Crystal clear, sparkling, clear as a bell, blue.  These are all descriptions people have of their pool water when everything is seemingly going well.  But what happens when your water is not one of these describing colors?

Sometimes water changes colors; most of the time it is due to a chemical imbalance, lack of circulation, or all of the above.  Some of you have probably experienced a green pool in your lifetime.  While the color green is tied to some great moments in life such as a freshly cut lawn, barbecuing on the Big Green Egg, or watching the Green Bay Packers, nobody wants to associate green with their pool.  Algae is usually the cause of a green pool and can form due to heat and lack of chlorine.  Luckily, the war on algae is easily won by having your pool water tested.  The water analysis pinpoints the cause of the discoloration and outlines what chemicals are needed to combat it.

Algae can affect anyone.  This year’s Summer Olympics is a prime example.  We all saw the stories about the competition pools turning green.  Initial explanations ranged from toxic water, to algae, to copper in the water.  All of which could be valid, but in this case, the world found out that mixing hydrogen peroxide (a biguanide sanitizer) into a chlorine (halogen sanitizer) pool causes the water to turn green almost instantly!  Luckily they were able to solve the issue over night to have the water looking great by the next morning.

All told, if you’re using the proper program for water care, you’ll never experience anything other than a perfect pool!