The Pool Is a Swamp! Now What?

How to Clean a Disgustingly Dirty Swimming Pool

These days we often hear this question: “I just bought a foreclosed home with a swimming pool. The pool is a mess; what should I do?”

People want to know if they should drain the pool if there is a vinyl liner, and the answer is No!The only time you want to empty a pool with a vinyl liner is when you are planning on replacing it, that day or the next. Even if the water is a total mess, the best action is to start with clearing up the water. Why? Well, because the liner will shrink and be ruined. That’s not good if the liner is still in good shape. Also, there won’t be any water pressure against the walls, and the walls could cave in. That’s bad! The chances of the walls caving in increase if you live in the colder temperatures.

 

So, now what? Dirty water can always be cleared up. It just takes time, patience, and chlorine. Our Bioguard trained pool professionals recommend starting with liquid chlorine, because it’s fast acting, but then moving onto to Smart Shock or Burnout 3 because it’s longer lasting. You’ll also want to make sure your pump & filter are running 24 hours a day. This is essential to start getting debris, sand, dirt, and more out of the pool.

 

If you are using a cartridge or DE filter, you’ll want to make sure you rinse out the grids or cartridges on a regular basis. If you are using a sand filter, you’ll want to make sure you use a chemical cleaner like, Kleen-It, to strip out the bad stuff. DE filter grids need to be replaced when they are broken or can no longer be well cleaned. Cartridge filters should have a new cartridge at the beginning of every new season, if they are cleaned on a regular basis. Otherwise, you may need to replace them more often. Cartridge filters can be cleaned with Kleen-It or Filter Cleaner and Degreaser.

The best thing to do is take your pool water into your local pool dealer and get it tested. Zagers Pool & Spa offers free water testing at all of our locations. With a trained pool professional, you know you are getting good advice.

How to Clean Your Green or Dirty Pool

So, what is the bottom line?

1. DON’T EMPTY YOUR VINYL LINER POOL UNLESS YOU ARE REPLACING THE LINER IMMEDIATELY!
2. Start by clearing up the water first. Stop by your local pool store with Bioguard trained pool professionals and get your water tested. Some places offer water testing for free, like Zagers does!
3. Run your pump & filter for 24 hours. Keep it going until your pool professional tells you otherwise.
4. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS! Your pool will only get better if you follow the directions from your pool professional. Don’t try to skip or change the steps; there is proven research behind Bioguard recommendations.
5. Make sure you have the right tools to start clean up. You’ll want BIG skimmers, leaf eaters, and maybe even a self-contained auto vacuum.
6. Clean your filter, either chemically and/or by rinsing out grids or cartridges.
7. Bring your water back for testing after 48 to 36 hours.
8. Be patient—keep following directions, and it’ll come around! You’ll have a beautiful pool in no time.

BUT—if you are ready to replace the liner, you can do that too!

Good luck!