Battling cloudy water all summer

[ec987]

I had a couple green algae outbreaks early in the summer, and I followed the SLAM method to remove the algae. Yet, I've been battling a cloudy pool on and off for the past month or so. My CC was less than 0.5ppm when I checked before I shocked the pool 2 days ago to 18ppm FC (pulling out all the stops, as I'm having a pool party this Saturday). CYA was 30 a little earlier in the summer, but had dropped since we had a ton of rain right after I measured, so I added some stabilizer after I shocked the pool. TA has consistently been 100ppm all summer, and CA is usually around 150ppm (always measures low, so may be lower than that, since I haven't tested it in a while). PH appears to be 7.5-7.6, as measured before I shocked the pool.

I think there have been 3-4 days of brilliant water clarity, and (since the early times of outbreaks of algae) I've maintained FC above 3ppm consistently. I brush the pool after each shock and at least once a week, and I run the vacuum at least every 2 days (though it doesn't always hit all the surfaces). The days when the water was clear, I noticed sediment in the corners of the pool. There's construction of a brand new subdivision going on behind my house, and I attributed the heavy sediment to the construction, but since we've had so much rain, I don't know that that is the actual cause. Any ideas?

 

[adrob2]

Have you checked behind any ladders or the back of the skimmer to see if there's an area that's not getting cleaned where the algae are living? I know some others on the forum have found that when they removed a ladder and drained the water that bunch of algae came out.

 

[kcindc]

Not sure if you've covered all of your bases when you SLAMed, but here is a complete overview:

Shock is process of raising your FC to shock levels and maintaining the FC level until all of the 3 criteria have been met:
1. Crystal clear water
2. CC 0.5 or less
3. You pass the OCLT test.

Did you pass the OCLT? Do you test and add bleach every day? Has the FC ever been below the minimum for your CYA? When you add bleach, what is your target FC?

There is no need to shock a pool if you have maintained proper FC levels for your CYA. Many folks here can go years without ever needing to SLAM their pool.

Since your pool is cloudy, then you need to raising your FC to shock levels and keep it there... shocking is not a one time addition of chlorine in the hopes that it will kill the algae. How to SLAM (Shock Level And Maintain) http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/125-slam-shock-level-and-maintain-shockingl

Ideally, you should test and add chlorine frequently at first (several times a day). Make sure that your solar cover is free of dirt, debris and algae. Once clean, clean the solar cover with bleach water. Put the solar cover on the pool when the pool is clean and raise the FC to shock levels for a day or so to make sure it is free of algae. Check for algae behind lights, stairs and skimmer throats. Clean all pool toys in with bleach water.

Chlorine CYA Chart:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock

OCLT test
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/136-perform-the-overnight-fc-chlorine-loss-test-oclt

 

[Gearjammer]

The ladder was my culprit. I fought hard for weeks to improve clarity. It didn't happen until I pulled the ladder out and scrubbed it, as well as the area it had been obscuring.

 

[ec987]

Have you checked behind any ladders or the back of the skimmer to see if there's an area that's not getting cleaned where the algae are living? I know some others on the forum have found that when they removed a ladder and drained the water that bunch of algae came out.

Yeah, my escutcheons are broken, so I only put the ladder in there earlier this week. Those things are expensive, considering they're mainly decoration! Skimmer looks fine, as well, and can't see anything on the light. I've scrubbed both.

 

[ec987]

Not sure if you've covered all of your bases when you SLAMed, but here is a complete overview:

Shock is process of raising your FC to shock levels and maintaining the FC level until all of the 3 criteria have been met:
1. Crystal clear water
2. CC 0.5 or less
3. You pass the OCLT test.

Did you pass the OCLT? Do you test and add bleach every day? Has the FC ever been below the minimum for your CYA? When you add bleach, what is your target FC?

There is no need to shock a pool if you have maintained proper FC levels for your CYA. Many folks here can go years without ever needing to SLAM their pool.

Since your pool is cloudy, then you need to raising your FC to shock levels and keep it there... shocking is not a one time addition of chlorine in the hopes that it will kill the algae. How to SLAM (Shock Level And Maintain) http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/125-slam-shock-level-and-maintain-shockingl

Ideally, you should test and add chlorine frequently at first (several times a day). Make sure that your solar cover is free of dirt, debris and algae. Once clean, clean the solar cover with bleach water. Put the solar cover on the pool when the pool is clean and raise the FC to shock levels for a day or so to make sure it is free of algae. Check for algae behind lights, stairs and skimmer throats. Clean all pool toys in with bleach water.

Chlorine CYA Chart:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/128-chlorine-cya-chart-slam-shock

OCLT test
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/136-perform-the-overnight-fc-chlorine-loss-test-oclt

When I was SLAMing, I kept the FC level at around 16 (CYA approximately 30). I started with CC of 1, and it dropped below 0.5, with loss of FC less than 1 in the OCLT within 3 days or so. Kept it like that for a week, but my water never did clear up. I'm starting to suspect my filter...which is not good. I might try some DE or flocculant. I have noticed that on start-up of the pump, there's an initial light stream of slightly dirty water, which goes away after a few seconds.

 

[ping]

I suggest raising the FC to around 10 tonight and run an OCLT to confirm if the pool has organics or not. You might just be fighting a filter issue.

 

[ec987]

Hope it's not a filter issue, but I'll definitely run that test. Thanks!

 

[northrn]

Kept it like that for a week, but my water never did clear up.

Hi EC, if your water never cleared, you did not complete the SLAM. I would review the SLAM process and begin again, not lowering your chlorine level until you pass all three criteria simultaneously. Good luck to you!

 

[Abigail K]

Yeah, my escutcheons are broken, so I only put the ladder in there earlier this week. Those things are expensive, considering they're mainly decoration! Skimmer looks fine, as well, and can't see anything on the light. I've scrubbed both.

Did you pull the light out and check behind it?

 

[kcindc]

You don't finish the SLAM until after your pool water is crystal clear. There are three criteria to stop a SLAM:

1. Water is crystal clear, AND
2. CCs less than 0.5, AND
3. You pass the OCLT

Since your water was never crystal clear, you shouldn't have stopped the SLAM. Sand filters can take two weeks or more to clear the water because they aren't the best at filtering smaller particles.

You might want to add a little DE to your filter to help speed up the process. http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/133-add-de-to-a-sand-filter