help with cloudy water

[Seadog]

I've read TFP site in the past but am now adapting to methods. I have just ordered a Taylor 2006 and waiting for it, but test results are from standard testing kit (not strips) I bought from local pool store.

I had some iron stains on my vinyl and steps that were effectively removed with an"clear result (Haviland)" stain and scale remover. I put in 3 quarts yesterday. This morning the water looked great. Added about 1/2 gallon of 12.5 liquid chlorine, and 8 oz of polyquat.

I backwashed the filter.

Last test:
FC much higher than 3. ( best I can say with testing kit I have)
Ph 7.5
CYA best guess is about 140.
I've not done an alkalinity test for quite some time.

I then turned on the heater and after 3 hours the water is cloudy white. FC and ph are the same.

Could turning on the heater cause a reaction the turns the water cloudy?

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks for the help and for the forum.

Tom

 

[Casey]

Welcome to TFP.

I doubt the heater caused the pool to go cloudy. It's more than likely a very low FC level if your CYA is actually 140. We can not give you feed back unless we have accurate test results and not dip strips or the pool store.

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

What is your CH level? CH can cause cloudiness sometimes. I don't know if the heater might be involved with that.

The other leading cause of cloudiness is algae which is caused by low chlorine levels and often exacerbated by high CYA levels. High CYA levels make it difficult to maintain sufficient chlorine to prevent algae.

Chlorine levels are set based on CYA level and the Chlorine CYA Chart.

The recommended cya level for your pool is 30-50ppm which gives a target FC level of 4-6ppm. With CYA of 140 the target chlorine level is 16ppm. Minimum FC is 10, which means that if chlorine drops below 10 the pool is not sanitized and algae can grow. Also, the shock level is 56ppm, which means it will take a lot of chlorine/bleach to SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain your pool.

We typically recommend draining about 1/3 of your water and refilling several times to reduce CYA down to around 50.

 

[Seadog]

Thanks for the responses. Just got back from work, and it is less cloudy now than yesterday. Just been running filter continuously.
CH was low when I checked it this spring. Since I have vinyl, I haven't retested.
So, if I raise chlorine due to high CYA ( I know I need to drain and but won't be able to do that for a few weeks), will that cause metals to be released by sequester product?

thanks for all the help.
Tom

 

[pooldv]

Ok, that eliminates CH as the cause of cloudiness and reinforces algae. Yes, it is possible that increasing chlorine could cause more issues with the metals. Lowering PH to 7.2 can help with that. If you don't increase chlorine you will have even bigger problems with algae. Filtering out the cloudiness is temporary, it takes chlorine to kill it.

Chlorine level is set based on the CYA level and the Chlorine CYA Chart. It needs to be above the minimum at all times to avoid algae. It needs to be closer to shock level to kill algae.

Until you drain to lower CYA it is going to be a bit of a dance.