Pool Algaecide Turned Water A Clear Emerald Green...Now What?
by Tina
I messed up....I tried to go the cheap route...I am ready to close my pool. I added the shock and had my levels good and decided to add algaecide as a preventative for the winter months. Since the pool store was closed I just ran to Walmart. I added the algaecide and now I can't close the pool because my water is green. It is clear, green. What do I do to fix it? 24' round 4'deep sand filtered. Thanks for the question Tina More than likely this is caused by metals in the pool, and not algae. That's assuming your chemical readings were fine all Summer long and were taken properly. In general, when you have pool algae the water is usually dull or cloudy in addition to green. If the water is a clear green, it's usually metals. If you add a hypochlorite source of chlorine to the water or raise the pH and it turns green, that's usually a sign of metals in the water. The algaecide you used probably had copper in it and the high chlorine or pH levels made it turn a clear emerald green. Lower the pH using muriatic acid. This should cause the water to fade to confirm that there's metal in the water. Add a metal sequestrant. Metal in the water, mainly copper and iron, might turn the water green after adding chlorine. A good product is called Pool Plus Pool Maintenance. This is from PoolLife chemicals and might be available at your local pool store. Be sure to add algaecide and chlorine on seperate days. The two mixed together can cause a reaction in your water turning it green again. Hope this helps and good luck closing your pool for the Winter Robert New QuestionBy: Emily Date: May 18, 2011 Title:Saltwater Swimming Pool Turned A Clear Emerald GreenI just got a saltwater pool and it was clear but now it's a clear green. What do I do? Thanks for the question Emily I recently answered a similar question at this post: Pool Algaecide Turned Water Green, Now What? The short of it is a solid green color normally means pool algae while a clear emerald green is metal in the water after chlorinating. You can take a sample of your pool water to you local pool store and they can run a simple test for metals (copper and iron) as well as total dissolved solids (TDS). Whether it's a salt water pool or normal chlorine pool, you'll treat it the same way. Just be sure if you're going to shock the pool that you turn off your chlorinating salt cell. You can also check out all the information on the pool Q&A page: Swimming Pool Questions and Answers Lots of good posts for salt water pools and how to clear up algae. Hope this helps and have a great and safe swimming season. Robert |
