Kind of Cloudy

[Arrownelson]

New to forum, have always used BBB method and poolcalculator.
Have had pool for 4 years...never had any difficulty.
Pump went out last weekend, replaced on last Saturday.
Shocked pool with 8 Gals of Clorox Pro Outdoor bleach (mistake?)
Have ran pump non stop all week.
Pool still kind of cloudy...CANT GET THAT SPARKLING CLEAR BACK
FC - 10
CC - 0
CYA - 70
PH - 7.8
TA - 140
I'm very frustrated...

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

With CYA at 70, shock level is 20-28.

Outdoor bleach is not as strong as regular bleach and it also has additives (thickening agents and detergents) that you don't really want to put in the pool.

Have you dona an overnight FC loss test? How has the filter been behaving?

 

[Arrownelson]

I've never done an overnight FC loss test...how do I do that?
I have a sand filter; seems to be fine...not sure what you mean.

 

[JasonLion]

The overnight FC loss test will tell you if you have killed all the algae yet or not. There are basically two possibilities, either you haven't added enough chlorine, and there is algae still growing in your pool, or you have killed all of the algae and there is some problem with your filter not removing the dead algae from the pool.

When you have a major algae bloom the filter pressure normally goes up fairly quickly and the filter needs to be backwashed every few days. If you haven't needed to backwash the filter it might indicate that there is something wrong with either the filter or the main valve.

 

[Arrownelson]

I will try the overnight FC loss test and go from there.
I have backwashed once this week, though will do it again.
When I did backwash it was very dirty, so I think my filter is working...
Will let you know in the morning,
Thanks

 

[Arrownelson]

Did the FC drop test...It dropped from 10 down to 4 overnight.
I shocked with Bleach at 6:00 am to bring it up to 23.
When should I start seeing a difference? It is not getting any better and its 6 and a half hours later...

 

[Arrownelson]

Also, my filter pressure is fine(17). I backwashed lastnight.
How do I know if my filter needs cleaning?

 

[Bama Rambler]

You've only been shocking 6½ hours. Give it some time. It may take a day or two to see a big difference. You also need to test and add every hour in the beginning.

You only need to clean the filter when the pressure rises 6 to 10 psi above normal.

 

[BadOleRoss]

It's important to keep your FC up to or very close to shock level until you pass the overnight test. Doing this will make the process move along faster.

 

[Butterfly]

Also, my filter pressure is fine(17). I backwashed lastnight.
How do I know if my filter needs cleaning?

As long as you are confident the gauge is working properly....... then when filter pressure increases about 8 psi above the clean filter pressure, it's time to backwash.

I don't personally wait that long. Usually I backwash at an increase of 3 or 4, but that is just my preference.