Green Pool? Here's How to Fix It (and Keep It Fixed)

It happens fast. You look out the window after a week of warm weather — or come home from holidays — and the pool has gone from blue to swamp. A green pool is the most common emergency call we get at Total Pool Services, and the good news is it's almost always fully recoverable.

Why pools turn green

Green water is algae, and algae blooms when three things line up:

• Low chlorine — the sanitiser drops below the level needed to kill algae spores, often after hot weather, heavy use, or a chlorinator fault
• Poor circulation — a blocked filter, failed pump, or too-short run times leave dead zones where algae takes hold
• Unbalanced water — high pH in particular makes chlorine dramatically less effective. Chlorine at pH 8.2 is only about a third as potent as at pH 7.4

In Canberra we see two big spikes: mid-summer heatwaves, and early spring when covers come off pools that sat untreated all winter.

How professional recovery works

1. Diagnose first. We test the water fully and check the equipment — because if the filter or chlorinator caused the bloom, shocking the pool without fixing them just delays round two.
2. Correct the chemistry. pH comes down first so the chlorine can actually work.
3. Shock treatment. A calculated chlorine dose based on your pool volume and algae load — not a guess.
4. Filter and vacuum. Dead algae clouds the water; it has to be filtered and vacuumed out, with backwashing between runs.
5. Follow-up visit. We rebalance once the water clears and confirm the equipment is holding sanitiser properly.

Most Canberra pools go from green to swimmable in 3 to 7 days depending on severity and filtration.

Keeping it from happening again

Every green pool has a cause. Our recovery includes finding it — and the cheapest insurance afterwards is regular servicing, where chlorine, pH and equipment get checked every visit. See our servicing plans or call 02 6294 0824 for a recovery quote today.