Cloudy skies... no, wait, cloudy water

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brasilmom said:
I am sure my FC is almost all gone...
I will continue to SLAM methodically.
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I'm not sure you understand the SLAM process. The concept is to bring the FC level to the SLAM level and HOLD it there until the water clears. This is based on you CYA level which has been asked to confirm a couple times.

Please ask if you have any questions.
 
Mr. Bruce, thank you for your reply. I understand the SLAM process, but have not done so methodically. My CYA is sitting at 25 and I just test the FC and it is at this moment at 15ppm. I was going to add more chlorine but it is where it should be. I will do a reading again about mid day and see where things are. Considering the water has no tint to it, I consider that the pool is free of algae, but then the water remains cloudy.
 
Ok let's see how things go now that you have some numbers to give us- firstly work on 30 CYA (Am I right to assume that is the reading from today). Your SLAM level is 12 so therefore you need to hold FC at this level as much as possible. Try to aim to hit 12 when you add your chlorine- (are you using Poolmath).

Now if you can retest and add to take it up to 12 say every couple of hours then you may find that your progress may be quicker. Keep onto it as much as you possibly. can. Algae can be present even in clear water and -cloudiness is often the stage before your pool goes green if you don't deal with it.
 
I was just about to start working through a cloudy water problem with my pool when I saw your post. In reading the linked article on sand filter maintenance and the associated forum posts on cleaning it, I saw one poster say that he could not get cloudy water to clear up after much effort until he started making sure he backwashed for at least 3-5 minutes and rinsed after. With your comment that you get cloudy water out when you switch to low speed, I wonder if that might help. And as Jezza said, only backwash once pressure goes up 25%. So maybe do one more really good backwash (several 5 minute cycles), then leave the filter alone until pressure goes up 25%.

Also, I was using DE to combat cloudy water too but wonder if that could be adding to my problem. If I wasn't getting a complete backwash, I could see some of that DE making it back into the pool. Regardless, I am a proponent of keeping things as simple as possible. The DE is used to 'polish' the water. I think the sand filter can fix cloudy water without DE. I'm going to try DE AFTER the pool is mostly clear. Just to make sure it isn't adding to my problems. On the other hand, in the SLAM instructions it does say that DE added to a sand filter will clear the water up faster, so if done properly it is probably beneficial.

Someone should probably confirm this is accurate before you go with it. I'm still a newbie to TFP.
 
Thank you Welbo. I wondered if the DE had contribute to my problem, but I only added after I was already working on the water for several days without any improvement. Since we got a ton of rain last night the pool is full enough that I can easily do a very long backwash and rinse. I am not sure why there is sediment being spilled back into the pool. Last night it did because I had not yet backwashed the filter. My husband gets in a hurry and things happen. I am maintaining the FC, and hope that things will change soon. I am also getting a different chlorine, to see if that helps too. I think I am at a point that I cannot understand anymore what is going on. If I can maintain the FC for days, filtering 24/7, backwashing, brushing, and everything, I suppose it should see some improvement by now. I will continue to test, adjust, and try.. I have nothing else left other than that. And I am thankful for this forum and everyone's knowledge and willingness to share. Thank you.
 
In nearly all cases cloudy water IS algae and/or bacteria actively growing in the water. And the way to clear it is always to maintain proper FC levels above minimum level for your CYA. Pump speed and filter are rarely, if ever, a factor in reducing pool cloudiness.

Perform the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to see if there is something organic growing in the water.
 
The children swan for several hours a the weather is absolutely gorgeous today. I did a test a 12:30, FC was at 11, I added a gallon and now that the children are done swimming and the FC is at 7. My husband is coming home with more chlorine and I will bring the level up again. I still have 3 gallons fro the other chlorine, but I have a bad feeling about it as the water got worse once I started using it. Going to the calculator now to see the amount required to bring the level up and will test before going to bed and repeat in the morning to see if something else is growing in the water.

After adding chlorine, how long do I need to wait to get an accurate reading?
 

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Yesterday my husband went to get chlorine and stabilizer at Lowes but they did not have it. He went to another pool store and here is what he was told. The guy did not want to sell him stabilizer as he said is no point to adding it now. He bought it anyway as he does not have to live with the pool guy but with me. Then, the guy said to shock and maintain the levels, which goes in line with this forum. But the most interesting thing he said is that this year they have seen an increase in cloudy water all around our area and it is because of the rain and snow from the winter month. I think it is malarkey, but I decided to ask here and find out if there is any chance that may be the case. I went out and upon returning found that my husband dumped a lot of chlorine in the pool. The water is still cloudy, which will show him that I have been working on treating the pool and the excess chlorine was just a waste.

