Is it Absolutely Necessary to Use Algaecide?

by Felicia A. Williams

Hmm, I don’t know. If you have read a post or two on this blog you’ll know that my pool had brown, dirty, murky water with a colony of frogs living in it at one time. It’s now crystal clear and swimmable.

It took a lot of work, diatomaceous earth, chlorine, shock, leaf scooping, vacuuming and wall brushing, but it didn’t take any algaecide. Wait, let me rephrase that. I did buy a bottle of algaecide but forgot to use it

After my pool water was crystal clear I realized that I hadn’t used the algaecide. The water has been clear now for about a month, with no traces of algae and I still haven’t used the algaecide.

When to Use Algaecide

I guess algaecide is good to have if you’re going away for a while and you’re not able to monitor your water chemical levels daily. It’s probably something that will help prevent the growth of algae in the event the chemical levels slip out of balance.

Other Water Clearing Chemicals

While I was in the throes of transforming my water from muddy to clear I saw all types of chemicals available at the pool store for clearing cloudy, green water. I didn’t bother to purchase any because I had my hands full trying to understand things like pH, total alkalinity, hardness, free chlorine, total chlorine and CYA levels. Not to mention that I had to evict the local frog population.

I just couldn’t take on the chore of trying to understand another chemical so I opted not to add the water clearing chemicals to my arsenal.

Were They Necessary?

In my experience, the algaecide and other water clearing chemicals are not absolutely necessary. I tend to stick with the basics. If the basics work there’s no need for me to purchase any extra fancy chemicals. In other words, if it ain't broke, don’t fix it.

Time for a Disclaimer: As the tagline for this blog states: Stuff I learned while fighting with my above ground pool. I’m not telling you to stop using algaecides or other chemicals. If you use them and they work well for you, great. I just found they were not an absolute necessity for cleaning my dirty pool.

I used to have a blog called About Above Ground Pools. I've since taken the blog down and folded the content into this site.

About the Author: Felicia Williams is a wife, mother and grandmother who likes to write about a host of topics.

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Last Modified: 24 March 2020