Sanitize your pool. Chlorine serves as a great sanitizer and can effectively kill algae. If you're already dealing with tell-tale green water, a concentrated chlorine shock treatment will clean your pool. A chlorine shock treatment works best at night, without the rays of the sun burning it off.
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.
Chlorine is still one of the most effective killers of algae so doing a super-chlorination of 10-20 ppm of chlorine can go a long way towards wiping out the algae. Liquid chlorine is an ideal shock for algae because it is fast acting and does not add cyanuric acid (CYA) or calcium to the water.
Shock Your Pool
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.
If the pH becomes too high (over 7.8), it prevents the chlorine from doing its job. If you're not checking the pH and it has risen too much, you could be adding the right amount of chlorine, but it can't work correctly, and algae will begin to grow.
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.
When temperatures reach below 40°F algae growth is stopped, but it can still survive and become dormant over the winter. Pool algae will come back to life weeks before you decide to open your pool.
Can you over shock a green pool? No. The more chlorine shock you add to a green pool, the better chance it has to kill off all the algae. Follow the normal shock treatment based on the size of your pool and you can double, triple, or quadruple the dose to kill algae.
There are a lot of reasons why algae keep returning to pools. The most common of these reasons are: Low levels of chlorine or chlorine getting burned up too fast before it gets the opportunity to kill the algae.
It's often recommended to shock your pool once a week. If you don't do it every week, you should at least do it every other week. This is necessary to maintain your pool's water chemistry. If you have a lot of people over in your pool or have a party, you may want to shock your pool more frequently.
While the rain itself doesn't generally harm your pool, it can dilute the carefully balanced chemistry in the water. This can alter your pH levels and dilute the chlorine or other sanitizers, allowing algae or other contaminants to gain a foothold.
You need to raise the level of your chlorine – shock the pool – and maintain that high level until all the algae is dead. This may take 3 to 4 days. RUN THE FILTER 24 HOURS A DAY. You must maintain that high level of chlorine.
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.
Scrub the black algae away with a good, stiff pool brush. This will help break down the protective layer and make it easier to treat. Break a chlorine tablet in half and rub it directly onto the affected areas. The chlorine treatment will kill the algae's roots and prevent it from coming back.
Algae can persist in a pool even after shocking. A green pool – especially one that turned green overnight or after rain, can also be from a pool pump that isn't properly circulating water or an issue with your filtering system.
Algae, over a period, can make your water smelly, and hamper the chemical balance of your pool. Overgrown algae can clog water filters and affect the water circulation in your pool.
Also, if neglected over a long period, bacteria associated with algae can be a health concern. Running your filter when the pool is covered with algae can clog up the filter and even damage it permanently.
But as it turns out, copper pennies do a pretty good job of keeping algae away for a few days! Pennies made before 1982 contain copper and according to Google, “copper kills algae by binding to it, which damages the algae cells, causing them to leak and die.” I tossed in 10 pennies and waited for the results.
Does baking soda kill algae in pools? Only algaecides can "kill" algae in pool water. However, baking soda can help clear up algae. Use both so you can restore sparkly, clean water!
It's pretty tough to over-shock your pool; shocking your pool two days in a row with the proper dosage for your pool volume shouldn't be a problem – and in fact, is sometimes even needed to rid your pool of algae and other contaminants.
If you're dealing with algae or a build-up of organic contaminants, use cal-hypo shock. If you're shocking as part of regular pool maintenance, it's fine to use any type of shock. Just know that dichlor shock will raise your cyanuric acid levels.
Green or Dark Green Pool Water:
This means there's a medium amount of algae in your water and you'll need to triple shock your pool. Triple shocking requires 3 pounds for every 10,000 gallons of pool water.