You will likely not change the water in your pool for many years. Continuous filtration and disinfection remove contaminants which keep the water enjoyable, but this is not water balance. A pool that is "balanced" has proper levels of pH, Total Alkalinity and Calcium Hardness. It may also be defined as water that is neither corrosive or scaling. This concept is derived from the fact that water will dissolve and "hold" minerals until it becomes saturated and cannot hold any more in solution. When water is considerably less than saturated it is said to be in a corrosive or aggressive condition. When water is over saturated, and can no longer hold the minerals in solution; this is known as a scaling condition. So then, balanced water is that which is neither over or under saturated. The cliché that "water seeks its own level" certainly applies here. Water which is under saturated will attempt to saturate itself by dissolving everything in contact with it in order to build up its content. Water which is over saturated will attempt to throw off some of its content by precipitating minerals out of solution in the form of scale.

How do we know when our water is over or under saturated? First of all, we use a good test kit (with fresh testing reagents) to measure the chemical parameters of pH, alkalinity and calcium hardness. Test strips are a good home indicator for daily use. However, we recommend to bring a sample into the store every 4-5 weeks. We provide a detailed and accurate test to better adjust the water.

Algae is a living aquatic creature that multiplies rapidly on warm, sunny days. Containing chlorophyll, algae utilize photosynthesis to grow. That is, they take in carbon dioxide and expend oxygen as a byproduct.

WHAT PROBLEMS CAN ALGAE CAUSE?
A: The first noticeable problem is that no one seems to want to go swimming. The second problem is that it requires work and effort and money to rid the water completely of algae. It is therefore best to use preventative chemicals and techniques, described later. Algae can cloud and color the water, making rescue attempts difficult and reducing depth perception of a diver. Algae itself is not harmful to swimmers, but can result in a dangerously slippery pool floor (say that 5 times fast). Pools with algae may also be harbor to pathogens like E-coli and other forms of bacteria.

In addition to clogging up sanitation pathways in the water, algae also clogs up the pores in a filter, decreasing filter effectiveness and requiring more backwashing or medium replacement. Algae creates a chlorine demand in the water for itself, actually consuming chlorine that should be working on other contaminants. Algae are kind of like weeds in your garden. Unsightly, unwanted space takers that create more work for the gardener, and sap up nutrients and resources from the flora we wish to grow.

WHAT TYPES OF ALGAE ARE THERE?
A: There are over 21,000 known varieties of algae! In the pool business we avoid all of the complication by referring to algae by the color they exhibit.

GREEN ALGAE: An extremely common variety, green algae will usually rear its ugly head immediately following a hazy condition in the water from a lack of proper filtration and/or sanitation. It is frequently found free floating in the water, although it also will cling to the walls. It reduces water clarity and is thereby distinguished from severe copper precipitation, which will impart a clear, green color to the water. Varieties of green algae also appear as "spots" on surfaces, particularly rough areas, or places where circulation is low. They also show up as "sheets", where large wall sections, or even the entire pool, is coated in green slime...UGH!

YELLOW ALGAE: A wall clinging variety, also called mustard algae, is usually found on the shady side of the pool. It is sheet forming, and can be difficult to eradicate completely. Once begun, a pool owner could spend the entire season fighting yellow algae; reinfection is common. This variety is resistant to normal chlorine levels and must be dealt with firmly. Hit it hard!

BLACK ALGAE: Perhaps the most aggravating strain of algae, it has been compared to herpes; "once you've got it, it's there for life". This is not entirely accurate, but the difficulty in eradication is due to the strong roots and protective layers over top of the black algae plant. Black algae will appear as dark black or blue/green spots, usually the size of a pencil eraser tip. Their roots extend into the plaster or tile grout, and unless the roots are destroyed completely, a new head will grow back in the same place. The heads also contain protective layers to keep cell destroying chemicals from entering the organism. Like yellow algae, black strains can bloom even in the presence of normal sanitizing levels and proper filtration. I was once told that this form of algae commonly enters a pool inside the swimsuit of a person who's recently been to the ocean.

PINK ALGAE: Not really an algae at all, but a form of bacteria. Appears as spots or streaks in corners and crevices. It is slow to spread and rare that it will bloom over an entire pool.

