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.
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.
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.
As for your foaming, it will dissipate over time as the algaecide will slowly break down from chlorine. You can shock the pool with higher chlorine levels if you want to get rid of it faster, but this is not necessary as it will go away probably in about a week (two at the most).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In addition to adding algaecide after shocking your pool, you should add algaecide to your pool water when closing down for the year. Dark, humid weather is a prime time for algae growth, and you do not want any surprises when opening it up again.
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.
The most common reason pool water turns green is due to algae growing in the water. Algae can grow rapidly, particularly in hot weather, which is why it can surprise you overnight during the warmer months. This generally comes down to an imbalance or lack of chlorine in the water.
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.
Shock and Chlorinate Your Pool
Shocking kills any bacteria that might linger in your pool during the winter. We recommend shocking a few days before you close the pool. If that is not possible, make sure to shock the pool the night before you close it for winter.
Definitely close your pool before the temperatures fall under 30°F (-1°C) at night. As long as the pump is running, the water is moving, so it won't freeze. But if you lose electricity during a storm and it gets down below freezing, the water will freeze in the pump and filter.
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.
Swimming pool foam can be a huge distraction in and outside of your pool. Foam, or bubbles, make the water feel sticky and can make swimming uncomfortable for some. Good news for the kids, though, a foamy pool is safe to swim in. Still, we always recommend getting rid of the foam as soon as possible.
Chemical imbalances, high levels of organic contaminants, or a low calcium level can all create pool foam. In some cases, shocking the pool will solve it. In others, you may need to balance the water chemistry, or change the pool chemical brands you're using.
According to research, algae generally thrive in high pH, especially between the range of 8.2 and 8.7. But some algae, often referred to as acidophilic and acidotolerant algae, thrive at very low pH.
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.