Under the Steps

[DMS]

Hi,

My first year with the IG pool. I have a removable wedding cake stairs made of fibreglass, 4 screws into concrete deck hold it in place.
It weighs about 40 lbs, so moving it around is not the easiest of chores.
Last night while doing my regular vacuuming I noticed some algae in the shallow end near the steps.
I removed the steps, and found a patch of bright green algae on the pool floor under the steps.

I will do it now, but my question is: How often do users remove their stairs and vacuum under there?
Do you do any special cleaning of the underside of the stairs?

Thanks,
Darryl

/* 16x32 IG, vinyl liner, sand filter */

 

[Casey]

Hi DMS~ Welcome to TFP! 8)

I have wedding cake steps for my above ground. I've had them for 6 years or so now, it reeeeeealy doesn't seem that long but it has been.

I've never had a problem with them growing algae and I never clean them out during the season. I think the reason being because I get a lot of circulation under there, so much so that the return current can still push those steps even with 100 lbs of sand bags duct taped under there. I will be upgrading next year with weights. Plus, with me pouring bleach at the return, it has to be a good thing that it is getting behind the steps because it pushes them away from the wall.

Wanna know what my peeve is though? That big spot of original liner that is still the original color of the liner! My print was just sand color brown and the sun has never gotten to it so now where the steps are, it's a big brown patch. :| My mom came over to check out the salt water and she pointed to it and said you've got algae. Nope. I don't. It's the original color of the liner.

Once the steps come out, I'll sweep the whole pool and pay a little more attention to the spot. It usually sweeps into a cloud and then I shock and vac.

Sorry to hear about your algae and WELCOME again to TFP! 8)

 

[AnnaK]

Hi Daryl,

We have an above ground pool with wedding cake steps at the opposite side of the return and we do get some algae growth under the bottom step where it sits flat on the pool floor. Our steps aren't permanently installed. They're held in place with weights and the hand rails. The hand rails fir through holes in the 2nd step (or is t it the 3rd?) and on the wooden deck they sit in the cups but aren't fastened. This means we can remove the hand rails easily and push the steps away for cleaning.

Do we do that? Actually, no.

We cut some extra holes in the sides of the steps to improve circulation, which is minimal. When I add water to the pool I put the hose in back of the steps and when I add bleach I pour some behind the steps. When I brush the pool I push water against the sides of the steps - and that's about the extent of what cleaning they get.

I have not yet had any algae creep out from under.