Topic Split off by moderator

I have a 25,000 gal inground vinyl liner pool that I use baquacil on. I opened it and cleaned it and added my usual oxidizer and algaecide and it cleared up to blue but still hazy. Pool supply store recommended I floc as I have done in the past with great but aggravating success. This time it worked slightly. Took a sample they recommended floc again and said PH was a little low and calcium was 0 and said to correct that before floc treatment. Calcium was at 0 so I needed alot. But I only added 15lbs. Then I added 4lbs PH up. Well, I now have beautiful milky water and I am afraid to do anything else. I am considering draining it halfway or doing the floc again. I read somewhere that you shouldn't add Calcium and PH increase except hours apart. Wish the pool supply store would have told me this. I am sick over this and I wish I would have left it alone. I cannot find an answer anywhere. All chemical readings are normal. Clarity is 0. Should I floc it again or drain it halfway and refill?? Please help!!!!

Hi and welcome - we'll help you get this clear...

The first thing you should do is post all of your test results and tell us more about your pool. You can put your pool specs and equipment in your signature - go to User Control Panel, then Profile, then Edit Signature.

(Moving this post to the Baq forum too...)

I am going to take a sample today to a different pool supply store and I will ask for a printout of values. As of now I can tell you what my strips read I know, not too reliable of a source but, Calcium was around 100 yesterday evening and this AM it looks like it has dropped slightly, PH is around 7.2, Alkalinity is within normal ranges and plenty of oxidizer and sanitizer still present. I will post other values when I get them. But I just hate to have them talk me into purchasing something I don't really need. I do however have 2 bottles of floc on hand and I have been so tempted to use it. Thanks for your help.

How many years have you been using Baq?
Not to pressure you or anything, but I recommend you read some of the other stories in this Baq section of the forum - many many people report problems after a few years and eventually switch to chlorine. Maybe you'll consider switching?

8 years, I have read many stories about it but I do like it and have never had any problems. I don't think baquacil is what contributed to this problem. From everything I have read I shouldn't have added calcium and PH increase closer than 4 hours apart or the calcium is unable to disolve properly. But nowhere does anyone suggest how to fix it if this does happen.

Post a full set of water test results and we can tell you what to change to clear up calcium clouding.

I am a former Baquacil user. I can say with 100% certainty that after a few years it loses it's effectiveness. I have even talked to pool store employees who admitted that to me.

I fought a losing battle with my Baquacil pool for nearly a whole year before I converted to BBB near the end of last summer.
I really liked the Baquacil the first few years I used it. It is low maintenance and seemed to be easier on the skin and eyes than the chlorine tabs I used to use in the pool at my old house. I have now learned that BBB is just as gentle as Baquacil and my water looks 10 times better.

My nightmare started out just like yours... with slightly milky water. I was making several trips to the pool store a week for water testing and more chemicals. They sold me a big cardboard box full of "remedies" every time I went in. No kidding, the more stuff I added, the whiter my water got. My neighbor actually came over one day and asked me if we spilled white paint in our pool! LOL (We had a new addition added on the other side of our house but no painting was even being done) Gotta love our nosey neighbors... LOL

I hope you are able to get your pool cleared up with Baquacil if thats what you want to continue using. However, if you dont see improvement in about a week I hope you will consider converting to BBB before you spend a load of money
and waste alot more time you should be spending swimming in your pool rather than trying to clear it up.

Best of luck to you!

I don't know what BBB is. I feel certain my problem is from adding too much calcium at one time, not from baquacil. Here is my analysis ,
Saturation index - .14
Total dissolved solids 0
Baquacil 34
Ph 7.7
Shock and oxidizer 56
Copper 0
Iron 0
Total alkalinity 67
CA hardness 87

Thanks for the help.

If those test numbers are right, it isn't calcium clouding. You can double check by lowering the PH to 7.4, which will clear up any calcium clouding even if your test results are off by a bit.

I can't imagine what else it would be. My pool was almost clear. Just slightly hazy. Perfectly blue, I could see the bottom, then I added the calcium and watched the cloud form and slowly cover the entire pool. Will lowering my PH get also lower my total alkalinity or should I even worry about that at this point?

The decrease in the TA won't be enough for you to worry about right now. Give that a try and post back with the results.