All pool owners know how quickly water can get dirty and the walls turn from pearly blue to putrid green. In a perfect world, everybody would maintain their pool adequately on a regular basis, with constant chlorine in the water and the filters changed on a weekly basis. In reality, however, there are often times when people let the condition of their pool get away from them. Once your pool is a total mess, it is no small task to get it operable again. In most cases, dumping a few cups of Green to Clean is not going to cut it. So how can you get your pool back up and running? You could try to do it yourself, but it is a long, laborious process. Hiring pool cleaning professionals is the safer, easier, and more effective option.
Can you diy acid wash your pool?
Cleaning a pool on your own is a tall order for any individual because of the amount of work involved and expertise required. The cleaning process involves numerous steps, and at various points, you have to make important decisions about how to proceed. That is why it is best to call in the experts.
But let’s pretend that you insist on the do-it-yourself method of pool cleaning. What exactly does it entail? The first step is to properly diagnose the situation, which is the most difficult part for a layperson. Some pools are so far gone that a chemical solution is not feasible. If that is the case, then the entire pool needs to be drained so that the walls can be treated with an acid wash.
If your pool requires an acid wash and you insist on doing it yourself, then you are in for an awful lot of work. First, you have to drain the entire pool, removing any debris while you are at it. Before getting anywhere near the acid, it is also vital for your safety that you acquire the proper protective gear. This means purchasing boots, goggles, a mask, and gloves if you do not already own them. Working with acid is serious business, and you can’t afford to mess around.
Next, you must combine the acid with water, giving you the mixture you’ll use to clean the pool. Then, you have to choose one wall of the pool and cover it with water so it is thoroughly wet. Then the acid is applied, and the wall scrubbed with a brush. The last step is to thoroughly rinse the wall so that no acid remains to do future damage to the pool’s interior. You must then repeat this process with each of the pool’s walls.
Once the entire pool has been treated with acid, you must neutralize the bottom of the pool where acid has gathered with soda ash, and then pump the potent mixture out of the pool. This mixture, which is of course highly toxic, must then be properly disposed of. The pool will then have to be thoroughly rinsed before it is refilled.
As you can see, the acid washing process is complicated and even dangerous for those that aren’t experts. That’s why calling in a professional is a much wiser course of action. But even if your pool isn’t green enough to warrant and acid wash, the regular cleaning process is also long and complex.
Cleaning The Pool Inside and Out
If you determine your neglected pool doesn’t need to be washed with acid, the next step will be to test the PH of the pool, which of course requires obtaining a test kit. If the PH is especially high, dumping a small amount of muriatic acid into the water may be in order.
Next, you will have to “shock” the pool. This entails dumping granular chlorine into the water, trying to spread it across the entire surface as best as you can. Adding algaecide and a floccing agent is also a good idea so that all that algae in the water are killed and then gathers together at the surface.
The next step is to run the pump and filter for twenty-four hours, making sure the drain is not clogged. Once a day has passed, you will probably see some improvement in the condition of the pool. The water may be less green, but it will almost certainly still be cloudy. If you don’t see much improvement, this could be a sign that there is still a chemical issue with the water.
A day after the shock, you will have to get busy brushing what remains of the green portions of the pool. You will also have to allow for a week of filtration to continue the cleaning process. After all of this, in theory, your pool should be rehabilitated.
Can You Be Confident Your Pool Is Clean?
The problem with doing the pool cleaning yourself is that you can never be fully confident that you’ve done everything right. You might give your pool a shock, only to find it just as green as before and realize an acid cleaning was necessary after all. You could also find persistent discoloration that suggests a mistake with the chemicals somewhere along the way.
That is why a professional cleaning service is always a safer and more effective option. As experts in the field, the associates at a service company will be able to properly diagnose the condition of your pool and tell you exactly what you need. If it is an acid cleaning that is required, the expert will recognize that fact and take care of it for you. If you have high PH levels and need some acid tossed in before a shock, the service company will notice immediately after a simple test. Contracting a professional pool service eliminates any headaches for the pool owner and ensures the job is done right.
If you’re hoping to change your pool from green to clean, your first step should be to abandon the illusion of doing it all yourself and give the experts a call. Reach out to us for a phone consultation and estimate. When you see the clean water of your pool glimmering in the Florida sunshine, you’ll be glad that you did.