Cloudy water wont uncloudy ..

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NewPoolOwner12

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May 26, 2012
80
Hey all,

First time summer spool opener.

I dont have a Taylor test kit yet (they are pretty hard to find in Canada - I'll eventually order one and pick it up in the USA at UPS or something) but for now .. test strips.

Latest testing:

TH: between 100 & 250
TC: 1
FC: 0.5
PH:7.2
TA: between 80 & 120
CA: no test
Salt: 3500

So here goes. During the winter, my pool cover caved in (dont ask). So all the debris and leaves and stuff fell in. When I got around to taking care of the pool (this week), the water was filthy green. So, I put in two bags of salt, set my SWG to super chlorinate and shocked using 10L of 4% bleach. Next morning, no more green but WAY cloudy (cant see bottom). Cleaned filter, put it back in and shocked again using 10L of 4% bleach. Same thing ... cloudy water. bought a bottle of HTH Salt Water Pool Shock, put it in. Same thing .. cloudy water. SWG has been on super chlorinate for a few days and the "add salt" light is always on. I havent added any more (other than the first two days) as I wasnt sure if the light may be on in error. By the by, this is over the course of the last 6 days.

So, whats my next step? Im almost considering emptying the pool, cleaning and refilling (luckily, water is free) but that'll take quite a bit of time with one hose :p

Any ideas? Im at my wits end here :p

Thanks in advance boys and girls.
 
JasonLion: Thanks man. I appreciate the welcome :) Sadly, I do not know my CYA level. The lameo test strips I have dont have a reading for that. Dont get me started on the local pool place. Evidently .. CYA level isnt important. Go figure. I DO have a bottle of HTH clarifyer though. I wasnt sure if I should put any in or not. Too low and too high are both bad. So if I am already too high, adding more is bad. But if its too low, then I should add some. See my dilemna? :D

MTVA24: I havent vacuumed yet. I wasnt sure if I should wait or not, given the shocking and bleach Im putting in. Thought maybe adverse effects or what not. I'll wait for word from you/someone .. should I vacuum, then do more shocking?

With respect to shocking, given my size pool, is 10L of 4% bleach enough? Or should I go 15 or 20L?

EDIT: I saw this mentioned in another post. My pressure on my filter has been mostly steady around 20, give or take 2.
 
Every case is different. Me personally, I was dumping in a bunch of bleach with the filter running 24/7 and the best I could do is milky blue. After weeks of not seeing my desired results, i bought and applied some flock (aquachem sink & sweep) and cut off my filter for 24 hours. I finally could see the bottom and was greeted with a bunch of dirt, sticks, and pines. After vacuuming to waste 3 to 4 times, I was finally satisfied enough to focus on the water chemistry part. In the end that's what it comes down to, 1.) proper filtration and 2.) proper pool chemistry.
 
mtva24 said:
Every case is different. Me personally, I was dumping in a bunch of bleach with the filter running 24/7 and the best I could do is milky blue. After weeks of not seeing my desired results, i bought and applied some flock (aquachem sink & sweep) and cut off my filter for 24 hours. I finally could see the bottom and was greeted with a bunch of dirt, sticks, and pines. After vacuuming to waste 3 to 4 times, I was finally satisfied enough to focus on the water chemistry part. In the end that's what it comes down to, 1.) proper filtration and 2.) proper pool chemistry.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. I supposed every case IS different. Good call.

Son of a .. cant buy sink and swim here in Canada. Grrr. Im starting to think a pool was a bad idea :p Any idea of another equivalent product that may do the same thing?

Also, two things to mention:

1) A buddy of mine told me that he doesnt buy cartidge filter cleaner and instead, just uses and mild soap. Is that ok? Cauuuse thats what I have been doing. I'll put about 2tsp in a big garbage can, fill it up and dump the filter in for a couple of hours. Then take it out and rinse it with the hose for about 5 minutes. Acceptable?

and

2) Evidently my algae problem isnt solved. I was just cleaning out the filter housing when I happened to see a ton of .. what I can only describe as miniature minnows swimming around. Bleh. What the heck are these things and how do I get rid of them? Did I mention the bleh?
 
