Algae growth is something that is inevitable when it comes to swimming pools, though. There may be that situation where contaminants eventually develop in your pool and you wonder what you might have been doing wrong all the while.
The good news is, there’s always a way around solving these problems, especially growing algae. It’s either you apply an algaecide as a solution or you shock the pool. In this article, we’ll be looking at which is preferable to do first: applying an algaecide or shocking the pool. Stay with us as we proceed.
The first thing to do when you notice your swimming pool developing algae is to shock it, not apply an algaecide. Test your pool water and shock it. Then you can apply an algaecide afterwards.
So many people make the mistake of applying an algaecide when there’s a noticeable growth of algae in the swimming pool and expecting to somehow remove them.
An algaecide, no matter how active it might be, serves as a preventive measure, not necessarily an antidote to algae problems. The major thing that removes algae is chlorine. It is only after shocking the pool with chlorine that you can go ahead and apply an algaecide as a means to prevent the algae from growing again.
When should I add algaecide to my pool?
Pool management is all about the right knowledge; knowing what to do and how to do it at the right time. It is very important for all pool owners to be familiar with pool treatment and procedures in order for them to carry them about by themselves if hiring the services of a chemist or water scientist is not on their agenda.
It is very important that you add algae to your swimming pool water on a weekly basis. Algaecides serves as a support or back-up to your sanitization treatments in the pool. It is more like a preventive measure and should be applied after applying chlorine to the pool.
Also, it is very important to treat your pool. Consistently, it is even very important to sanitize your swimming pool immediately if you start noticing some irregularities or uncertainties in the pool. Once your pool starts coloring green and becoming cloudy, that’s a very big indication of contaminant buildup, especially algae.
Testing your pool water levels consistently and balancing them can also help prevent algae development, especially when accompanied with chlorine and algaecide.
How do I add algaecide to my pool?
Algae problems are common issues in pool management. It is a familiar problem pools face and needs certain measures to be treated. We’ll be looking at some of the measures by which you can successfully apply and treat your pool of algae.
Here are the steps to follow towards applying an algaecide to your swimming pool.
- Select the proper algaecide to use: there’s silver algaecide and there’s copper-based algaecide. If your algae problem is that of yellow algae, then copper-based algaecide would be the best to use, while silver-based algaecide is more preferable in treating green algae problems, which are very popular.
- Make sure your pool is balanced: ensure you test the water levels of your pool, test for pH, alkalinity, and chlorine. Balance them up. Some times, after balancing your chemical levels, your algae problems will disappear, but if they don’t, then continue with these steps.
- Choose a dosage: determine the actual amount of the algaecide that you’ll like to apply to your swimming pool. Do this carefully by reading the producer’s manual on the algaecide bottle for the right measurement. Normally, the dosage will be based on the number of gallons of water that your pool holds. Also take note that the algaecide is corrosive. Wear the proper protective equipment before beginning the process.
- Go ahead and pour the required algaecide dose into the water: add the algaecide into several areas around the pool. Ensure your swimming pool pump is running during this process so that the algaecide can be properly circulated. Allow the algaecide to sit for about 30 minutes before using the pool.
Do you shock the pool before algaecide?
Yes, you should first shock your pool before adding algaecide. Algaecide serves as a preventive measure towards solving the problem of algae in your pool, while shocking your pool does the complete sanitizing of your pool. In some cases, you won’t have to apply algaecide anymore after shocking, but you will mostly have to still apply algaecide for the sake of prevention.
Adding algaecide in full bloom of algae will give you little or no result at all, because it is mainly a preventive measure and not literally the solution to algae issues, even though it can sometimes help. The main thing to do is to pair with shock, applying it after the shock. This will completely remove the algae and keep potential algae problems at bay.
Take note: to effectively prevent algae from growing in your pool, you must add algaecide to it on a weekly basis.
Should I run the filter after adding algaecide?
To properly balance your pool, you must make sure that you first balance water levels and shock the pool before going ahead and administering algaecide. Allow your swimming pool pump to run after the process so that the algaecide can be spread well throughout the water.
Your pool pump should run and circulate for at least 30 minutes before anyone uses the swimming pool.
For proper cleaning, make sure you vacuum the swimming pool the next day and take off any dead algae in the pool.
Lastly, ensure you always check your chlorine levels after shocking, to know when next to shock, as excess chlorine in the pool is still another problem and causes serious issues like itchiness on your skin and irritating eyes. The key to an enjoyable pool is proper management, so do well to make it a priority.
At what time of the day should I shock my pool?
It is generally accepted that the best time to shock your pool is during the evening hours. This is because, during the evening hours, the sun rays have gone down, which can affect the effectiveness of the chlorine, giving the chlorine a longer time to work well.
The sun or hotter temperatures tend to reduce the effectiveness of chlorine and make it break and finish quickly. This is why so many pool owners add chlorine stabilizers to their swimming pools during the summer season.
Another good reason why your pool should be shocked at night is the time frame needed for the pool to stay without use. Since it is not recommended to enter a shocked pool without allowing it to be for at least 12 to 24 hours, you can shock the pool during the evening hours when you’re unlikely to need to use it.
One thing to be aware of when shocking your pool is over-shocking. To avoid shocking your pool excessively, run appropriate tests and know the accurate amount of shock to use before administering the shock to your swimming pool.
What happens if you put too much algaecide in your pool?
When used accurately, algaecide is very effective in fighting different types of algae, be it green algae, yellow algae, or mustard algae. However, it is very important to apply it properly.
An enormous amount of algaecide present in your swimming pool will result in foamy pool water, which is very bad for your pool water filter.
It can also lead to skin irritations depending on how high the dosage is administered. If you use a pool with algaecide, you are likely to have eye and skin irritations. Chemicals like chlorine in high doses can also lead to itchy eyes and skin irritation.
How much algaecide does it take to close a pool?
After the enjoyment of summer, comes winter, the time where most pool owners face so many challenges, from draining and protecting the pool from leakages in the pump due to the massive drop in temperature, to treating it against algae and other problems.
It is very important that you remember to treat and balance your swimming pool’s water chemistry when planning to close it for the winter. Algae is likely to develop in an area that’s wet, so it is necessary that you also treat your pool with algaecide to prevent it from algae growth during the process of closure. With one quart of winter algaecide, you can treat a pool of 20,000 gallons of water all winter long.
Before backing up, apply algaecide to the pool and allow the pump to run and circulate for at least two to four hours.
Adding winter algaecide to your pool makes reopening during the spring smooth and easy. You need not bother starting struggling with algae as there’ll be no algae problem to struggle with because you applied winter algaecide.
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