Understanding the purpose of Clarifiers

[tim_pool_newbie]

Here's a newbie question for the experts!!

Now that I feel I have the basics of pool chemistry under my belt, and am religiously adhering to the BBB method, I need a bit more education in the area of "Clarifiers". From what I've read on this forum so far, it appears that clarifiers are used to cause any suspended particles in the water to come together and sink to the bottom of the pool for vacuming (floccultaion?). Is this true? And what would those tiny particles be - broken down organics?

Although my pool water is usually crystal clear, I have noticed (especially during heavy bather load) that when I turn on the white underwater lights at night, I will see suspended particles in the water.

In general, do the folks on this forum approve of the use of clarifiers, and if so, how do you know when to use them? Knowing when to add bleach, baking soda or borax is easy enough to determine as there are tests for that (using my trusty TF-100 kit!!), but how do you know when it's time to use other products like clarifiers?

 

[257WbyMag]

Typically, we don't recommend clarifiers here. Water is cloudy because it is dirty and needs to be shocked, or because you need more filter time. Balanced water and adequate filtration will solve 99% of cloudy water problems.

Any pool, regardless of the system, will be cloudy after a period of heavy swimming use. The key is to ensure that your chemicals are in balance afterward and you should run your filter until the water is clear again.