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The appearance of your swimming pool water can provide an early warning that something is beginning to go wrong.
In this Sonco Pools & Spas water chemistry training video, we explain how pool water can progress from hazy to milky white and eventually green, why acting early can make the problem much easier to correct, and how a quality algaecide can provide another layer of protection when chlorine levels fall.
When a swimming pool begins “turning,” one of the first things you may notice is that the water starts looking hazy.
In the example discussed in the video, this can occur when the chlorine level has become low.
Hazy water is something to address quickly. At this early stage, correcting the water can potentially produce a dramatic improvement by the following day.
Sonco recommends testing pool water with a drop test kit a couple of times per week as a best practice.
If water problems continue without correction—such as no chlorine or improper pH and alkalinity balance—the pool can progress beyond the hazy stage.
The water may become milky white, sometimes to the point where it’s difficult or impossible to see the bottom.
If conditions continue deteriorating, the pool can begin turning green, indicating the presence of algae.
Once algae takes hold, restoring the swimming pool can require considerably more chemicals, cleanup, balancing, and vacuuming.
The goal is to prevent the pool from reaching this point by maintaining proper water balance and responding quickly to early warning signs.
A quality algaecide provides additional protection against algae.
The product discussed in the video is a concentrated poly algaecide.
The training recommends avoiding algaecides that introduce unnecessary metals such as copper into the swimming pool. Instead, Sonco recommends using a good-quality algaecide as part of an algae-prevention strategy.
If a swimming pool were perfectly balanced at all times, the video explains that algaecide wouldn’t be necessary.
In reality, chlorine and water-balance readings don’t always remain perfect.
Hot summer weather, heavy swimming, or a large pool party can cause chlorine levels to fall. Algaecide provides a backup plan during those periods and can help prevent an algae bloom.
No.
While algaecide can be used when algae is already present, the training emphasizes its preventative role.
For the concentrated product demonstrated in the video, a larger quantity may be added in spring—approximately a quart—followed by a much smaller weekly amount during summer, approximately 2–4 ounces depending on pool size.
The specific product directions and swimming pool size should determine the appropriate amount.
If the swimming pool is already milky or beginning to turn green, the training recommends starting by checking alkalinity and pH and making sure those readings are in range.
From there, products such as algaecide can be used to address the algae bloom while chlorine levels are also increased.
The worse the condition of the swimming pool becomes, the more free available chlorine is needed to combat the contaminants.
This is why acting quickly matters.
If the water has just begun looking hazy, the video recommends addressing the problem immediately with additional chlorine, such as liquid chlorine or bag shock, rather than allowing the condition to progress.
One of the most important points in this training lesson is that appearance doesn’t tell you everything about swimming pool chemistry.
A swimming pool can look crystal clear and still be improperly balanced.
For example, the video explains that highly acidic water can sometimes remain very clear.
Even though the pool looks good, improperly balanced water may be damaging swimming pool equipment or creating poor swimming conditions.
That’s why visual appearance should never replace regular water testing.
By testing the water consistently and responding quickly when conditions change, you can catch problems before a hazy pool progresses into a much larger algae cleanup.
For professional swimming pool water testing or help correcting a water problem, contact Sonco Pools & Spas at 815-654-7665.
The training explains that one of the first visible signs can be hazy water. In the example discussed, this can occur when the swimming pool’s chlorine level has become low.
If a water problem continues without correction, such as insufficient chlorine or improper pH and alkalinity balance, hazy water can progress into a milky white appearance. It may eventually become difficult to see the bottom of the pool.
The training explains that when deteriorating pool water progresses from milky white to green, the green color indicates the presence of algae.
As a best practice, the training recommends testing swimming pool water with a drop test kit approximately a couple of times per week.
Algaecide helps prevent algae and algae blooms. The training describes it as a backup plan that provides additional protection when chlorine levels temporarily drop.
The video recommends algaecide as preventative protection. While a perfectly balanced pool wouldn’t necessarily need it, chlorine levels can fall because of heat, heavy swimming, or other conditions, and algaecide can provide backup protection against an algae bloom.
The training recommends avoiding unnecessarily adding metals such as copper to swimming pool water. Instead, the product demonstrated is a concentrated poly algaecide.
The training recommends first checking the pool’s alkalinity and pH and making sure those readings are in range. Algaecide and increased free chlorine are then discussed as part of addressing the algae problem.
Act quickly. The video recommends addressing hazy water immediately and discusses boosting chlorine with products such as liquid chlorine or bag shock before the water condition becomes progressively worse.
No. A swimming pool can look crystal clear while still having improper water chemistry. The training gives highly acidic water as an example and emphasizes that regular testing is necessary even when the water looks good.