Cloudy, Cloudy, Cloudy. I'm going insane.

[creebo23]

[attachment=1:1y0697rq]pool1.JPG[/attachment:1y0697rq] [attachment=0:1y0697rq]pool2.JPG[/attachment:1y0697rq]The pool I work on is cloudy and I cannot get it to clear up. When we took the mesh cover off weeks ago it was a green swamp. I've remover most all of the debris. I adjusted the ph and added shock and chl pucks to the chlorinator. Added cya, hardness, and copper algicide. Pool was super cloudy so I put in some Ultra Brite to clear it up. Didn't work. Then I added Super Floc. Didn't work. The pool store told me to use Pool First Aide. Didn't work. Then they said to add more Ulta Brite and let the pumps run for an hour and cut them off to let all the dead algae settle to the bottom and vacuum. Well 48 hours later and I'm still so cloudy I can barely see the steps. PLEASE HELP!!!!

In Ground Plaster
Ph- 7.4
Chl- 4
Alk- 120
Cya-60
Hardness-110 (i know it's low)
phos-0
62,000gal
2-hayward 1.5 or 2 hp

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

I am just going to say that you have a very interesting looking pool and will let others chime in on your questions.

 

[Butterfly]

Welcome to the forum

Is this a public pool?

You need one of the recommended test kits. We'd like to know FC and CC , especially. Based on the CYA, the pool does not have enough chlorine to maintain, much less clear.

Help is in Pool School. You will need to follow the shock process, "How to Shock your Pool".

 

[duraleigh]

I think you simply need to elevate your chlorine to shock value (24 ppm) and hold it at that value until the pool clears. It won't be too long based on the good pics you posted..

read "How to Shock Your Pool" up in Pool School....it's a different process than you have probably done before but it is absolutely dependable and will clear that pool.

The forum NEVER suggests anything with copper in it and, for that matter, you don't need to buy any more of the pool store stuff you have been buying.....you only need chlorine.....the other stuff is hurting, not helping. Read that article. :lol:

 

[harleysilo]

Apartment complex? I used to be a maintenance man, and had to take care of the pool too. The boss was clueless, and so was i, but we didn't know it LOL. I bet that water was nasty now that i know what i know.

If this is for/part of your job (or even if it's just your pool) the first thing you need to do is buy a proper test kit, the second thing you need to do is get educated and quit listening to the pool store.

read this pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison
then buy this http://tftestkits.net/TF-100-Test-Kit-p4.html with the XL option and the speed stir.

Then while you wait for the test kit to arrive read all of Pool School. pool-school/

Seriously, like spend 5 hours reading it, print it out and read it.

We can't help you until you can give us accurate test results and have gained at least some minimal knowledge so you can figure out what needs to be done to this pool.

Reference this chart pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock and giving the benefit of the doubt to the test results you've posted, you will see that you are in the range for FC with a 60 PPM of CYA, however your pool is cloudy and needs to go through the shock process pool-school/shocking_your_pool You need a test kit that can test above 5 PPM of Free Chlorine to perform it properly. Note the pool can be swam in up to the shock level for the pool.

If you have to deal with code enforcement or health inspections/inspector you should tell us what their chemical requirements/levels are.

Good Luck! You can do this and we can help! Ask away!

 

[creebo23]

Welcome to TFP!!!

I am just going to say that you have a very interesting looking pool and will let others chime in on your questions.

Thanks

 

[creebo23]

So the consensus seems to be just shock the pool until it clears? I've never considered this as an option before. I figured I just had way too much free floating material that my sand filter wasn't catching.

 

[jblizzle]

You can try confirm your hypothesis by Performing the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. If you pass and have low CC {these are 2 of the 3 criteria to stop the shock process}, then there is nothing in the pool consuming the chlorine, so it may just be a need for more filtration.

 

[creebo23]

Apartment complex? I used to be a maintenance man, and had to take care of the pool too. The boss was clueless, and so was i, but we didn't know it LOL. I bet that water was nasty now that i know what i know.

If this is for/part of your job (or even if it's just your pool) the first thing you need to do is buy a proper test kit, the second thing you need to do is get educated and quit listening to the pool store.

read this pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison
then buy this http://tftestkits.net/TF-100-Test-Kit-p4.html with the XL option and the speed stir.

