AlgaeCloudinessStaining & ScalingChlorine Demand

Algae

Cloudiness

Staining & Scaling

Chlorine Demand

Pool Problems

Know Your Algae

Green Algae

The most common variety of pool algae. Fortunately, it’s also the easiest to deal with.

Yellow Algae

You’ll see this on surfaces – it appears as a yellow or mustard-colored dust. It’s more resistant to chlorine.

Black Algae

Attaches to surfaces, grows roots into plaster and forms a protective slime layer over itself.

Pool Problems

Know Your Algae

Green Algae

Yellow Algae

Black Algae

Green Algae

Green Algae

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It’s not your fault.

Chemical interactions in your pool are complex as shown below. WaterGuru SENSE along with advice in the WaterGuru app can help.
Download the WaterGuru app. Available for iOS and Android.

Most chlorine is bound to cyanuric acid (aka stabilizer) and it is the unbound active chlorine that kills/prevents algae and provides disinfection.

97% to 99% of the chlorine is bound to cyanuric acid (CYA) under typical pool conditions. Fortunately it only takes a small amount of unbound active chlorine (hypochlorus acid) to disinfect and prevent algae growth. The active chlorine level is proportional to the FC / CYA ratio. This means that you should raise your free chlorine target as the CYA level rises. 

Stabilized chlorine products, such as Trichlor tabs and pucks, increase the cyanuric acid level over time thereby lowering the active chlorine level so algae can then grow faster than it is killed.

For every 10 ppm free chlorine (FC) added by trichlor, it also increases cyanuric acid (CYA) by 6 ppm. At typical 1.5 ppm FC per day chlorine usage, this represents an increase in CYA of 27 ppm per month. 

Phosphates are an essential nutrient for algae growth so keeping phosphates low helps prevent algae.

Lowering phosphate levels does not kill algae; it slows down their rate of growth. With lower phosphates, one can control algae growth with a lower active chlorine level. 

Pool smart. Delivers customized instructions on how to maintain your water in perfect balance with the least amount of chemicals.
SENSE’s proprietary film strip, made from glass components, stays submerged in water 24/7 without degrading, then exposes one-time-use chemistry pads for precise measurement.
SENSE samples the entire pool, not just the surface water. SENSE’s patented optical sensor precisely reads the color of each measurement pad, indiscernible to the naked eye.
Understand exactly what your pool needs. Mail in a sample of your pool’s water with TEST. We’ll send you back professional, lab-tested water quality data, calibrated precisely to your pool.
Forget about test strips. Get Guru advice based on your pool conditions. Available for iOS and Android.

Never have to deal with algae again. Get WaterGuru SENSE.

Learn more

Pool smart. Delivers customized instructions on how to maintain your water in perfect balance with the least amount of chemicals.
SENSE’s proprietary film strip, made from glass components, stays submerged in water 24/7 without degrading, then exposes one-time-use chemistry pads for precise measurement.
SENSE samples the entire pool, not just the surface water. SENSE’s patented optical sensor precisely reads the color of each measurement pad, indiscernible to the naked eye.
Understand exactly what your pool needs. Mail in a sample of your pool’s water with TEST. We’ll send you back professional, lab-tested water quality data, calibrated precisely to your pool.
Forget about test strips. Get Guru advice based on your pool conditions. Available for iOS and Android.

Never have to deal with algae again. Get WaterGuru SENSE.

Learn more