New Pool owner - initial problems overcome now cloudy

[scrosso]

Hello all,

New to the forum and 1st post. We moved into a new house in the last month, with an inground pool, and have had the following story. I have included initial results, and recent results.

Inground pool Vinyl 22,000gal Huntington, CT
Initial test after moving in:
FAC 0.34 low
TAC 0.34 low
CH 66 low
CYA 104 high
TA 0 low
Copper 1.8 High
pH 6.5 low
TDS 770 OK
Pho Untested

As a result of the above test we were shocked and at a bit of a loss. The water looked beautiful (algae was building up quite a bit though). We had some advice and assistance, and initially drained some of the pool and then topped it back up again to reduce the CYA – this didn’t work. We were also quite concerned about the copper levels despite having no real intention to use the heater – it was a concern. So we went down some of the shocking route and a change in plan. The previous owners had used the trichlor tablets provided by Leslie’s which I understand lead to the high CYA levels, we are now using the poollife active cleaning caplets (a Calcium Hypo) and hope in the long run this will help increase calcium levels.

Our new results since the initial test 2 weeks ago are:
Inground pool Vinyl 22,000gal Huntington, CT
Recent test:
FAC 7.5 high
TAC 7.56 high
CH 179 low
CYA 63 High
TA 103 ok
Copper 0 ok
pH 7.7 high
TDS 930 ok
Pho 1000+

So the water is at a good level after a lot of work, and quite a bit of money, the CYA although high is better but the FAC remains high so hopefully they should fall into combined good categories. We got the copper out, and do not want to put any extra calcium in as we feel with the new caplets this will increase over time.

The water however is extremely milky and cloudy. I have cleaned the filters and they are good to go. We were suckers and got a phosphate reducer (only put in today) so we will wait to see what impact this has. Is there any advice anyone can give on what to do next to improve this?

Having a pool has been a new experience for us, and immediately been pretty expensive however, what I have learnt in these 2 weeks I would like to think will help me for the future but don’t want to go through this again. I guess I am looking for advice on anyone that can offer on getting the pool nice and crystal clear again, and advice on how best to proceed. I have only just found this forum (bugger – if only I found it 2 weeks ago). I am sure i will be on here a lot, so I thank you all now for your help and advice.

 

[Butterfly]

You have done a great job getting the pool under control

Yes, your CYA and FC are at good levels. With 60ish CYA, FC should be between 5 & 9 and never below 5.

An OCLT (overnight free chlorine loss test) would let you know if there are organics causing the cloudiness.

Can we see a pic?

Welcome to the forum

 

[scrosso]

Hi Butterfly,

Thanks for the response. The FC is dropping overnight, and looks as though somethign is using it up. Any suggestions on what and best way to respond - i put in the weekly rapid shock this evening so hopefully that might help a little. The cloudiness has improved slightly but not much (i can see the bottom in the shallow end at least). I have a couple of photo's but am completely inept and have no idea how to upload them.

 

[257WbyMag]

Welcome to TFP!

Just continue maintaining your FC at shock level. Do this until your FC loss is 1 ppm or less overnight, your CC is 0.5 ppm or less, and your water is clear.

 

[frogabog]

Hi Butterfly,

- i put in the weekly rapid shock this evening so hopefully that might help a little.

I'm afraid you may not actually be shocking the pool if you're still doing a "weekly rapid shock". Shock is not a product, it is a process. It seems maybe some wires got crossed and responders are assuming you're shocking and maintaining shock level but if you are doing a "weekly rapid shock" vs shocking exactly as described in pool school your continued cloudiness is most certainly the result of incorrect shocking.

Do you use bleach daily or tablets? You can shock with bleach, and you should. In fact most all of us here do all our chlorinating with bleach only. Powdered shock products contain CYA, we're pretty protective of CYA levels around here (only changes in CYA are known, and intentional), shocking with bleach is the go to as is daily chlorinating w/bleach.

 

[supertune]

Or you can use Liquid chlorine (10%-12.5%) from any place that can provide a decent price for it (not a total rip off like at the big chain stores-2.99 gal)
I'm in central Florida, lots of pool stores here, so the market has a lot of competition.
I watch the weekly flyer at Pinch A Penny (mostly everything overpriced) and buy 2) 2.5 gal (12.5 %) carboys for under $9 (5 Gal total) on sale @10% off.
The jug deposit was not too bad at $6 each and the store is 8 blocks from home (no traffic lights either!)

Chuck

 

[scrosso]

Do you use bleach daily or tablets? You can shock with bleach, and you should.

I am using caplets by Pool life (a calcium hypho). the previous owners were using tablets and that was the cause of the high CYA levels, hence having to switch across to something different. Being very new to this we have taken guidance off the local pool store, but as time moves on the plan will be to learn and take control of the process - but it is a big learning curve.

We put in last night a rapidshock packet - and realise this isnt shocking the pool, but is just a weekly maintenance that is needed - but has helped slightly.

So am i right in thinking in order to decrease the cloudiness i need to add significant amounts of chlorine that should kill any extra organics? When adding liquid chlorine and shocking the pool should i take out the caplets i am using?

Sorry if being simple but still in the infancy of learning.

All help / advice is really appreciated.

 

[frogabog]

It's probably best if you stop all that you are currently doing, read pool school about 10 times and learn how to shock your pool. You're running in circles right now with the chems that you don't need and which aren't doing anything to help your pool.

Yes, you need chlorine to battle the cloudiness, lots of it. It is cloudy because there's half dead and dead algae in the pool which is able to come back to life the moment the chlorine level goes lower than shock level (this occurs about an hour after you put the shock product in). Even after shocking properly you'll see cloudiness till the filters catch all of it so plan on some patience, it will take a little time to clear it. Maintaining a constant shock level, often for days is what is needed and that requires constant additions of bleach/liquid chlorine to keep it at shock level.

All we use is bleach, baking soda, borax, and muriatic acid. Mostly bleach. The others are only used when things need changing (ph, ta, etc.). Bleach is daily, and it is also what is used to shock if needed. The only thing you should be doing weekly is running a full set of testing, no shocking weekly. When you pool is balanced, there is no need for it.

You do need a good test kit, you can't really do this without it. Shocking requires you to test frequently (hourly at first) so that you can maintain shock level. Shock level is too high for any of the standard chlorine tests sold in stores. This is why you need the FAS/DPD type of kit. It is also very accurate, so you will know exactly how much bleach to add to bring the pool back to shock level (pool calculator rocks!).

I can't stress enough that you need to read and re-read pool school. It is not easy to understand at first, however it will make sense in short order with a little study. And ask here, there are thousands of members willing to help you get your pool fixed up clear and pretty.

Oh, and as far as the tablets... you won't actually need them but if you want to increase your calcium hardness (unnecessary in a vinyl pool) you could keep them in. They may help a little while shocking but do not rely on them for it, they simply can not keep up.