Problem Water for Swimming Pools
Green Water: You could have Algae or Metal from Well Water.
Cloudy Water: Not enough sanitizer like Chlorine or Bromine..Or dead suspended particles
Black or Brown Water: Most likely Well Water or Brook Water treat for Metals
CAUSES OF ALGAE
1. OLD SAND
2. NOT ENOUGH SANITIZER
3. NOT ENOUGH STABILIZER
4. PHOSPHATES
1) If the Sand Is over 3-4 years old it is time to change it. Old sand doesn’t catch particles like it does when it’s new. Allowing for algae to sit and re-appear.
2) If you are not using a proper sanitizer like a stabilized chlorine puck your levels could drop quickly and algae will start to grow in your pool
3) Stabilizer prevents the SUN from eating up all your Sanitizer. By having sanitizer in the water the less Chlorine you will need to use throughout your season.
4) Phosphates can get in the water from Rain, Soap, lotion, deodorant, and birds leaving you a surprise on your pool cover etc. A simple water test can show if you have phosphates and can be easily treated. No matter how much chlorine you use phosphates will eat it up before it works in the pool therefore causing algae.
Phos Ban Removes Phosphates from pool.
CLOUDY WATER
Cloudy water can be caused by:
1) Not enough sanitizer in the pool..i.e. ..chlorine or bromine
2) Dead particles floating
3) OLD sand
If you check with your test strip and the sanitizer level is low adjust your levels and the cloudiness should go away.
If your levels are ready in the IDEAL range may have dead algae, this means your chlorine worked and prevented the pool from going green. Use either a Klear Sok or an Action Cube to stick all these particles together and then your sand filter should be able to pick them up within 24hrs. Than you need to backwash to prevent the particles from leaking back into the pool.
Klear Sok works when the water has already turned white by adding one blue sock to your skimmer wait 24-hrs than backwash. An Action Cube sits in the skimmer and is more slowly released to help prevent water from turning white.
Keep in mind that Sand in the Sand filter should be changed every 3-4 years to help keep water at its clearest and prevent damage to your sand filter. On the years you are not changing the sand use Filter Cleaner to clean the sand by removing all the oils and other debris your filter caught over the previous season.
METAL PROBLEM WATER
If there are traces of metal in your water or you are on Well Water prevention is the key with this.
META BAN: If your water has already changed color (black, brown, yellow, red, or clear green) you are going to need to bring your water in to be tested. Than you can use Meta Ban to remove unwanted metal caused by manganese, iron and copper.
STAIN PREVENT: To prevent water discoloration or after using meta ban. This is a Natural base conditioner which coat metals in the pool water. When used on a regular basis. It also prevents corrosion of your pool equipment. This is usually used on a weekly basis.
HOW TO READ A TEST STRIP
SPA/HOT TUB
BROMINE
The first reading is Harness Keeping the Harness in the “OK/IDEAL” Range is very important.
Proper levels of Hardness Prevents Corrosion to Spa Equipment and also Prevents FOAM
The second Reading is Bromine:
If too Low your water can be harmful to your skin and also you can get ALGAE!
If too High it can be harmful to your skin and can also ruin your pillows, jets, and inside your spa cover.
3rd and 4th reading RULE OF THUMB:
Always fix your ALKALINITY first. This controls your PH.
If your Alkalinity is Low increase with Alkalinity Up (spa balance)
If your Alkalinity is High decrease it with Spa Minus.
Your PH should fix itself WITHOUT adding ph plus. HOWEVER if your alkalinity is perfect and your ph is reading low then use ph plus. If you use chlorine for your spa/hot tub, you will also need to use chlorine test strips to check for chlorine levels.