Yuck Pool: A Case Study on a Neglected Dallas Pool

Sterling Pool Service recently had the chance to clean up a residential swimming pool in Dallas that was neglected for six months due to a foreclosure. The city government had issued a citation to the bank and wanted the pool cleaned.

It was an opportunity for us to get another neglected pool back into working condition, but as was the case with the other green pools we’ve handled in the past, this was easier said than done.

This particular pool was not the worst we’ve ever encountered, but a few more months of neglect would have made it totally unrecognizable from what it once looked like. It had green water due to all the algae, vegetation, and other impurities that had infiltrated it during all those days that it was left to stagnate. It also had a whirlpool on the side which certainly looked worse than the actual pool.

The whole thing was a cautionary tale to pool owners everywhere. Pools that are left unattended — untreated with chemicals, no pump running, no filter cleaning it, and no one removing all the leaves and other debris — will not be able to maintain their pristine look for a long time. Algae will grow in the pool, and over time, it will become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, frogs, and other wildlife. The pool surfaces will also begin to deteriorate without proper maintenance. All of these will eventually turn your pool into a stinky water hole that looks something like it came out from the marshes!

How we cleaned the Dallas Yuck Pool

For this pool, our experienced pool cleaning professionals first removed the bigger debris from the water, including all the fallen leaves, branches, and pebbles that had found their way into the water. We also brushed the algae growth on the sides and bottom of the pool, eliminating much of the matter that was causing the pool’s green coloration.

Running the pool pump was necessary in order to eliminate the smaller debris in the pool. Due to the pool’s condition, we also performed a filter clean because what’s in the pool goes through the filter and coats its grids. If it were not cleaned, the impurities would have re-circulated through the pool, defeating the purpose of cleaning the pool in the first place.

Now, if you are going to look at the “after” photos, the pool still looks a little cloudy in them. This is because it wasn’t the final condition of the pool yet, but the stage in which we “shocked” the pool by adding a greater amount of cleaning chemicals as we normally would. It was essential to eliminating the remaining algal and bacterial growth in the water.

Unfortunately, we don’t have photos of the pool water when it finally cleared up because the bank didn’t allow us to wait until this happened. In any case, our work on this pool only goes to show that with a lot of perseverance, it is still possible to revive a neglected pool.

If you have a green pool problem in your home (in Sachse, Wylie, Murphy, Allen, Plano, Richardson, Garland or Dallas) and you need it to be professionally cleaned and rehabilitated, don’t worry. The pool cleaning experts from Sterling Pool Service are prepared to lend you a hand. Call us now at 888-973-0274 or send us a message to learn more.