You’re ready to jump into the swimming pool. You pull back the pool cover and … the water is black, or green or even brown. What is going on?! It’s algae bloom and it is not a good thing and it takes copious amounts of chlorine to get rid of and typically requires the services of a swimming pool contractor in Menifee, California to get the water clear. What is black algae and why does it get into the pool water?
What is black algae?
Algae bloom is the bane of a swimming pool owner. It can form overnight and can take days, if not a week or more to get rid of completely. If black algae bloom gets into your swimming pool, it can make it unusable, can damage the equipment and will certainly add to the price you pay for your pool service contract as this will require your pool contractor to go above and beyond in cleaning and maintenance.
Black algae, truly turns the water black and is the hardest algae to get out of the pool water.
- Green algae is the most commonand the easiest to get rid of — easy being a relative term.
- Brown and yellow algae are the second most difficult
- Black is top level when it comes to the work it takes to get out of the pool. It is aggressive. If you see small spores or spots on the surface of the pool water — that could be the beginning of black algae. This algae will anchor itself in any small cracks in the pool plaster and finish and holds on tightly.
How will we fight black algae?
- The pool will need to be thoroughly brushed and vacuumed
- An algaecide will be used
- Chlorine tablets will be used to scrub the black algae spots and spores at their head. If the algae spore is on the bottom of the pool, it will be scrubbed by attaching the chlorine tablet to a telescoping pole and scrubbed that way.
When the pool algae spots are brushed you will notice a black, dirty cloud floating around as the algae is removed. The pool pump and filter will be turned off to prevent the algae from getting into the filter or the skimmer. We will add algaecide to the pool.
The pool will not be able to be used for at least a week while the black algae is being removed.
Can you prevent black algae?
The easiest way to keep black algae — or any kind of algae out of the swimming pool is by always keeping the pool water clean and by having the proper pool chemistry. We urge pool owners to maintain proper pool filtration and circulation. It is much easier and less expensive to keep the pool chemistry maintained and the pool water always clean than it is to have to rid the pool of black algae.