Every spring and throughout the summer, most pool owners can expect a battle with a most imposing enemy; pollen! It comes from the sky (well, trees and plants), seemingly without warning. Next thing you know, everything (including the family pet) is covered in a yellow dust-like film.
Patio furniture, barbecue, terrace, solar canvas and pool water. Nothing escapes a uniform layer of pollen. Allergy sufferers dread the annual onslaught of pollen. This year, with our late and cold winter, the "pollen vortex" (a name coined to give it a more dramatic feel, like a Stephen King horror movie) will occur later than normal, but should be just as intense. In fact, scientists point to climate change as one of the main causes of the worsening pollen problems we experience year after year. That's pollen! In fact, this is how nature reproduces itself in the plant world. It is a fine to coarse grained powder and many types simply travel on the wind. Since the wind is not a very precise means of transport, huge quantities must be produced and released. The pollen grains of pines, firs and spruces are actually "winged" to facilitate their transport. It is the pollen transported by the wind that is the most problematic for swimming pools.
Pollen harms swimming pools in three main ways (not to mention the aesthetic problems caused around the pool): 1) The chlorine demand. Large amounts of pollen in swimming pool water can create a huge chlorine demand. Most types of pollen have a hard exterior that will be difficult to break down through the continuous oxidative effects of chlorine or bromine. Since chlorine or bromine is not selective, it continues to attack the pollen, becoming depleted in the process, and thus creating a high demand in the water. During periods of high pollen counts, increase the chlorine residual in the water and shock treat more often to compensate. Dazzle Amaze Plus, Ultra Shock and Energy products are widely used to achieve this. The Dazzle Clear Rebound product is also an incredible friend for the pool with a pollen problem. Digesting pollen saves chlorine and general cleaning often needed (see #3).
I recommend that any swimming pool benefit from one more application of the Clear Rebound product during times of high pollen counts.
It reduces chlorine demand, clears water, cleans surfaces, reduces continuous buildup in the filter, and more. The new Jack's Magic Super Pacs are also excellent pollen killers and pool water and surface cleaners. They are easy to use in their water-soluble packaging! Just add one and let it do its thing. 2) Pollen means phosphorus. Phosphorus is one of the minerals in high concentration in most pollen species. Eventually, the large concentrations of pollen in pool water will be broken down and their contents released into the water. As we know, the phosphorus content in water fuels plant growth (algae) much like fertilizer does when added to lawns or plants. This is a bad combination when viewed from perspective #1 – chlorine demand. Increasing the phosphate level while the chlorine residual is decreasing or at zero is a sure sign of an upcoming algae infestation (just check the Algae Risk Meter on your AquaAce report).
When pollen invades a swimming pool, regularly analyze the phosphate level and use Prep Cleanse, Phos Cleanse Plus and Pure WOW Assure to keep the level near zero. If a phosphate management program is not followed, increase the dose of a quality preventive algaecide such as Algae Resist 50 (or Algae Clear 60 if the use of Algae Resist 50 is not suitable for the pool). 3) Compromised filtration. When pollen is mixed with water, it can form a pasty substance that sticks and coats surfaces. One need only examine a solar blanket that has covered a pool during a pollen outbreak to see a yellowish-colored film that tends to coat and not release easily. You can also see it around the water line (don't forget to use Pool & Patio Cleanse or raise the water level and use some more Pure WOW Assure, Clear Rebound or Jack Super Magic Super Packs). Rub it between your fingers and you will better understand the characteristics I am talking about.
Imagine this substance in the pool filter, while a properly functioning skimmer carries a large amount of pollen through the filtration system. When pollen is at its worst, do a Rapid Action Filter Cleanse treatment. In addition to more frequent and efficient filter cleanings, the use of water clarifiers such as Dazzle Filter Enhance and Clarifying Tabs (sand filters only) helps trap pollen that passes through the filter more effectively than filter media. . Thus the demand for chlorine (#1) and phosphorus (#2) decreases when the filter can remove pollen efficiently and quickly.
Remember that pollen is a problem that is often overlooked in typical pool water maintenance situations. However, pollen can affect a pool of different
ways and cause damage. Be proactive and take a few extra precautions.
The majority of these products are available in store at CK Spas, as well as water analysis using the AquaAce system. If there is a particular product you would like that was mentioned above that is not on the shelf at CK Spas, let us know and we will order it for you!
