Cloudy Pool - Done with pool store

[lovland]

First I want to say thanks for the site and help. I am done with the pool store and have a TF100 kit arriving next Tuesday. Located in Loveland, CO. 12,000 gallon 16'x32' oval.

This is my first time opening the pool. There were alot of leaves and plant matter in the pool. I shocked the pool twice now each time with 2 bags. I also added stabilizer, etc as the store recommended. My water is cloudy. It started off green and changed to blue quickly - but has a visibility of about 20". Now over 2 weeks have passed with brushing and 24/7 pump use and my water is still cloudy. Is there anything I can do this weekend prior to my test kit arriving? I only have a ph and Cl tester. The ph is 7.2 and the Cl level (by my guess - the scale only goes to 4) is about a 5.

Thanks.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

Please add your pool details and location as described HERE as it will help us help you.

You need a good set of test results to base a plan of attack on ... that will happen on Tuesday.

Before then you could ensure that your equipment is working properly and add a 1/2 bottle of bleach every day to try to maintain some FC in the pool.

What type of filter do you have?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome to TFP.

There's not a lot you can do except keep the pump running and filtering out whatever you can. Since you don't have a clue what your CYA is there's no way to tell what your FC should be. Just keep it at the top of the test you have until your kit gets there.

 

[cujowoof]

Speaking from first-hand experience with my debut pool opening, the test kit is going to be crucial to you getting the water clear. There is a great sticky about how to go through the process of converting a sickly-looking pool to a blue oasis, but you will want to conduct frequent (30 minute) chlorine tests, using the FAS-DPD method, because your chlorine level will change rapidly at first, and if you don't stay on top of things, the algae will once again take over the water.

For the first 3 days, I ran at least 10-12 tests, and found that in day 4, taking a test before leaving for work, and one when arriving home gave me a good indication because levels were stabilizing that I was almost home free.

Until your test kit arrives, you really don't have a good way of determining your CYA level, which directly influences what your shock level needs to be, so I can pass along the same advice that was given to me earlier this year:

Using the net, clean as much Crud as you possibly can out of the bottom of the pool, and try to keep vigilant on new material being blown into the pool. It's the best thing you can do for yourself right now until your kit arrives, because getting this stuff out will significantly make the process easier.

Even if you can't see the bottom, just keep moving slowly, pulling the net towards you and you'll be surprised at what you get.

Once the kit arrives, make sure you have enough of whatever product you plan to shock with (see the Pool School) because nothing is worse than running out of product when you need it the most and realizing all the stores are closed.

This year I ended up using about 18 bottles of 8.75% bleach for my initial opening.

Keep educating yourself in the pool school and spend some time reading the forums. I had no absolute idea of what I was doing only weeks ago, and while I still have a ton to learn, I am finding that this isn't rocket science we're dealing with.


Good luck!

 

[lovland]

Thanks, I have a sand filter about 2' in diameter. I had one follow up question. Is it ok for me to go in the pool? As I can't see the bottom I want to pick up some solid debris objects that are in there. I believe they are some pieces of wood and a brick or two. We had construction on the house this winter.

 

[jblizzle]

you should be safe going in the water chemically ... although make sure someone is there with you so you do not disappear into the abyss due to some random accident.

When is the last time you inspected your sand? That is something that could be done while you wait that may help the clearing process:
my-sand-is-channeled-how-to-fix-it-t7626.html#p60821

 

[Isaac-1]

Without an idea if you have killed off growing everything in it, I would not suggest getting in the water, you would probably be ok, but there is no telling what might have been growing in there. Since you do have a chlorine test of some type ( I will assume OTO or DPD color matching as they are by far the most common) I would suggest maintaining an FC level of at least 5 (upper limit of the testing range for each of those tests), check back at least a couple of times per day and dose back to that level. You may waste a little bit of bleach doing this, but it may help make a little progress clearing, and will almost certainly make sure you don't loose ground.

Ike

 

[lovland]

Thanks all, I will check the filter, continue cleaning, and post my results early next week.

 

[lovland]

Ok my test kit came in (TF1000). Here are the results

pH-7.2
FC-8
CC-.5
TC-8.5
TA-90
CH-300
CYA-50

I am planning to add the 57oz of Borax right away to adjust my ph. What are you thoughts? The water is maybe just a tiny bit clearler but generally still cloudy. I attached a picture.

Do I need to shock? Do I just need patience and let my filter do its work?

Thanks,
Eric

 

[jblizzle]

The pH is fine ... no need to raise it.

Raise the FC up to shock level and then Perform the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to see if anything is still in the water.