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Cloudy or green water.

A pool service technician should do the testing and treatment, and a licensed electrician should take any shock concern.

Customers put it like this

  • the pool turned green
  • water is cloudy and I can't see the bottom
  • algae keeps coming back
  • chlorine reads fine but the pool looks bad
Prepare this job in ForeBotFind another guide

Stop first if

  • The main drain or bottom cannot be seen from the deck.Keep everyone out of the water. Close the pool until the bottom shows clearly.
  • Acid and chlorine products were mixed, or a strong chlorine smell comes from the returns or a feeder.Leave the area and keep others away. Do not go in to look. Call emergency services.
  • Anyone feels a tingle or shock in or near the water.Get everyone away from the water and keep them out. Call a licensed electrician, and emergency services if anyone is hurt.
01

Ask on the call

6

Homeowner? These are the questions a good technician will ask you. Having the answers ready makes the first visit count.

  1. Can you see the main drain from the deck?
  2. When did the water change, and was there a storm or heavy use first?
  3. What sanitizer do you use, and what do your last test readings show?
  4. How many hours a day does the pump run, and at what speed?
  5. When was the filter last cleaned or backwashed?
  6. Is this a home pool with skimmers or a commercial pool with gutters?
02

Bring

5
  • Pool water test kit with fresh reagents
  • Stabilizer and dissolved solids test supplies
  • Sample bottle for deep water
  • Spare filter pressure gauge
  • Gloves and eye protection
03

Check on site

6
  1. Test free chlorine, pH, alkalinity, hardness, stabilizer and dissolved solids in one session.
  2. Sample below the surface and away from the inlets.
  3. If pH reads high, deal with that first and retest before raising chlorine.
  4. Work out daily turnovers from flow, run hours and total water volume.
  5. Read filter pressure against the clean baseline at the same pump speed.
  6. Watch whether skimmers or gutters move surface water at the running speed.
04

Keep on the record

5
  • All test readings with date, time and sample spot
  • Sanitizer type and recent chemical history
  • Pump speed and daily run hours
  • Filter pressure with the speed it was read at
  • Photo of the water from the deck

General guidance for a qualified person, not a finding about any home. The person on site decides.