HOW IS ALGAE PREVENTED?
A: Proper chemical balance and sanitizer residuals will prevent many opportunities for algae to bloom. High pH and low chlorine (or other sanitizer) can give algae a great start to genesis. General cleanliness of the pool is also important. Organic material and bacteria can contribute to algae growth. Regular brushing of seemingly clean pools is not only good exercise for you, but prevents dirt from harboring in the pores of the plaster, which is a good start for an algae colony.

The use of specialty chemicals or algaecides is recommended to provide a back up to normal sanitation and filtration processes and is completely necessary for many pools. These chemicals are described below:

ALGAECIDES AND ALGAESTATS:
1. QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS: A low grade type of algaecide, Quats, as they are called, will usually have "10" somewhere on the bottle, representing 10% active ingredient. Although available at a lower cost, quats tend to produce a small amount of surface foaming. They are most effective as an algaestat, that is, as a prevention, not a cure.

2. POLYMERS: Polymers are long, complicated chemical chains that behave in water both as an algaestat and an algaecide. They are available in percentage strength of 30-60%, are non foaming, and work well as general, all around algae treatments. Poly-Quats are a blended compound of polymer and quats.

3. COPPER BASED: Copper is a proven algaecide and algaestat. Available in varying non foaming strength of 3-10%. It works very well on all types of algae, but it has the drawback of staining white plaster surfaces a light blue/green color if it precipitates out of solution. Most copper based algaecides are chelated, which means that agents have been added to prevent this, such as Lo-Chlor Algaecide.

4. SILVER BASED: Silver has been shown to be an effective bacteriostat, which means that it works to prevent bacteria from reproducing. Non foaming and effective with pink algae. In high doses, reactions with sunlight can cause colloidal silver to deposit as black stains on white plaster. When using copper or silver algaecides, the use of a sequestering agent is recommended.

CHLORINE ENHANCERS:
These are not algaecides, but work to provide a synergistic boost to hypochlorites when added separately, but at the same time. Sold under trade name like "Energ-up". Since it is not an algaecide, the makers are not required to tell what it is made of, but we do know that it works quite well, in conjunction with a little brushing and vacuuming on your part.

TOO LATE TO PREVENT IT...HOW DO I KILL ALGAE?
A: First off, balance your water, paying particular attention to pH. Secondly, check your filter system and clean if necessary. Adjust valving for optimum circulation and allow it to run 24 hours a day until the pool clears. Turn on automatic cleaners to help stir things up. Backwash as necessary.

For suspended green algae, shock the pool...hard. Put in as much hypochlorite as it takes to turn the pool a cloudy, bluish/gray color. Brush the walls and floors towards the main drain. Backwash the filter when the pressure gauge indicates the need. Using a flocculent may be a good choice if the pool is extremely "swampy".

After the chlorine level has come down below 5 ppm, add an algaecide and brush the pool again. When it all settles, vacuum the pool (to waste, if possible). Check and rebalance the pool water if necessary.

For algae which is not suspended, but only clinging to the walls, follow the same advice above, first shock with brushing, then add an algaecide, brush again, vacuum to waste (preferred) or vacuum and then backwash the filter. Use of a steel bristled brush is recommended for algae on plaster pools (use nylon brushes on vinyl). Filter, Filter, Filter.

For black algae, the brushing part is very important. You must tear through the protective layers so the chemicals can destroy the plant from the inside out. Pumice stones work well to knock off the heads of black algae. (Don't forget to vacuum them up later, and backwash them out of the filter ASAP). Also effective on the black algae nodules is sprinkling granular trichlor over the spots (of course if they're on the wall this is next to impossible). Rubbing the spots on the walls with a trichlor tablet or stick can also be effective to knock off the heads and get trichlor directly to the roots. Follow up with a dose of copper algaecide, or high strength polymers.

If algae has been an ongoing problem in your pool for several years, you may do well to drain the pool. Many years of algae builds up dead algae cells and lots of other solids in the water that contribute to its rejuvenation. Acid washing and/or pressure washing is preferable once drained, to kill the roots of the algae embedded in the plaster. NEXT: change the sand if you have a sand filter or change the cartridge if it is a cartridge type. Sand should be changed every 3-5 yrs (or every 2 if needed), and cartridge filters should have new elements every 1-2 years. If you have a DE filter (good for you!), you should remove the elements, spray clean, soak in a 10:1 water/bleach solution, rinse and replace. A well functioning filter will prevent algae.

