cloudy chlorine water

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frustratedinky

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Jul 7, 2016
13
paducah, ky
Hi all. I am not really new to the whole pool thing, but it seems that every year i go through the same thing. Water is beautiful to start but within a few months it either turns cloudy or green. This year its turquoise cloudy lol.
At first i discovered my testing strips were bad and giving me terrible results. But i now have new ones. At first my TA and pH were the problem. But i have added muratic acid and brought them down to acceptable levels. Now my FC & TC are outrageous. My water iz cloudy and smells so terribly bad of chlorine.
FC 10
TC 10
PH 7.6
TA 150ish
CYA 100
This happens every year. Either i cant keep the chlorine or i get swamp water. But i have NEVER had a chlorine reading so high. Please help me.
I was using tabs but stopped. Have also used household bleach and xtra blu shock with algecide crystals.
We recently had severe storms blow through.
Please help!!
I am starting to believe my final resort is to drain and fill to drop the CYA.

22ft above ground intex metal frame
11,400 gal
Intex sand filter 2650gal per hour
Usually covered with a solar cover
 
Same thing used to happen to my pool every year when I was using the chlorine pucks the CYA would get too high, the chlorine could not do it's job and my pool would get algae and I would have to drain and refill some of the water. I'm not an expert like a lot of guys on this site but it looks to me that you need to lower your CYA. I have used the BBB method for the last 5 yrs and haven't had an algae problem since. I would drain 1/3 to 1/2 the pool and like MarianParoo said get a good test kit (using the strips is about the same as guessing) to see where you really are and STOP using the tablets. Like I said I'm not an expert so please ask someone here first. GOOD LUCK
 
Thanks so much for your responses.
I stopped using the pucks about a week ago. I have always used bleach & baking soda, but until i came here i had never heard of using borax. But i also always used shock & algecides. I have read through the pool school (and numerous other sites since all this began) and now have more understanding of the BBB.
So Tuesday morning i will be draining water as you suggested. I figured it would come to this. But i hoped maybe it wouldn't.
As for the test kit...when i can work that into my budget i will certainly consider it. But right now i have to work with what i have. Maybe if i would have been on this site from the beginning, when i first opened my pool, when it was beautiful and before i foolishly had to spend a ton of money on chemicals to keep it from turning into a swamp...had i bought a test kit FIRST! I wouldnt be in this mess!! Lol.
But thanks for the suggestions. Confirmed my fear lol
 
Welcome to TFP! Good to have you here :)

You really do need an effective test kit to manage your pool and spend less money. We don't use any algaecides or other pool $tore potions. Just low cost bleach or liquid pool chlorine, muriatic acid from big box building supply. We don't call it BBB any more, but it's close. We call it Trouble Free Pool Care (TFPC).
TFPC for Beginners

Bite the bullet and buy this test kit, with the XL option. It will pay off very quickly.
TFTestkits.net
 
I recommend that you get the testkit before you drain. CYA tests at the pool store are often way off. The testkit will give you an accurate reading. Then, if you decide to drain, you will know how much water you need to replace. Draining blindly may cost more than the kit...
 
Thanks again and yes...when the budget says i ca spend thw money for the test kit, i will gladly order it.
But until then..i am curious. I am starting to wonder if i seriously over chlorinated the pool. I retested my pool again this morning. Here ia what the test appeared to say...
TH 250
TC 10
FC 10
PH 7.2
TA 180
CYA 50
Now i realize that you guys dont like the test strips and that these numbers are more likely guesses to you. But its all i got right now.
So just assuming all these numbers are anywhere close to correct, apperently i made the mistake of over chlorinating. So now what?? Just wait it out??
 
Look at your 2 guess strip numbers for CYA. One says 100, one says 50. CYA 50 is ok, and you wouldn't need to do anything. 100 would mean water replacement. You have no way of knowing what FC to use without knowing what your CYA says.

There is literally nothing we can do until we get accurate test numbers.
 
Assuming those numbers are correct, you are not over chlorinated. The SLAM level for FC with CYA of 50 would be 20 ppm, and you are well below that. Besides, I've never known chlorine to be responsible for cloudiness. In fact, the opposite is almost always the case - cloudiness results from algae growth due to insufficient chlorine.



