How To Clear A Green Pool FAST | Swim University
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 พ.ค. 2024
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Is your pool water green? The good news is you don’t have to drain your pool and start over to get rid of it. Here’s a quick guide on how to kill pool algae fast and keep it from coming back
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⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to How To Clean A Green Pool
00:31 - What Causes Green Pool Water?
01:00 - How To Fix Green Pool Water in 6 Steps
01:13 - #1. Brush Pool Walls and Pool Floor
01:44 - #2. Test Alkalinity and pH
02:38 - #3. Shock Pool with Chlorine Shock
03:59 - #4. Run Filter for At Least 8 Hours
04:57 - #5. Clean Your Filter
05:15 - #6. Test Water and Adjust Chemicals
05:41 - How To Stop Pool Algae from Returning
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Swim University has made swimming pool and hot tub care easy for more than 10 million homeowners. And each year, we continue to help more people with water chemistry, cleaning, and troubleshooting. We know taking care of a swimming pool or spa can be difficult. And it’s hard to find a trusted source of information. We get it! This is the reason we created Swim University.
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We hope this helps you clear up your green pool! If you need more help avoiding algae, be sure to grab the free Pool Care Cheat Sheet at www.swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet 👍
Just want to say thank you so much for these videos and this one specifically. We are first time pool owners as of this past May and the previous homeowners left the pool nice and green for us when we opened it. I had no idea how to begin maintaining a pool in good condition let alone a pool that already had something wrong with it. I studied up and Swim University was a huge part of my learning. It did end up taking me a couple of weeks for me to get the pool chemistry balanced, cleaned, and crystal clear blue, but I'm sure it would have taken much longer and cost me a lot more money to get it cleared up without these videos. We have been enjoying and maintaining the pool with no issues since. Thanks so much!
Amazing! I'm so glad we could help. That's exactly what we love to hear!
The powder shock. Do you add it right into the skimmer or directly into the pool ?
Yay thanks I'm kind of getting it now! I was about to give up and thought I had made a bad purchase and had a terrible idea!! Thank u for making it simple!!👍🤗
“No Mor Problems” is the best thing I’ve found in the last 10 years. It’s amazing
Is the product actually called "no more problems"?
Thank you for recording this. New underground pool owners and we need all the tips and feedback we can get. We want to keep up with the pool for our daughters 🤞🏽.
Just make sure your CYA and chlorine is always on point
Thank you so much for helping me "ungreen" my pool. I did exactly what you advised and it is beautiful now (wish I could add a picture). I actually went for a swim yesterday. Again thank you!!!
It worked! Yay!
Thank you so much. Very helpful video.
Very helpful! Thank you!
This video was very helpful, thank you!😊
Thanks for the video- great length and was a good tutorial "pool basics for dummies'.
Hey great video what setting should i have my filter at
So much of great information thank you so much!
Hi! First time pool owners. We have an 8,000 gallon above ground pool with a cartridge filter. Your videos have been so helpful!Came home to green water after being gone for the weekend and there had been a thunderstorm. Removed debris, brushed sides and pool bottom. Tested water, all levels were good except chlorine, of course. Did a double shock dose at night, ran filter for 24 hours, still green. Going to try it again per this video. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!!
Great video, guys! So simply explained and the graphics were a huge help. Thanks!
Glad it helped!
Tremendously helpful and quick with explanations. 👍
THIS HAS BEEN THE MOST HELPFUL AND MOST UNDERSTANDING VIDEO IVE SEEN... THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR THIS.
Thank you. Great info. We were in Montana for 2 weeks and son added chemicals but didn't add chlorine. I forgot to leave it out. Now I have a green pool. I'll get it with your advice!
Excellent advice Ty
Thanks for this amazing video. I’m on year two of maintaining our pool on my own because of your videos!
That's what we love to hear!
Thank you , You’re pool shocking method was right on .
Thank will try this in the morning
thank you so much for this video can I use shock I have problem with the poolpipe so my filter cannot start
Thanks for the info.
Great video, thanks so much for sharing the info
Glad it was helpful!
