Spring is here and that means it is time to prepare for the warmer months and summer fun. Right now your pool might be a bit green and yucky, so what do we have to do to get it just right for that first day of swimming? We’ll go through some major points for getting your pool back to being crystal clear and safe to swim in.
If your pool is green, it is the result of algae growing and needs to be “shocked”. Algae grows when left alone; its environment has been stable throughout winter and has allowed it to grow, so we have to change that by adding a lot of water treatment product to destabilise it and kill the algae.
So how do you Shock your pool? Here is the theory….
If you have a saltwater pool add salt
If you have a chlorine pool add chlorine
Usually add 3 to 4 times the amount from normal treatment amounts,
Run your filter for twice the amount that you normally do, algae loves relatively still water in order to grow so by filtering the water will be moving around your pool and not let algae settle.
Lastly add Algicide, as it is a quat with a different active it’s good product to shock pools.
Once done we can filter it away which will bring our pool to some sense of cleanliness, now we can start the main process of getting our pool clean and safe to swim in.
To have a safe swimming pool we must have the right balance of all chemicals, this includes getting the pH correct, having total alkalinity balanced and also having water hardness under control.
- Getting the pH right, this will get the water sparkling clean and will also help protect pumps and other system components that you will use.
- Getting alkalinity right will help with stabilising the pH so you don’t get “pH bounce”, which means you won’t get uncontrolled behaviour from your chemicals, it will be easier to raise or lower alkalinity.
- Hardness, is a measure of the calcium and magnesium in the water. When water is too hard, white scale forms on equipment and pool surfaces. When it is too soft, equipment corrodes and surfaces may become etched.
Using a testing kit or testing strips check your pools pH level, if this is not between 7.2 – 7.6 then every other adjustment you do will not work as well. If you need to lower your pH then you should use sodium bisulphate (dry acid) or hydrochloric acid. If you need to increase the pH then you would use sodium bicarbonate (refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for best results).
Next, check the chlorine levels, this is primarily used for sanitising your pool, killing bacteria etc, check your testing strips to see where your level is at and adjust accordingly. Then look at alkalinity and water hardness. Again, look at your testing strips and adjust accordingly.
Lastly look at the Isocyanuric Acid level, this compound helps protect the chlorine from being evaporated by the UV rays of the sun, it’s kind of a sun blockout for chlorine, it will help it last longer
and you won’t use as much chlorine.
When maintained at proper levels, pool water resists a change in pH which will keep your pool in that sparkling and safe condition.
View Nowchem’s extensive range of pool chemicals here.