This makes me very suspicious of your test strip results, which is why we so strongly discourage their use. At the very least, get an OTO drop test from Wal Mart for $12 which will more accurately measure your FC up to 5 ppm. Then when you do decide to order a recommended test kit, you can save a little money by getting the TF-50, which is the same as the TF-100 minus the OTO test, which you'll already have.
 
Walmart drop kit it is for now. I will pick one up this afternoon, retest and repost. Sorry for the hassle with the test strips. I realize they are cheap and convenient and therefore probably u reliable. But thank you for your input. I will repost with the walmart drop kit later. Thanks again!!
 

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If You Are Going The Walmart route, you might find a 6 way test kit that will allow you to test your TA, CH, and CYA also. It runs about $23. in my town. You would still need to order the fas-DPD powder portion of the test kit that allows you to measure higher chlorine levels to do the SLAM.
I would still recommend the test kits others mentioned above. In the end, because of the money you will save on chemicals, it pays for itself after one avoided trip to the pool store.
 
I agree with Marian. If the chlorine test doesn't turn yellow, you have no chlorine and that's why your water is cloudy. I put MUCH more faith in that test than I do in the strips.



Pick up some bleach while you're at Wal Mart and get it in your pool pronto, or you're going to have a swamp before you know it. Visit PoolMath to determine how much bleach to add.

Of course, how much to add is dependent upon your CYA level, and we don't know that. See why you really need a good test kit? Plug 50 into PoolMath for your CYA and start from there. Then add enough bleach to bring your target FC level to 20.

Again, without a test kit you won't be able to measure this accurately, but the OTO test should at least turn school bus yellow, if not even slightly orangeish. Test it again in a couple of hours and if the yellow has gotten lighter, add more bleach a little at a time every 10 minutes to bring it back to the same shade.

Keep this up and let us know how it looks tomorrow. This is a lot of guesswork, so seriously consider getting the TF-50 kit ordered, and we can get much more specific with what you need to do to clear it up.
 
Ok. With the praise ya'll are giving the drop test (i actually have a 3way at home)...its old so i never put any faith in but. But i tried it anyways. Results are
FC 3-4
CC 3-4
PH 7.6
Thats all i can do with it. Does this help at all??? The pool looks clearer this afternoon now that it has finally gotten some sun, but i am also sure that its only because everything has settled again. If stirred i would notbe able to see the bottom again. The chlorine smell is still there, but not as awful as it was last night.
But i did finally get yellow with the test. It happened immediately. That is something that i have never seen. But i now know what you mean byschoolbus yellow (or at least close).
 
If you have algae growing already, as I'm pretty sure you do, 3-4 ppm isn't going to knock it out. You still need to use PoolMath to determine how much bleach to add to bring it up to 20 ppm.

Your OTO test should be much darker yellow than 5 ppm at that point. Try to keep it there.
 
Well, I think you've heard how valuable a test kit is enough times :)

Raising FC up high without knowing your CYA, means that no one can say your pool is safe for swimming. I agree with raising FC to keep your algae down to a dull roar, but just to be on the safe side, let it drop a bit before swimming. We can suspect you're OK (one reading of 50 and one of 100), but that's guessing. Also preventing algae in a clean pool has a low end. It's 4 ppm FC for 50 ppm CYA and 7.5 ppm FC for 100 ppm CYA. So you have to choose which minimum you like better.

Most health nasties are killed at lower levels than that, but we use the presence of algae as the indicator that we're getting down to where safety could be compromised.

The best description I heard of a good use for test strips is to pile them up like a teepee, light them on fire and cook a hot dog. Then at least you get some value from them. Very glad to hear you've got some drop-based testing for starters.
 
So i read the poolschool and started a slam process with what i am guessing to know. I am sure you frown upon that. If i can figure out how to add pictures i will show you what my pool looks like and also what the 3way test shows for chlorine. But pictures will take me some time. I have been looking and not having luck finding how to post some.
 
The last test i did (after adding 3 bottles of bleach)...was wayyy off the chart. You guys said it should be beyond yellow, almost orange, that is where i am at. Still working on pictures. But i will also retest in the morning and keep the FC up fora while.

- - - Updated - - -

The last test i did (after adding 3 bottles of bleach)...was wayyy off the chart. You guys said it should be beyond yellow, almost orange, that is where i am at. Still working on pictures. But i will also retest in the morning and keep the FC up fora while.
Apparently i need to install the app in order to post pics from my phone?? I will work on that tomorrow.
 

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