectly safe to swim with. It is not recommended to swim with flocculent in your pool as it will reduce its effectiveness.
You can get rid of algae quickly by vacuuming and brushing your pool, balancing your pool's water chemistry, and then shocking and filtering your pool water. Just be thorough as you clean your pool surfaces. If you leave behind even a small number of algae spores, it won't be long before they regrow and bloom again.
In a pool where algae is present, algaecides work in conjunction with chlorine to kill the algae cells. The algaecide causes the cells of the algae to burst, which destroys the plant. Different algaecides are used for different types of algae.
It could take up to 24 hours for the pool water to clear after treating with Algaecide. We suggest waiting at least 48-72 hours before adding any more items (shock, algaecide, etc) to your pool water. If there are no signs of clearing you may need to shock your pool or drain and refill with fresh water.
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.
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.
You cannot overshock a swimming pool or add too much. Adding too much shock or overshocking your pool will kill off algae. The negative of adding too much shock is it will upset the chemical balance of your pool. It's likely to do that regardless of if you overshocked the pool or not.
Pool algae occurs for many reasons. Low or inconsistent chlorine levels, faulty pool filtration and poor water circulation may be to blame. Preventing pool algae from flourishing helps to keep your pool operational so you can enjoy it all season long. The key to an algae-free pool is regular maintenance.
What's important for you to know: You shouldn't swim in a pool that's green until you test the chemical levels, like the officials in Rio did before the diving event began. It's the balance of things like chlorine, pH, and alkalinity in a pool that keeps it sterilized.
Shock your pool to kill algae, then use an algicide to prevent it from coming back. Shocking your pool and adding an algaecide to the water are two ways to get rid of the sickly green color caused by algae growth, but you shouldn't do these things at the same time.
Registered algaecides include copper sulfate, copper chelates (ethanolamines, ethylene diamines, triethanolamines, triethanolamine + ethylene diamine, and copper citrate/gluconate), endothall (as the mono (N,N-dimethylalkylamine) salt), and formulations containing the active ingredient sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate.
When closing and winterizing your pool, it is important to remember to balance your pool water's chemistry prior to closing and don't forget the algaecide. Algaecide is simple and effective with one quart of winter algaecide typically enough to treat 20,000 gallons of water all winter long.