Everyone dreams of owning their own luxurious swimming pool right in their own back yard. Not only does a swimming pool serve as an oasis to the summer heat, but it also is a great way to exercise. A pool also makes a great gathering place for family and friends. But pool ownership comes at a price. Swimming pool owners must be diligent in their fight to maintain their swimming pool and keep the water safe for their guests and themselves. Algae are one of the common challenges of owning a swimming pool. But many people don’t realize that algae affect more than just the water, it also affects your equipment including pool pump performance.
Here at Lone Star Pool Services we deal with algae regularly. Now it’s our turn to pass some of our knowledge along to our customers. After all, understanding what you’re up against is an important part of the battle against algae.
What are Algae and Where Does Algae Come From?
Algae spores can enter your swimming pool in a number of ways: carried on the wind, in the rain, on swimming suits, or even on your own pool-cleaning equipment. Invisible to the naked eye, the spores will make themselves at home in the right environment. And, if conditions are right, they’ll grow like you’ve never seen.
It’s impossible to prevent algae from gaining access to your pool, but you can make your swimming pool an unfriendly place for algae. To do this you simply master the art of water chemistry, have good filtration and circulation, and exercise a consistent cleaning and maintenance routine.
The algae itself isn’t always a health hazard, but it can cause serious problems. Besides, no one wants to swim in a slimy green swimming pool. When algae begins to take over it can result in cloudy water which reduces visibility and alter a swimmer’s depth perception. These things can both pose safety risks. If you don’t take care of your algae problem promptly, it can quickly grow out of control.
These plant-like microorganisms love aquatic environments such as aquariums, ponds, and yes, swimming pools. They use sunlight to synthesize both food and water from carbon dioxide using photosynthesis. They tend to reproduce most heavily on warm, sunny days. Algae thrive on organic material so everything from dust to leaves floating around in your pool makes a great algae meal. This is why it’s so important to keep your swimming pool as clean as possible. The best thing you can do in the war on algae is to prevent an algae epidemic in the first place.
Preventing Algae Outbreaks
It’s more difficult for algae to get a foothold when your pool is clean of debris, properly treated, and the water circulates efficiently. Keeping up with regular pool cleaning can be a chore. Thankfully, automatic pool cleaners can remove debris and other organic material. There are also companies that offer regular pool maintenance who can help you maintain your sparkling haven.
You may not realize it, but your first line of defense in the war on algae is your swimming pool pump. This is why it’s so important that you have adequate pool pump performance. Your swimming pool pump acts as the heart of your swimming pool system. It moves the water through the filtration system on a daily basis, cleaning the water and helping in the war on algae.
It’s also extremely important you maintain proper water balance. This means understanding which chemicals your pool needs, how much, and when to add them. If algae do manage to take hold of your pool, then certain chemical treatments will help in your battle. However, your swimming pool must have proper pH balance and the water must be sanitized. You’ll also want to keep an eye on alkalinity and calcium hardness. All of these things are important parts of preventing an infestation.
The final component to preventing algae outbreak is your cleaning and maintenance routine. Interior brushing, automatic pool cleaners, and pool vacuuming are all vital parts of your cleaning and maintenance.
How Algae Affects Pool Pump Performance
It’s important to get on top of algae outbreaks as soon as you notice them. The algae itself can easily clog your pool’s equipment, including the filter and the pump. When this happens, your swimming pool’s filtration system becomes significantly less effective and may stop working completely. When this happens it’s good for the algae but bad for you and your pool.
It’s important that you work to fix your pool pump performance as quickly as possible. This can sometimes be quite the task depending on how badly things are clogged and how much algae is in your pool’s filtration system. This is when many homeowners choose to call in the experts. An algae battle of this magnitude is daunting and can take a considerable amount of time and money to correct.
Professional swimming pool maintenance companies such as Lone Star Pool Services are very knowledgeable about algae and how to clean it out of your swimming pool and filtration system. They understand the ins and outs of each type of algae and how to tackle it effectively. They’ll be able to return your oasis to you in pristine condition much more quickly than if you were to wage the war on your pool’s invader yourself.
Maintaining Your Swimming Pool
If you think you might have an algae problem or if your pool pump performance decreases for whatever reason, you may want to consider calling a professional. This is especially true if you have little to no experience managing these things or if you’re new to pool ownership. It’s easy to miscalculate chemicals and end up turning your swimming pool into a toxic environment for not just the algae, but you and your guests as well.