Before you consider swimming in a green pool that you probably think was not caused by the presence of algae, you should know that there are several reasons why your pool might have turned green.
A green pool simply means that there is algae present in the pool or the water chemistry is not balanced. If you test and confirm that there is no algae in the pool, then check for the presence of dissolved metals. Whether you have algae or not, it is not safe to swim in a green pool.
The common cause of this is the presence of dissolved metals like copper and iron. When these compounds react with chlorine in your pool, they form copper chlorides and iron chlorides, which turn the pool green or brown.
Is it harmful to swim in a pool with algae?
A pool can get green due to the presence of algae and some metals like copper and iron. Although algae is not totally harmful to the human system, it is the bacteria that affects you.
If your immune system can not fight these bacteria when they get into your body through a small cut, wound, or nose or any other opening in the body, it may result in different ailments such as infection, rashes, sore throat, redness of the skin, and other breathing difficulties.
When you see a green pool, no matter how desperate you want to swim, first get rid of the algae or test to know why the pool is green and make sure you treat any chemical imbalance before swimming.
Does a green pool always mean algae?
This is a very tricky one. It is well known that algae changes the color of pool water to green, especially when there are no sanitizers in the pool, such as chlorine, cyanuric acid, or bromine, to prevent them.
But the fact that they make pool water green does not always mean that whenever your pool is green it is because of algae. Your pool might be green even with high chlorine and no algae.
Like we mentioned earlier, copper and iron can make your pool green when they react with the chlorine in the pool. Other factors that can contribute to the green coloration of your pool include the following;
- pH and alkalinity.
- Phosphates
- Bromine and chlorine
- The filtration system is not used regularly, especially after treating the pool. The filtration system should be on for at least 6 hours every day, even when the water is not in use.
Why is my pool green but my chemicals are balanced?
According to many water chemists and specialists, the chlorine level of the water should be in the range of 2 to 4 parts per million, and they have also given specified ranges for chemical levels in the pool.
However, different pool water sources have their own chemical concentration, toxicity, hardness, or softness. You might also want to check the type of chemicals you use to balance your pool.
Some chemicals serve dual purposes. You might just have indirectly increased another chemical while trying to balance one.
You should also check out the following:
- Your filtration system: Clean and replace it as needed, and leave it on for at least 4 hours every day.
- Lurking bacteria in the pipe, walls, pool, and other hidden places might just come back to the pool, waiting for the right opportunity to bloom.
- Trees around us might shed their bark, leaves, or insects into the pool.
Is it safe to swim in a green pool that has no algae?
Logically, a pool that has algae should not be swum in because just the sight of the green color the algae gives the water should scare you.
However, it is not safe to swim in a pool that has been invaded by algae. There might be disease-causing microbes in the pool.
The bacteria found in the algae can infect your wound or cut, cause skin rashes and reactions, and make it difficult to breathe, especially for asthmatic patients. It is better to be safe than take the risk of unintentionally being harmed.
Why did my pool go green overnight?
You might wake up in the morning with algae everywhere in the pool, wondering why since the pool was clear at night without any signs of algae.
Well, algae in water depends on the level of phosphates available and the chlorine level because they feed on phosphates to grow and chlorine is responsible for killing them. Chlorine serves as a sanitizer for the pool.
It helps to fight living organisms found in the water. Organisms like algae feed off of phosphates to grow, so when this algae gets into the water, the chlorine loses its power to fight the organisms.
Therefore, phosphates indirectly affect chlorine, making it unable to do its work, especially when it is very high.
When the phosphate level is very high, it takes about 2 to 3 days, sometimes just a few hours, for algae to grow and cover your pool water. They grow, bloom, and multiply very fast.
Can high pH make my pool green?
Many people tend to get agitated once they see even the smallest algae in the pool, and they start pouring different chemicals to remove them.
The honest fact is that it is inevitable for algae to be found in your pool because they are mainly prone to living and growing in water and trees, so let’s say the source of your water is a well or tap, you should be rest assured that algae is present.
In the water, they tend to thrive in water that is rich in phosphate and nitrate, and because tap, well, and rainwater contain high pH, nitrate and phosphate algae will surely be found in them.
Many times, what your pool needs is just sanitizers like chlorine, which is honestly the best option to kill and prevent organisms from growing in them.
Let us assume the pH of a pool is high, and as we know, high pH indirectly affects and changes the chemistry of a pool by increasing the rate at which chlorine precipitates.
The chlorine, which should be present to sanitize the water and kill unnecessary and unwanted organisms, starts to decline because pH has lowered it, giving enough room for algae and other organisms to thrive and do well in the water.
How do you fix high pH in a green pool?
Knowing how to fix the pH of your pool should start with discovering how the pH got high. It could be through your water source or chemicals used in the water. Some chemicals are actually made for dual purposes. When you have found out, you can deal with the problem in the following ways:
- Pool draining, filtering, and backwashing
- Using pool shock
- Maintaining proper levels of chlorine, phosphates, nitrates, and calcium
- Using a pH decreaser
- Altering your water supply
Will baking soda clear a green pool?
Baking soda is used by most commercial pool owners to stabilize the pH or alkalinity level of the water because of how cheap and effective it is.
You can not use baking soda to clear a green pool because it is in no way a substitute for algaecide or clarifier, although it can indirectly help in preventing algae from blooming in your pool by balancing the pH, which in turn helps to conserve chlorine that is used as a sanitizer to kill algae, bacteria, and microorganisms.
How much shock does it take to clear a green pool?
Pool shock is done to sanitize the water and stabilize the properties the water needs to be healthy for swimming.
Pool shock should be done once every week, especially when you swim in it regularly. It should be done every time you change the water or clean the pool.
For every 10,000 to 14,000 gallons of water in the pool, you will need one pound of pool shock. But first start by calculating the volume of your pool, then follow the quantity of shock recommended by the manufacturer.
How do you clear a green pool that has no algae?
A green pool makes the walls and floor of a pool slippery because of the bacteria and organisms present in the pool.
Since you are certain that algae is not the cause of the green pool, then the best solution is to find the main cause and use a corresponding treatment for it.
