Fighting a Cloudy Pool

[Mr. D]

Started out this season with a green pool and got that squared away thanks to this website. Fast forward a couple months and I let the pool get away from me and it started to get cloudy with a hint of green so I SLAM'ed it again.

Been working this for a week now and have dumped in about 10 Gal of 10% bleach (Walmart), not sure I ever hit 20ppm but was in the high teens for about a week. Rain has been my worst enemy as it seems as soon as I add bleach before I can check my levels it rains.

3 days ago my FC was 14 with a CC of 0.6ppm, using the pool calculator yesterday I added 2 Gal bleach around mid morning to bring the FC up to 20ppm and checked it at sunset and had a FC of 14ppm and a cc of 0.0ppm. Than I got about 1 hour of rain.

Just checked it this AM and have the following;

FC-12
CC-0
PH-7.6
TA-100
CH-250
CYA-50

Pool looks good just still a little cloudy, not clear like it should be. Do I need to continue the SLAM or do I have something else going on?

Here is a picture.

Dennis

 

[needsajet]

Just keep at it. MMMaintain at 20 ppm FC. Brush regularly. Seek out hidden algae farms. Keep filtering 24/7 and clean filter as needed.

After you pass the SLAM criteria, keep your FC at bare minimum 4, by dosing to reach 8 ppm FC every night.

 

[tim5055]

Rain has little to no impact on a SLAM, so take it out of the equation.

If I read your comment correctly you had 14FC last night and 12 this morning. This means you failed OCLT so keep up the SLAM.

 

[Mr. D]

Thanks, I will keep the SLAM going.

 

[pooldv]

In between testing and brushing maybe you could put your pool info in your signature as shown here,Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post

 

[Mr. D]

24 July 2016

8:00 AM - FC 12
9:30 AM - FC 10 - Added 2 Gal Bleach
10:38 AM - FC 19
2:30 PM - FC 8 - Added 2 Gal Bleach
3:30 PM - FC 15.5 - Added 1/2 Gal Bleach
4:30 PM - FC 15 - Added 1 Gal Bleach

CC is always 0 and I'm not really brushing anything as there is nothing in the water (green, yellow etc.)

 

[needsajet]

Brushing scalps the algae. Note that algae only becomes visible when it gets bad. When it starts to grow on the pool wall, you will not see it. IT then gets a biofilm over top of the cells, which protects the algae cells from the chlorine.

 

[Mr. D]

Passed my OCLT yesterday and the water looks good today.


At 5:42 AM I had 14.5ppm and at 5:13 PM I have 5ppm, a drop of 9.5ppm. This is about what I have been seeing over the last week or so and expected today when I got home. It has been blazing hot in Alabama.


Based on my CYA of 50 my target FC is 4-6 ppm so to just stay on top of this I need to add 10ppm of bleach each day or 187oz of 10%.


Call it a gal jug a day at $3.67 or $25.69 a week. I will need to work this over the next few days to figure out my daily consumption so I can pass this onto my house sitter while I'm on vacation and have enough jugs on hand.

 

[needsajet]

The FC drops fast after a SLAM because the CYA's buffering capacity is over-loaded, but I'd also do another OCLT to be sure the SLAM was finished.

 

[jwhop3]

I have been maintaining FC of 10ppm, TC of 5ppm or better, pH of 7.4, and TA of 80-120, but the water kept looking cloudy. No CC odor, but I'm covered up in Hickory and Oak trees and there's always nuts, tree sex and leaves to remove.

My numbers were still in the prescribed area, but the pH had dropped to 6.8. I added a box of Borax (64oz) to 14,000 gallons and the cloudiness went away instantly. Never overlook you pH. It is the key to FC working.

 

[Mr. D]

Todays readings

Clear Water

FC 4
CC .2
PH 7.4
TA 100
CH 250
CYA 30