Cloudy white water won't clear

bjmcgill09

Member
Aug 21, 2023
24
Louisville, Ohio
I am new to having a pool and trying to learn how to properly care for and maintain the pool because I am having nothing but problems all season long and feel I have been learning the hard way through wrong/differing advice from different pool stores and online articles.
I have ordered a test kit TF-100, but for now these are my levels based on the pool stores testing:
FC 2.2
CC 0.1
PH 7.5
TA 145
CH 181
CYA 46

I continually have problems with my pool turning a milky cloudy white. This first happened about 2 1/2 months ago when I noticed a bit of algae and was informed I needed to be shocking my pool every 10 days or so. I was advised to shock the pool and add a copper based algaecide, which I did. The pool went immediately a bluish milky white. I was told by someone else never to add an algaecide and then helped vacuum my pool to waste because there was so much slimy sediment in the pool. The cloudiness continued and I was told we would need to change out the sand in our sand filter as it was probably clogged with all the slimy sediment.
We changed the sand in the filter and the water started clearing up, but was never crystal clear. After using the pool for a few days followed by some rain, I shocked the pool again as I had been adviced to do and again it went milky white and wouldn't clear up. I was told the particles in the water were too fine for the sand filter to pick up and we were told to add pool floc and then vac to waste. I did as I was told and the pool cleared up, but wasn't crytal clear as i had to add quite a bit of very hard well water. We were told to add a metal scaled out product to bring down the CH. But the water never was a clear as I would have liked.
This past week we had a big rain storm that dumped about 1 1/2 - 2 inches of rain into the pool. I was advised to shock the pool after that much rain and now we are back in the same place with a very cloudy pool. I can only see about 2-3 inches into the pool. I was advised to add pool floc and vac to waste, which id did, but it didn't clear up. Then i was told to add clarifier and backwash daily, which again did nothing. I was advised to add a product to bring down the phosphates, but at this point i didn't listen to the advise because it was expensive and I don't know what is good advise and what is adding to the problem.
So I am trying to do my own research and get sound advise.

I have used liquid chlorine for shocking, but have been using chlorine pucks as our daily cholorine source. Our pool is very open with few trees around and have a lot of farm fields around us, with a lot of wind.
I am trying to determine what is causing the white cloudiness. Do we have an algae problem and was continually have dead algae, or is it caused by the chemicals added to the pool? Help!
 
Last edited:
Welcome to the forum!
You need to follow the SLAM Process. Great choice on ordering a proper test kit.

While you are waiting on your test kit, add 5 ppm FC worth (1/2 gallon) of liquid chlorine / plain bleach to your pool each evening with the pump running. This will replenish the FC lost each day to the sun and also inhibit any algae in the water from growing further.
I suggest you read through Pool Care Basics - Trouble Free Pool and even look at a few of our videos TFP-TV - Trouble Free Pool
 
Welcome to the forum!
You need to follow the SLAM Process. Great choice on ordering a proper test kit.

While you are waiting on your test kit, add 5 ppm FC worth (1/2 gallon) of liquid chlorine / plain bleach to your pool each evening with the pump running. This will replenish the FC lost each day to the sun and also inhibit any algae in the water from growing further.
I suggest you read through Pool Care Basics - Trouble Free Pool and even look at a few of our videos TFP-TV - Trouble Free Pool
So I realize I made a mistake in my post, my CC is 0.1, I got confused and put in the total chlorine level. Do you still recommend the SLAM process to clear up the pool once my test kit comes?
 
So I got my test kit today and tested our pool and tested the water today here are the current results:

PH - 7.8
FC - 11
CC - 0.5
CH - 875
TA - 150
CYA - 30

We have very hard well water that we use as fill water. But I was surprised at how high it was compared to what the pool store testing shows.
I will do a an Overnight Chlorine loss test tonight so see what that looks like before I start the SLAM process.

But I am trying to figure out our best course of action. We inherited this pool when be moved to this house earlier this year. I talked to the previous owner and the pool was installed in 2013. The liner is now 10 years old and is looking faded, which doesn't bother me, but does that mean its at the end of its life? (I read that vinyl liners for AG pools last around 10 years). If the liner is at the end of its life, and we are approaching the end of pool season do I even put the time and effort into the SLAM process just to winterize the pool. Or do we just consider draining the pool and then having a new liner installed next summer and starting with fresh water? If the liner can last another few years then I would like to avoid that expense, but if its at the end of its life I don't want to waste more money on chemicals etc. to then turn around and have to replace the liner this next year because the liner is bad.

I value your thoughts
 
Liner can last many years even if faded.
You never drain a pool with a liner. The liner will shift and fail.
Your FC is at SLAM level. Maintain that for a few days. Do an OCLT.
 
Liner can last many years even if faded.
You never drain a pool with a liner. The liner will shift and fail.
Your FC is at SLAM level. Maintain that for a few days. Do an OCLT.
Ok then I will do the SLAM, since I techincally hadn't started it yet, do I need to adjust my PH to 7.2 before continuing? Or just do the OCLT and then keep the chlorine at SLAM level? I have just been adding the 1/2 gallon of chlorine at night so is will that throw off my PH levels?
 

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I was finally able to do the OCLT last night, we've had big storms with lots of rain. My FC stayed at 18 for the PM & AM test.

Here are my current test results as of this morning for everything else:
PH - 7.5 (I had it at 7.2 but i think all the rain changed it )
FC - 18
CC - 0.5
TA - 130
CH - 775
CYA - 30

Of course my water is still cloudy white -So will doing the SLAM clear up the water?
 

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Of course my water is still cloudy white -So will doing the SLAM clear up the water?
Yes. It may take a while with a sand filter. You might consider adding DE to speed the process.


Your CH is very high, though rare in a vinyl pool, do you see any scaling?
 
Yes. It may take a while with a sand filter. You might consider adding DE to speed the process.


Your CH is very high, though rare in a vinyl pool, do you see any scaling?
Yes I was surprised to see how high our CH is compared to what the pool store testing showed it was. We have very hard water that we use as fill water (I use a filter but it doesn't do much), so I'm sure that's why its so high. I did add some DE to the filter the other night, how often do I need to add it in?
 
Yes I was surprised to see how high our CH is compared to what the pool store testing showed it was. We have very hard water that we use as fill water (I use a filter but it doesn't do much), so I'm sure that's why its so high. I did add some DE to the filter the other night, how often do I need to add it in?
And to be honest since this is the first I have ever had a pool I'm not sure if there is scaling or not...what would I see that shows signs of this?
 
Yes I was surprised to see how high our CH is compared to what the pool store testing showed it was. We have very hard water that we use as fill water (I use a filter but it doesn't do much), so I'm sure that's why its so high. I did add some DE to the filter the other night, how often do I need to add it in?
WIth my FC being higher already at this point, do i try and bring my PH down to 7.2? I'm not sure if the higher chlorine made my PH reading go up or the rain. Last night it tested at 7.2 and this morning at 7.5. My FC yesterday afternoon was at 14 and this morning at 18
 
WIth my FC being higher already at this point, do i try and bring my PH down to 7.2? I'm not sure if the higher chlorine made my PH reading go up or the rain. Last night it tested at 7.2 and this morning at 7.5. My FC yesterday afternoon was at 14 and this morning at 18
Your ph is fine.
Just maintain slam level for your cya which is 12ppm - going over just wastes chlorine & risks damage to your liner, equipment & swimmers.
FC/CYA Levels
 
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