Green-to-Clean
Pump died on vacation? Storm dropped half the yard in the pool? A green pool is fixable, and almost never needs draining. We run a multi-day recovery with daily visits until you can see the main drain again.
What's included
Day 1: assessment and debris out
Leaves and heavy debris removed, water tested, filter and pump inspected before we treat anything.
Day 1: shock and algaecide
Heavy chlorination with pH corrected first so the chlorine actually works, then a targeted algaecide.
Day 2–3: brush and clarify
Full brushing, flocculant or clarifier as needed, dead algae vacuumed to waste.
Filter deep clean
Cartridges pulled and acid-washed or DE grids cleaned — clogged filters are why most DIY attempts stall.
Phosphate removal
We strip the algae's food source so it does not come right back two weeks later.
Daily follow-ups
We return each day until the water is balanced and clear, then hand it off swim-ready.
Why pools turn green so fast in south Louisiana
A green pool is almost never a mystery. Four things cause nearly all of them on the Westbank: a pump that quit, a vacation with no service, a summer storm that dropped debris and rainwater, and cyanuric acid that has climbed so high the chlorine cannot work. In our heat, water that stops circulating for three days is already cloudy, and by day five you have visible algae on the walls.
Storm season makes it worse. Wind loads the pool with leaves and organics, rainwater dilutes your sanitizer and drags alkalinity down, and a power outage stops the pump exactly when the pool needs it most. That is why we do not skip service weeks during storm season and why so many of our green-to-clean calls come in the two weeks after a big system rolls through Jefferson and Plaquemines Parish.
How we recover a green pool without draining it
Draining is the last thing we want to do. Our water table is high enough that an empty fiberglass or vinyl pool can float, and a drained concrete shell can crack or pop. Chemistry is safer and usually cheaper. We correct pH first — chlorine added to water sitting at pH 8.2 is largely wasted — then run heavy chlorination with a targeted algaecide, and keep the filter running continuously through the recovery.
Filtration is where most DIY attempts stall. Dead algae has to physically leave the pool, and a cartridge that is loaded with it stops moving water within hours. We pull and deep-clean or acid-wash the elements during the recovery, sometimes more than once, and vacuum settled debris to waste rather than back through the filter. On heavy cases we use flocculant to drop the suspended algae so it can be vacuumed out in one pass.
The last step is prevention. We strip phosphates, reset stabilizer and alkalinity to sane levels, verify the pump and filter are actually up to the job, and hand the pool back with a written baseline. Without that, a recovered pool tends to turn again within a month.
Black algae, mustard algae and stains
Not every green pool is the same problem. Mustard algae clings to shady walls and comes back from a single missed spot, so it needs brushing plus a treatment that handles chlorine-resistant strains. Black algae roots into plaster and gunite and requires mechanical work — wire brushing the heads open before any chemical will touch it. Metal staining from well water or old copper plumbing can look like algae but will not respond to chlorine at all, and needs a sequestering agent instead.
We identify which one you actually have on the first visit, because treating a stain like algae wastes a week and a lot of chlorine.
How it works
Day 1
Debris out, full water panel, filter and pump inspected, pH corrected, then heavy shock and algaecide.
Days 2–3
Full brushing, filter cleaned again, flocculant or clarifier as needed, dead algae vacuumed to waste.
Days 4–6
Daily rebalance while clarity returns, phosphates removed, filter run time managed.
Handoff
Final balance, written baseline readings, and the option to roll straight into weekly service.
Common questions
- How long does it take?
- Most Westbank pools clear in 4 to 7 days. Deep-green pools with a failed pump can take up to two weeks.
- Will you have to drain my pool?
- Almost never. Draining risks popping the shell in our high water table, so we only drain as a last resort.
- What happens after it's clean?
- Most customers roll straight into weekly service. Green pools come back fast without upkeep.
Other services
Weekly Pool Service
Full weekly cleaning and chemical balance with all chemicals included.
Equipment Repair
Pumps, filters, salt cells, heaters, timers and plumbing leaks.
Chemicals Only
You do the netting, we keep the water chemistry right.
Book green-to-clean
Same-day quotes across Gretna, Marrero, Harvey, Terrytown, Westwego and the rest of the Westbank.