New here with a super cloudy (but blue) pool

[seh202]

Hello everyone! What a fount of information here- I really appreciate it. I opened the pool about two weeks ago and still have incredibly cloudy water. The water is blue- but very cloudy. I am used to some cloudiness while I adjust everything- but it’s still so cloudy I cannot see to the bottom. I can barely see two feet in! I think from reading this post and my CC count- you’re going to tell me to SLAM it. So I’m starting that process (as you can see by my high FC) but I also noticed my CYA was at 0 so I’m in the process of adding that (via a sock in the strainer basket).

Starting 8-10 days ago all levels were balanced (I have a good at home test kit as recommended), although I have lost the sheet. My CC was consistently at .6 -.8 but I thought it was just weeding out any final algae. I had the kids swim in it for a couple of days, thinking the extra circulation would help- to no avail. Here are the numbers I do have:
6-27
FC 2, CC .6, 7.1 PH, 90 TA, 60 CH (pool is vinyl)
CYA <30 (the solution wasn’t cloudy even a little)

So I added baking soda, shock, and dissolved some CYA plus filled some pantyhose with it and added it to the skimmer, following the directions it should bring it to 40.

6-28 9am
12 FC, 1.5 CC, 7.4 PH, 130 TA

1:30
11 FC, 1 CC, 7.2 PH, 120 TA

11pm
9 FC, 1 CC, 7.2 PH, 150 TA

And today at noon I tested:
8.5 FC, 1 CC, 7.2 PH, 150 TA

From what I understand its too early to test my CYA level again as the reading won’t be accurate. Does it seem like I’m on the right track? I’m about to add 79 oz. of 8.24% bleach (pool math says that should get me back to 12FC) and will re-test tonight (and throw the auto vac in for a couple of hours + brush the sides). Am I missing anything that make you all think would explain the extreme cloudiness? Is SLAMing the right idea? Is 12 FC ok since the CYA is still dissolving or should I aim for 16 since I will eventually have a CYA of 40?

Thanks for your help!

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

I recommend doing an overnight FC loss test (see the How To section of Pool School) and also measuring your CH level. If the overnight FC loss test shows FC getting lost you haven't finished dealing with the algae. But if the CH test is very very high you might have problems with calcium clouding.

 

[seh202]

Thanks for the fast reply Jason! I posted my CH was 60, which I believe is low. It's a vinyl pool. Would CH raise with baking soda or bleach? I can test again when I get back home this evening.

 

[jblizzle]

No CH will not rise due to baking soda or bleach ... it is low, so that is not causing the problem.

 

[seh202]

Ok, that's what I thought. So we all think I'm on the right track then? lol I will do an overnight FC test tonight, vacuuming now.

 

[seh202]

So my wife will pull a sample in the morning before leaving for work (before sunrise), but tonights results were: FC 12, CC less than .5, 7.2 PH, 150 TA. So from 10am on (when I added the bleach to bring it to 12) it seems I haven't lost any FC and my CC is way down. The pool looks slightly more clear than this morning but everytime I say that- I'm usually just imagining it. lol

 

[jblizzle]

You can not let the water sample sit around before testing. You need to test it fairly quickly.

 

[seh202]

Thanks for the reminder Jason. Wife tested it right away. We didn't lose any FC (12), CC is now 1.
Water is still bright blue and cloudy as heck. Should I add some extra bleach thinking my CYA level has risen or should I go ahead and move on to a different theory. What theory would you suggest? lol

 

[jblizzle]

A CC of 1 is not good either, that fails one of the SLAM criteria. Keep up the SLAM.

Have you deep cleaned the sand filter? Then tried a little DE in it?

 

[seh202]

I haven't tried DE. How much should I add? It's a 250lb filter.

 

[jblizzle]

Check out the article in Pool School: Add DE to a Sand Filter

 

[seh202]

Ok, just added my first dose of DE. Also checked the water. Now I'm at 13.5 FC, 0 CC, 150 TA and 7.2 PH.

This morning my CYA tested at 35- so I went ahead and bumped up to 16 FC. Should I do that again since my water isn't clear so I don't pass SLAM criteria?

 

[jblizzle]

You should raise the FC to shock level any time you test and it is too low.

 

[seh202]

Jason, thanks so much for all of your help! I added the extra bleach now and the DE bumped the filter pressure up like a champ.
For reference while bagging the leaves from the top today I took these photos:
Leaf rake at the very bottom -

Leaf rake about 3 feet up - (5ft pool) -

At the top (but under water) -

 

[seh202]

Ahh! Help. After a small improvement with DE, decided to go ahead and do the filter deep clean as recommended. But when I took off the valve, the whole tube and laterals came out with it! The good news is- I know none are broken. Of course the bad news is I have to get them back in there. I guess I will have to remove and replace all the sand. Should I just jump to a neobrite type sand and save the extra work?

 

[mfederwi]

Were you really low on sand? I also have a 250 pound sand filter and when I checked my laterals I had to remove almost all of the sand before the laterals could be removed.

 

[seh202]

I had the sand replaced early last season. I had some cloudiness last year-but the pool store said everyone had cloudiness due to the very hot weather that year. Now I'm thinking I am stupid for ever listening to them and I may be light on sand. Guess I should go ahead and replace it all since I don't know how much was used before?

The stuff they took out last year was white (from the previous owners). The stuff that is in there now is tan. The other difference I noticed was that before replacing the sand- I could hear it moving while the pump was operating- especially during a backwash. Now I cannot. This makes me think they were using some sort of sand alternative, which is why I asked about the neobrite.

 

[seh202]

So I started to do the sand filter deep clean this morning. I worked on that thing for over 2 hours. When my wife came home I reached in to show her a handful of the nice pretty sand I was (surely!!) almost done cleaning. Instead I pulled up a huge pile of black goop mixed with sand. Thats when I gave up- sent her to the pool store- and changed the sand. Here's a photo of one of the last scoops left in the filter:

So after completing that and backwashing and rinsing well- the moment of truth. The filter sounded awesome and I had an increase in pressure by about 2 psi according to the gauge (I ordered another today- not sure I believe that). The output was much stronger- we could see the water move! So I think all of my issues may be related to the sand not being handled properly by someone at some point. We will see how it looks in the morning I suppose. I also put the ladder in for better pictures.
My FC tonight was 7.5 (the filter was off all day, and it was HOT). I went ahead and raised it to SLAM levels and will do an OFCL test tonight as well.