Indoor pool at vacation house has cloudy water

[bjaspan]

Hi. I used this site in 2021 for questions about my own small outdoor above-ground pool. Today, I have questions about an indoor pool.

We arrived last night at a vacation house in Maine with an indoor heated pool. It is a chlorine pool. The water looks somewhat cloudy; we cannot clearly see the bottom on the deep end. I just spoke with the owner, who seems responsive and responsible. He said that the pool maintenance company comes every two months, they were just here a few days ago, and that they shocked the pool. He said that they said that it is normal for it to be cloudy for 48 hours or so after shocking, then it will become crystal clear, but in the meantime it is completely safe to swim in. He also says he comes more often to test the water and add chlorine tablets.

My questions:

* If the pool needed to be shocked a few days ago, does that suggest that the water was significantly out of balance, and thus suggest that it isn't being well maintained? Otherwise, why would it need shocking?
* Does it sound plausible that it was shocked a couple days ago, is cloudy now, and yet is safe to swim in now?

We have two little kids and don't want any ear infections.

Thanks!
Barry

 

[Texas Splash]

If the pool needed to be shocked a few days ago, does that suggest that the water was significantly out of balance, and thus suggest that it isn't being well maintained? Otherwise, why would it need shocking?

Exactly. The chemistry is not consistently maintained.

Does it sound plausible that it was shocked a couple days ago, is cloudy now, and yet is safe to swim in now?

The shocking is not going to keep the pool algae free for the long term. Relying on a pool service to visit every 2 months is huge red flag. Is it safe to swim? Well, if you can see the bottom of the deep end, it's okay from a physical safety standpoint. Chemically it's unsettling and no telling if there are any bacteria issues to be concerned with.

 

[ajw22]

How long are you at the rental house for?

When I was in a rental house in Palm Springs for a month the pool and hot tub looked sketchy. I went to a local Leslie and bought a basic test kit to check pH and chlorine. That gave me some data to discuss with the owner that the pool and tub water chemistry was off and his pool service was not doing their job. He got the pool service out to the house while I was there and they fixed the water chemistry to my satisfaction.

I suggest you do the same.

Now if I am going to a rental with a pool I bring my test kit.

 

[bjaspan]

The owner came this morning. He said that the pool company comes every two months to clean the sand filter (or something like that), and that he uses a test strip and adds chlorine each time the cleaners come between guests (i.e.: probably about weekly). He said that when the pool company left three days ago, they left the pump off, so it hadn't been running for three days and that is why the pool is cloudy. However, when we arrived late last night, I did notice that water was blowing from one of the jets; is that consistent with "the pump is off"?

Anyway, he said he checked the water with a test strip today, added chlorine tablets, and left the pump on 24/7 until the water clears. It was not clear by tonight. I'll see how it looks in the morning.

I like the idea of bringing my own test kit to future pool house rentals.

 

[PoolStored]

I like the idea of bringing my own test kit to future pool house rentals.

+1. Knowing what I know (now), I wouldn't get in that pool without a test kit.

 

[ajw22]

Anyway, he said he checked the water with a test strip today, added chlorine tablets, and left the pump on 24/7 until the water clears. It was not clear by tonight. I'll see how it looks in the morning.

Good luck with that.

We put no reliance on test strips.

Using trichlor tablets in an indoor pool that is not regularly drained means it can have a high CYA level. The levels of chlorine test strips can read with a high CYA level do not make the water sanitary. Refer to the FC/CYA Levels

And clearing up a cloudy pool usually requires the SLAM Process

You will need to assess your risk level of your family using the pool. I would be particularly careful with women and children using it.

 

[bjaspan]

We used the pool yesterday. No ill effects so far. Some more things I've noticed so far:

1. Opening my eyes in the water stings so much that I have to close them immediately, which is not normally the case in a healthy chlorine pool.
2. I put some of the water on my tongue and it had a slightly sour taste. If that taste is because the water is acidic, this page says the pH could be between 4 and 5. That seems... poor.
3. The deep end of this pool is pretty deep, at least 8 feet, maybe even 10-12. When standing next to the deep end, it is nearly impossible to see an adult on the bottom of the pool.

The owner acknowledged yesterday that he does not know about pool maintenance himself and is "at the mercy" of the pool company. He seems like a good guy generally; I recommended he come to this site to learn (and probably save a bunch of money).

