Confession of a Cloudy Water Pool Owner

[rockyboy]

First...I am throwing myself at the mercy of the forum. I have to confess that I purchased...and used....a clarifier and something called pool magic which is probably a more expensive version of ultrabrite (Neither worked!) Let the beating commence....

If anyone is still out there, I am trying to get my water clear after opening and never had this much trouble. We close but no cover and this year we had a swamp to clear up. We've come a long way but now we have the cloudy water. Fell victim to pool shops claim that dead algae was my issue and clarifier would clear us right up.....Not!!!! Now I have a company claiming I need to flock and vacuum to waste so before I did that, I thought I would check here first. The weather here is like a roller coaster. It was 50 over the weekend, 86 yesterday and back to 50's by weeks end with lots of rain along the way. Chemically, all is good, but water will not clear up even though pump is running around the clock. This is the 5th summer for our pool and was wondering if maybe my sand isn't filtering as well as it should be? The PB did me no favors in how he hard plumbed the diverter valve so if I have to break into that, I will probably go ahead and replace the sand. But first, I thought I would throw myself on the mercy of the forum and see if you guys had any suggestions. BTW...I can see the bottom in the shallow end but not the drain covers in the deep end. Thanks in advance!

 

[Richard320]

Good - you're ready to take control of things yourself!

What you've spent on miracle cures could have been better spent on a decent test kit. And if you already have one of the recommended kits, post some numbers and we can get you straightened out. It sounds to me like you need two things: The Shock Process and Pool Owner Patience. Once the water is cleared up it will be smooth sailing.

 

[BoDarville]

rockyboy:

No beatings necessary...We come here to learn

First thing I would do is post a full set of recent test results which would allow us to give you better advice.

As for the cloudy water, is there any large organic debris in the water such as leaves or is the cloudiness solely due to smaller particles? If there are any leaves / other large organic debris in the pool, removing it will allow the chlorine to do a better job of sanitizing.

Sounds like you may need to go through the shock process which we can help you with after posting a full set of test results (FC, CC, pH, and CYA at a minimum).

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Chemically, all is good

Hmm... we like to see numbers, to see if this is true/perhaps find a clue as to why the water is still cloudy.

(and for the record I have used clarifier. Once shocking is complete. Its an unnecessary added expense, and sometimes doesn't work on the first try but it has worked for me to speed things up on occasion. I only use it if I've confirmed the chlorine is holding overnight for several days in a row and I'm not seeing clarity progress and have exhausted other methods.)

 

[rockyboy]

Confession #2: I knew I needed to post numbers using my "TFP" certified test kit. I just got to work and thought i should go ahead and get the beating over with which leads to confession #3. (I will post numbers when I get home from work)
Confession #3: I am not a patient pool owner. There, I said it....Now I'll try to do better )))))

Thanks!

 

[harleysilo]

This thread has me laughing, Rocky i CAN'T BELIEVE you spent some time recently on the dark side!

 

[Isaac-1]

Some people also add a little DE to their sand filters to speed up the clearing process, this DE is flushed out when you backwash.

 

[rockyboy]

I do have some of that I can try. I was just wondering if maybe the sand isn't quite doing the job anymore. I guess it's smarter to make sure all chemistry is good before replacing the sand but adding the DE is easy. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[jblizzle]

Sand hardly ever needs replacing. It does not wear out. You should clean the sand one a year or so. Just gently run a hose down through the sand bed and let the gunk flow out the top. This will resettle the sand and let you check for clumping.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

 

[Patrick_B]

Yes, but when you do, and complete the shock process DE does help. I'm going to have to do it myself this year. My cover failed in a spring windstorm and I have a mess of fine dust and who knows what else in mine this opening season.

 

[rockyboy]

Hey Jason....I had always heard that over time, the rough edges on the sand get smoothed out like a polished rock over time and doesn't do a good job any longer. Are you saying that's an urban legend???? I really have no idea....just asking.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Think about it, if the sand got worn down over time from water running over it, all the beaches in the world would be nothing but dust, but they're not. Heavy calcium scaling is really about the only real reason to change the sand.

 

[jblizzle]

And the sand in the filter is only ever moving while backwashing. During normal operation, the water it's just passing down through the sand and the sand itself is not really moving.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

 

[duraleigh]

Are you saying that's an urban legend????

Yeah, it is. Somebody with time on their hands thought that up and, while it may have some theoretical validity, in practicality, you never need to change the sand.

 

[Smykowski]

Hey rocky, welcome to the forum. You're getting good advice, but I think it's a little too far out in the future. You need to take this one step at a time.
1. Order a good test kit. Pool store test results are just slightly less accurate than horoscopes.
2. While you're waiting for your test kit, start reading pool school. It's a lot of information, but we will help you through it. Read it several times in several sittings. Focus especially on "The ABCs of Chemistry" and "Shocking your Pool", then read some of the "Fighting Algae Threads." There are plenty of other people who have done it, so learn from their experiences too.
3. When the test kit comes, post a full set of results, and we'll help you clear your pool.

 

[rockyboy]

I got the following readings from my TF-100 test kit
FC 4
CC 0
TA 100
PH 7.6
CYA 55
Salt 3500

I have an autopilot but I think the trisensor is squirrely and it's on order. The temp says 74 and salt reads 3000...then 2700 (add 82 lbs) five minutes later. I have calibrated several times already this year and a replscement will give me more confiidence in the results. I also added some DE filter media to the skimmer...about a cup raised the pressure by 1 psi. We'll see if that helps. I think everything is in range although the salt and ph might be a bit on the high side but not unacceptable. Tonight I will bring to shock level and see if it holds overnight. I'm trying to remember if I should run the filter but turn off the generator....that sounds reasonable to get an accurate reading. Any other suggestions???? Thanks for the help!

 

[duraleigh]

RB,

Your numbers are terrific. Your pool water is crystal clear??

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Yes, turn off the SWG to get an accurate FC read during the Overnight FC Loss Test.

 

[rockyboy]

Dave....water is not crystal clear but Milky/hazy. Added DE this afternoon and cant really tell a differenc but it is kind of dark. I'm bringing up to shock and then i'll see what i get in the am

 

[rockyboy]

OK....no chlorine loss overnight and SWG was off. Pool is just a little more clear after running about 12 hours with the DE media. Backwashed this morning and added a little more DE. This is where the pool stores say "flock it" and vacuum to waste. What say the experts? The water has looked like this for about a week or so.