Information provided by BioLab

The recent Canadian wildfires have introduced large amounts of smoke and ash into the air, which is drifting into the U.S. In addition to the health risks wildfires pose to people and wildlife, these pollutants can also make pool maintenance challenging. Staying on top of pool maintenance is important to ensure the sanitizer residual does not become overwhelmed by the introduction of debris or that water quality suffers due to the increased demand on the filtration system. 

Here are a few swimming pool management tips to keep pool water clean and chemically balanced. Be sure to follow all local guidelines when outdoors and pay attention to local weather updates that might affect your area, particularly in regards to wildfires.

Test water and keep up with balance, sanitization and disinfection.

• Monitor the pool for elevated pH and difficulty maintaining free chlorine residual caused by the introduction of debris and ash.
• When safe to do so, and if possible, remove any visible debris from your pool. As always, test the pool water frequently. Ash coming from trees and vegetation contains large amounts of carbon, making it highly alkaline, which can radically increase the pH. High pH environments are not ideal for maintaining free chlorine. When chlorine is added to water, hypochlorous acid — the killing form of chlorine needed to disinfect and sanitize — is generated. It is especially important to keep pH between 7.4-7.6 so that enough HOCl is present. When the pH rises above 7.6, more hypochlorite is formed than HOCl, reducing chlorine’s ability to disinfect.
• It is also important to maintain a free chlorine residual. The pool may need to be shocked more often if the free chlorine residual keeps dropping. Heavy chlorination may be necessary to destroy contaminants enough for the residual to be maintained for at least 48 hours. A nonchlorine shock may be needed if combined chlorine readings are excessive.
• In addition to carbon, ash also contains magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. Being mindful of total hardness and orthophosphate will also be important for keeping properly balanced water. With potentially higher pH environments and added calcium, scaling is possible, so a scale control product may be needed. Be sure to keep an eye on orthophosphate levels as well. Use a phosphate removal product if the phosphate level exceeds 500 ppb and continue to maintain and control phosphates with a weekly phosphate maintenance product.  

Keep up with preventative algaecides.

• Since it may be challenging to maintain the free chlorine residual, algae prevention will also be difficult. Be sure to apply an algaecide at least weekly. More may be needed if early growth is observed, and more brushing may be needed to keep any grime or dirt from building up on pool surfaces.

Filtration and troubleshooting

• Continuously operate your filter and be prepared to monitor the filter pressure gauge for any increases. Backwashing or chemical cleaning may be needed more often for heavily soiled pools.
• If water balance is properly maintained and an adequate sanitizer residual is established and maintained, troubleshooting products can also come in handy to keep contaminants filtering away. 
• If the water becomes cloudy and the water is properly balanced, look for troubleshooting products that incorporate powerful enzymes and chitosan clarifiers that will quickly restore the water to its clear state. It’s important to also monitor the filter pressure when clarifiers are used and clean according to the manufacturer’s recommendations when needed.