Equipment

– pump and filter must be working efficiently and provide “filtered” water to your pool. This however is not all that you will need

Water Chemistry

– the following components make up your water chemistry: Alkalinity, pH, calcium hardness, minerals, and dissolved solids.

Sanitizer

– Chlorine, bromine, algaecides etc. is what is used to disinfect, shock and control algae in your pool

Rectangular

• length x width x average depth x7.5 = appx. gallons

Round

• radius x radius x average depth x 23.5 = appx. gallons
  

Oval

• length x width x average depth x 6.7 = appx. gallons

There are many possible reasons –

• Filter is dirty – backwash filter. Add filter rejuvenator to remove hard water deposits from cartridges and sand filters, add dazzle to polish and clarify your water.
• Low chlorine – add Glisten shock treatment to remove chlorimines and sanitizer to keep your chlorine at 1.0 to 1.5 ppm.
• pH too high – Add pH down as needed to keep pH at 7.2 – 7.8 (7.6 – 7.8 for pools with heaters)
• Excessive organic contaminants such as body oils / suntan lotion – Add pool perfect or pool perfect + phos free to remove contaminants.
• High concentration of dissolved metals in water – add stain guard to keep metals sequestered.
  

You have green algae!

• Adjust your pH to 7.2 – 7.6. Add devour or solution 60 to kill the algae. Add clean sweep to drop the algae to the bottom of the pool so that it can be vacuumed. Add filter rejuvenator to clean your filter. Make sure that you keep pH at 7.2 – 7.8 and Chlorine at 1.0 to 1.5 to prevent this from happening.
  

This is black algae.

• Treat as green algae, but use devour or clear solution to kill the algae. Algae should also be brushed with a nylon brush if a fiberglass or vinyl pool or with a stainless steel brush if a plaster pool.
  

This is a sign of copper in the water.

• Many times when filling a pool, you will see this as the water has gone through copper lines to get to your pool. It is important to add a sequestering agent to keep these metals in solution – add stain guard as suggested on the bottle. Check your pH and adjust as necessary with pH up or pH down
  

This is a result of high metals in your pool usually caused by low pH.

• Add no sweat to remove stains and adjust pH.
  

This may be caused from a couple of things:

• Check that your alkalinity is between 80 – 120 ppm. Adjust with alkalinity up or alkalinity down as needed.
• Check that your pH is in a 7.2 – 7.8 range, adjust pH as necessary.
• There is no chemical to lower calcium hardness. Backwash water level down and add water with lower calcium hardness. Ideal calcium hardness levels are 200 – 400 ppm. Add stain guard according to bottle directions
  

There are two likely causes, high combined chlorine or low pH.

• Check your combined chlorine level and add glisten non-chlorine shock to remove chlorimines.
• Check pH and keep in 7.2 – 7.8 range.
  

This is likely caused by organic contaminants in the water.

• Add pool perfect to remove these contaminants.

Give Us A Call

Our service department would love to help you with your problems.

Toll free at 1-888-Pools-01 or (636) 379-3000
Our regular hours of business are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Central Time, Monday through Friday.