Pool still cloudy after a few weeks

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golfer38

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LifeTime Supporter
May 22, 2009
67
Glenwood, Maryland
Hello all, and thanks in advance for any help, especially Jason (Mod) who was helping me in another thread.

My pool is still a light green and cloudy. This is my xx year opening my pool and this year seems to be the weirdest. Maybe its all the rain we have received.

Here are my number from the last two days..

Last night (7PM)

CH - 5+
pH - 7.0
FC - 2
CC - 1
TC - 3
CH - 275-300
TA - 70
CYA - 0 (Filled tube to top - Can still see dot)

Added 5 gallons of bleach @ 12% strength. Misunderstood recommendation and Pool Math

----------------------------
Last Night (9PM) - Tested 2 hours after adding 5 gallons of 12% strength bleach

FC - 24
CC - 2
TC - 26
CYA - 0

Filled sock with CYA and left overnight.

------------------------------

This morning (9AM) - Sock with CYA Stabilizer empty

FC - 17
CC - 2
TC - 19
CYA - 0

Filled sock with CYA again.

------------------------------

This Evening (5PM) - Sock with CYA 1/2 empty

CH - 5+
pH - 7.0
FC - 4.5
CC - 3.5
TC - 8.0
CYA - <20 but not 0 as I the water as the black dot is almost gone when tube is full. CYA sock is half empty from this am.

---------------------------------

As you can see, my numbers jumped around a bit from yesterday and today.

Should I add more bleach to the pool?

Pool Math states to add 2 gallons of 12% bleach, if I am reading correctly.

Another question: Would a low CYA make the pool cloudy?

Thanks everyone.
 
Your numbers did hop a bit, but mainly because you over-shot your FC and had no CYA to hold it. In any case, now that you have added stabilizer, go ahead and maintain an FC of "12" using regular bleach. Your pH is already set, so maintain the FC of 12 and "SLAM" (link below) until you pass the 3 criteria. Check the CYA in a day or two. If it's at 30, you're fine. If you went up to 40, increase FC to 16. If anything else seems odd, let us know. Good luck!
 
Thanks for the response.

Here are my numbers at about 9PM EST

After adding the bleach, a bit more than 2 gallons.

The bleach may be a higher concentrate than I think.

The company states its between 12% - 15%.

But my FC jumped a small bit higher than what Pool Math said to add in order for me to reach an FC of 12.

FC - 16.5

CC - 2

TC - 18.5

CYA is now at 20. There is a little bit of stabilizer left in the sock.

I kept the stabilizer sock in the pool.

I guess we just let the pump and chemicals do their work now, correct?

Test again in the am.

Thx again.
 
You're exactly right. The CYA should climb more overnight, and the FC will sink soon. So just maintain the FC of 12 and make sure to read the SLAM page each day as a reminder of things to do. The more vigilant you are with the FC level the better the SLAM will work in your favor. Have a good evening.
 
Here are my numbers from this am.

I added no chemicals last night.

Cartridge filters removed, cleaned and placed back into system last night.

Stabilizer sock left in pool last night.



FC - 22 (higher than last night)

CC - 0 (Lower than last night)

TC - 22 (higher than last night)

CYA - <30 (a bit more cloudier, but can still see the black dot when full)

Pool is still the same cloudiness as it has been for the last two weeks.

Am I on the right track?

Thx all...
 
You are on the right track. The FC test is sensitive in that if you leave the solution sitting around too long, it will turn pink. Having the speedstir helps with accuracy since you don't have to drop and swirl. So, don't take too long and don't let the solution sit around.

You don't need to test CYA as often as your are testing. It does take a day or two for the CYA to register on the test, but testing every time you test FC is overkill.

If you keep overshooting your FC, it could be a combination that your your bleach is higher strength than the listed amount or your pool is smaller than you think.

Keep on keeping on, testing FC and adding bleach as often as you can. Brush at least once a day, run pump 24 hours, clean cartridges when your pressure rises 25% above your clean pressure.