Anyway, he took a water sample to the pool company yesterday and is coming today to add Sparkle Up and Balance Pak 100. Looking at those products online, it seems the Spark Up is supposed to help the filter clear the water and Balance Pak 100 is a pH-increaser (which would be consistent with a very low pH). He is coming in a few minutes to add them and said the pool company said we needed to stay out of the pool for two hours afterwards. If the pool doesn't seem healthy by this afternoon, we will start discussing breaking our rental early.

 

[Newdude]

it is nearly impossible to see an adult on the bottom of the pool

Then it's a no-go for swimmer safety. If you have to struggle to find someone on the bottom (God forbid) the seconds turn into minutes once panic sets in and it's already too late.

 

[Newdude]

*especially ESPECIALLY with kids. My 5 YO had a fibromiatic (sp?) seizure when she was 5 with zero history or warnings. Laughing on the couch one second and convulsing on the floor the next. At best it would take you a minute to realize they weren't just playing. *shudders at the thought*

 

[bjaspan]

Update:

We arrived on Saturday night late. We used the pool on Sunday and Monday. On Sunday the water was somewhat cloudy but still "blue." By Monday, the water already had a noticeable green tint, though as I said we did swim a bit (for the last time, as it turned out). On Tuesday it was clearly worse, and we went out for the day while the owner did whatever the pool company told him to, based on a water sample from Sunday. On Wednesday morning, the water was solidly into the "yuck!" stage.

We left the rental house early; fortunately we were able to just pack up and drive home (5 hours). The owners gave us a refund; they do seem to be good people, just not knowledgeable about how to maintain a pool. Of course, this still blew up our vacation; we didn't want a refund, we wanted to use the pool for the week! Oh well.

I advised the owners to come here to learn how to fix and maintain the pool himself. I hope they do; I'd love to be able to rent that house again if the pool is healthy.

 

[bjaspan]

I had a small above-ground pool in 2021 and successfully maintained it by following the information on this site, so I've drunk the TFP Kool-Aid (Pool-Aid?). My family now likes to rent vacation homes with indoor (during winter) or outdoor pools for a week at a time. After multiple successful vacations, we just had our first where the pool was unusable due to poor water quality (see other recent thread from me). One suggestion on that other thread was for us to bring our own test kit with us when we rent these houses.

What kit would be the most useful? Since we will be guests, we will not be maintaining these pools ourselves; we won't be adding any chemicals or doing anything other than gathering data. We will want to know (1) is the pool safe and healthy to use? and (2) if not, what info can we provide to the owners that might realistically help during a week-long vacation? Also, (3) how long do the reagents last in storage before we will have to throw it away and buy a new kit?

I used the Taylor K-1000 kit for our above-ground pool in 2021 and still have it. Based on Swimming Pool Test Kits Compared, it looks like the Taylor K-2006 (not "C" version, as we won't need the larger reagent quantity) might be a good choice. The cost of any of these kits is small compared to a week-long vacation rental.

 

[bjaspan]

I guess the real question is: As temporary pool renters, what tests/chemical levels do we want to check to verify the pool is healthy enough for us to use?

 

[bradgray]

I guess the real question is: As temporary pool renters, what tests/chemical levels do we want to check to verify the pool is healthy enough for us to use?

Test strips are not a popular recommendation, but we (I) have had good results with AquaChek Pro strips. Given your basic goal, these are easy to transport and give a fair judgment of the water. https://a.co/d/8xo3h0g

I wouldn't rely on these for long term maintenance, but they'll tell you enough to make an informed use decision. As well as arm you with some feedback to give the host if you need to.

 

[ajw22]

I guess the real question is: As temporary pool renters, what tests/chemical levels do we want to check to verify the pool is healthy enough for us to use?

All I need is the chlorine test and pH test in the Taylor K-1000 kit. Is there chlorine in the pool and is the pH in the 7s plus how the water looks lets me judge the condition of the pool. The Taylor K-2006 would be even better.

TA and CH don’t affect the health of the water.

You need to know CYA to use the FC/CYA Levels but if the water is clear and the K-1000 shows a nice yellow to gold level of chlorine the water is probably safe to swim.

 

[mgtfp]

You could add the stand-alone CYA test kit from Tftestkits to your K-1000. No need even to take the full kit on holidays - just prefill the little mixing bottle with one dose of reagent. Make a marking at the test tube where the right amount of sample water is, then you only have to take the prefilled mixing bottle and the test tube on vacation. Use the test tube with the marking to take the water sample, add it to the mixing bottle, mix, and then back into the test tube for the test. You only need to test CYA once.

But I agree with Allen, if there is chlorine in the water, and the chlorine is holding, then it's a promising start - you're not there to maintain the pool, just to enjoy it for a few days.