Cloudy water

[Luric]

Our pool has gotten progressively cloudier over the last few days. My daily tests have been fine. The FC gets down to 2 by the time I test it 1st thing in the AM, so I add LC to get it to 5 according to PoolMath. My pH is a touch high, looks like probably 8.0, but would that really be high enough to make the water cloudy?

I tested for CC and there are none (shocking since we had a pool full of 1-4 yr olds all weekend), but the cloudiness has a slight yellow/green tint to it. Should I do another ONCL test? I passed the one I did a few weeks back when we 1st opened. We haven't backwashed in a little over 2 wks, but we're only up 4 psi from our "clean" reading. Should I just go ahead and backwash anyway? It HAS been pretty rainy over the last week, but the water looks its worst today (Friday), and it hasn't rained since Wednesday night.

It's a black bottom pool, so I feel like it never looks crystal clear the way a brilliant turquoise pool does, but the deep end is usually when I can tell that there's a problem. I'm having trouble making out the dark main drain cover and can only make out the 2 small white things on the bottom there (not sure what they are)

My level:
FC: 4 (weekly test result whcih I did today to be sure I was reading my daily correctly)
pH: 8.0
TA: 140
CH: 250
CYA: 30 (I have another post regarding my skepticism of this number, and since I'm not sure the accuracy I've been hesitant to raise it further)

Hubby really wants to add a clarifier and run the filter for 24 hrs which worked when the pool guys did a few wks back, but it doesn't really solve the problem of WHY it's getting cloudy in the 1st place. Thoughts??

 

[jblizzle]

Sounds like you should at a minimum raise the FC level to 10ppm and do the OCLT to see if you need to SLAM.

Then, I would make sure the FC is not dropping so low, especially if you are no sure of the CYA.

 

[Luric]

Is going from a FC level of 5 down to 2 in 24 hrs indicative of a problem? It's never NOT done that sort of shift (disclosure: I've never actually tested to see if it gets up to 5 whcih I realize would be useful since I"m not positive of the pool volume). Where are you getting 10 for the FC level and why if I'm not raising it to SLAM yet? When I test my CYA I get between 20 & 30 closer to 30. Two separate pool stores tested it in the 40 range. I'm trying to stay confident in my number, but it is possible the CYA is actually a little higher than the 30 I tested at. It's unlikely to be lower.

In the meantime, is the pool safe to swim in or should we wait?

 

[jblizzle]

A 2-4ppm daily loss is typical. But varies based on sun exposure, CYA level, and debris load.

10ppm was an arbitrary number ... ideally you do the OCLT at shock level, but for people with higher CYA where the shock level is pretty high, I think 10ppm is plenty to get an accurate read.

If you can see the bottom of the pool clearly, and the FC is between the minimum and the shock level for your CYA, then it should be safe to swim.

 

[coconutz73]

Hey.. so pool is clean and debris and algae free - vacuumed and scrubbed. It is still a tad cloudy. Still trying for that crystal clear water. Here are my numbers today.. I am running the Boost cycle on the SWG. Also, is it safe to swim?? Do I need to add more bleach? What number should it be at always?

FC = 1
CC = .4
PH = 7.4
TA = 80
CYA = dot still does not disappear when I do the test. Do have a sock with some hanging in the pool.

Let me know your thoughts thanks so much

Nikki

 

[Luric]

Ugh, it appears I failed my overnight test, having a drop of 1.5. I'm currently adjusting my pH to the recommended 7.2-7.5 before officially starting to SLAM. Three questions:

1.) What SLAM # should I use? Again, I tested my CYA at 30, but 2 different pool stores had it at 40. Should I use 12 or 16?

2.) How important is brushing & vacuuming during the process? I've never done either, and with 3 kids under 5 including a newborn and a husband out-of-town till tomorrow (who's also never done either), I'm not sure it's something I can realistically commit to. Can I just run the polaris for longer?

3.) Was this the result of letting my FC get too low at some point?

 

[Jezza]

Yes it looks that way- but hopefully a quick SLAM with that small of an overnight loss.

I would trust your CYA number of 30 over the pool store testing any day- so SLAM with level of 12 FC

Brushing,vaccuming and 24/7 filtering are all important- and sorry the brushing at least once a day is paramount.

And yes algae gets the upper hand and needs SLAMing when your FC drops below minimum for your CYA at some stage.