Choosing a black bottom pool liner will make your swimming pool unique and pleasing to the eyes. It will also make your pool water warm as the black bottom liner of your pool absorbs light from the sun. This is the reason why a lot of pool owners choose to have a black bottom pool.
However, some may be hesitant because of the thought that it would be hard to clean a black bottom pool. In addition, you might think that when cleaning the black bottom pool, the bleach will stain, damaging the precious color or the bottom pool liner.
What you might not know is that black bottom pools are easy to clean compared to light-colored ones. As long as you do it properly, there should be no worries at all. If you own or plan to own a black bottom pool, here are some tips on how to clean your pool properly.
Remove the Algae
Even though you might not see or notice it, algae are building upon the surface of your pool. Algae buildup on black bottom pool liners can not be easily seen. However, it is best to assume that algae are present and just brush them off during the cleaning process.
Use a pool brush and brush around the floor and the wall of the swimming pool. Do this whether you are draining or your pool or not. If you plan to drain your pool to clean it, you can make draining the first step and start brushing when the water from the pool is completely drained.
Check out this guide on how to drain your pool properly if you decide to clean the swimming pool without water.
Test Your Water’s pH Level
After scrubbing off the algae from your black bottom swimming pool, you can now test the water’s pH level. The pH of your pool should be between 7.2 and 7.6, nothing more and nothing less.
Add pool pH balancer accordingly until you achieve the correct pH level of your swimming pool water. If you drained your pool, it is best to rinse the liner with water first before filling it with fresh city water.
Once the pool is filled with water, start testing the water’s pH level and adjust it using a pH balancer such as sodium carbonate or soda ash for increasing the pH and sodium bisulfate for lowering the pool’s pH.
Add Chlorine
After you balance your pool’s pH, it is now time to sanitize it by adding chlorine. When adding chlorine, you must not put the chlorine tablet or chlorine granules directly into the pool as it will sink to the bottom and cause the black bottom of your pool to stain.
Chlorine tablet sinkers are also not advisable as it sinks into the bottom and can still expose the bottom liner to chlorine. The best way to add chlorine in your swimming pool, especially if you have a black bottom pool, is to use a chlorine tablet floater.
By using a chlorine floater dispenser, the chlorine tablets will stay at the pool’s surface, mix with the pool water, and not reach the pool’s liner in high concentration. This way, you can protect your black bottom pool from fading easily or from chlorine stains.
After adding the chlorine into the water, you will have to let it sit for 24 hours. This is enough time to let the chlorine dissolve and mix with the water.
Run the Pool Filter
As you let your pool sit, it is also best to let the pool filter run. Ensure that the pool’s filtration system will continually run for 24 hours. After 24 hours, you should see the algae floating on the pool water’s surface.
At this stage, algae that float to the surface should be grey or white in color. This means that they are now dead because of the chlorine that you added to the pool. Next, check the pool’s bottom and floor to see if there are still algae in it.
If you can still see algae on your swimming pool walls and bottom, you can add another dose of chlorine to the pool. This way, the chlorine will kill the remaining algae.
Vacuum Your Pool
When the remaining algae are already dead, you can now vacuum your swimming pool. Make sure that you vacuum every inch of your pool walls and bottom to get rid of all the dead algae and make your black bottom pool beautiful again.
Having a vacuum is very helpful when it comes to swimming pool maintenance. However, other people might think that it is unnecessary to have a pool vacuum because they already have the filtration system or can brush off the pool’s surface.
But in reality, there are so many benefits pool vacuum can provide, like easy and fast pool cleaning and maintenance.
Clean the Pool Filter
It should be a must that you clean your swimming pool filter every after cleaning. This way, you can ensure that no dirt, debris, or algae are stuck on your swimming pool filter. Once you have done vacuuming your swimming pool, you can now start cleaning your pool filter.
Cleaning your swimming pool filter is a part of the proper maintenance routine. It is why, as a pool owner, you must understand how important it is to check and clean your pool filter regularly. This way, you can ensure the safeness of your poo.
Add Algaecide
Algaecides are great pool chemicals that decrease the growth rate of algae in your swimming pool. This chemical is a part of the proper maintenance of your pool. Even though algae are not visible on black bottom swimming pools, they are still present.
Algae are bad news. They not only make your pool slippery and unpleasant but also can be a breeding ground for bacterias that feed on algae. Therefore, it doesn’t matter whether algae are visible in the eyes or not. It is still vital to keep them at bay.
Black Bottom Pool Cleaning is Easy
Cleaning a black bottom pool can be easier than cleaning a light bottom swimming pool. This may be one of the significant advantages of having a black bottom pool. Therefore, there is nothing to worry about owning a black bottom pool. All you need to do is to be cautious and follow the cleaning tips provided above.