This is lit, way easier than i thought
Great video. Thanks
Thanks so much sir.
Thanks, videos are great and super helpful!!
You're so welcome!
thank you
What camera did you buy to record everything underwater? 1:17
Hi! My pool is green. I added shock & algaecide . But it says no flow. So I backwashed . It looks like filter is clogged so put to recirculating. How long can I run on recirculate ? Or should I wait for filter to be fixed? Thanks
Thank you pool university!!!
Thanks for producing this video especially- a short term guest left pool filter off for seven days and my immaculate pool went to green. Recovered it in a weekend with these instructions.
Yikes! Glad you recovered quickly
I am most appreciative of people like you sharing all your knowledge- thank you!!
You are amazing!!!! EVERYONE, tune into Swim University for EXCELLENT advice.
I own an in ground pool that is in its 36th summer and other than tiles having fallen off it’s in pretty good shape.
Two family retrievers decided to run across the vinyl cover every time they got out back this past winter. Needless to say when we removed the cover the water was the deepest green imaginable. I was beside myself as the water is usually clear with a few leaves in the bottom. I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to clear it up. I stumbled across this video and after 3 applications of shock as you described here, my pool is crystal clear. For years I have agonized with the algae issue and had a hard time controlling it. Your information was EXACTLY the remedy. I cannot thank you enough. You are the best!!!!!
Wow! That's so good to hear. I'm so glad we could help out!
Did you have to keep vacuuming the dead algae off the bottom? If so any advice would help please I have a small 600 gallon 8 foot pool with filter. Can’t get the algae sucked up off the bottom it’s sooooooo small it goes through any filter, pool skimmer etc and if you barely just move it clouds up and then you have to wait several hours or a day for it to settle again.
How often did you vacuum and what did you have the filter set on when vacuuming?
I used to clean pools I’ve out of the game for awhile thanks for a refresher do I have to condition to do a start up it’s pebbletex 60x 60 I’d say it has algae a light dark combo
So basically just shock the pool everytime?
Very helpful
Glad it helped!
Hi, I followed steps 1 and 2 and now I need to add shock. If I don't have shock could I use liquid chlorine instead? And if so, how much can I pour in a 24,000 gal underground pool?
Help!! I followed your instructions. Triple shocked waited 24 hrs still teal, so double shocked. Still teal. Kept filter running 24 hrs for 3 days. Still teal. We just moved in. So I figured I’d check the DE filter. It was filthy! Like at a 10 of completely covered in green. Washed it, added DE. Do you think the filter being that dirty is the reason the shockIng didn’t work? Also all levels are good. We are first time pool owners, we are in over our heads. Thanks for all your videos they are great!! Please help!
Thank you for the very clear instructions on how to clean a green pool! Excellent advice and easily understood! I'm curious about why you don't recommend a phosphate remover to keep algae from growing. Phosphates are the sole food source for algae and once you get rid of them.... NO MORE ALGAE!
Most people don't do the proper steps before using phosphate removers (balancing, cleaning, shocking, etc). And they tend to be sold pretty aggressively. Some pool owners find lots of success using them. But they need to do the other steps first!
❤Thank you so much!
You are so welcome!
GREAT INFO EXPLAINED FOR ALL TO EASILY UNDERSTAND, THANK YOU
Glad it was helpful!
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR THS
You're so welcome!
I used a chlorine powder plus and my filter was filled with the powder and thus my pool was white cloudy… what’s going on? I have a picture of the filter as well. How can I get it to you?
What is shok tretment
How many days should it take to clear it
Ok. Good video. I screwed up and let my pool get out of control. I guess I've done it before over the years, but I'm on it. Looking forward to getting this handled. Simple process so I have confidence that it will work.
Thanks.
You've got this!
I love all your videos. You seem to have a video on almost every question i have.
Great video. I was out of town and didn’t get my pool opened at my usual time 😢. This is this weeks project 😊
You got this!
helpful
Hey, love your videos and clear, informative advice. Question or comment tho. I used water filled tubes to hold down my cover over winter. After removing the cover and emptying the water out, I noticed mold was pouring out. Is that common and how do you prevent that from happening again?
