At Pool Magazine, we celebrate the hard work and dedication of pool professionals across the United States who spent this spring and summer transforming neglected, green pools back into the sparkling blue oases they were always intended to be. This year, we hosted our second annual Green to Clean competition, inviting pool experts to submit photos of the worst green pools they’ve encountered this swim season and to showcase their impressive transformations. Our readers voted, and we received an overwhelming number of entries and thousands of votes. Now, we take a moment to introduce you to our 2024 Green To Clean Masters and take a closer look at each individual’s pool-cleaning process.
2024 Green Pool Masters
Winner: Katie McKissick – “Katie The Pool Lady”
Katie McKissick stands proudly as this year’s winner, earning her the title “Green Pool Master.” Katie’s process for transforming a swampy green mess into a crystal-clear pool focused on a by-the-numbers approach that took well over a week of patience and follow-up to complete.
“When I first get to a green pool like this one, I check to see how dark the water is and if I can see the steps or main drain,” explained McKissick, “I’ll take a pole and run it along the bottom to see how thick the sediment and debris layer is on the bottom. On that first day, I hit it with 8 jugs of chlorine and 1 jug of acid followed up with Orenda phosphate remover, which to me is the best product on the market.”
Patience is another key component in McKissick’s process, “It takes about 3-4 days for it to turn that green color back to blue,” said McKissick, “On this pool, in total, I put 22 jugs of chlorine, 3 bottles of acid, a whole bottle of Orenda phosphate remover, a bottle of clarifier, and a bottle of drop n vac in two separate doses. It took 9 days to go from green to clean. The trickiest part was getting the water to separate and clear. Once it was clear, I balanced the chems and put a new filter in,” explained McKissick.
“This one was by far the most challenging. I’m used to being able to turn them around in 1-3 days, but this one definitely required much more patience. The water in this pool was very angry, but it’s beautiful now, and the customer is super happy,” said McKissick.
Katie McKissick holds the distinction of being the second female pool professional in a row to claim the title of “Green Pool Master”. Our 2023 winner, Kelly McCaa claimed the title “Queen of Green” in our first annual competition. This fact was not lost on McKissick who said, “Being a woman in this industry can be difficult. I kind of feel like you have to prove yourself daily. Winning this competition is super exciting and lets everyone know that women can do it just as well as the guys! They say that you’ll never work a day in your life if you do what you love. I truly love what I do and find it very rewarding to see the impact our work has.”
Runner-Up: Jeremy Wheeler
Jeremy Wheeler, our runner-up, impressed us with his meticulous and thorough process for cleaning pools:
“Step one is fishing all the leaves out. After we feel like we have the majority of the leaves out and we have water circulating, I do two gallons of sodium hypochlorite, and then brush every square inch of the pool. I’ll then follow up by adding two more gallons of sodium hypochlorite. Finally, in my process, I’ll add 4 pounds of aluminum sulfate per each 10,000 gallons of water. I like to get at least two turnovers of the water and then cut the pump off. At this point, I’ll give the water up to 72 hours to settle and that’s when I’ll vacuum to waste using an inline cannister and then clear up any remaining cloudiness with the filter.”
Third Place: Tanner Loggins
Tanner Loggins, our third-place winner, had another strong showing this year and shared his efficient and effective approach to cleaning swimming pools:
“I always pump out as much algae/debris from the bottom/walls as possible to allow the chlorine to work better. It goes a lot further with the bulk of algae already removed out of the water. After that, my process is usually to shock the pool, scrub the walls, and clean or replace the filter. My final process is to add phosphate remover and pool clarifier to drop everything, and then I’ll come back 48 hours later to repump the bottom again and reclean the pool filters.”
Green To Clean Masters: Honorable Mentions
We received so many outstanding entries, and while we couldn’t acknowledge everyone, we want to single out some of our other top contenders for their incredible work:
- Jim Ogletree – Sundial Pools
- Ryan Johnson – Check It Out Pools
- David Striblin – The Pool Store
- Susan Trent – AquaGenX Pool Services
- John Poma – A+ Pool Service
Hats Off To The Pool Pros Who Make It Happen
Pool professionals play a vital role in helping pool owners maintain a healthy and pristine pool environment for their friends and loved ones. Their expertise ensures that nearly any pool, no matter how neglected, can be transformed with proper care. Each pool season, green-to-clean services are paramount in helping pool owners get their pools back on track, providing a safe and enjoyable space for relaxation and fun.
These professionals demonstrate that with patience, the right techniques, and a commitment to excellence, any green pool can become a sparkling blue oasis once again. Hats off to the kings and queens of summer who make it happen.
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