Springtime means birds singing, insects chirping, leaves budding, and plants flowering. It also means you will find pollen in your pool and lots of it. This is far from ideal. It will turn your pool an unsightly yellowish or greenish color and is just plain annoying. Fortunately, there is plenty you can do about it. This is your guide to removing pollen from your pool and making sure that it is always summer-ready!
How Does Pollen Get Into Your Pool?
Pollen accumulates in your pool due to male trees and flowers such as pines and oaks releasing pollen spores. Pollen is nature's way of ensuring we have trees and flowers for generations to come. There isn't anything you can do to stop pollen from falling, but you can reduce the chances of it getting in your pool and remove the pollen that does happen to get in.
Often-times it can be confusing as to whether you have algae or pollen in your pool. Algae often accumulate at the bottom and sides of the pool and clumps together, while pollen floats on top and looks like little yellow granules. Algae tends to be darker green in color.
How to Prevent Pollen From Getting In Your Pool?
Installing a pool cover is the most effective way to reduce the chances of pollen forming in your pool. The pollen will accumulate on top of the cover as opposed to in the water. If you choose to use a cover, it is advisable to place the cover over your pool well before the start of pollen season. A pool cover is not always an option, and if this is the case, you can easily remove the pollen with a few easy steps.
Removing Pollen From Your Pool
No matter what, you cannot 100% prevent any pollen from getting in the water. Follow these simple steps to remove pollen build-up from your pool.
- Filtration system - Your pool's filtration is the first step. Running it frequently will not get all of the pollen out of the pool, but it will remove most of it. You can put pool "socks" on your filtration system to better catch the pollen. This makes the following steps much easier.
- Use a skimmer - During pollen season, skim the top of your pool daily with a very fine mesh skimmer. Traditional skimmers will not catch pollen because the holes are too large, and the pollen will pass right through.
- Remove the remainder of the pollen - Adding aluminum sulfate to the water will remove the pollen that filtration and skimming weren't able to. Pollen binds to the aluminum sulfate and makes it possible to get out with the skimmer and the filtration system.
It is important to note that you can shock the pool back into balance if needed. It is advisable to shock your pool at least once during the pollen season as it is possible that pollen can mix with bacteria at the waterline. Shocking will remove any unwanted organisms from the water. A pool vacuum can also be used as an alternative to a skimmer.
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Whether you are in need of bulk water services to get your pool ready for the summer, emergency water service, or industrial water, Davis Water Service has you covered! Since 1978 our family-owned business has been dedicated to caring for our clients. Contact us today for all of your water service needs. We can't wait to welcome you to our family!