Why Do Pools Turn Green?

Testing Tips and tricks on keeping your pool water blue, and what to do if your pool turns green.

Why Do Pools Turn Green?

If you followed the 2016 Olympics in Rio, you have undoubtedly seen the now-famous diving pool, that turned a murky green color and had a foul odor coming from it. Before they ultimately shut down the pool and completely drained it, divers were still using the pool for events, and complaining of itchy skin, irritated eyes, and infections spreading through the swampy water. While a green pool may be an inconvenience for a homeowner, a green pool at the Olympics is nothing short of a nightmare.

Many people wondered, can’t they just put more chlorine in the pool and clean it up? Why did the pool turn green in the first place, and why was it so difficult to turn back to clear blue? Swimming Pool Inspection Services has some tips and tricks for you on keeping up the health and well being of your pool’s water. 

Pools turn green when the chemical balance or pH are off. A green pool indicates that there is not enough chlorine in the pool, and adjustments must be made. However, in the case of the Olympics, it was reported that they actually ran out of chlorine for the pool. To avoid such an embarrassment in the future, the officials should have listened to the following tips:

• Testing the water: Test the water regularly to ensure the pH balance is correct; the balance must not be too far off when shocking the water, or else the water will turn cloudy and may even need to be drained.
• Shocking the pool: Chlorine should be evenly distributed over the pool; buying a large bag will save money in the long term.
• Pumping and filtering: Checking your equipment and making sure your pump is working properly will help ensure that any debris or flora that are introduced to the pool are removed right away–especially during the warm summer months.

Treating and Maintaining Pool

After 24 hours of proper treatment, green water should correct itself, reverting back to crystal blue; however, this is not always the case, and if the green, murky water is too bad, it may be necessary, like in the Rio case, to drain the pool entirely and refill it with fresh water.

Keeping all equipment working properly, and regular testing of the water chemistry is the best way to keep your pool from turning green and causing nasty results for your swimmers.