Troubleshooting

Swimming pool water problems? Help is at hand from PoolSan, the chlorine-free, skin-friendly range of cleaning and maintenance pool products. See our swimming pool water problem guide below, or read our FAQ section for more tips and advice.

PROBLEM:

Water is green & cloudy

CAUSE:

Algae growth

REMEDY:

If necessary check & adjust pH
Check & adjust PoolSan
Shock treat with PoolSan Regenerator
Keep filter running

PROBLEM:

Sides of pool are slippery

CAUSE:

Algae growth

REMEDY:

If necessary check & adjust pH
Check & adjust PoolSan
Shock treat with PoolSan Regenerator
Keep filter running

PROBLEM:

Water is milky & cloudy

CAUSE:

Organic pollutants / Bather waste / Hard water

REMEDY:

If necessary check & adjust pH
Check & adjust PoolSan
Shock treat with PoolSan Regenerator
Keep filter running

PROBLEM:

Corrosion

CAUSE:

pH value too low

REMEDY:

Adjust pH value

PROBLEM:

Blue/Green stains on pool liner / costumes and hair

CAUSE:

Severe overdose of PoolSan and high or low pH

REMEDY:

Adjust pH value to 7.0-7.4
(Stains will gradually disappear after approx 1 week).
Shock treat with Regenerator
Do not add PoolSan until copper test reads less than 0.4 mg/l (ppm)
Rinse stained costumes / hair in dilute solution of vinegar or lemon juice.
Then wash normally.

SWIMMERS HAIR

Swimmers hair can be the result of such factors as acidic water (low pH, below 7.0), iron or manganese in the water, and electrolysis from water moving through recirculation pipes at excessive velocities.

It is seldom caused by the water treatment chemicals in a properly maintained pool. However, as we all know a small percentage of people can be prone to swimmers hair. Usually young children with very blonde hair, adults with permanent colour treatments or excessively dry hair.

As a safeguard in such cases it is always a good idea to wet hair with tap water before entering any pool or spa to minimize the absorption of chemicals by your hair. It is also important to rinse hair after swimming.

Health and beauty experts’ recommend using a leave-in conditioner on chemically treated hair before entering a pool or spa.

The best preventative for swimmers hair is keeping the pH in the 7.2 - 7.4 range and avoiding over-dosing with PoolSan.

There are commercial products available should hair discolouration occur. Below is a list of some of these products:

› Johnson’s Baby Shampoo
› Shampoo containing chelating agent EDTA (ethylenediamene tetracetic acid) such as Head & Shoulders
› UV Rescue Blonde Guard (manufactured by Redken)

Discolouration can also be removed by washing the hair in a mild lemon or vinegar solution diluted in water or rinse hair with warm water containing dissolved aspirin.

After any of the above solutions wash hair normally with shampoo.