Using a Pressure Washer to Remove Algae in a Pool

Fortunately, I don’t get algae infested in my pool very often as I keep on top of my pool maintenance. However, I went away for ten days, leaving my wife in charge of the pool, and returned to find algae starting to grow on the walls and in the corners.

In the past, I have always used my pool brush and walked around the pool, scrubbing the walls as I went before shocking the pool to kill the algae. However, it can be quite difficult to exert enough pressure on the brush to dislodge stubborn algae, which is not great for my lower back.

Then, as I reached for my pool brush and saw my pressure washer sitting nearby, I wondered if I could use the water pressure to dislodge the algae, which would be easier and certainly better for my back.

So, did it work? …….

Removing Algae from Pool with a Pressure Washer

I connected the hose to my pressure washer and plugged it into the electricity supply. Then I started in one corner, pushed the pressure washer gun into the water, and pulled the trigger as I aimed it at the algae lurking between the pool bottom and the wall.

It disappeared instantly!

I continued along the pool, removing the algae as I went, both in the joint between the floor and the wall and on the sides. It was like magic.

It took no more than a minute to do an entire side, as opposed to probably 5 minutes of scrubbing with a pool brush. The big plus was that it didn’t cause me any lower back pain or tire my arms as it would when using a pool brush.

Obviously, it is easier in the shallow end, but I have even managed to tape the pressure washer gun to a pool pole to reach the bottom of the walls in the deep end.

I have also found that using a pressure washer to remove algae easily from walls and the harder-to-reach areas of the pool gives excellent results on the rungs of my ladder. I was never happy with the results of using a pool brush as it was hard to get into the crevices but the pressure washer removes everything in seconds.

Another plus to using a pressure washer is that while you have it out, you may make the most of it by pressure washing the pool deck or pool surround.

Then it is time to shock

Once you’ve removed all the visible algae, it’s time to shock your pool to kill all the algae spores floating in the pool water. Obviously, using the pressure washer doesn’t actually kill the algae; it just removes it from the surfaces, where it is more difficult for the shock to kill effectively.

Follow the instructions on your pool shock product carefully, and be sure to test the water regularly to ensure it’s safe for swimming.

Be Careful

My advice would be, particularly if you have a vinyl pool liner like I do, that you start using a wide pressure washer nozzle and don’t hold the end too close to the liner. First, make sure that the pressure won’t damage a small area. Then, you can move the nozzle closer and even use a more compact nozzle.

I put maximum pressure on myself without any problems at all.