SLAM and white haze

[Aaronbr]

I just completed one year with my pool and I am still learning. I seem to get cloudy water more often than what I feel I should be getting. I maintain my FC at proper levels for my CYA. Typically I kept my CYA around 70 - 80 shooting for a FC between 6 - 9. I have found once my FC drops close to 10 after a SLAM I start getting cloudy water so I began just keeping my FC around 12 or higher, but none of that seems like it should be that way.

Things were fine all winter with the cooler temps and we started swimming again on Easter Sunday. I noticed the water starting to cloud up as the temps warmed up so I decided to do an extended SLAM. My CYA is just under 40 on the test so I just use 40 as my value for SLAM FC level purposes. I've kept my FC 17 - 20 for 2 weeks now, brushing my pool most days. Cleaned my DE filter, fresh powder. Pool is clear, I have the suction covers and lights out, brushed out the autofill and skimmer. I have not done an OCLT yet because I still notice a white haze come from the plaster when I give it a brush. It has always done this and I just thought it was normal, but since I keep having cloudy water issues rather frequently I am now suspecting I have to SLAM till this goes away. Will this ever stop or should I not concern myself with this and move on? I tried to upload a video but I can't get the file size small enough so I put it on YouTube. The pic is my pool at this moment. Crystal clear except that white haze brushing from the wall.

Pool haze 1

Pool haze 2

 

[clambert1273]

Post a full set of test results

 

[Aaronbr]

CYA 40
FC 20.5
CC 0
Ph 7.8
TA 60
CH 575
Salt 3400
Borates ~50

 

[kimkats]

It sure sounds like you are doing and have done everything I was thinking of telling you to do-cleaning lights and such.

I do have to ask this, does it "dust up" if you use a different brush? I am grasping at straws but............you never know when one of my wild ideas help.

 

[Aaronbr]

Not such a wild idea actually and I think you are onto something. I just went out and tried the test first with my actual pool brush and then again with that little white one. I didn't really see a "dust up" with the pool brush but I did see it with the original brush I was using... but only some of the time. The shade has moved in over the pool so I'll do an OCLT test tonight and then redo the brush test to see if it was the brush causing the "dust" this whole time. Thank you for mentioning that, it may just solve my frustrations.

 

[kimkats]

What made me think of it is I went to use my old pool brush that had been sitting outside all winter. When I picked it up the plastic was "chalky" and came off on my hand. When I saw your pool looking SO clean and reading all you have been doing I thought it was worth looking into! SCORE!

 

[Aaronbr]

Well, I checked again today with better lighting. My pool brush produces the "dust up". My OCLT was 1ppm chlorine loss so I guess I'll keep the SLAM process going a bit longer.

 

[kimkats]

well darn!

 

[Aaronbr]

I'm going to up the FC to treat for mustard algae. Not really sure I have it, but reading other posts I do have some symptoms such as cloudy water returning soon after a normal SLAM process.

I'm also not 100% sure my salt cell is working properly. Either it's output is not like it should be or I have something really using up chlorine. In the past I could bring my pool to SLAM levels using liquid chlorine and then just let the salt cell maintain my FC at SLAM level. And after SLAMing the pool I would run my salt cell at about 20% - 30% to maintain normal levels. During this SLAM process I've been keeping my salt cell at 100% and it's barely making an increase in FC and sometimes my FC seems to go down.

I'm still brushing every day and getting the drains and light alcoves best I can from the deck. I've brushed the skimmer basket and auto fill again, brushed my returns best I can with a bottle brush. Maybe I have to clean my DE filter again? It's brand new media in there as I just cleaned it not more than a week ago.

I haven't rechecked the "dust up" again since yesterday. I'm going to buy more chlorine tonight and bring my pool to 30ppm FC and let it soak for a day.

I will figure this out.