Now, for the stabilizer. The instructions says to just scatter around the pool It is powder. Should I add to a sock? Can I just add slowly to the skimmer? Should I wait until the water is finally clear?
 
Unless you have backwashed a significant amount of water, there is no need to increase CYA. From what I can tell the last time you measured CYA was 25, that is perfect for SLAM.
 
Mr. Bruce is right. Unless your CYA level is below 30 do not add any just yet. That is purrfect for a SLAM. If you add more CYA you will have to use more chlorine to bring and keep your FC at SLAM level.

When you do add CYA do NOT throw it on top of the water or pour it into the skimmer. The best way is in a sock in front of the return or sitting in the skimmer, making sure it does not block the water flow.

Have you done a deep clean of your sand yet? If not now might be a good time to do it. Try the good, long backwash and rinse first. If that shows lots of yuck coming out that should help.

Kim:cat:
 
kimkats said:
Mr. Bruce is right. Unless your CYA level is below 30 do not add any just yet. That is purrfect for a SLAM. If you add more CYA you will have to use more chlorine to bring and keep your FC at SLAM level.

When you do add CYA do NOT throw it on top of the water or pour it into the skimmer. The best way is in a sock in front of the return or sitting in the skimmer, making sure it does not block the water flow.

Have you done a deep clean of your sand yet? If not now might be a good time to do it. Try the good, long backwash and rinse first. If that shows lots of yuck coming out that should help.

Kim:cat:
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I just tested and because I have done a long backwash and rinse yesterday my CYA is below 20. There was some dirty when it started the backwashing, but if ran another couple of minutes clear. Then I rinsed for another 1-1/2 minutes. I did not backwash today, and I am considering doing it as I brushed late in the afternoon after all the swimming. Should I? I will get the sock out and add to the skimmer. Now my PH is high again because of the excessive amount of chlorine was added yesterday. I will continue to read all throughout the day and make sure the level is kept.

Thank you everyone. You are all awesome.
 
brasilmom said:
Thank you Jezza for the link. We will do a deep cleaning as we have never done. I may have to wait a bit before I do it, but it will be done soon.
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i faced a similar issue as you, but i have a DE filter. It turned out my DE filter elements were all beat up and as such all the DE was going back in the pool.

now i am not an expert on sand filters nor how they work, so i dont know if it is reasonable to think that something similar could be happening when you mentioned low pressure caused stuff to come out of your returns

i had to replace my pump and my filter this year! Once I got the new filter and new elements and began the slam process (along with repeated brushing and backwashing - 3 or 4 times) it finally cleared up.

Can sand filters go bad like de filter elements?
 
Thank you Ionizer. I have wondered the same about sand filter. I am testing FC every other hour or so, and so far the FC is reducing, but I have not yet added any as my husband shocked the daylight out of it. Sad part, is that did not even slightly made a change to the water cloudiness. I will let it arrive at the SLAM mark and control to keep at it. How long did your pool take to clear up?
 
I am keeping the numbers and take samples few times a day. I am still loosing FC at a high rate, so I will continue to treat. Today I vacuum the pool after last night brushing. I Use a dolphin vacuum and I like it as I can see what is coming out. Nothing that I have seen before, this time. It is a sediment type, not green, but grayish in color.. almost a dry wall type of "dust" but wet. Not white, but light in color. I rinsed the filters for the Dolphin and put it back in the pool to do a second run. Considering that I have added DE, could it be that the filter dumped it back into the pool? Could it be that I did more harm than good by adding DE to the filter? I have not backwashed the filter and do not plan on doing so today. However I plan on vacuum and tonight I will brush it again. Anything else?
 
Took the vacuum out to clean and I believe that I have a sand problem. I noticed that the steps have been accumulating sediment of sorts. A brown/reddish color. I touched it and it is indeed a feel of very fine sand. The dolphin filters were again loaded with sediment of sorts, but more with the appearance of sand. Now, all things considered, could the new pump be causing it? It is a 1hp Pentair, with 2 speed and we are running on high these past few days. Thanks

Another thing I noticed is that there is a gurgling sound by the returns and there is one return right at the steps. This pool has 3 returns. Important to notice that as I mentioned earlier when going from high to low speed lots of sediment is spilled into the pool. I am not sure that both me and my husband can do the opening and checking of the sand efficiently and quickly. Is this something worth hiring out? How long does it normally take to get it done? How hard it is to find parts, if needed?
 

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