I thought it was clear, but apparently not.

[Miki79]

Hi -
I'm a new pool owner and opened a swamp earlier this year. I have the test kit and have been using it. I've been using bleach and trichlor tabs for chlorine, baking soda for alkalinity. A pool guy came out yesterday to look at my sand filter because I've been getting sand in the pool at the return jets. He told my fiance what to do to fix it. While he was here he told me my pool was cloudy. I thought it looked pretty good, but apparently it can look better especially in the deep end. You can definitely see the bottom, but it is a bit cloudy. He told me to raise my TA, so I did. Today it doesn't look any different.
Readings:
CH 10 (is this a problem if its too low in a vinyl pool?)
CYA 50
FC 10
CC 0
pH 7.8
TA 180 (after adding 30lbs of sodium bicarbonate last night)
My questions are these:
1. Are these numbers ok? Is the FC too high?, the CH too low?
2. Why is my water a little cloudy? Could it be the sand filter needs sand changed? I have no idea how old the sand is we bought the house at a short sale and don't know much about the property.
Thanks for your help.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

He gave you bad advice - your TA is now too high, and low TA doesn't cause cloudiness. That's alright, live and learn...
So everytime you see your PH hit 7.8, lower it with Muratic Acid to 7.2. Eventually the TA will drop back into range.

Since your CYA is 50, no more tabs.

When you cleared the swamp, did you complete the shock process and confirm the FC was holding overnight?

How often do you run the pump? poor clarity can be a sign of inadequate flitration times.

Has the sand been checked to see if its channelled? Some users report good success after adding a little DE into the sand filter - instructions are in Pool School.

Hope this helps - I gave you alot to look into. So post back if you need clarification on anything.

 

[Miki79]

Thanks for all the info. Yes I used the shock process and did the overnight loss test. I run the pump 24/7. I don't know what you mean by "channelled" with the sand. Where do I get Muriatic Acid? Thanks!

 

[Butterfly]

You can purchase MA at a pool store, Home Depot, Ace, Lowes, etc. Make sure it is 31.45%.

When the sand is channeled, it just means that there is an expressway thru it for water along with the dirt/trash to shoot thru the filter and back into the pool. Maybe your sand just needs cleaning. Here's a link: my-sand-is-channeled-how-to-fix-it-t7626.html