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Having a swimming pool in your house is so much fun. You can have pool parties, take a dip whenever you want, and enjoy the privacy of having a private pool. However, pools require regular maintenance and cleaning. They can get infected with green or black algae. While the former is relatively easy to get rid of, black algae are a nightmare: these dreadful black spots can be very challenging to remove and prevent. If your pool is infected with black algae and you don’t act upon it right away, it can cause some serious structural damage over time. Read on to learn some effective ways to get rid of the fast-growing black algae before it takes over your pool.
Scrub and Sanitize
Before starting the cleaning mission, you need to sanitize the equipment you are going to use with chlorine before they touch your pool. If the tools you use are not sanitized, they can cause more algae to grow. Start by cleaning the filters, following the manufacturer’s directions manual. Note that if you see black algae in the pool, then there has to be more of them in the filter. After you are done with the filters, start scrubbing the pool surfaces using an appropriate brush depending on the material of your pool. Stiff brushes are used to brush cement and natural element pools, while bristled brushes are more suitable for vinyl pools, but they are less likely to get infected. Scrubbing the pool clean might take more than one attempt because black algae create protective layers around it, which makes it a little bit hard to get rid of. You have to make sure that you scrub away all of the black spots.
Chlorine Tablets & Shock Treatment
Now that you are done scrubbing the pool surface and making sure that the coast is clear, it’s time for treatment. Put on your gloves, break a chlorine tablet in half, and start scrubbing again using the rough side to let the chlorine get to the roots. Now it is time to shock your pool! You need a good shock treatment to remove black spot algae and bacteria growth in the swimming pool. To break the DNA of the black algae, chlorinate the swimming pool water with 1 to 3 parts per million (ppm) or 0.00013 ounces of chlorine per gallon of water. This way, the algae will be removed easily, and the growth that is spreading in your pool will stop.
Use Algaecide and Granular Chlorine
Algaecide helps in preventing any future algae outbreaks as it kills and prevents algae growth. Use one bottle to treat 15,000 gallons of pool water. As for the granular chlorine, be generous with it when you are cleaning the spots that had algae patches before you scrubbed it off. Remember to always follow the manufacturer’s instructions before adding granular chlorine to your pool. Bear in mind that this chemical is not for dark-surfaced swimming pools because it might strip the paint off.
It Is Time to Run the Pump!
Give the treatment a day to settle (24 hours), and then run the pump for 24 hours solid. Afterward, run the pump for 8-12 hours every day for a few weeks. If your pool is dark-colored, it is better to run the pump right away to avoid the discoloration of the pool surface. It is important to keep brushing the swimming pool for the next few days 2-4 times a day because there could be some hidden spores that you missed.
Clean the Filter Again
Brushing and scrubbing away the algae from the swimming pool surface might leave some residue in the filters, so you need to clean the filters one more time after the treatment. Note that DE and sand filters should be rinsed and washed more than once. Keep checking for black spots now and then to make sure your swimming pool is algae-free, and if you notice any, then you have to redo the shock treatment and brush the pool twice a day.
The best cure is prevention, so it is always better to maintain the proper chemistry levels of your pool and run the filters and pump regularly. Brushing the swimming pool surface every week is also important to keep the pool clean and bacteria and algae growth to the minimum. Also, remember to wash any toys every now and then to make sure you are not bringing harmful bacteria into your pool. Moreover, if you take a dip in the ocean, you have to wash the swimsuit before jumping into the swimming pool.