Draining And Cleaning A Green Above Ground Pool
How To Clean A Green Above Ground Pool
Spring is in the air, or at least in the minds of many swimming pool owners this time of year. Depending on where you live, getting your pool ready for spring opening may be as simple as removing the pool cover and letting the sun's rays warm up the water. But for many others, our unprotected swimming pool is going to require a little more work to whip it into shape for the hot summer months ahead. Most above ground pools turn green over the off season from of a lack of chlorine and if left all winter without a pool cover, piles of debris can accumulate on the pool's bottom making spring clean up a chore. Sometimes this mess can be overwhelming and draining the pool to clean it up is the easiest path to recovery. This is OK as long as it is done correctly.
Draining An Above Ground Pool
Start by draining the above ground pool with a sump pump, siphon, or other means. Drain the water down leaving a foot or so of water in the pool. You could drain it down even lower but you must work fast as the sun will cause the pool liner shrink in as little as a day! Once the liner shrinks it will not stretch back again, resulting in it splitting or pulling down off the pool wall. If this occurs you will need to replace the pool liner and possibly some of the accessories like plastic coping or skimmer gaskets. A good way to get a jump on this project is to drain the pool the night before. Having it empty or nearly empty in the morning will allow plenty of time to clean it up before the heat of the day begins to work on your vinyl pool liner.
Cleaning Up The Mess
Once the pool is nearly empty you can scrub the walls and bottom of the liner to remove stubborn algae and debris. Care must be taken to not damage the vinyl pool liner material with brushes poles etc. If entering the pool during the cleaning process, be extra careful not to step on limbs, rocks, toys and other items that can cause the pool liner to puncture. Remember to work quickly and begin filling the pool up with fresh water as soon as possible, even if you do not drain it completely. You will now have mostly clean fresh water and the pool filter can remove the remainder of the Algae.
The Pool Is Now Open
Once the pool is full of water, add the proper pool chemicals for your Spring start up and enjoy! Now your pool is ready for months of relaxation and family get togethers.