If they're on the cheaper side, I could see how that can happen. I'm not sure it's preventable in that case.
Microbiologist here, I'd recommend using Borax as a relatively cheap and safe way to prevent mold growth. Borax will raise the pH of the water to a level that the mold will not want to grow in. I'm not sure the size of the tubes, but I would try to get some Borax solution (about 1 cup of Borax per gallon of water) into the tubes and mix that around in there for a good 20 minutes. Then drain to hopefully clean and get the rest of the mold out of the tubes. Then go ahead a sprinkle a little dry Borax in the tubes prior to storage to prevent mold growth. When the tubes are needed again, make up the same Borax solution used for cleaning and use that to fill the tubes instead of just water. This should keep the mold under control and really minimize the growth during the off season. I will note that Borax is very basic and corrosive. It's not going to hurt plastic surfaces, but I'd recommend some kind of eye protection and a mask to keep the powders out of your throat and lungs.
Lastly, bleach will certainly work instead of Borax but will be much more damaging to the tubes and carries more of a risk when handling. If you aren't comfortable using Borax or would prefer a safer alternative. Use a liquid dish soap solution to clean the tubes and when the tubes are filled to hold down the winter cover. Use baking soda to sprinkle in the tubes for storage when not in use. This likely won't be as effective as Borax, but carries minimal health risk when handling and will likely be a cheaper route.
Thank u helped me
Happy to help!
I used shock now the pool water is clean on top, but the bottom.of the pool.looks murky. Looks like all the shock settled at the bottom- someone turned off the pump after the shock was poured in. Now how do I clean that out?
Thank uuuuuuu
Thanks for this. Stupidly went out and bought algaecide to sort it out but luckily saw this before I'd used it. Took it back and swapped for shock. Never thought I'd be so happy to see my water a cloudy blue!
On the home stretch now. I'm worried my chlorine levels are going to be off the charts, as soon as this settles down the cover goes on for winter.
Oh glad you saw this first! Algaecide probably wouldn't have done the trick (and it's so much more expensive)
Do you run the filter as normal through this process? I’ve seen a lot of people say backwash it? Thanks in advance for the help!
Backwash after the shocking and filter stage
details not obtained elsewhere - very worthwhile!
Glad we could help!
Hi @SwimUniversity, can I use this method if I'm using well water on my pool?
If it's freshly filled water, it might be copper or iron causing green water. Make sure you use a metal sequestrant and tackle that first.
Thank you I just shocked our pool after a week of heavy rain . It was in between the stages of algae colors . I shocked it with 2 bags and put more chlorine tablets in brushed the sides and bottom then Few hours later it’s a cloudy blue . Thank you I didn’t want to put the pool away just yet haha .
Wonderful! Glad it worked!
Hi! I have a non-chlorine pool. I did follow this same advise and used my Pool Elegnance shock, which I did twice in between my scrubbing and vacuuming daily ,and it looks amazing! You said in this video that the non chlorine shock won’t kill
The algae , but I can’t put chlorine into my pool . I am wondering if I should change anything? I also doubled my initial algaecide dose , and now the water is clear but I still have dead algae that I can vacuum up . It seems to working great , same process as you said, just using non chlorine chemicals
That's great it worked! Is it a bromine pool or a saltwater pool? And how bad was the algae? The non-chlorine shock could have revitalized your normal sanitizer enough that it handled the problem. All types of shock help remove bromamines/chloramines and increase the active sanitizer available in the water. So while the non-chlorine shock didn't kill the algae, your "refreshed" sanitizer had more power and room to do the work.
@@SwimUniversity I use the Pool Elegance line- basically a peroxide line.
What I did wrong was not balancing the chemicals and treating the little bit of algae when I closed it- so when I opened it, it was really green. I added more algaecide, scrubbed and vacuumed as well as shocked it each time I scrubbed it. I also cleaned my fingers after every time I vacuumed. It was a lot of work , but worth every minute . Now I know to fix the algae problem before I close.
