Q. Okay, so I have this giant inground pool. I've had it for a few years (previous owners built it). Every time I open it, it is all green with algae. I know this will happen, but it takes me over 2 weeks to clean! It's only supposed to take a few days, one week at the most! I bought a new filter last year and it is still green. I always scrub it with an algae scrubber and vacuum the pool (p.s. what's the correct way to vacuum an inground pool?). I have the proper chemicals added too. What can I do to help clean it up faster?
Answer
I hope this isn't too long of an answer, but I hope it helps!
Adding the proper chemicals is what you should be doing, however you also need to make sure those chemicals are in proper balance with each other. Make sure your chlorine levels are where they should be and, more importantly, that they stay there.
Do you cover your pool in the winter? I don't cover mine; cleaning my pool is a year-round process. That means I'm not very familiar with cleaning techniques during winter if you do cover it, but I don't think that cleaning algae out of it is something you should have to do every year.
Sustaining circulation is also a good way to keep algae from clinging to the sides of your pool. Once they attach, they grow and spread quickly. Our pump runs for at least a few hours, every day...unless we go on a day trip out of town. I've also had my pump break down on me a few times where I had 0 circulation in my pool and within a week, my pool water went from a little cloudy to looking like green mud.
Are you familiar with backwashing? Diatomaceous earth (DE)? Sand? Backwashing is flushing your filter screens (in the pump) of small contaminants like dirt and algae particles. DE and sand is the filter aid you use that coats the screens of your filter to keep the stuff from getting re-deposited into your pool via the jets. Just look at the manufacturer's label on the pump and it should tell you what kind of filter you have; this should tell you what kind of filter aid it uses.
As for a "correct" way to vacuum, well there's really no right and wrong way to do it. There's automatic skimmer vacuums you can buy that get propulsion from your pump, and there's manual ones where you do it all yourself. The automatic ones will be pricier of course, but if you don't like breaking out in sweats or standing in bitter cold wind to operate a manual one, they can be life-savers.
Any questions you have can be directed to your local pool supply store; I prefer Leslie's myself, if you have one nearby--www.lesliespool.com. You can buy water test kits there; you dunk a test strip in the water and check where your chemical levels are so if any of them are off, they can be corrected. However, most places like this will also test a sample of the water you bring to their store and will offer advice.
I hope this isn't too long of an answer, but I hope it helps!
Adding the proper chemicals is what you should be doing, however you also need to make sure those chemicals are in proper balance with each other. Make sure your chlorine levels are where they should be and, more importantly, that they stay there.
Do you cover your pool in the winter? I don't cover mine; cleaning my pool is a year-round process. That means I'm not very familiar with cleaning techniques during winter if you do cover it, but I don't think that cleaning algae out of it is something you should have to do every year.
Sustaining circulation is also a good way to keep algae from clinging to the sides of your pool. Once they attach, they grow and spread quickly. Our pump runs for at least a few hours, every day...unless we go on a day trip out of town. I've also had my pump break down on me a few times where I had 0 circulation in my pool and within a week, my pool water went from a little cloudy to looking like green mud.
Are you familiar with backwashing? Diatomaceous earth (DE)? Sand? Backwashing is flushing your filter screens (in the pump) of small contaminants like dirt and algae particles. DE and sand is the filter aid you use that coats the screens of your filter to keep the stuff from getting re-deposited into your pool via the jets. Just look at the manufacturer's label on the pump and it should tell you what kind of filter you have; this should tell you what kind of filter aid it uses.
As for a "correct" way to vacuum, well there's really no right and wrong way to do it. There's automatic skimmer vacuums you can buy that get propulsion from your pump, and there's manual ones where you do it all yourself. The automatic ones will be pricier of course, but if you don't like breaking out in sweats or standing in bitter cold wind to operate a manual one, they can be life-savers.
Any questions you have can be directed to your local pool supply store; I prefer Leslie's myself, if you have one nearby--www.lesliespool.com. You can buy water test kits there; you dunk a test strip in the water and check where your chemical levels are so if any of them are off, they can be corrected. However, most places like this will also test a sample of the water you bring to their store and will offer advice.
How can I clean a pool that has algae?
ivan584
there's algae all over the sides of the pool and not much in the water
Answer
Hi Ivan, boy do I know this project! We had a beautiful 800 gallon, waterfall in our back yard, under a tree with sticky seeds that fell year-round. It's first name was green! So, I can tell you that pool supply companies, and some home or hardware stores carry algaecides that will do the job.
Preventative measures are the best. Use the pool sweeper to sweep down the sides of the pool daily. You can buy automatic sweepers, but you do need to check that they are doing the job -following them up at least weekly is best. If a lot of leaves get into the pool, remove them daily. If not so many get in the pool, every few days is good. But if the leaves build up, so will the algae. Make sure children, pets, and guests understand they must not go in the pool muddy or even a little dirty -that's what eats up your chlorine.
It's important to check the chlorine levels daily. This is the best thing you do to keep the pool safe and healthy. Don't skip this! Pool services abound, so you don't have to do all these things yourself. If you have a tree with small leaves near the pool, or where it's leaves get blown into the pool, remove it. If there are small gardens around the pool, exchange small-leaved shrubs for larger leaved shrubs, put down landscape fabric (NEVER black plastic) around the shrubs, and cover with a 4" layer of rock. Bark can be blown into the pool by wind.
I allow email through Yahoo! Answers if you have more questions. Just go to my profile page and click on the blue email line.
Hi Ivan, boy do I know this project! We had a beautiful 800 gallon, waterfall in our back yard, under a tree with sticky seeds that fell year-round. It's first name was green! So, I can tell you that pool supply companies, and some home or hardware stores carry algaecides that will do the job.
Preventative measures are the best. Use the pool sweeper to sweep down the sides of the pool daily. You can buy automatic sweepers, but you do need to check that they are doing the job -following them up at least weekly is best. If a lot of leaves get into the pool, remove them daily. If not so many get in the pool, every few days is good. But if the leaves build up, so will the algae. Make sure children, pets, and guests understand they must not go in the pool muddy or even a little dirty -that's what eats up your chlorine.
It's important to check the chlorine levels daily. This is the best thing you do to keep the pool safe and healthy. Don't skip this! Pool services abound, so you don't have to do all these things yourself. If you have a tree with small leaves near the pool, or where it's leaves get blown into the pool, remove it. If there are small gardens around the pool, exchange small-leaved shrubs for larger leaved shrubs, put down landscape fabric (NEVER black plastic) around the shrubs, and cover with a 4" layer of rock. Bark can be blown into the pool by wind.
I allow email through Yahoo! Answers if you have more questions. Just go to my profile page and click on the blue email line.
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