Common pool problems

Here are the reasons behind and quick fixes for the most common pool problems, courtesy of Hoffer and Vickie Brevik, general manager at Keystone Pool and Spa in Carlisle.

Algae affliction

Description: Probably the most common of pool problems, according to Brevik and Hoffer. The surface of the pool is green and swimmers merge looking like swamp monsters.

Cause: Algae has infested the pool. “90% of the time the cause is that the chlorine level is low,” Hoffer said.

Solution: Shock that pool! Perform a shock treatment using three times the normal amount of shock. Couple that with algaecide and the algae will be exterminated.

Clogged filter fiasco

Description: The pool is starting to build unseemly debris and the filter, when examined, is chock full.

Cause: Relax, this one is a good thing. “It pretty much means the filter is doing its job,” Brevik said. It’s clogged because the pool was dirty.

Solution: Perform some filter maintenance; clean it out each time it’s clogged. At least once a year it should be chemically cleaned to ensure its long functional life, according to Brevik.

Foaming frustration

Description: The pool looks like it is trying to host a foam party and you are not amused. White suds can be seen on the surface.

Cause: “Most of the foaming we see in pools is from the use of poor algaecide,” said Hoffer. How do you spot one of these poor algaecides? “They never say “This is a foaming algaecide,” Hoffer said. “They’re cheaper and, not to pick on anybody, but you see them most often at mass marketers.”

Solution: Head back to the store and get an anti-foam agent and be sure to buy future algaecide from a trustworthy pool dealer who can vouch for it.

Mineral Mishap

Description: The pool is either a milk chocolate brown, or a brilliant beautiful teal. Blondes may leave the water with their fair locks green.

Cause: An abundance of minerals in the water is the root of the problem. Pools with a lot of iron go the brown route, those with more copper take on the teal look with the green hair effect.

Solution: Pool stores have different chemicals to remove different minerals from the water, so purchase and use the one that is right for the pool.

Murky water dilemma

Description: The bottom of the pool is a mystery. What could be lurking in its depths? Nobody knows.

Cause: Improper pH levels, is the traditional cause - and the rain aided the problem. “The rain is really acidic in this area and it does affect the pools,” said Brevik.

Solution: Test the water’s pH levels and adjust accordingly.

Stain agitation

Description: There is a weird brown stain on the pool’s walls or floor and no one knows where it came from.

Cause: It could be organic, or the result of high mineral levels (see mineral mishap). Test the water to see by using a sock. First, put a little pH decreaser in the sock and then rub it on the stain. If it removes the stain, make a note of it. If it does not remove the stain, try again but with a chlorine stick in the sock instead of pH decreaser.

Solution: This is one for the professionals, present the results of the test to them and let them have at. But do it quickly, as removing the stain may not be possible. “It’s like your favorite article of clothing that gets stained,” Hoffer said. “The longer it’s left untreated, the harder the stain will be to get out.”