Fair enough. I supposed every case IS different. Good call.

Son of a .. cant buy sink and swim here in Canada. Grrr. Im starting to think a pool was a bad idea :p Any idea of another equivalent product that may do the same thing?
Click to expand...

I would just look for "pool flocculant" because that is all "sink and sweep" is. Basically it clumps all of the tiny particles (which are making your pool cloudy) together and drags them to the floor.

To be honest, you may not need to use floc. Are you running your filter 24/7? If you cut it off for a day or two, it may clear the pool enough for you to know what is going on down there.
 
mtva24 said:
I would just look for "pool flocculant" because that is all "sink and sweep" is. Basically it clumps all of the tiny particles (which are making your pool cloudy) together and drags them to the floor.

To be honest, you may not need to use floc. Are you running your filter 24/7? If you cut it off for a day or two, it may clear the pool enough for you to know what is going on down there.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


Hmmm ok. I shall look for that.

In the meantime, yes I have been running the filter 24/7. Im worried that if I turn it off, the algae will just come back then I gotta start over. Booo :p
 
In the meantime, yes I have been running the filter 24/7. Im worried that if I turn it off, the algae will just come back then I gotta start over. Booo :p
Click to expand...

Ah I see...Cut it off for a day or two, I don't think it will cause that much harm...

Oh yeah, my dilemma currently in progress can be found in this thread oh-my-god-sink-and-sweep-cloudy-water-t43301.html ...Apparently my next step is to replace the sand in my filter and to buy a FAS-DPD kit (since I bought the wrong Taylor Kit) :hammer:
 
Floc can help speed the process but you can certainly get a clean pool without it. I would guess the "minnows" are either mosquito larvae or possibly tadpoles. Obviously you want to flush those out somehow. It's going to be very difficult to guide you without reliable test results because your shock level is directly related to your CYA. Too little chlorine for your CYA level and you'll never kill the algae, too much chlorine for your CYA and you'll bleach your pool or worse. I don't know if TFtestkits ships to Canada but you mentioned picking up in the US, it would be worth it to get the T100. It is certainly possible to stumble through and get clear water without a kit but the kit quantifies everything you need so you can do it in the quickest, most efficient manner. http://tftestkits.net/Shipping-Returns-1.html
I'd order a kit, keep netting out anything you can see, keep the chlorine generator on high and wait for your kit. You'll save time and money in the long run. Just watch your pH in the meantime and keep it in the normal range.
Regarding your sand, read this thread. sand-filter-expert-help-t30049.html?hilit=sand%20million
 

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macgulley said:
Floc can help speed the process but you can certainly get a clean pool without it. I would guess the "minnows" are either mosquito larvae or possibly tadpoles. Obviously you want to flush those out somehow. It's going to be very difficult to guide you without reliable test results because your shock level is directly related to your CYA. Too little chlorine for your CYA level and you'll never kill the algae, too much chlorine for your CYA and you'll bleach your pool or worse. I don't know if TFtestkits ships to Canada but you mentioned picking up in the US, it would be worth it to get the T100. It is certainly possible to stumble through and get clear water without a kit but the kit quantifies everything you need so you can do it in the quickest, most efficient manner. http://tftestkits.net/Shipping-Returns-1.html
I'd order a kit, keep netting out anything you can see, keep the chlorine generator on high and wait for your kit. You'll save time and money in the long run. Just watch your pH in the meantime and keep it in the normal range.
Regarding your sand, read this thread. sand-filter-expert-help-t30049.html?hilit=sand%20million
Click to expand...


Fair enough. I suppose doing a few good vacuums will take care of much of it.

Sadly, tfkits does not ship to Canada. Ironically, I cant even order one because I cant even choose Canada as the bill to address, nevermind the ship to. Awesome.

No sand here :) Cartridge filter.

EDIT: Just bit the bullet and ordered a Taylor K2006 from Amazon. 3-5 business days. Grrr. I want to swim dammit :p
 
None of the US dealers is allowed to ship the K-2006 to Canada. That is standard Taylor policy. If you ordered from a US dealer, you might get lucky, but the order might also get canceled.

