Cloudy and Chlorine problems

[DaPutty]

I think this site is tremendous. I have been battling my pool store for 2 months now to find out what is wrong with my pool. I hope I can find some help here for my specific problem.

Here is the background:
The pool has been relatively trouble free for years. We had company for almost two weeks and the 3 kids that visited were in the pool for at least 5 hours a day for 2 weeks straight. This is no where near the usual bather load since my wife and I only use it sparingly. After the company left we had trouble with green algae and maintaining chlorine levels. After many trips to the pool store and no improvement, they tested for phosphates and they were at 2400. They recommended a phosphate remover. We followed their instructions and the phosphates went down to virtually zero. We still had the same problem. After the filter was replaced, we had the water tested again. We added stabilizer then a week later there was no stabilizer(with very little recent rain). We added more stabilizer and that has seemed to be normal now. The pool is still cloudy and I have the chlorine production on 99%. If I turn off the filter overnight, it seems the chlorine level drops dramatically overnight. Throughout this whole experience, I have been aware that my SWG may be acting up. At one point I went to tablets, with very little change in my results. Chlorine is certainly being generated on some level because its in the pool but my recent test results show perfect chemistry and the pool is still cloudy and the chlorine fluctuates quite a bit and there is a smell of chlorine when you step near the pool. Any advice or help is appreciated. I have ordered the Taylor test kit and will give results when I can but any immediate advice is much appreciated. Thanks TFP!!!!

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! You have all the symptoms of an early stage algae bloom. You currently generate enough chlorine to keep the pool from turning green, but just barely. Your new test kit will give the most reliable results, but I would like to know what the last pool store test results said. As you dig deeper into all the great information here you will see that our definition of perfect chemistry and the pool industry's definition of perfect chemistry don't match up! Bottom line, if the chemistry was truly perfect your water wouldn't be having problems.

SWG's are great for maintaining chlorine levels but really struggle with generating enough chlorine quickly enough to kill off an algae bloom. You are seeing the chlorine drop overnight because it is being consumed fighting off the algae. For now, stop running the SWG and use liquid chlorine instead. Using liquid chlorine until the pool is clear will save wear and tear on the SWG cell. Pour a 64 ounce jug of 8% plain bleach slowly in front of a return with the pump running and allow at least 15-30 minutes of pump run time to mix well. You can keep the pump running as long as you want, just don't shut it off before the bleach has had a chance to mix into the pool water. Do this once a day until the test kit arrives. Also do not use any more tablets. They are also meant to maintain chlorine levels and don't release chlorine quickly enough to fight off an algae bloom. Since the most common tablet is trichlor, it also releases CYA (stabilizer) into the water. Too much CYA will actually create a need for higher chlorine levels and can make your current situation worse.

While you are waiting on your new test kit read up on the SLAM process . This is the process you will need to follow to clear the pool.

If you have any questions please ask. We will be happy to help!

 

[MarianParoo]

Did your test kit arrive yet?

 

[DaPutty]

Hi Guys! Thanks for the responses. I received my test kit and I haven't really done anything to the pool chemically. My Taylor Kit arrived yesterday and I did the testing. The pool actually looks like it is clearing up a little bit. My test results are:
4.2 FC
0 CC
7.6 PH
85 TA
<30 CYA the solution never obscurred the black dot when it was full
310 CH


I have had my SWG on 99% running full time. There is still a smell of chlorine coming off the water to the point where I can smell it from 15 feet away. Also, the last two months I have added conditioner 3 times at the advice of the pool store. They say it's the rain but it hasn't rained that much and I've never put in this much. to Zea3: are you suggesting adding regular bleach from the supermarket. I am definitely interested in doing this since I still need to determine if my SWG is not working properly.

The last test I did at the pool store gave me perfect results. I can't find the sheet though. However, I do have a sample of the same water I tested with my new test kit. If it is worthwhile, I can run that in to the pool store for
testing.

Thanks for all the input!!!

 

[MarianParoo]

Naw, don't go to the pool $tore. Btw, in the future, use a 10ml water sample and multiple the results by 0.5 instead. Only rarely do you need the 0.2 accuracy.

Yes, you can use plain old bleach. I don't know much about SWG's but I do know that it's not a good idea to have your SWG set so high.

How is the water looking? You still may need to SLAM.

 

[zea3]

Water samples degrade at an accelerated rate since they are far smaller in volume and have more exposure to uv light. Any sample that has been sitting more than an hour has the potential to have degraded enough to give an incorrect result when compared to the bulk pool water, so there is no point in testing old samples.