This particulate matter can be carbonates and sulfates forced out of solution by imbalanced water, perhaps worsened by the introduction of high temperatures. The situation could also be the result of poor filtration and sanitation programs. It can indicate a problem with the effectiveness of the filter or the amount of time it's allowed to run each day or it may point to sanitizer residuals being too low or inconsistently applied. Finally, cloudy water may result from pool water which has reached saturation. High TDS levels may not permit any more solids from being dissolved or saturated into solution.

Use of clarifiers, products such as Klear-Sok work to coagulate smaller particles into larger, filterable clumps. Use of these products are a helpful boost to your sanitation and filtration program, and are especially necessary in pools with undersized or inefficient circulation/filtration systems.

For extremely cloudy pools, shocking with lithium or sodium hypochlorite, followed by constant filtration with the use of clarifiers may be the best solution to the problem. If not, you may want to drain some of the water and dilute with less saturated fill water and / or use a flocculent to settle suspended material to the bottom for vacuuming.

Ah, the many hues of swimming pool water. A bit disconcerting when it happens, but at least there's a visual indication of a problem. Unless your friends are real practical jokers, we'll find the source of colored water to be either mineral or algae contamination.
Organic problems such as algae and bacteria can discolor the water and deposit themselves on pool surfaces in a rainbow of greens, blacks, yellows, pinks. Algae deposits are distinguished from stains in that they are on the surface. Other organic materials such as leaves, worms, or other vegetable matter can also stain pool plaster or liner pools. An organic stain can usually be removed easily. If it doesn't, its probably some other type of stain.
Inorganic materials like copper, iron, manganese, calcium or aluminum can also cloud or discolor the pool water and stain or scale the pool surfaces, especially the plaster and tile grout. When a precipitated metallic salt such as calcium or magnesium remains in suspension, it can cause turbidity or cloudiness of the water. When heavy metal minerals are in suspension, they'll color the water. When these minerals quit floating around and decide to attach themselves or deposit on interior pool surfaces, the mineral salts such as carbonates of magnesium and calcium form a whitish crystallized deposit known as scale. If the precipitated minerals have color, as heavy metals often do, they will deposit themselves in the form of a stain.
So, in summary, precipitated (which means to come out of solution) carbonates of metallic salts will cloud the water and / or form crystal deposits on surfaces, while heavy metals will discolor the water and / or deposit themselves as stains.

These are cleaners that attach to the suction side of your plumbing. The suction side refers to the pipes and fittings that bring water out of the pool to be filtered; that water which is being "sucked" out of the pool by the filter pump. These cleaners include the Hayward Poolvac, Navigator, Aquabug, Kreepy Krauly, Baracuda...

These cleaners attach to one of the suction ports at the pool. Usually, this port is the skimmer, or your pool may have a separate vacuum port where the cleaner's hose can attach. With the hose attached and the filter pump running, suction is created on the underside of the cleaner. The cleaner moves randomly, or automatically around the pool with motion created by a device that gives a stop/start pulsing of water. As the unit travels, debris is sucked up through the neck and then the hose, past the suction port, through the pipe, and stops at the filter pump strainer basket, while smaller debris passes through to the filter. Adjustments on the hose, the unit itself and flow volume will create different cleaning patterns, so as to maximize pool coverage

Cleaner moving slow? Start by checking the pump basket for debris and making sure the filter is clean and water is flowing properly. Then I would check out the throat of the cleaner for any obstructions. Obstructions can also be found where the hose attaches to the suction line. Check hose for splits, obstructions or holes. If your pool has lots of leaves (trees), you'll want to have an in-line leaf trap to use with your suction cleaner.

Cleaner not cleaning the entire pool? This can be caused by any number of reasons. The hoses could be too short. Another real common cause is the cleaner could be following the flow pattern of the water in the pool. In other words, strong flow from wall return jets will push the cleaner into a pattern. To fix this; adjust the return port wall fittings, or add wall fittings to the return ports. It helps to point the fittings down or at a downward angle. If your pool doesn't have wall fittings at the return ports there are alternative wall fittings made by the manufacturers to divert the flow.

Always rotate the wearable parts on the cleaners and replace those wearable parts when needed. These parts will prevent the need to replace more expensive components.