BioGuard Back Up 2 Algaecide | Algae Preventative

BioGuard Back Up 2 is the algae preventative BioGuard builds its own care system around — a concentrated quaternary ammonium algaecide designed to stop algae before it ever becomes visible, at a weekly dose small enough that prevention costs almost nothing. What separates it from a basic algaecide is the surfactant, or wetting agent, built into the formula. Algae doesn't start in the middle of your pool. It starts in the places water barely moves and chemistry barely reaches: hairline cracks in plaster, grout lines, the seam behind a ladder, the underside of a step, the shaded corner of a deep end. A surfactant lowers surface tension so the treatment penetrates into those crevices instead of flowing past them. That's why the product is described as forming a barrier rather than simply floating in the water column. Two more properties matter through a hot summer. It's stable in sunlight and won't evaporate, so the residual survives the conditions that break down weaker treatments. And its activity increases as water temperature rises — which is exactly backwards from how most people expect a chemical to behave, and exactly right for a pool. Algae grows fastest in hot water, so a preventative that gets stronger as the water heats up is strongest precisely when the pressure is highest. It's also non-staining and won't affect pH, so weekly use doesn't accumulate metals on your plaster or drag your balance around. And there's a dedicated vacation rate for leaving a pool unattended, which is the situation that turns a clear pool green faster than any other. One honest caveat before you buy: this is a quat-based algaecide, and quats foam. You may see temporary foaming after application, particularly in pools with fountains, waterfalls, spillovers, or other water features. It clears on its own, but it's worth expecting rather than being surprised by. Pro Tip: Prevention costs about a ninth of remediation, and the label numbers make the case better than any sales pitch. Weekly prevention runs 1.5 fl oz per 10,000 gallons. Clearing visible algae takes 13.5 fl oz per 10,000 gallons — nine times the product, plus a shock treatment, plus brushing, plus 24 hours of waiting, plus vacuuming out the dead algae afterward, plus a pool nobody can swim in while it happens. A full season of weekly dosing costs less than one recovery. Set a recurring reminder and stay on it. Brand BioGuard®