Cloudy for two weeks now

[lv2mkwn]

Love this forum people...having an issue with cloudy water. Pool was opened two weeks ago. Severely dark green/black water due to cover failure from bad winter snow. Shocked pool and continually shocking as we speak and water is blue but hazy and not clear, filter (sand) has been running 24/7 now for two weeks. Tested this morning and the numbers are as follows:

27' round AG with a depth of 52" calculated to 19,300 gallons
21" HAYWARD Sand filter with 1 HP pump

FC: 17
CC: .5
TC: 17.5
Ph : 7.5
TA: 80
CH: 150
CYA: 50
Temp : 76

Using a TF100 test kit and these numbers have been the same for about four days now....water is blue...the bottom of the pool can be seen however that crystal clear water is not there yet.....I am wondering if this is a filter issue or a shock issue(however I have been shocking for quite sometime now)....I am tempted to use a flocculant or clarifier but according to all the posts I read on this forum it is not recommended and often frowned upon....any advice would be greatly appreciated.....I converted to the BBB method two years ago and have loved this method ever since...please help a frustrated bbb method user....thanks....Joe

 

[JohnT]

Welcome to TFP.

If your chlorine is holding overnight and you don't have any debris like leaves in the pool, I'd suggest a clarifier.

The reason we tend to not recommend them is that people become impatient and want to use them when they have live algae or other chemistry or filtration problems where the clarifier isn't going to do much but cost money. We feel you get better results when you cure the underlying cause first, which it seems you have done, and then use a clarifier to speed things along.

 

[crek31]

If your CYA is 50 I think shock level is 20. According to Pool School, you are supposed to continue shocking your pool until:

1. You lose less than 1 FC in an overnight loss test;
2. You have .5 or less CC; AND
3. Your water is clear

Good luck.

 

[lv2mkwn]

Confused...I have been plugging in my numbers into the pool calculator and my shock level comes in at 16....now you are telling me it should be 20....I guess you are getting that number from the CYA/Chlorine chart in pool school? So why would the pool calculator (using the Trouble free pool numbers) say my shock level should be 16? Thanks for your quick reply and I appreciate your responses

 

[crek31]

Hopefully someone will be along shortly to address any conflict in the CYA Chart and the Calculator. I'm not qualified - but yes, it was the CYA/Chlorine Chart I was referencing. Hang in there - these people will figure it out and get you some sparkly water!

 

[Bama Rambler]

There is a little dfference between the Chlorine/CYA chart and the Pool Calc's calculation. Either shock value will work so don't get hung up on the numbers too much. Bumping the shock value up to 20 might get rid of the algae a little faster but it takes more bleach to get there so it's about the same in the end.

 

[lv2mkwn]

Thanks bama....so should I wait it out and keep shocking or go to the clarifier....I have some Leslies Ultra Bright Clarifier...I was thinking of putting that in but I do not want to mess up with the BBB method...I was told that since my filter is sand I can use as much clarifier as needed without any ill effects to my filter...is that info correct...I was told that this type of clarifier might damage DE filters but not sand...thanks again for your responses

 

[Bama Rambler]

If you have, without a doubt, passed the overnight chlorine loss test, then I'd say using clarifier might be ok. Keep in mind that there have been many reports of clarifier not working or not working very well. If you already have it and you passed the overnight loss test it won't hurt to try it.

Once you add it watch your pressure, it may or may not go up. If the pressure doesn't got up enough to indicate a need for backwash, let it run for two or three days and backwash the filter.