Don't use filter cleaner. We have a good write up on cleaning cartridge filters here.

I would also skip the floc, it costs money, requires a fair bit of work, requires a system that can vacuum to waste, and only works some of the time. It's only real value is when you are in a huge hurry, as the filter can take care of it if you give it a little time.

If you don't know your CYA level, it is just wild guessing at how much bleach is required. Is it possible to get a pool store to do a CYA test for you?
 
JasonLion said:
None of the US dealers is allowed to ship the K-2006 to Canada. That is standard Taylor policy. If you ordered from a US dealer, you might get lucky, but the order might also get canceled.

Don't use filter cleaner. We have a good write up on cleaning cartridge filters here.

I would also skip the floc, it costs money, requires a fair bit of work, requires a system that can vacuum to waste, and only works some of the time. It's only real value is when you are in a huge hurry, as the filter can take care of it if you give it a little time.

If you don't know your CYA level, it is just wild guessing at how much bleach is required. Is it possible to get a pool store to do a CYA test for you?
Click to expand...

Meh. I just ordered from Amazon and had it delivered to a UPS dealer just south of the border. Im around those parts (north of the border) pretty regularly anyway. I'll just take a detour :) Hopefully the duty on that thing isnt ridiculous.

Ah ok. So i was on the right track. If I can ever find muriatic acid around here, I may try to do that as well.

I can try another pool store in the area. The one I went to recently said CYA doesnt matter. Go figure. I'll try the other one tomorrow.
 
Ah HA! Went to another pool store and got a decent set of results. Here they be:

FC: 1
CC: 0
PH: 6.9
TA: 60
CH: 100
CYA: 10
Borates: 50 (which is surprising since Ive never added any)
Salt: 3000

There we have it. Clearly, there are issues haha. So, what first? remember, I havent vacuumed yet. Should I do that first, then throw chemicals in there? Or balance/shock and worry about vacuuming later?

Boy oh boy .. I have the feeling Im in for a rough ride haha

I'll say it again .. thanks a TON in advance everyone. I (and eventually, my son) will thank you :D
 
NewPoolOwner12 said:
Ah HA! Went to another pool store and got a decent set of results. Here they be:

FC: 1
CC: 0
PH: 6.9
TA: 60
CH: 100
CYA: 10
Borates: 50 (which is surprising since Ive never added any)
Salt: 3000

There we have it. Clearly, there are issues haha. So, what first? remember, I havent vacuumed yet. Should I do that first, then throw chemicals in there? Or balance/shock and worry about vacuuming later?

Boy oh boy .. I have the feeling Im in for a rough ride haha

I'll say it again .. thanks a TON in advance everyone. I (and eventually, my son) will thank you :D
Click to expand...

Hey NPO, hope everything is going well. Do you mind posting a pic?
 
MTVA: Ok. I'll post a pic tomorrow. Getting kinda dusky now (storm coming) so the pic wont turn out well.

JasonLion: Fair enough. I realize the test results are 100% accurate but they cant be THAT off, I figure. If my CYA is, according to them, 10 .. then I'll go with that number +/- 10. So even at 20, Im still too low.

So, first things first .. PH up to 7.4 or so (EDIT: raise using Borax or Soda Ash .. just to be sure).
Then vacuum or add stabilizer?
 
NewPoolOwner12 said:
MTVA: Ok. I'll post a pic tomorrow. Getting kinda dusky now (storm coming) so the pic wont turn out well.

JasonLion: Fair enough. I realize the test results are 100% accurate but they cant be THAT off, I figure. If my CYA is, according to them, 10 .. then I'll go with that number +/- 10. So even at 20, Im still too low.
Click to expand...

sorry this is a completely false statement. For example, my CYA tested at 45, pool store tested it at 100 (suggest to drain half my water).

My ph was 7.2, pool store measured it at 8.2, suggest to add significant amounts of acid.

etc

Pools stores can be completely untrustworthy.
 

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