Tallahassee Cloudy Green Pools Help
Summer is here! But when you look in your backyard your pool might not be ready yet. After a long winter and spring your pool might need some extra care. Green pools come in many different shades.
Most commonly there is the teal; a pool that's been sitting for a little while but its only a little green. You can see the bottom but brushing the sides might cause algae to cloud up.
There is also the light green pool; this pool is one step further. You may or may not be able to see the bottom but it is starting to turn darker. There may be more floating on the surface than normal.
The second to worse is the fully green pool. You probably can't see the bottom in the deep end and some buildup is definitely accumulating. This is usually when a pool hasn't been touched in a couple months.
And finally is the deep green; this pool has seen better days. You won't be able to see the bottom even in the shallow end and usually there are frogs, and other animals living in it. Think more pond than pool.
Well the good news is, these are all reversible! All four cases can be fixed in as little as one cleaning to about a month of cleaning depending on the severity.
If you have a green pool here is how to get it clear and blue in no time!
Be mindful that in all cases copious amounts of chemicals will be necessary, so if you are uncomfortable with this, contact your local pool cleaning company and they will be able to assist.
With that in mind this is how you will be able to get your pool back to blue in no time!
Teal pools are the easiest. They usually only need some attention and will quickly return to normal. This stage usally only has small amounts of green algae but be careful you might see some yellow. If you do it will be more difficult to remove. See our guide on how to do so in our other blog.
But, if you only have green algae you are in luck. All you will need is some chlorine to do its job. Add your regular amount of chlorine to the pool, then add about another half of that. Repeat this every 3 or 4 days until blue.
Light green pools may need to be tested before turning blue. You can either take your pool water to a pool supply shop and they will test it or better yet buy testing strips and you will be able to do it yourself every time. These pools also need a lot of chlorine and are similar to teal pools, however you need to scrub down the bottom, and sides of the pool first. Make sure that your skimmer is clean as a lot of leaves in there will surely cause your pump to not prime and your pool will not circulate as efficiently.
With a fully green pool you will need to make a decision. You need to decide if it is worth draining your pool or heavily chlorinating it. Using chemicals will take longer but draining will be a lot more work. There will likely be leaves and other gunk at the bottom so at this stage you will need a pool vacuum if you don't already have one. Just the hose, pole, and vacuum head will work for you. Hyper Chlorinate about once to twice a week as algae will remove it faster than normal.
A green pool once blue but cloudy will need some cleaner, we recommend a clear aid solution from your local pool store. This will return your pool to a clear blue but will reveal the leaves at the bottom. Make sure to get those with your brush and vacuum. If you drain continue to the deep green pool section. The process will be the same.
Deep green pools can be a nightmare as they can contain secrets at the bottom that you were unaware of. This pool MUST be drained. No chemicals can save it now. Set your pool to drain, it might take a couple of days if you do not have an additional sump pump. Once drained the sides need to be heavily scrubbed or pressure washed. There will likely be a lot of gunk at the bottom. This has to be removed by a sump pump or by hand. Buckets will be a necessity. Once the sides and bottom are cleanish you will need to acid wash.
This might be scary but can be done easily if cautions are taken. If you are uncomfortable with this, your local pool company will be able to help but it will cost you. Typically around $700-1500 based on your pool size.
Of doing it yourself you need to be wearing gloves, eye protection, and a mask. We recommend watching a video on this step but you will simply fill a watering can with muriatic acid and coat the sides of the pool. After that sprinkle over soda ash to neutralize. Then you will need to drain this as well. After that you are good to fill your pool back up!
This drain method can be back breaking but will yield excellent results that may only take a day or two.
Let us know what tips and tricks you are using to clean your pool! And of course if you have any questions no matter where you are located feel free to reach out to us and we and guide you through anything.