Taking a photo of the pool each day will help you realize that you are making progress.
 
Thanks for the response. I do have the speed stir and it does help.

I test almost every area just to sure and to compare results. It may be a bit overkill, but I dont know. I go by what is recommended here.

I have been opening and closing my pool for years and this is the first time that it has taken so long to become clear with little or no visual improvements.

In the past when I had to SLAM, I could see improvements daily. Then one day I wake up and the pool is crystal clear.

I just dont understand the cloudiness issue. Maybe algae is still present but the water was clear when I took the cover off a month or so ago.

At that time I figured I was ahead of the game (from previous years) and didnt go full steam into a full open. Then one morning I woke up to the swamp, several weeks ago. (Live and learn).

I put so much chlorine in the pool, I think to myself that I am on the wrong track. But I come in here and all of you tell me I am on the right track.

Frustration holds no bounds at times with a swimming pool.

The family wants me to drain it and get new water. At least it will be clean water and then go from there with the chemicals. But every day, I tell them we are closer. But the pool remains cloudy. Just a little venting...

Thx again for the response..

- - - Updated - - -

Thx Splash... As my post states above, it does get frustrating at times.. It never took this much time in the past.

Thx again...
 
Patience is a virtue in this scenario. No doubt that chlorine is the cure-all for algae. The trick is that FC/CYA ratio. CYA should clearly be 30 by tomorrow. If not, I would add a little more (10 ppm) to ensure your FC is receiving the top-cover it needs from the sun. The FC of 12 will work. You're cleaning the filters, so that's perfect. Also, at some point you'll probably want to pull the light out and check behind in its niche. That's a very common home for algae if you have one. Portable stairs or ladders are another.

Make sure to take a pic each day near your steps/ladder so you can compare progress each day. Post here if you like so we can see as well. Have a nice day.
 

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Yep, that is a lot of green algae. You are are on track.

FYI, on your note that the water didn't look too bad at opening. Algae needs light to reproduce, so the cover was keeping the algae from exploding. Once the light hit the water without the high enough FC, you loose the battle pretty quick. My pool water didn't look too bad at opening, but there was a lot of fine debris that settled on the bottom. The sediment turns the water cloudy after turning on the pump, brushing and vacuuming.

This winter/spring was a hot mess for pools in the mid-Atlantic. The warm winter and freezing spring, it was difficult to open early because of the late hard freezes. To keep this from happening again, you want to close your pool late (water below 60) and open early (before water reaches 60 degrees).

You are are track, just make sure you brush and vacuum daily.
 
Here are my pm numbers..

FC - 14

CC - 0

TC - 14

CYA - It is now officially 20.. :)

According to the CYA chart, my FC is good.

So no chemicals needed at this time.

I will check again this evening and go from there.

Thx KC and Splash for the responses...
 
CC can go up especially on cloudy days or at night. Uv light from the sun usually removes the ccs pretty efficiently. The other thing that removes ccs is more fc. Not a biggie.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks Splash and KC...

Quick question..

During the SLAM effort, you need to keep the FC is step with the CYA.

I read that you do not want to drop your FC below the guidelines.

So in my case above, my FC level is just about on the money. CYA of about 30 = FC of 12.

Since I am on the number, would it be wise to throw a bit more bleach in the pool to ensure the FC does not drop below the chart level (in this case 12)?

Is it better to be a bit higher in FC than lower?

Thx for all the responses.
 
We've determined that it really doesn't help. Too high over a SLAM increases the potential for FC to simply burn faster, not really impacting the algae. Once we start saying, "Go a little higher", then the line between slightly high and too high becomes blurred. So we've agreed that everyone should just aim for their published SLAM level. For those that work all day and know it will drop a little, that's okay. They just increase back to the SLAM level when they get back. This also helps when some people inadvertently "over-dose" their pool (i.e. shooting for a target of 15 (3 above their SLAM) and accidentally going to 20). It happens. :)
 

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