Homeowners across Durban woke up on Saturday to pools which have an oily‚ dark residue on the surface and‚ in extreme cases‚ entire pools have turned black.
“In my 34 years in the pool business‚ this is a first for me‚” said Durban North-based pool specialist Pete Shedlock. “The closest scenario I can think of is a motorist losing control of a car‚ smashing through a fence and ending up in a pool‚ contaminating it with dirt and petrol.”
The problem was caused by a combination of heavy soot in the air‚ and rain‚ Shedlock said.
His advice to affected pool owners is to immediately remove the automatic pool cleaner (Kreepy) and let the pool pump run for 24 hours.
“Once the pool is clear a pool specialist or the homeowner must open the filter and do a manual backwash‚ and change the sand if necessary‚” he said. “If the soot has already settled on the floor of the pool‚ the same applies - take the “Kreepy” out and then manually vacuum the soot to waste. This is fairly tricky to get right without wasting too much water‚ and many home owners don’t have the equipment‚ so will need to call in a professional.”
- TMG Digital/TimesLIVE
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