Dust Storms

With dust storms affecting parts of Australia, this bulletin provides a procedure for removing potential iron oxide (dust from Australia's iron rich soils) and other contaminants from affected pools. The following procedure will bring a standard 50,000L salt or chlorine pool back to being sparkling clear. 

Step 1: Metal stain prevention Use Pool Magnet™️ at the rate of 250mL per 10 000L, then apply Quick Clear™️. Remember, although Pool Magnet binds the metals in the water to stop staining, it is the Quick Clear that removes the metals from the pool. Ensure the filter pressure is closely monitored and back wash the filter as necessary. 

Step 2: Prevent bacteria and algae growth Adjust pH to 7.2 to 7.4. The pool will have unavoidably been filled with a large amount of organic material. There are two primary options to remove this material. 

• If chlorine levels have dropped below safe levels, then use Burn Out® Extreme to boost sanitation as well as ‘burn out’ the organic material. 
• If chlorine levels appear to be holding, use Salt Pool Sparkle® (for salt pools) or Lite® (for chlorine pools) to destroy organic material before it causes chlorine demand, bacterial and algae problems. 

Step 3: Return to regular maintenance Clean the water line with Squeaky Clean (test on a small isolated area prior to use). Replace lost water due to backwashing. Balance the water as per our BioGuard in-store testing facilities. 

Step 4: Crystal clear clarity Add 2 Super Clear Clarifying Tabs™️, or Polysheen Plus™️ at the rate of 30mL per 10,000 litres. Filter the water for as long as possible until the clarity is restored, monitoring the filter pressure and backwash as required. If clarity stops improving, the pool may require additional Super Clear Clarifying Tabs or Polysheen Plus treatment. 

Step 5: Clean the filter The filter has just been through a lot of stress cleaning the water and now needs cleaning itself. Use Filter Brite to remove contaminants from the filter. 

Step 6: Future prevention Control bacteria and algae. For salt pools - turn salt chlorinator up to maximum output and run pump for 24 hours. For chlorine pools – use 11⁄2 times the usual dosage rate of preferred BioGuard sanitiser for at least the next 2 weeks, as bacteria and algae are still present. 

Step 7: Enjoy! Ensure the chlorine residual has returned to less than 5.0ppm and is stable before re-entering the pool. For salt pools - return chlorinator setting to normal functionality. For chlorine pools - revert BioGuard sanitiser dosage level to label recommendation.