Every summer my pool betrays me by going green.

I feed it chlorine, I pour muriatic acid in, and I sprinkle stabilizer regularly. And still it goes green.

I know the reason: the water is old. Yes, you are supposed to drain your pool every 3 years to keep the water fresh. But I work in water, and the thought of 30 thousand gallons going down the drain makes me queasy.

Besides, I’m older than the darn water and I’m still going.

My pool water will keep going too. Part of the problem is the chemistry of the water. Thanks to evaporation, those salts, minerals, and metals start concentrating. First the blue water gets a little cloudy then it turns green.

No, shocking it doesn’t help. Especially if your shock has a bluing agent (Copper makes the water blue). I have enough copper in my water.

So the gentlemen at the pool store recommended Alum to clean up the water. Doh! Seriously, at the water treatment plant where I work, Alum is used regularly to clump stuff up and make it fall out (Yes, those are the fancy chemistry terms). That I didn’t think about it means that I have a work half of my brain and a home half of my brain, and rarely do the two overlap. I’ve noticed it before—at work it’s Celsius and grams, and at home it’s Fahrenheit and ounces.

I can easily translate the two, but rarely do so or do I find the need. Such is life.

But my green pool will soon be blue again. And just in time. The temperature will be 119 and 120 Fahrenheit on Monday and Tuesday. yes, it’s a dry heat. Which is why I plan to spend a lot of time in the water:D

For those of you who live in humid climates, I don’t know how you do it.

Until next time.