Can't get rid of algae---Did you know?

by Mike Shirey, Clear Pools Maintenance, Inc.

Having been in the swimming pool maintenance and repair business for over 30 years, I have come to realize that there is always room to learn new things.

Approximately seven or eight years ago I learned a valuable lesson the hard way about phosphates.  I lost a very good residential service account that I had for close to 20 years.  My pool technician at the time was unable to conclusively clear up an algae problem that kept recurring over the course of a summer.  After getting personally involved in trying to clear up this problem and failing, the customer terminated my services.

This motivated me to further investigate this mysterious algae problem.  After speaking to several of my colleagues, I began to learn about phosphates and the negative effects that they have on swimming pool water.  I also observed that the majority of the pools with phosphate issues were in areas that relied on wells as the primary source for make-up water.  I believe that fertilizer and other pollutants cause the higher levels in the well water because they are absorbed into the ground and eventually make their way into the aquifer.  I also believe that this problem has been exacerbated by the recent droughts.

The good news is that phosphates can be easily detected with a simple-to-use test kit and eliminated with phosphate removing chemicals that can be purchased at your local distributor.  The other good news is that you can/ should be charging your customer extra for this service since it is a phenomenon that can occur and is beyond your control.

In closing, I would suggest learning about phosphates; how to recognize them, how to test for them and finally, how to deal with them.  It could save you an account.