How to Eliminate and Prevent Green Algae in a Swimming Pool

Swimming pools require a lot of maintenance. Eliminating and preventing green algae in a swimming pool involves similar effort, no matter what size the swimming pool is. It's best to avoid algae by properly maintaining your pool. Once an algae problem develops, you'll spend more time and money remedying the situation than is otherwise necessary with proper pool maintenance.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Keep your chlorine levels within an acceptable range. It's always better to be on the higher end of the normal range to prevent green algae.

2. Go down at least 12 inches when getting a water sample to test your chlorine levels. The surface water isn't as accurate. Follow the instructions on your chlorine test kit.

3. Use a solar cover on your pool overnight. Covering your pool properly will reduce the amount of debris that gets into your water, making it easier to keep clean.

4. Shock your pool with highly concentrated products designed for this purpose. These products usually contain strong chemicals. Use baking soda if you run out of pool chemicals. Baking soda is an inexpensive and handy solution, although it's not quite as effective as the commercially prepared products.

Tips & Warnings

• Store your pool chemicals out of direct sunlight in order to maintain their effectiveness. The best location to store your pool chemicals is in a cool, indoor spot.
• Keep in mind that if your pool develops a bad algae problem it could take several days to clear.
• Wait at least one day before swimming if you have to shock your pool. Otherwise, wait about an hour before swimming after using regular pool chemicals.