What is algae and how do you recognize it?

Have you ever noticed that your pool water is starting to go cloudy? Has the water started to discolour or the walls and floor begin to feel slimy? This is the beginning of an Algae bloom. Algae can present itself as a green, yellow or black plant-like substance that clings to the walls, steps and settles on the pool floor.

Green algae is the most common type of algae. The pool will start to get hazy and shortly after, you will begin to see the formation of algae in the water. Yellow or black algae are less common but can occur nonetheless. Pools experiencing a yellow or black algae bloom will often have clear water with visible algae spores. Yellow algae will spread itself along the pool floor and walls, similar to green algae. Black algae will embed itself into the surface of the pool and will not move when it is touched.

What causes algae in your pool?

Algae spores are everywhere. They can get into your pool through rain, dirt, and even wind. When these spores are introduced into your pool water, they wait for the perfect opportunity to bloom. Low levels of sanitizer, improper pH levels, dirty or old filter media and poor pool circulation are all factors that aid in the growth of algae. Algae can also be introduced by swimwear or toys that were used in rivers, ponds, lakes or pools contaminated with algae.

Since algae is a plant, it needs nutrients to grow. High levels of phosphates in your pool water can aid in frequent and resistant algae blooms. Having a professional water test done on a monthly basis will help to monitor phosphate levels in your pool. Maintaining low phosphate levels, will help prevent annoying and expensive algae blooms from occurring.

Getting rid of algae can be a tough job. It takes time, work and quality pool chemicals to destroy the spores and reclaim clear water. To eliminate Algae, we need to start off by properly preparing and cleaning the pool.

1. Make sure to keep your solar blanket off the pool. Turn your heater down or off and make sure your pool pump is running continuously throughout this entire process.

2. Manually vacuum your pool on your filter’s Waste setting. If you have a cartridge filter and do not have a waste setting, vacuum the pool as best as you can and then rinse your cartridge filters before moving on.

3. Brushing the walls, floors and steps of the pool.

The pool is now ready for a good chemical treatment that will kill the algae spores and clear the water.

1. Resolve - This is a heavy duty shock treatment that will kill algae. The whole bottle can be added to the water

2. Algae Destroy - Algae builds a thick barrier around itself, making it harder for chlorine to access the actual spore. Algae Destroy helps break down this thick barrier to ensure the shock treatment can fully penetrate and eliminate the algae spore.

3. If there is still algae present after 48 hours, an additional shock treatment will be required.

4. Once the algae has been completely destroyed, you can use Pool Rescue to remove any dead algae that the filter cannot trap.

There are steps we can take to prevent Algae from coming or even occurring in the first place. These include:

• Test your water: You can come into any of the Discounter's Pool and Spa locations and get a free water test. Poor water balance is not only harmful to your pool surface and equipment, it also prevents sanitizer from working as efficiently as it should.

• Remove high levels of phosphate: Use a phosphate remover to eliminate high levels of phosphate in the water. By removing phosphates, you are removing nutrients that algae needs to thrive. Maintaining low levels is an added defense against algae formation.

• Practice good habits: Taking some time once a week to scoop out debris, empty baskets, vacuum small particles and brush pool walls, will help keep your water clear. Making sure that you properly backwash or rinse your cartridge filters when needed, will help maintain optimal filtration so you can remove as much waste as possible.

• Have a comprehensive maintenance program: Adding quality chemicals to maintain a clean, healthy pool should be done once a week. Discounter’s Pool & Spa Warehouse has the answer! Our Algae Free Guarantee maintenance program will keep you swimming in a well sanitized, crystal clear, algae-free pool all season long.

For more great advice on battling algae or our algae-free guarantee, reach out to us online or visit any of our locations and speak to a pool & spa specialist.