Service
Green pool cleanup, back to clear water
“…I had a company before him who we had nothing but trouble with, but Richie hasn't had any trouble keeping chemicals balanced and the pool sparkling clean…”
“Richie has made our pool look better than it has in years! He goes above and beyond what we’ve experienced with most other pool companies…”
A pool can go from fine to green in a few hot days here. A green pool cleanup is a one time job to get it back: test it, shock it, brush it, run and clean the filter, vacuum out what dies, balance it, and come back until it is clear and staying that way.
What is included
- Water tested and shocked
- Every surface brushed
- Filter run and cleaned
- Dead algae vacuumed out
- Balanced and checked again
Step by step
- 1
Test the water
Chlorine, pH, alkalinity and stabilizer first, because the fix depends on what knocked the pool over. A pool loaded with stabilizer needs a different plan than one that just ran out of chlorine.
- 2
Shock it
Enough chlorine to actually kill what is growing, matched to how green the pool is. A light dose on a dark green pool only feeds the problem.
- 3
Brush every surface
Walls, floor, steps and the corners behind the ladder, so the algae lets go of the plaster and the chlorine can reach it.
- 4
Run the filter and clean it
The filter does the heavy lifting on a green pool and clogs fast with dead algae, so it runs and gets cleaned as it loads up.
- 5
Vacuum out what dies
Dead algae settles on the floor as gray or brown dust. It gets vacuumed out instead of being left to feed the next bloom.
- 6
Balance it
Once the water clears, the chemistry is set back where it belongs so the pool holds.
- 7
Follow up
A green pool rarely clears in one visit. It gets checked again until it is clear and staying clear.
Why pools go green here
Algae spores are always blowing in on the wind and the rain. They only take over when the chlorine runs low, and around here that usually happens one of three ways.
- A storm. Heavy rain dilutes the chlorine and washes in dirt and leaves, and a few hot, sunny days after that finish the job. Before the season starts, the hurricane season pool checklist is worth ten minutes.
- The pump was off. A tripped breaker, a timer that reset after a power cut, or a pump that quit. Water that is not moving is not being filtered or chlorinated.
- Time away. A couple of summer weeks with nobody looking after it is plenty. Pool care while you are on vacation covers how to avoid coming home to it.
What to do while you wait
A few things help, and a few make it worse.
- Keep the pump running if it works. Moving water is half the fix.
- Keep everyone out of the water until it is clear and tested. You cannot see the bottom, and green water is not safe to swim in.
- Do not drain it. Emptying a pool when the ground water is high can damage the shell, and it does not get the algae off the walls anyway.
- Hold off on pouring in whatever is in the shed. Some products work against each other, and knowing what was already added makes the cleanup faster.
Then call or text a photo of the pool. A picture says a lot about how far gone it is.
When the water clears but the stain stays
Keeping it from going green again
The simplest way to never do this twice is a visit every week. Weekly pool service keeps the chlorine where it should be, the filter clean and the floor vacuumed, with every chemical in one monthly price. Plenty of customers start exactly that way: the green pool gets cleaned up, and the weekly visits pick up from there.
Green Pool Cleanup near you
We do this across western Palm Beach County, out to West Palm Beach. Pick your town to see what we cover there.
Questions we hear a lot
- How long does a green pool cleanup take?
- It depends on how green the pool is and what caused it. One that is just turning clears much faster than one that has been dark green for weeks. You get a straight idea of the timeline once Richie sees the pool.
- How much does a green pool cleanup cost?
- It depends on the size of the pool and how far gone it is, so it is quoted after a look or a photo. The quote is free. Call or text (561) 252 8487.
- Do I need to drain a green pool?
- Almost never. Draining does not take the algae off the walls, and emptying a pool when the ground water is high can damage it. A green pool gets cleared with the water in it.
- Is it safe to swim in a green pool?
- No. Algae means the chlorine is too low to keep germs in check, and you cannot see the bottom. Stay out until it is clear and the water has been tested.
- Will it just go green again?
- Not if the chlorine stays up and the filter stays clean. That is what weekly service is for. Most green pools are a missed week or two, not bad luck.
Worth reading
Why is my pool green?
A pool turns green when algae grows faster than the chlorine can kill it. In Florida the usual triggers a...
How to get algae out of a pool
To clear a green pool: balance the pH to about 7.2, shock with roughly three times the normal dose after ...
Hurricane season pool checklist
Never drain your pool before a hurricane. In a high water table an empty shell can float up out of the gr...