Swimming Pool Phosphate Level Over 1000
by Linda
Have done this three times...they checked the house water..say its good.. WHAT EXACTLY RAISES THE SWIMMING POOL PHOSPHATE LEVEL? WHAT ARE THEY? Can chlorine affect the level??? We are soooo confused and yet, the pool is crystal clear!!! Great question Linda Algae needs phosphates and nitrates to reproduce, grow, and spread. So basically phosphates are food for algae. You get swimming pool algae and green pool water when the swimming pool chlorine level is low. You always want to keep your pool chlorine level between 1.5 - 3.5 ppm and your cyanuric acid level (CYA) between 20 - 40ppm. Adjust Your Swimming Pool Chlorine..Swimming Pool Chemistry..Swimming Pool Care. Swimming Pool Chlorine..Chemistry..Above Ground Maintenance..Care.. Your pool guy is telling you to add some kind of phosphate remover. One of the more popular kinds is named Phosfree. A 32oz. bottle will normally run about $32, basically $1 per oz. You can get a test kit for phosphates. This kit normally runs about $12 and is very easy to use. You simply fill a vial with pool water, put a pill or dry mixture in the vial and shake it for about 1 minute. The water will turn a shade of blue, then you match the blue pool water with the comparison chart provided in the kit. White or very light blue indicates a low phosphate level and a dark blue indicates a high level of phosphates. I'm not a big fan of phosphate removers. I think they should only be used in extreme circumstances and here's why. Your pool chlorine is the sanitizer for your pool, meaning it kills the bacteria and organic matter in the pool, including pool algae. This matter is then trapped in the swimming pool filter and is backwashed away. This is a fact that all pool guys will agree with. When your swimming pool chlorine is the right level, between 1.5 - 3.5ppm then there shouldn't be any swimming pool algae, right? If the pool chlorine is doing its job in killing this organic matter, and there's no pool algae, then why should you worry about the phosphate level? There's no swimming pool algae to eat up the phosphates because the pool chlorine is killing the algae on contact. The YMCA pool that I still operate has a slightly higher phosphate level but it doesn't concern me because I keep the chlorine level between 3.5 - 4.5ppm. We've never had a pool algae outbreak or green pool water because the pool chlorine level is always kept at optimum range. You can keep your pool crystal clear by uses the techniques found here: Swimming Pool Tips..Maintenance..Above Ground..Inground..Care Swimming Pool Chemistry..Care..Inground Maintenance..Salt Water..Weekly.. and throughout this website. Hope this helps and answers your questions Good luck with your pool Robert |
