At a loss, high FC, normal CYA, still cloudy

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H

heatmisr

0
LifeTime Supporter
Jul 10, 2007
299
Northern NJ
I have been trying to clear my pool for over a week, since 7/2. Here is my timeline:

1) Came home from a week vacation on the 1st. Water was clear but there was a lot of tree gunk and some green on the bottom.
2) The next morning, I tested the water. FC=3.5, CC=0, CYA=25.
3) The water level was high because it rained, so I vacuumed to "waste" (yes with a cart filter), brushed, added enough CYA to get me up to about 45-50, and bumped the FC up to 20.
4) Changed out the pump to my new 2-speed Hayward.
5) Had the pump running on low for a couple days, FC was reading 24 but the pool was getting greener, so I turned the pump on high. That's when I had this comedy of errors.
6) Got all that worked out. So, now I am thinking that my R-0870 powder is no good (it is 2yrs old and gray) and that I am not getting a proper FC reading, so I order a fresh batch and dump a gallon of 12.5% liquid CL. I decide I will add a gallon every day until I get the fresh reagent.
7) Got the new reagent on Saturday (thanks Dave for the quick shipping! :goodjob: ) and decided to test with both of them. I tested FC=24 with the old reagent and FC= 27.5 with the new reagent. Tested my CYA again and it was 45. But the pool was still cloudy and green.
8) Added another gallon of 12.5%. Retested about 30 minutes later and it read FC=44.5. (Puzzled as to how it got that high when I am using 12.5% in a 10Kgal pool?)
9) Sunday morning around 9am, it was blue, but cloudy.
10) Sunday night, still cloudy, but blue.
11) This morning, a little clearer, but still cloudy and blue.

I have no idea why it is not clearing. Normally, a small algae bloom like the one I started with would clear in 2 days. I have been fighting this battle for over a week and it is still not clear.

The FC is ridiculously high, my CYA is reading normal and I have a brand new pump. And, when I took the filter out to clean it thinking that might be the problem, it was barely dirty. It was tinged slightly green on one side.

Can anyone shed some light on this because I am baffled?
 
Hey, I want some of that chlorine. I'll guess it was shipped at higher strength to make up for anticipated losses due to heat. There is some easy tablespoon per gallon test for true strength, I can't recall, maybe someone well provide it. I keep that in my pool book but I am not home. (i miss my pool)

Are you getting proper circulation? Any valves left closed?
 
I guess so. And it has been sitting in my shed for over a week. Not sure where you are, but I bought it at BJ's. A case of 4gal is about $12.50. Cheaper than the pool store.

Yes, my flow is excellent. Definitely no valves closed. Did that once and my return hoses blew apart....lol. Athough I have been starting to wonder if the pump on high is too strong for the filter. It's only 75 sq ft.
 
This is just a stab, but did you check your PH before adding all the chlorine? It is possible that while you were gone and the rains came in, the PH drifted to a range that hindered the effectiveness of the chlorine. Chlorine is most effective in the 7.2 - 7.8 range. Too high or too low could render the chlorine ineffective. Just a thought.
 
I'll have to remember that. Unfortunately, with my FC so high, I can't test the pH right now. I am, however, starting to suspect that it may be high because I am getting some aeration from the return. I have a poolskim and although the return is not breaking the surface, there are bubbles on the surface.
 
The rain will also aerate the pool as it breaks the surface of the water resulting in a higher PH. I'm not saying that the possibility of your PH being off is the definitive cause of your cloudy water not clearing, but it may be a place to start. Maybe let the FC fall and test the PH just to rule that out. Maybe it is actually that simple.
 
I was letting it fall anyway because it was so high. Unfortunately, I think it is going to take a little while because it has actually been holding the CL levels pretty good through all this. Another weird thing. I didn't test it yesterday or this morning, but I will test when I get home to see what my CL is. That should give me an idea how long I have to wait for it to come down low enough to test the pH.
 
Checked my numbers yesterday. FC=33.5, CC=0, TA=120. My TA is usually 70, so I have some work to do. It was clearer this morning, but still not completely clear and sparkling. Unfortunately, my CL is still too high to test pH, but I a pretty sure it is high since my TA is so out of whack. I would love to adjust it, but not being able to get an accurate reading will just make it a guessing game. I guess I will just have to wait for the CL to come back down to normal range before I start making adjustments.
 

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Well, then, it sounds like it is clearing but very slowly. Back to the basics....brush often, run the pump 24/7 and clean the filter (I would say to do that even if it doesn't look very dirty)

It will likely start to clear VERY suddenly when it gets to a certain point. There is nothing in your description or test results to indicate any other problems so I would just wait it out.

Time for some POP!
 
That's pretty much what I have resigned myself to do. I think once I can get my numbers back in balance, it will be ok. So much for saving on the electric bill this month...lol.

That's what I keep hoping. I get up in the morning and run to the back door hoping to look out and see a clear sparkling pool....lol. When that doesn't happen, I can't wait to get home after work to peek in the backyard hoping to see a sparkling pool. One of these days, hopefully soon, I am going to get that wish....LOL.

I'm trying Dave, I'm trying, but it's sooooooo hard.....LOL. I missed a beautiful weekend this past weekend. We don't get that many up here in Jersey.

Thanks everyone for the help. :) If you can think of anything else, let me know.
 
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