Ecosmarte Pool

The proper procedure for using aluminum sulfate on phosphate removal is as follows:
The ph must be at 7.4 or higher. Add 5lbs of aluminum sulfate per 10,000 gallons of water. Recirculate the water for 2 to 3 hours. Allow the pool to settle (approximately 18 to 36 hours), when the water is clear, vacuum to waste. Then rebalance your pool. This will knock the phosphates down to about 200 ppm so Phos Free will still need to be added when rebalancing.

They typically come from fertilizers in a variety of ways. They can be tracked into the pool by walking across a chemically treated lawn. They can blow into the pool from an airplane that is spraying a farmer’s field. With the new eased up restrictions on water quality, they can even be found in your water supply that you are refilling the pool from. In recent years the new “clean air act” has changed air quality requirements for burning coal or refining petroleum.

Phosphate will create all kinds of issues for the pool that may seem unexplainable. A murkiness to the pool that won’t go away, a fluorescent green pool, proper sanitation levels impossible to maintain, come and go algae blooms, these are all signs of phosphates in the pool.

Phosphates act as a food source for algae and will counteract all known sanitation methods. They also tend to load in certain types of Medias, like Zeolites, and can be very troublesome to remove. If you can locate the source of them, you have a chance of being able to eliminate them.

If they are found in your water supply, a carbon filter on the end of the hose, will keep them out of the pool. Avoiding walking on lawns that have been sprayed or covering the pool when fields are being sprayed will also help.

Whether your pool uses conventional chlorine or an alternative sanitizer, you must confirm phosphates at zero. There are 2 methods of removing phosphates from the water based on the level found. Phosphates are measured in parts per billion. At 1000 or less, a product like Phos Free will work on them. If they are over 1000 then aluminum sulfate will be required to knock them down to a level where Phos Free will work.