Hazy water

[jmeiers]

My levels using test strips:
Chlorine:3
ph:7.8
ta: 180
cya:40

To begin-My pool is surrounded by corn fields and I know that has to make a difference with alll the pesticides and dirt that are probably floating in the air. Upon initial fill, my ph measured above 8(bright pink on the strip). I add muratic acid to drop my ph, but the ta never seems to budge and the ph tends to slowly rise,even if I'm not adding more water. I use the Nature2 strictly as an automatic chlorinator, do not intend to replace the mineral cartridge because of the reviews on this site. Upon opening the pool, the water was green, could not see the bottom. After a week of running the filter and multiple vaccuming rounds, I got the water clear, but it looks very hazy and swimmers feel dirty after exiting the pool. We use well water to to fill which has a very high iron content. I used a product called Revive-which is sprayed onto the waters surface and vaccum up the rust 2 days later. My question is-does my high ta matter? And if so, how do I get it to drop? Also, how can I get a softer, cleaner feel to my water? How do I get rid of the haze so my water will sparkle? Do I need to add any algae product or is shocking the pool alone enough to keep algae away? PLEASE HELP!

 

[JasonLion]

With CYA at 40 you want to keep FC between 4 and 8, and never allow it to go below 4. Your low FC level is the most likely cause of the slight haze.

Until the TA comes down to something more reasonable, lower the TA to 7.2 every time it gets to 7.8. Over time that will eventually lower your TA level. Or, if the PH increase is rapid enough to be annoying, you can lower TA more quickly as described in Pool School.

 

[jmeiers]

With CYA at 40 you want to keep FC between 4 and 8, and never allow it to go below 4. Your low FC level is the most likely cause of the slight haze.

Until the TA comes down to something more reasonable, lower the TA to 7.2 every time it gets to 7.8. Over time that will eventually lower your TA level. Or, if the PH increase is rapid enough to be annoying, you can lower TA more quickly as described in Pool School.

my ta never drops- it stayed the same(180) all last summer, I went through 9 bottles of muratic acid last summer, 3 so far this year. Is that normal? I will try the aeration method described in pool school to drop my ta. How can I get my water to feel softer?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

With CYA at 40 you want to keep FC between 4 and 8, and never allow it to go below 4. Your low FC level is the most likely cause of the slight haze.

Until the TA comes down to something more reasonable, lower the TA to 7.2 every time it gets to 7.8. Over time that will eventually lower your TA level. Or, if the PH increase is rapid enough to be annoying, you can lower TA more quickly as described in Pool School.

my ta never drops- it stayed the same(180) all last summer, I went through 9 bottles of muratic acid last summer, 3 so far this year. Is that normal? I will try the aeration method described in pool school to drop my ta. How can I get my water to feel softer?

Jason meant lower the PH to 7.2 every time it gets to 7.8.

If you have very high TA in your fill water and you are often topping off, your TA will stay on the high end.

Some people add between 1,000-2000 ppm of salt, they like the feel of the water from the salt addition.

 

[jmeiers]

With CYA at 40 you want to keep FC between 4 and 8, and never allow it to go below 4. Your low FC level is the most likely cause of the slight haze.

Until the TA comes down to something more reasonable, lower the TA to 7.2 every time it gets to 7.8. Over time that will eventually lower your TA level. Or, if the PH increase is rapid enough to be annoying, you can lower TA more quickly as described in Pool School.

my ta never drops- it stayed the same(180) all last summer, I went through 9 bottles of muratic acid last summer, 3 so far this year. Is that normal? I will try the aeration method described in pool school to drop my ta. How can I get my water to feel softer?

Jason meant lower the PH to 7.2 every time it gets to 7.8.

If you have very high TA in your fill water and you are often topping off, your TA will stay on the high end.

Some people add between 1,000-2000 ppm of salt, they like the feel of the water from the salt addition.

What type of salt? Like Morton water softener salt?

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Yes, also sold as "pool salt" at walmart.
If you get Morton salt get the one with no additives - I think its the blue bags.

 

[jmeiers]

Yes, also sold as "pool salt" at walmart.
If you get Morton salt get the one with no additives - I think its the blue bags.

Thanks! How do I add it? Dissolve in bucket of water first?

 

[SkyKid]

Just pour it in and brush it
Most will dissolve on it's own

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

"pool salt" tends to be finer and dissolve quicker than Morton salt but both will dissolve with brushing.