 

[Aaronbr]

A quick update on my status. Raising my FC seems to be the fix. After two weeks at SLAM level (FC 17 - 20) and my pool water being crystal clear, yet still having that white "haze" brushing from the walls of my pool, I decided to raise my FC to 30ppm. I passed the OCLT test that same night and I had little to none of that white haze stuff brushing from the wall. I kept my FC elevated all day, gave my pool and extra good brushing, and will let my FC start to drift back down to normal. I'm interested to see if all white haze is gone tomorrow.

 

[kimkats]

SWEET!

 

[Aaronbr]

I'm getting tired of brushing my pool. I'm about to hit 3 weeks of SLAM and while my water is crystal clear I still see some white haze brush off the walls. I also didn't pass an OCLT test last night. Maybe testing error, maybe something is going on I haven't figured out yet, I don't know. I test after it got dark and my FC was 21.5. I woke up and my FC was 17.5. I grabbed sample water from the same location in my pool for each test. I'll try again tonight with my auto over staying open overnight to see if that makes a difference. I read I shouldn't have algae on the underside of my auto over, I'm doing the test to rule that out. If I still fail the OCLT I'll re-clean my DE filter. Maybe what I see is just DE powder in my walls? The cartridges are fine, I just cleaned and inspected me DE filter about 2 weeks ago.

3 weeks seems excessively long.

 

[kimkats]

This is a long one with no real known cause. I do have to wonder about the cover AND the well it rolls into when it is off the pool. Can you see into the well? Can you see the underside of the cover?

 

[Newdude]

Have you scrubbed ever hidden inch, like the autofill (if applicable) and all up in the skimmer ? Ladder rails, light niches.... anywhere algae can hide in plain sight ?

 

[Aaronbr]

I don't seem to know how to do the quote thing yet, lol.

So I left my cover off overnight, wich I just now read I should keep the cover off during a SLAM anyway, and my OCLT was 1. I might do the OCLT again just to see the results.

I can not see the underside of my cover as it rolls up I to a vault. I can access that vault and there is some debris in there but not horrible. After our San Diego winter months I removed all the kids and cleaned it out really well, washing it down with a hose when I was done.

I have also scrubbed out my skimmer basket a few times with a stiff brush, I get in my light niches best I can from the deck, run a bottle brush up each return jet for the hot tub and pool, used brushes on my autofill as well as added some chlorine directly to the autofill enclosure.

I figure. I'll keep SLAMing and updating this along the way. Hopefully I'm close to being done.

 

[Mdragger88]

When you say you get in the light niches- do you mean you removed the light fixture from the niche, set the light on the deck & scrub the hole? If not that’s what we mean.

 

[Aaronbr]

Yes, my lights are out but floating in the water. I coiled the cables and zip tied them to keep them short because up until today I had been closing my auto cover and I couldn't close it with the lights sitting on the deck. But now I've read it's best to SLAM with the cover open.

That said, I may close my cover and wash it with water and dawn. Maybe dirt and whatever was transferring from the top of the cover to the bottom when I'd open it, then transfer to the pool when I closed it. It's just a thought, but I may as well try everything.

Here are current pics of my pool taken 10 minutes ago. You can see my three lights floating in the pool out of their niches, as well as my drain covers are removed.

 

[Mdragger88]

Is it possible to get to the underside of your cover to clean it?

 

[Aaronbr]

Is it possible to get to the underside of your cover to clean it?

No, unfortunately it's not

 

[Aaronbr]

Didn't pass OCLT, 1.5 FC loss. I didn't get my sample when it was still dark though, it was dawn with a bit of light, I'm not sure if that affects chlorine loss much. I have kept my pool cover open and this was the second night. I'm suspecting the cover and/or vault now, I have no other ideas. I'm going to open up the vault, vacuum it out and wash it down, give it a spray down with water/chlorine mix. While I have my cover closed I'll wash the top of it off. I do know there is pollen on it, and it was rather swampy from the winter rains we had gotten. I hosed and scrubbed it off but I didn't do the best job at it, I'll use soap this time. For the pool I'll keep on SLAM'ing.