Who doesn’t love a swimming pool? Great for neighborhood parties and early morning laps, swimming pools are nothing but fun when summer rolls around. You know what isn’t fun? Pool foam. While foam might seem innocent enough, it only exists in pools where the water is too “thick.” This means there is too much organic debris, such as oil, skin, beauty products, algae, and hair, in the water. In other words, the water is disgusting. It’s also usually the result of a pool where the water hasn’t been changed out in a long time or the water filtration system isn’t working as well as it should. While annoying—and a little gross—the problem is fixable. Here are a few steps you can take to alleviate your pool from pool foam.
Test Your Pool’s Chemistry
Odds are pretty high if you have pool foam, your chlorine level isn’t where it should be. While this will have to be adjusted, it’s important that you take note of the pH and the alkalinity. You’ll need to make sure the pH level resides somewhere between 7.2 and 7.6, while the alkalinity should be between 100 and 150 ppm. Before you can do anything else, you’ll have to correct these levels.
Shock Your Pool
It’s possible that merely adjusting your pH and alkalinity will be enough to get rid of the unwanted foam. If, however, that doesn’t seem to do the trick or it’s been awhile since you’ve hired a local swimming pool cleaner in Atlanta, then you’ll need to shock your pool. Use either chlorinated or nonchlorinated shock but make sure you do it after the sun goes down. The sun burns off unstablized chlorine, preventing the chemicals from working the way they were intended. In the morning, check the levels and make adjustments where needed.
Drain and Refill
If you’ve had a particularly busy few days with a lot of swimmers in your pool, then it may be time to drain your pool of some of its water and then refill it. After it’s completely refilled, shock the pool, then check its balance again in the morning.
Try an Anti-Foam Chemical
You can buy an anti-foam chemical to use on your foam, but this is only a good idea if you’re trying to get rid of the last bits of foam on the surface of your pool water. If the foam is severe enough or if your chemistry is way off , then the anti-foam chemical won’t do anything to address the underlying problem.
Check Your Filtration System
Poor filtration will exacerbate the conditions in which foam develops, so make sure your filtration system is working the way it should. Check for calcium buildup and clean out the skimmers. Also turn on the pump and make sure the motor is running, or the pump won’t do you much good.
While these steps can clear out the foam from your pool, if you really want your pool to be in top form, call Sunrise Pool Services Inc. at (678) 804-0050. We’re experts in swimming pool maintenance service in Atlanta, and we’ll keep your pool in great shape all year long. Give us a call today!