When your swimming pool turns green, it means your pool has algae. This happens a lot in Phoenix in the spring when homeowners have not maintained their pool very well during the winter months. No swimming pool is completely free of algae, so when the weather warms, many homeowners are taken by surprise when their pools turn from blue and clear to cloudy or even green overnight. That’s why it is important to treat your pool year round with an algaecide.
There are four types of algaecides … copper, ammonia, silver and potassium monopersulfate. Sadly, the chemical manufacturing industry has been busy cutting products with more and more filler, which means many products are not very effective. That’s why it is important to get a quality product with a high percentage of the chemical. Here are the levels you should be looking for…
• Copper – 28% (most only promote 7% and some even lower).
• Ammonia – 48-52% (these can get all the way down to 10%).
• Potassium – there is no filler in this, it works differently from copper, ammonia or silver. It is geared to get rid of mustard algae, however, it makes the chlorine in the water burn hot and fast, so you have to add a lot of chlorine.
• Silver – we don’t carry is much due to the high price.
Pool People will treat different algae with different chemicals. Copper works best when the pool water is dark green. Ammonia and potassium work best on mustard algae. Potassium isn’t our favorite treatment because it also causes you to use double the chlorine and you have to boost chlorine after use just to get it back to normal levels.
Silver is extremely expensive, so we don’t carry it very often. It kills all algaes … black, green and mustard. While it is the king of the algaecides is also carries a royal price tag to go with it at $40 or $50 per quart (the other products are more like $20 or $25).
Pool People suggests you use an algaecide (4 ounces copper or ammonia) once per month in winter and twice per month in summer to help keep control of the algae. This is your insurance package to keep you blue and clear and keep the angry bear away.
Pool People provides regular pool and spa cleaning, pool and spa maintenance, pool remodeling, pool and spa repairs, as well as tile cleaning for residents of the Northwest Valley in Phoenix. We also have a fully stocked pool store (with only high quality chemicals) located at 5830 W. Thunderbird Rd., Suite B-6, Glendale, AZ.
