05/23/2026
Green-to-clean update: over halfway there.
This pool started out with extremely heavy organic debris, algae, and poor visibility. On the first day, the water was so green that the bottom could not be seen at all, which meant several hours of careful blind scooping before any serious vacuuming could begin.
That part matters. When a pool has a vinyl liner, you cannot just start dragging equipment around blindly. There could be sticks, sharp debris, or heavy objects hidden under the water. If the liner gets damaged, the pool tech is usually the one who gets blamed. So I took the slower, safer route and removed as much debris as possible by hand first.
There were easily over 100 pounds of wet leaves, sticks, and debris pulled from this pool. The large debris was too heavy for my Riptide setup because it would clog the system, and the slime/algae would suffocate a regular vacuum bag too quickly. I had to switch strategies and use a larger-opening vacuum bag to keep the big debris moving without shutting down suction-note I bought that bag the day I tried my 200 micron which will make any pool pro laugh at me for even trying.
The first picture is after the first treatment. I made the mistake of forgetting to add and more bottle of chemicals Sal’s secret green to clean needed. My mistakes cost me money not you. I came back and after scooping more out in not only what I missed but of course it needed sodium dichlor (trichlor was what I used in my first attack) and the pH to be balanced so the sodium dichlor can do its job. Before the heavy chlorination stage, I adjust the pH into the proper range so the chlorine can work as efficiently as possible. If pH is too high, chlorine loses a lot of its sanitizing strength, which makes a green-to-clean take longer and wastes chemicals.
Once the water cleared enough to see more of the bottom, I came back, adjusted the treatment, and continued removing debris. Of course, every time you disturb the bottom on a green-to-clean job, it clouds back up again. That is part of the process.
The plan now is one more day, maybe less, of clearing out the remaining heavy debris. After that, it will be vac-to-waste time to remove the settled sludge and fine debris without sending it back through the filter. Once the pool is physically clean, I will balance everything properly: chlorine, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, stabilizer, and overall water condition.
The pool owner has been great to work with, and I’m going to take the time to show him how to test his own water and understand what needs to be added, how much, and why. I want him to feel confident keeping the pool in good shape after this cleanup is finished.
We’re also working against the clock because his daughter has a birthday party coming up.
We’re going to win this one.
After pictures coming soon.
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