We're Greening, But Not Green
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (112717)
United States
July 9, 2025 7:11pm CST
This is where it gets fun when you own a pool of any kind. Inground. Above ground. It really doesn't matter. Once you start turning green, the fight is on. We started to get a little algae on the bottom and of course the outlet hose went kaput.
So, I replaced that today.
I vacuumed a little bit and gently brushed the bottom. I unplugged the vacuum and added a gallon of shock and some stabilizer. Now it's just a matter of getting all the chemicals in balance.
Chlorine was a bit low, and we need enough of that to help kill the algae. There's two tablets in the pump and that gallon of shock. So, that should help to lift the chlorine levels. The stabilizer helps to maintain the chlorine.
We're running the pump a bit to let the chemicals disperse and run through the filter and later on might add just a little bit of algaecide.
We're slightly green, which means we're not totally green, so we should be able to chemical ourselves out of this before we have a major problem. I swear, when you have a pool you have to be part scientist to keep things right. But we've been doing this long enough we mostly know what we're doing.
I will keep you posted. Do you own a pool? Any suggestions?
11 people like this
10 responses
@porwest (112717)
• United States
10 Jul
Oh, I could definitely understand that. Luckily most of our leaf issues happen in the front, and as you can see from the picture, there are lots of trees around us in our neighboring yards, but they tend not to pose an issue in ours.
In the fall I don't ever have to go in the back to deal with any leaves. But in the front, I'm constantly mulching them until the end of the season before I overseed.
1 person likes this
@cherigucchi (15934)
• Philippines
11 Jul
@porwest Summer here means summer and its really hot that you cannot even enjoy it
1 person likes this
@porwest (112717)
• United States
11 Jul
@cherigucchi I make the most of it. I hate winter.
1 person likes this
@Vikingswest1 (7443)
• United States
10 Jul
I gave up ten years ago. Best bet is to keep flushing that filter and letting the high chlorine content do it's job. Stir up the water every so often. It'll clear up. You know the drill, lol.
The last year I had an above ground pool here, I was planning on replacing the liner. More than a foot and a half of water would just leak out. I left it over the winter. When spring came it was apparent that frogs had visited and there were tadpoles all over. I let it be for the year and had frogs everywhere. Go to turn on the hose? Frogs. Jump on the trampoline? Frogs. Use the grill? Frogs.
I never did buy that new liner. We had frogs for the next two years.
2 people like this
@porwest (112717)
• United States
10 Jul
Yep. Chlorine and stabilizer really are the keys here. Helps a bunch. I just checked the chemicals and the chlorine levels are still a bit low so I added another tablet in, will do some more vacuuming, and maybe add a bit more shock. So far I haven't put in any algaecide since it can be tricky. Not enough or too much and you're still going green, so I am trying to get the chlorine to do most of the work to kill it before pouring any in there.
Fingers crossed I am successful. lol
But funny you mention about frogs. We do have a lot of frogs around here, but not in great number as you described. Every start of the season when we reopen the pool there are tadpoles in it. Unfortunately, they never live long enough to become frogs. They are (somewhat sadly) killed by our initial chemical blast.
I have tried to put signs around the pool that say, "Not safe for laying eggs here," but apparently frogs can't read.
1 person likes this
@Vikingswest1 (7443)
• United States
10 Jul
@porwest
Hahahah
Or you can't write in frog, lol.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112717)
• United States
11 Jul
@Vikingswest1 I did buy a "How to Speak Frog" book once. It came with a rebate. lol
1 person likes this
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (18025)
• Torrington, Connecticut
14 Jul
Thats no good lol My pool did the same last weekend, had to shock it twice in a week
1 person likes this
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (18025)
• Torrington, Connecticut
15 Jul
@porwest Yeah its annoying, my twin daughters are the main cause since they jump in our pool with a bunch of tanning lotion and sunscreen
1 person likes this
@porwest (112717)
• United States
17 Jul
@BACONSTRIPSXXX Yeah, that can really throw chemicals off.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112717)
• United States
10 Jul
@Ineeddentures Probably helped to boost the PH a little bit. lol
1 person likes this
@Ineeddentures (33875)
•
10 Jul
@porwest
I have seen the problems people here have had with green slime and other stuff
1 person likes this
@luisadannointed (11842)
• Philippines
10 Jul
Nope, I don't own a pool. I think there will be a lot of cleaning to do. Do you change the water every day?
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52143)
• Staten Island, New York
10 Jul
I’m glad I don’t have a pool. Less to deal with. Besides I don’t like swimming in the pool. I prefer the lake or some other body of water. Sorry I cannot be of help to you.
@LindaOHio (222222)
• United States
10 Jul
No pool here. Hubby always talked about one; but he never would have kept up with keeping it clean.
1 person likes this
