Phosphate Treatment
Procedures to deal with high levels of phosphates in the pool.
Signs your pool has high phosphates:
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Cloudy water
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- Green water
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Sudden algae bloom or persistent algae
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Unusual staining or discoloration of pool surfaces
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Difficulty maintaining proper chlorine level
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Procedure to treat high levels of phosphates:
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Fill the pool higher than normal operating level​​. (Typically to the top of the skimmer opening.) At the end of the phosphate treatment process the pool will need to be vacuumed to waste which will require excess water in the pool. Since fill water has phosphates in it, filling should occur at beginning of the process, rather than the end, so a secondary phosphate issue isn't created just as the first one is being resolved. ​
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Remove robotic cleaners that go on the bottom of the pool and leave them out until the process is done. (Betta robots / surface robots can be left in the pool.) Robotic cleaners that operate on the bottom of the pool do not have fine enough filtration to trap the sediment that precipitates out during the treatment and will only stir up and reactivate the phosphate issue.
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Backwash the filter. The filter will get filled with precipitates during the treatment process so it should be backwashed prior to adding chemicals.
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Shock the pool. If the pool is cloudy then 2 gallons of liquid chlorine shock or 1 lb of powdered shock is advised for a standard 30,000 gallon pool. If the water is green then 5 gallons of liquid chlorine shock or 2 lbs of powdered shock should be added.
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Add phosphate treatment and clarifier. We have used every type of phosphate treatment on the market and the one made by Bio-Dex is hands down the best. For a standard size pool we recommend adding 12oz of Bio-Dex MAX Phosphate remover directly to the pool in front of a jet while the pump is running. Often times. the pool will get MORE cloudy immediately after treatment. This is a sign that the treatment is working. After adding the BD Max to the pool we recommend adding 6oz of Bio-Dex Clearex to the SKIMMER while the pump is running. This allows the Clearex to collect inside the filter and helps reduce the amount of sediment that will precipitate out into the pool.
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Maintain a consistent / high level of chlorine. Stocking the chlorinator or turning up the salt system to maintain a consistently high level of chlorine during the treatment will help.
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Wait 48 - 72 hours. The phosphate treatment takes 2 - 3 days to work. Over that time the filter system should run as much as possible to move things along.​​​
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Watch for the water to clarify. Over the course of 2 - 3 days the pool should clarify. As it does so, you may see white or brown sediment on the bottom of the pool. You will want to avoid disturbing that sediment (by swimming, brushing, or using a robotic floor cleaner) because it can re-activate the problem.
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If the water isn't completely clear after 72 hours then a second phosphate remover and clarifier treatment should be added. A second treatment is done in the same amount and in the same fashion as Step 5, if necessary. The filter system should continue to be run as much as possible and a high level of chlorine maintained.
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Once the water is clear, backwash the filter. The backwash water will likely be very cloudy as it contains a high percentage of the phosphate precipitates from the treatment.
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Waste vac the pool. The final step in the process is to vac the pool to WASTE. This is critical! If the precipitates on the bottom of the pool are vacuumed to "Filter", as would be the case for a normal vac, they will pass right through and blow back into the pool, re-activating the problem. During the waste vac the water level in the pool will get lower, but the additional water that was added in Step 1 will allow for this without issue. The goal is not to get the pool perfect clean, rather to vac up the sediment on the bottom of the pool. Once that is vacuumed to waste, the filter can be switched back from "Waste" to "Filter" and finish vacuuming up any other dirt or debris in the pool.
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Return to the normal pool maintenance routine.
This is what the phosphate precipitates / sediment can look like on the bottom of the pool. Often you'll see it along the seams or edges or it can collect in piles in the middle of the pool. It will often be white, but can also sometimes be brown or greenish in color.
Phosphates are an unavoidable aspect of pool ownership these days. The best way to prevent them from becoming a major problem is to understand the issue, be aware of the initial signs that phosphate levels are getting high, and treat right away.
Additional tips to help prevent phosphates from becoming an issue:
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Maintain consistent chlorine levels​​. Underlying phosphate issues often bloom into a full-scale issue when chlorine levels dip. Keeping chlorine levels consistent is key.
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Routine shocking of the pool. Periods of high stress on the pool water (hot weather, increased usage, or a large number people using the pool at once during a party or swim lessons) can be a tipping point for phosphates. Proactively shocking the pool (1-2 gallons of liquid or 1lb of powdered for a standard pool) after these periods can help head off a phosphate issue.
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Proactive treatment. If you've had to add a lot of water to the pool due to renovation, liner replacement, or leaking then you can expect that you will have high levels of phosphates in the pool. Rather than waiting until they become an issue you can proactively treat for phosphates while the water is still clear and avoid a lot of the expense and hassle of waiting until it becomes a visible problem.
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Maintenance treatment. There is a new product on the market called "Swim Check Fix Phosphate" which is meant to be used as a maintenance dose for phosphate removal that Atlantis stocks. It comes in a tablet form that is placed in the skimmer basket and allowed to slowly dissolve over several weeks to a month. It won't completely eliminate phosphate issues, but used consistently it should dramatically reduce the number of times you have to do a full-scale phosphate treatment.
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