Can i install chlorinator to the pool
Hi I have an 18’ round pool my chlorine is sky high and the pool is light green -ph is normal and I have a cartridge filter - will adding more shock get rid of the algae or should I try some other method
You need to clean or change out your filter after shocking.
Matthew Collins
Matthew Collins
1 second ago
Do I run the filter in recyclemode or filter mode when shocking overnight
Filter
Should the filter be on Filter for the first 8 hours or should the filter be on circulate?
It should be on filter to remove the dead algae
Im a new above ground pool owner i have the teal color algae after 2 days of hsrd rain and more to come. How much is 2x of shock??
1 dose of shock is for 10,000 gallons. So depending on how many gallons your pool holds, you need a "double dose"
I tried this method last year with great success.
However this year I left the pool (10K gal. abovegrond) unattended for two weeks during 100 degree weather and came back to a frog pond. I tried 4 bags of shock with no change in color. Two days later I tried 4 bags, again with no change. Last night I tried 5 bags, still nothing.
At this point it would have been cheaper to drain and refill the pool from scratch, which is what I'm doing now.
Followup two weeks later: I drained the pool, sanitized the liner and stairs as best I could and refilled with fresh water. After it refilled I shocked again and then added clarifier as it was still cloudy grey. Now I have a crystal clear pool again finally. I do not know what got into my pool water while I was away but the lawn looks great now after watering it with 10K gallons of pool water.
I’m kind of just learning on the fly as for the past 2 weeks I thought I had an issue with pollen until I stumbled on algae bloom today in pools and realized that’s what I’ve been dealing with, not pollen. I’ve vacuumed 5-7 hours every few days and by the time I finish the beginning part has a thin film again on the floor.
I’m sorry shocking straight I’ll I’m isn’t working but doesn’t he recommend getting the ph balanced first? Then scrubbing to get the algae in the water, then shocking?
Don’t get me wrong I’m not following those steps here, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as liquid shock until last Friday so the week before I was upset my local Walmart didn’t have any bags of shock. I ended up buying an entire pool opening/closing box kit for $30 because it had a green bags of shock in it. Luckily it also has some chemical to control algae so I shocked my pool 3.5 hours ago and just dropped the algae powder in an hour and a half ago, and trying to stay awake here to shock one more time around midnight or 12:30 to shock again before bed.
I dialed my filter for the first time and it was so disgustingly gross but I was able to get it like 90-95% clean and add new filter powder successfully and watched the pressure return to a normal range for the first time in over a week before adding chemicals so I’m happy about that. Good luck Lou!
Do I run the filter in recyclemode or filter mode when shocking overnight
Filter mode
Hi there! How do we clear up tea colored water in pool? We have a de filter. We suspect tannins. Water source is from deep well at seaside. Slightly salty.
Would like to know, too!
@@LaneyaWiles ME THREE
What about putting in “phosphate remover”. Do you not use it?
You don't need phosphate remover if you kill the algae with chlorine
Do I put my sand filter on circulate or filter when I shock ?
Run in on filter
Do these steps also apply to salt water pools?
Yes! Just be sure to avoid cal-hypo shock (that calcium can build up on your salt cell).
Will these tips work for above ground pools that I can either use sand or the Polysphere balls they sent with the pool? The pool is a Bestway 18’ round or can I get a tutorial on keeping my pool clear and usable during the summer months.
Yes it should work! Just watch your dosage of shock since it's a smaller pool
I had a lot of debris on pool bottom when opening pool this year. When I was vaccuuming it out I noticed that the return water from sand filter was dark and cloudy, even after backwashing. I started to buy new sand but I saw a video about synthetic media filter balls to use instead of sand.
Now I have an algae problem and I am concerned that using your algae remediation process will clog up the media filter balls, which apparently do not backwash clean very well. Would you recommend going back to sand?
