Algae Recovery Walkthrough
Pick the color and how bad it is. We give you a day-by-day plan to clear the pool — brush, shock, filter, retest — with realistic timelines.
Best for: Owners staring at a green pool wondering where to start.
Tell us what you're staring at
Color and severity
Your plan
Green algae — most common, most curable. With a real shock and 24/7 filtration you'll see results in 3–5 days.
Estimated timeline: 3–5 days
- 1
Day 0 — set up
Brush walls and floor
Brush every surface aggressively to break up the algae. Vacuum the worst clumps to waste if you can.
- 2
Day 0 — test
Test your chemistry
Confirm pH 7.2–7.6 and CYA ≤ 50. High CYA blocks shock from working — partial drain if it's over 80.
- 3
Day 1 — shock
Shock to 3× normal chlorine
Raise FC to ~9 ppm with liquid chlorine. Run pump 24 hours. Re-shock every evening until water clears.
- 4
Days 2–4
Hold shock level + filter constantly
Re-test FC every morning and evening. Top up shock to keep FC at target. Clean filter as it loads up.
- 5
Day 5+
Verify the SLAM is over
When (a) FC loss overnight is < 1 ppm, (b) CC is < 0.5 ppm, and (c) water is sparkling, you're done.
When in doubt, get help.
A severe black or yellow bloom can take a week or more. If you don't want to do it yourself, our green-pool recovery service is a flat-rate one-off — we'll clear it and hand you a clean pool.
Free perk
Save your recovery plan
We'll email this plan so you can check off each step day by day. Plus a $1 first visit if you'd rather we handle it.
We'll email you the results and an occasional pool tip. No spam, unsubscribe with one click.