Pollen green?

[sartail]

I use BBB method. It's my first spring with a pool - new pool May of last year. I'm in GA so I opted to keep my pool "open" all winter - just used a leaf net. Pool sits at the edge of woods. Everything looked good until we had a record pollen drop this spring. Now it's green. I've filtered & vac'd. My water is balanced. Nothing seems to be using up my chlorine and CC = 0.5. Raising CL to shock doesn't seem to be affecting the green color - why I'm doubting it's green algae. Has anyone ever had their pool turn "green" (yellow pollen + blue liner = green) from pollen? Is their anything else I can do to clean it up? Do you think I'm kidding myself and it's really algae? If pollen, could the particles be too small for the sand filter to catch them? Thanks!

[dawndenise]

Just an optimistic thought here...perhaps your pool looks green due to the reflection of the now-green trees vs. the barren trees of winter :). You mentioned your pool sits at the edge of the woods.

My own pool has an ever-so-slight greenish cast to it in places due to the reflection of trees. I have to look to places where there's no tree reflected to see the true color of the water and to convince myself that my pool really isn't having a problem.

[nater]

Is it clumped up on the bottom, or is the water green? I'm in SC, and saw the same record pollen infestation here. No rain for a month till last week, finally washed things clean!

If its clumped on the bottom, you can vacuum to waste, moving the vacuum veeeeery slowly to not disturb the goop. If you have a robotic cleaner, just drop it in and let it rip.

You said you have a sand filter, do you use 1-3 cups of DE in it as a filter aid? I'd highly recomend it. You can pick up a bag at H.D., Lowes, Pool store for a good price, and it will last several years. Just drop 1-3 cups in the skimmer slowly, watching your pressure gauge as you go. Once you hit a 2-3 psi increase, you'll be done. It works very well at getting fine particles out of the water that the sand filter lets past. Once you have to backflush, repeat the process again. Credit Carl D and Poconos with this handy trick.

[chemistrydropout]

Being your neighbor (Alabama), I'm experiencing the same thing in my pool with a similar wooded setting. One way to tell if its pollen or not is to get a fairly constant wind direction for a day or so and the pollen will "pile" as it settles on the liner on the downwind side. It is notorious for settling down the sides of my pool. I have to run my pool cleaner and keep the water "stirred" so that the pollen will remain suspended in the water long enough to be filtered out by the sand filter. The DE trick helps as well.

[keastman]

Just a thought for you. My pool is under a large live oak canopy and when I first moved in the water was never completly crystal clear. I too thought it was pollen because I had repeatedly shocked it in addition to running the SWC at a high level. I was finally convinced here to run the Cl levels up high and keep them there for a few days until it reslolved, all the while vaccuming daily. That did the trick and I've been a believer since. Now if ever there is a water clarity problem, that has worked for me. It's a cheap, easy fix. Also probabaly you aren't swimming much yet, so it's a good time to tie up the water for a few days and get it ready for the season.