Follow up two months later:
I got rid of the synthetic "cotton" balls as they do not come clean via backwashing as with sand. I had to disassemble the filter and scoop them out by hand and they were green and slimy. I went out and bought more sand. Now when the pool gets nasty (I travel a lot and have to leave it for a week or more) I can shock and backwash as needed to get things cleaned up.
What kind of sand filter do you have? I'm wondering if there's a cracked lateral or something causing sand blow back in the return jets. And I haven't personally used the synthetic media filter balls. But if you're concerned, you can try vacuuming to waste or drain so the water is leaving the pool. Then try shocking and running the filter when there's less algae in the water.
@@SwimUniversity Thnx for the reply. I have an Intex sand filter (75 lbs of sand) combined with a 2100 GHP pump. When I discarded the old sand I disassembled and cleaned all the filter parts. All the laterals are in good shape. It does not appear that sand is getting out of the filter. It is just when actively pushing the vacuum head around on the dirty bottom that the filter output turns dark. Stop vac, filter out clears.
BTW - your recent green pool video was spot on. After a 3x shock and then a 2x shock the next day I am now at the milky pale blue phase of the clean up. I'll vacuum to waste after the chlorine returns down to normal levels.
Can you do this without a filter running? It’s winter where I am and not great to have to running. Or shall I Lee a green pool until spring and then address it?
You definitely need the filter for this, so it sounds like you'll need to wait
This was so amazingly helpful thank you! I did shock and got rid of the green without the filter. After floc, I then siphoned to garden. The once the weather was better, I set up the filter and now on a mission to get it crystal clear, hopefully nearly there!
My problem is that my filter seems to get clogged after a few hours, ie, the water jet return to the pool is very low pressure. I've backwashed my de filter 2x now. Suggestions?
You might have an air leak or a clog in the skimmer line. Check your connections and O-Rings first.
Hey, can you re do a video for the best robot pool cleaning for large debris ( leaves) and compatible with salt water ease
We have a post all about the best robotic pool cleaners and we update it regularly! www.swimuniversity.com/robotic-pool-cleaners/
until I fix the pipe can I use now shock and chlorine on it and it will clear the green
You're so welcome!
So I shocked my pool and brushed the sides and bottom and I think I caused a leak. What chlorine level is safe for me to swim in it to fix the leak? Chlorine is pretty high from shocking 2 days in a row.
Oh no! It needs to be back within normal-ish range (around 3 PPM) before swimming
What can I use to lower the alkalinity. I only find ph decrease
That will lower your alkalinity! There's actually no "alkalinity decrease" product
Am in Nigeria i don't have pH shock
Thanks so much for the advice. Unfortunately, in Florida, pool services suck so I might as well try to do it myself. The pinchpenny (by whatever name) pool companies pay their workers so little that I get a different not-qualified-for-any-other-job guy every other week.
I’m telling you, if someone started a pool company and only hired people who have experience with pools and paid them $25 an hour, they would get rich.
Hopefully this helps you solve this yourself! We hear that frustration a lot
Please help me! I started with 13 gallons of liquid chlorine, then 2 bags shock, then 1 bottle of flocculant. Chlorine levels still at 0!!! Water has changed from dark green to aqua but can not see anything! More shock till I get chlorine up? I tried vacuuming to waste what I could but couldn't see what I was doing. Can I turn filter back on even after using flocculant? This is my first time opening a pool and obviously I have no clue what I am doing! 😁 Hope you can help!! Thanks!
I just switched test strips and this says 3ppm total chlorine and 0 free chlorine.
IM confused, on your other video you said to turn off the pump when adding shock, and the other one to turn it on circulate. On this one you said to put it on filter.
Could you let us know which video? It should be on circulate overnight, unless you're using flocculant (then it should NOT pass through your filter)
I don't know of ANY filter that will filter out the dead algae, I have to vacuum to waste to get rid of it. It's so fine it just goes thru the filter and right back into the pool. I'm using the glass beads in my sand filter, as I was told they filter better than the sand. Your thoughts PLEASE. OH, BTW, there are GREAT videos and super helpful.
