Will Baking Soda Clear A Green Pool?

Will Baking Soda Clear A Green Pool? When the pool water is turning green, it’s a sign that something goes wrong with your pool. The main culprit causing the green color of the water is algae. You can remove algae by running a deep cleaning of the pool and balancing the pH levels. But, can you do it using baking soda?

Read on – Will Baking Soda Clear A Green Pool? to know the answer to this question and get tips on cleaning the green pool.

Why is your pool water turning green?

Your pool gets its green color from algae. But, several reasons cause algae overgrowth. First of all, it’s the poor maintenance that leads to water’s pH disbalance. The perfect pH level is from 7.2 to 7.8. If it’s getting lower, the water’s acidity is enough to irritate the eyes of the swimmers. If it’s too high, it will become inoffensive for algae.

That is, the algae will face no obstacles in growing and multiplying. A clogged filter contributes indirectly to your pool getting green, by allowing algae to thrive and generate bacteria that muddy the water. Lastly, weather changes can create propitious conditions for algae overgrowth. If it’s getting humid and warm outside, you have to pay more attention to your pool maintenance.

Can baking soda clear a green pool?

Baking soda can help a lot to win the fight against algae. But, it’s not effective at killing them. Sodium bicarbonate does a great job of breaking the algae’s roots, making them easier to remove from the pool’s walls.

Unfortunately, it can’t disrupt the DNA of algae. For that, you will need to use a more powerful pool cleaner in the first place. Once it kills the unicellular organisms, you can move on to using the baking soda to displace them. You can also use baking soda to stabilize the alkalinity of the water and reduce its acidity. This will make the water clearer.

How to make a green pool blue again?

First things first, not in all cases cleaning a green pool is relevant. If the water is extremely cloudy and has a dark green color, you are better off draining the water. You would have to spend a lot of time and money to bring the water back to blue. When the water is green, yet the bottom of the pool is visible, you can try to fix it. Here is a guideline on how to do it.

1. Test the pH level

Start by measuring the pH level of the water. If the pool is green, it suggests that the pH is high, because algae thrive in low-acidity environments. Still, it’s good to take the measurements to know how much higher the pH has risen. This knowledge will help you adjust the quantity of sodium bisulfate you add to reduce pH.

2. Regulate the pH level

Sodium bisulfite is a chemical that helps bring the pH to normal. Avoid going intuitive on how much sodium bisulfate you should add. You can add the perfect amount, but you can go wrong as well, pouring excessive chemicals and making the water too acidic. That’s why don’t hesitate to invest in a measuring system to test the pH. In this way, you ensure you keep your pool pH balanced.

3. Kill the algae

Before removing the algae from the pool, you have to kill them. Use calcium hypochlorite to make sure the DNA of algae is completely de-structured. You don’t want to make the water too chlorinated. That’s why check the product’s instructions to see how much you should add to the pool.

4. Remove the algae

Now it’s time to collect the dead algae from the pool walls and bottom. While some species are easy to remove with empty hands, others have tough roots and require other methods. You may take a harsh brush and go the aggressive rubbing way. But you can make your life easier by spot treating the pool with baking soda.

Sprinkle a generous amount of this powder on the algae-affected areas. Let it sit for a while to allow it to loosen the algae, then grab the brush and start scrubbing. Avoid aggressive scrubbing, as baking soda has done most of the hard job already. You can also remove the green and dark stains left by algae with sodium bicarbonate.

Tips for keeping your pool going green

1. Check the filters for clogs

Algae find it difficult to thrive in moving water. That’s why it’s of utmost importance to make sure the filters and pump system are working well. Check these parts for clogs and breakdowns to ensure the pool water doesn’t get stagnant.

2. Maintain the pH level at decent limits

To keep the overgrowth of algae in check, measure the pH level twice a week. It’s especially important to do when the weather is getting hotter and more humid. Make sure the pH is between 7.2-7.8. At this level, the algae can’t bloom and develop.

3. Use a pool cover

A pool cover helps you keep debris and insects from making the pool dirty. At the same time, the cover will be a barrier that prevents the sun from interacting with algae. The more sun they get, the faster they grow. So, by covering the pool, you deprive them of the chance to thrive and color the water.

Will Baking Soda Clear A Green Pool? – To summarise

The rumors that baking soda can make a pool clear are not fake. Indeed, this powder can regulate the alkalinity of water, improving clarity. However, it can’t kill the algae coloring the pool water in a certain pigment.

Baking soda is only capable of weakening the roots of the unicellular organisms, facilitating their removal from the pool. To make them dead, you will have to use a more powerful pool cleaner.

When adding sodium bicarbonate to the pool, test the pH level to avoid overdosing. Do your calculations to ensure the water’s pH gets to about 7.5 after adding the powder. Besides, there are other steps to take to fix the color of the water, which you can check out above.