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.
Copper pool algaecide lasts longer to work throughout the entire winter. Winter algaecide is designed specifically for cold weather algae prevention. Adding algaecide to your water does not interfere with other chemicals.
Algaecide works best in tandem with chlorine sanitizer to keep your pool water clean. Choosing the right type of algaecide is key. The best pool algaecide may be different for everyone. It will depend on your pool type, budget, and current needs.
Algaecide is the best way to prevent algae from growing in your unused pool. Generally, the colder the winter, the longer-lasting algaecide you'll want. Some winter algaecides last up to three months. You should pour in the algaecide on the last day you use the pool for the season and let the pump run for 24 hours.
In the pool chemicals (or spa) world, algaecide comes in three different varieties – quaternary, polyquats and copper-based. These chemicals act by disrupting energy transport, cell division, or the cell membranes which allow the algae to become more vulnerable to sanitizers such as chlorine.
Many algaecides are copper-based—either made of copper sulfate or copper chelates, which are chemical compounds with a metal as the central atom. A few registered algaecides instead use the herbicide endothall or sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate.
It's a good idea to shock the water a few days before closing the pool and then adding the algaecide the day you shut it down and cover it. It's recommended that you treat the water for algae problems before covering the pool and the same goes for any type of metal that has been sitting in the water all summer.
Green discoloration in a swimming pool is caused by the growth of algae, a type of green aquatic plant that floats on the surface of water. Algae usually flourishes in warm water but can still take over your pool in winter if given half a chance.
Once attached, winter algaecide destroys the algae cell by rupturing the cell membrane. Long lasting, and treats up to 20,000 gallons. For best results, especially for mesh covered pools, add one bottle at closing, and another bottle when the outside air temperatures once again reach 60 degrees in the spring.
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.
Grab a brush and some baking soda. Bicarbonate, the active ingredient in baking soda, is an effective spot treatment to help kill the algae and loosen it from the wall. Make sure you really get every last particle free; black algae has particularly long and stubborn roots which makes it a persistent strand.
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.
One final note on algaecide: Contact algaecide is different from liquid algaecide. Many liquid algaecides don't work in cold water, and we don't recommend using them even in the warm months.
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.
In the fall, make sure to add chlorine and algaecide to your pool for over the winter. Don't add too much chlorine though. If the chlorine level is too high over the winter, you can bleach the liner. As soon as the water thaws in the spring, pop open a corner of the cover and add liquid chlorine to the pool (1–2 gal.
Algae growth is stopped at temperatures below 40° F, but some algae can continue to survive, and like weeds in a lawn, can go dormant over the winter, coming back to life in early spring, weeks before you open the pool.
Baking Soda and Green, Blue, or Yellow Algae
You'll need to use an algaecide to kill the algae and superchlorinate your pool to clear the water. After this treatment, test your pH and alkalinity and add baking soda to raise alkalinity to at least 100 ppm and pH to between 7.2 and 7.8.
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.
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.
You really only need one chemical (algaecide) to properly winterize a swimming pool. You need some other stuff to protect your pool from harsh winter conditions, but only one chemical to add when closing.
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.
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.
The HTH Ultimate Algae Guard is the one that is added every 90 days, it is a copper based algaecide.