How big is your pool or filter? We usually say manually vacuum after adding flocculant
@@SwimUniversity I have a 5000 gallon above ground pool. I'm trying all of this, but I can literally see the green/yellow algae shooting back into my pool while it's on Filter....?
I have a 23,000 gallon inground pool .it's dark green I put 9 -1lb shock bags in pool still dark green after 2 days .any suggestions to get rid of ?😊
Have you already done the other steps, like brushing and vacuuming?
@SwimUniversity I ve done it all it's still green . I m going tomorrow to get water tested one last time and add what they tell me. If in 3 days it's still green I m closing it .
I’ve neglected my pool and all chemicals are basically at zero. When bringing up alkalinity and PH, do I do alkaline first and then PH or can I bring them both up at the same time?
We just published a video on this. Hope it helps! th-cam.com/video/a32Pc-lWDNI/w-d-xo.html
so how do you " lower the alkalinity" if its too high.... sorry new to pools
Muriatic acid
So, you said run the filter after the shock treatment. So you run in filter or circulation? I was always told for the initial shock treatment, run in circulation so you don’t get algae in your filter. Can you verify or debunk this?
Run the filter. It needs to do some of the work to help clear the algae. Then clean the filter.
@@SwimUniversity Thank you!!!
Do a video about insulating a pool please
I have a 10,000g pool the pool was green and we took out all the green stuff we could out the alkalinity is at its highest I’ve done 1 quart of muriatic acid 3 times already a few hours apart each time and it went down to 180. Do I keep doing it until I get the ideal level? And should the pump be on or off?
Always keep the pump on and working 24 hours anytime you have ANY issue until it’s fixed. For your other question you should check out his section on BALANCING LEVELS on the pool
Shock the hell out of it 😂
That's the secret!
Shocking
I need help. I opened my pool late this year. I opened with 12lbs of Cal hypo, cleaned every leaf off the bottom. The next day I added 6 more lbs, still green. My Ph is good, calcium good, all others good except FC. Per my pool store I began shocking daily. I've been shocking daily for 5 days and my pool is still green. I tried to flock twice with no results. I have never had problems getting my pool clear. The pool store salesperson told me to double shock every day and add algaecide every 3 days. What do I need to do?
Have you tried using flocculant yet? That might help. Then vacuum out on the waste setting.
whats the cons to running the filter 24 hours?
No cons, just the cost of running it! Be sure to clean it though if you've had an algae issue.
Thanks !. It’s too hot to waist a good swim in the pool !.
Totally right!
How much chlorine shock for a 3,000 gallon pool?
Check out this video for help with calculating how much shock to add: th-cam.com/video/JDgh85OApWw/w-d-xo.html
So, not sure what to do. My brilliant husband filled our pool with irrigation water and it's milky brown green. Not algae just fine particles. Should I shock then flock? Where do I start???!
Eek! You can try using floc. Not sure how actually dirty it is though, it might have too many particles in it
Hi There! I have a question? Baking soda do anything about green water? Please
No it just changes the alkalinity level in your pool.
10 foot diameter Intex prism frame and I’ve been fighting algae almost a week. PH and ALK levels are good. I brush the sides and floor several times a day, new filter cartridge and have shocked several times that my chlorine levels are too high and it still gathers on the floor of the pool a few hours after brushing and just won’t go away. I’m wondering if I should just vacuum the collection spots with a shop vac after they settle. My pump is running 24/7.
Woke up with the pump running and still algae on the bottom of the pool especially in one place, so I just got out the shop vac and started vacuuming it up. Scrubbed the floor and sides, Put a bunch of fresh water in it and double shocked it one more time. All the other chemical levels were perfect except the chlorine was a little high from shocking it so much. We’ll see what it does tomorrow.
I finally had success with algaecide from Home Depot. Pool is clear again. Had to clean my filter twice a day for a few days to really get as much algae out as possible but I really have to stay on it because my pump just doesn’t circulate all the water like some larger pool pumps. I’ve even gotten out the shop vac to just suck the dead algae out from the major places it accumulates, instead of expecting the pump to filter it.
Is your stabilizer level too high? (cyanuric acid)