Then while you wait for the test kit to arrive read all of Pool School. pool-school/

Seriously, like spend 5 hours reading it, print it out and read it.

We can't help you until you can give us accurate test results and have gained at least some minimal knowledge so you can figure out what needs to be done to this pool.

Reference this chart pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock and giving the benefit of the doubt to the test results you've posted, you will see that you are in the range for FC with a 60 PPM of CYA, however your pool is cloudy and needs to go through the shock process pool-school/shocking_your_pool You need a test kit that can test above 5 PPM of Free Chlorine to perform it properly. Note the pool can be swam in up to the shock level for the pool.

If you have to deal with code enforcement or health inspections/inspector you should tell us what their chemical requirements/levels are.

Good Luck! You can do this and we can help! Ask away!

It's a pool at a tennis club I work at on the weekends. I have a complete FAS-DPD Test kit that I purchased at Leslie's. I'm relatively educated on the pool stuff except for everything I forgot since I took my CPO test 2 years ago.
The owner always drained to pool before opening to clean and check for cracks. Then after it was filled with water it was easy to maintain.
This year they wanted to try and save money by not draining it. I told him prior that I've never had to make a swamp clear and if he was sure he wanted to go this route.

 

[duraleigh]

I figured I just had way too much free floating material that my sand filter wasn't catching.

Common misconception that MANY folks have but it isn't true. A sand filter can catch anything your eye can see.

 

[jblizzle]

I'm relatively educated on the pool stuff except for everything I forgot since I took my CPO test 2 years ago.

Might want to read this:
certified-pool-operator-cpo-training-what-is-not-taught-t18432.html

 

[Butterfly]

How do you normally chlorinate the pool?

 

[creebo23]

Normally I'll add 6 or 7lbs granular chl to a bucket of water and stir to dilute and then add that to the pool once every/every other week. I keep tabs in the chlorinator almost always and try to maintain a chl level between 2 and 4.

 

[jblizzle]

That FC level is way too low for your CYA of 60ppm (which is only going to rise due to the use of pucks and dichlor granules (if you are not using cal-hypo)).

The minimum the FC should ever be is 5ppm:
pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock

 

[Butterfly]

^^^^ what Jason said. You can use the Pool Calculator (link in my sig) to figure what each pound of granular/tabs, etc., adds to the pool in the form of CYA or CH, etc.

First add the pool gallons at top of calculator then scroll down to Effects of Adding Chemicals.

This is a very, very handy tool to have in your belt.

 

[creebo23]

Oh I'm fixing to blow your mind guys. I asked the owner yesterday when he had the sand in the filters replaced. He said, "I thought you did that when you installed them?" I said, "no, I mean replace the sand. You have to take out the old sand and put new sand in because over time the sand wears down and...so it's never been replaced?"
I think I've found my first problem being that the sand is easily over 12 years old.

 

[Smykowski]

You don't need to change the sand. It existed for millions of years before, 12 years in your filter won't change it.

There are only a few very specific reasons to change sand, and age is not one of them.

 

[creebo23]

There are only a few very specific reasons to change sand, and age is not one of them.

So what would the other reasons be? I haven't run the pumps/filters for 72 hours and the pool is only looking better. There's no green hue and I can finally see the bottom in the shallow end. When I was running the pumps/filters i could barely see the stairs.

 

[JesseWV]

If you're concerned about the sand you could check to see if the sand is channeled or caked and you can give it a good stirring/washing with a hose while you're in there. After you get it all back together adding some DE will help filtration.

 

[JesseWV]

The only reason I can think of to replace your sand would be if it had calcium deposits.

Everything is going to the bottom when the pump isn't running most likely because you added a floculant. You could wait until it all settles and then slowly and carefully vacuum to waste.

There are only a few very specific reasons to change sand, and age is not one of them.

So what would the other reasons be? I haven't run the pumps/filters for 72 hours and the pool is only looking better. There's no green hue and I can finally see the bottom in the shallow end. When I was running the pumps/filters i could barely see the stairs.