How to clean a green swimming pool

If you are reading this article, the chances are that once clean and fresh swimming pool has started to turn green, and you are not sure how to deal with it. If you are grappling with a green pool and you are looking for effective means of cleaning your pool, look no further because you just found the solution to your green pool problems.

We will guide you on how to keep your pool cleans and how to keep it that way. So, make yourself comfortable and read along.

So, first things first, why do swimming pools turn green?

It’s not unusual to see pools that were once pristine and a refreshing sight start to turn green. There are quite a handful of reasons why the pool turns green, and we will take the next couple of seconds to touch on them.

Number one on our list is chlorine — the lack of chlorine actually

This may come as a surprise to most people but not having enough chlorine in your swimming pool can result in a green pool. It doesn’t take long for our algae friends to move into your pool if it lacks chlorine.

And if you don’t add chlorine to the water as soon as you notice algae presence, what started as a green patch in on the walls your pool will grow into a nightmare, and you could be looking at a green pool within a day — yes, that how fast algae can grow and take over your swimming pool.

If you are wondering how your pool can turn green within a short time, you should have it at the back of your mind that algae thrive and have a field day when the water is warm.

If your pool doesn’t have chlorine and algae get into it, it becomes unsafe to swim in and becomes a breeding ground for insects like mosquitoes.

The other reason why your pool is turning green is pollen.

Can pollen make your pool green?

As you may already know from basic science, plants produce pollens and can be transported over distances by wind. So, if you have plants around your compound or somewhere in the neighborhood, the chances are that pollens could be getting into your pool and turning it either green or yellow.

Because of their small size, pollens often evade swimming pool filters and accumulate over time — and when pollens build up in your pool; they gradually start to turn your pool green.

Pollens are sometimes confused about green or mustard algae. While algae pose health risks and ruin your pool, pollens are harmless. But nobody likes to dive into a pool that’s covered in pollens.

Metals can turn your pool green

Yeah, you read that right. Metals such as copper can get into your pool through cheap algaecides, source water, or when the pool’s metal components such as copper heater elements dissolve in it (which makes the water acidic).

If you shock a pool with too many metals dissolved in it, you will most likely have a green pool. And if it’s left unattended, the situation can get worse and begin to stain your pool finish.

Having discussed what causes pools to turn green, let’s focus on how to clean a green swimming pool. Shall we?

Here is how to clean a green swimming pool

As you can imagine, the treatment or type of cleaning you will give a green pool is dependent on the cause.

How to clean a green pool caused by algae

If you are dealing with a green pool caused by algae, you can get rid of the algae by adding chlorine (chlorine shock) to the water and adding algaecide to the pool. You have probably been wondering, why not shock the water and move on? Algae have a defensive mechanism that allows them to build a protective layer or coat that reduces chlorine’s effect on them.

Adding an algaecide to the water breaks up the protective coat and allows the chlorine through to the algae.

In addition to using chlorine, you should also make out time to brush the pool surfaces — brushing helps to break up algae bloom and makes it easier to be killed by the chemical.