Staff Answer
Aug 19, 2026 - 06:22 AM
For a fuller answer, see the green pool recovery guide. A new salt system will help maintain chlorine once the pool is clear, but it should not typically be used as the primary mechanism to recover a dark-green pool for several reasons, such as large amount of sanitizer need to get added to the water all at once, as well as the potential need to remove some water which can be counter-productive to the process of adding salt to the water when installing the new salt chlorinator (newly-added salt would get lost if any draining is required).
These are just a few important points to green pool recovery. Start by removing as much debris and solids as possible, brushing all pool surfaces, vacuuming, and running the pump/filter continuously. Test and balance pH first (generally about 7.2–7.4 during algae treatment), then add enough chlorine to reach and maintain the proper shock level for your pool’s stabilizer/CYA level. Re-test and replenish chlorine frequently as needed—one initial shock treatment is often not enough for a green pool.
Clean or backwash the filter whenever pressure rises, and continue brushing and filtering until the water is clear and chlorine holds overnight. As all algae gets killed, dead algae particles may remain in the water since they can be very fine particles which make it past the filter; if so, consider using a clarifier. Once clear, balance the rest of the water, add salt to the generator’s recommended level if needed, and then begin normal generator operation.
Add New Comment