Need help clearing hazy pool

[ITri72]

This is my first post on this forum & I'm so so thankful to be able to ask questions here!

I uncovered a very green pool about 5 weeks ago & used the BBB method to kill all the bad stuff & clear it up. I THOUGHT I was all set for the season until I got in the pool for the first time Sunday. Swimming underwater with a mask on the water is still quite hazy - & no, my mask wasn't foggy! Although from the top I can see clearly to the bottom, with a mask underwater, it's hard to see from one end of the pool to the other. I'm missing that crystal clear quality that I've had in the past & don't know how to get it back!

Here's my latest numbers & other info that might be helpful:

FC - 4
CC - 0
pH - 7.5
TA - 80
CYA - 40
Temp's been rising a degree or so a day & is around 80 now

I cut a pair of white tights to use as a skimmer sock a few weeks ago. It still get pretty dirty every day - haven't used one before, so I didn't know if this was common or an indication of how much still needs to be cleared from the water.

Had been running the filter 24/7 for a couple of weeks while I was shocking, but now run around 10 hours a day.

Not sure if I just quit shocking too soon or missed something else along the way. I've seen photos on PF of pools similar to mine & it took a lot less time to get that crystal clear water I'm wanting. What do I need to do to get there?

Please help. We have a pool party next weekend & I know the pool can look better.

Any help is much appreciated,
Susie

 

[JohnT]

Susie,

With a cartridge filter, I'd have expected you'd have had an easier time. Two ideas: One, you just haven't gootten the crud stirred up into the water for the filter to clean it. I'd go back to 24/7 filter operation and brush the pool every day. A dose of clarifier might speed things up. You might need to clean or replace your cartridge. Sometimes they get to where just rinsing with a hose won't clean them well enough. Some manufacturers recommend a chemical soak to get them clean. Either way, a dirty cartridge will restrict your circulation.

 

[ITri72]

John,

Thanks for the response.

I have been brushing about once a week & haven't noticed much being stirred up. Haven't soaked the cartridges yet. My pressure never seems to change so I put it off thinking they were OK. Haven't used a clarifier in a long time - what exactly is it & is there anything important I need to know in choosing one or can I just pick one up anywhere?

Susie

 

[duraleigh]

John,

Thanks for the response.

I have been brushing about once a week & haven't noticed much being stirred up. Haven't soaked the cartridges yet. My pressure never seems to change so I put it off thinking they were OK. Haven't used a clarifier in a long time - what exactly is it & is there anything important I need to know in choosing one or can I just pick one up anywhere?

Susie

Hi, Susie,

Welcome. In addition to what John said.....do you have an auto-vac or do you vac manually? When I'm really, really trying to get sparkling water, I find running the auto-vac 10-12 hours for a day or two really sparkles it up. I have a suction side cleaner so as long as I'm running the pool pump, it's costing me nothing extra.....that might not be your case.

I have never used a clarifier and would consider that after all else fails.

 

[JohnT]

John,

Thanks for the response.

I have been brushing about once a week & haven't noticed much being stirred up. Haven't soaked the cartridges yet. My pressure never seems to change so I put it off thinking they were OK. Haven't used a clarifier in a long time - what exactly is it & is there anything important I need to know in choosing one or can I just pick one up anywhere?

Susie

Clarifier is a sticky liquid that causes very small particles to stick together so they can be more easily filtered. Nothing special about it. Walmart stuff is as good as anything.

 

[ITri72]

Hi, Susie,

Welcome. In addition to what John said.....do you have an auto-vac or do you vac manually? When I'm really, really trying to get sparkling water, I find running the auto-vac 10-12 hours for a day or two really sparkles it up. I have a suction side cleaner so as long as I'm running the pool pump, it's costing me nothing extra.....that might not be your case.

Thanks for the welcome. No. I don't have an auto-vac - just me!

I have never used a clarifier and would consider that after all else fails.

Clarifier is a sticky liquid that causes very small particles to stick together so they can be more easily filtered. Nothing special about it. Walmart stuff is as good as anything.

At this point, from the feedback I've gotten so far, it seems like I've done just about everything else. I have rinsed my cartridges several times, though not soaked them in cleaner. The clarifier seems like the easiest way to go, but what can I expect once it's applied? Will my filter get clogged up? Does everything drop then need to be vacuumed out? :?

Once again, I'd like to say how much I appreciate the feedback & gettting some advice. I followed PF for months, but could not register - very tough searching thru posts hoping to find someone whose situation was similar to mine so that I could get some help. This is AWESOME!!!

~Susie

 

[SeanB]

Thanks Susie, glad you are enjoying the site!

I've never used clarifier so I'll let someone else answer those questions.

 

[The Mermaid Queen]

Hey, a pool chemical that I actually have experience with!!!

Clarifier serves to 'clump' the ultra-fine particles together so they can then be large enough to be caught by your filter. Some will also drop down, and then get vac'd up. Your filter will not clog any more than if it had caught the particles in the first place!

good luck!

 

[Guest]

My experience with clarifies is that they will clear a pool in 7 days and it will take as long as a week if youdon't use them! . Some people have good results, others see no difference. I would caution you NOT to overdose because they can make the clouding wose and take much longer to clear your pool if you do! With a cartridge filter the "natural" clarifiers based on chitosan ( such as SeaKlear) seem to work better than the polymeric clarifiers.

If you want to soak your cartridges overnight use automatic dishwashing powder such as Cascade or Electosal (or a generic from Kmart or a place like that, they are all the same) Use one cup to each 5 gallons of water in a plastic garbage can or container big enough to completely cover the cart. Soak overnight and then hose off well. This will remove any oils or organics that might be sticking to the cart. It's a good idea to soak your carts once or twice a year, depending on how dirty they get.

Also, get one of those short, high pressure brass nozzles to hose off the carts if you don't have one of those special cart cleaning wands. You can find them in many hardware stores in the garden section. They are the non adjustable nozzles and are only about 3" in length. They do a much better job than the standard garden hose nozzles.

Also, what is your calcium level and has your TA dropped a lot? Sometimes hazy water is caused by calcium precipitation that is caused by a combination of high calcium, high TA and high pH. Once the calcium precitptates out the TA and calcium levels will drop some and the water clouds.

 

[ITri72]

My experience with clarifies is that they will clear a pool in 7 days and it will take as long as a week if youdon't use them! . Some people have good results, others see no difference. I would caution you NOT to overdose because they can make the clouding wose and take much longer to clear your pool if you do! With a cartridge filter the "natural" clarifiers based on chitosan ( such as SeaKlear) seem to work better than the polymeric clarifiers.

Please clarify :lol: if you will the length of time for a clarifier to work. Are you saying if I use a clarifier it'll take about 7 days to work & if I don't things should clear up on their own in about 7 days? I'm not real clear on this!!! How hard is it to find "natural" clarifiers? There's not a pool store where I live. I was hoping I could get something at Walmart or Home Depot.

If you want to soak your cartridges overnight use automatic dishwashing powder such as Cascade or Electosal (or a generic from Kmart or a place like that, they are all the same) Use one cup to each 5 gallons of water in a plastic garbage can or container big enough to completely cover the cart. Soak overnight and then hose off well. This will remove any oils or organics that might be sticking to the cart. It's a good idea to soak your carts once or twice a year, depending on how dirty they get.

If I decide to use a clarifier, should I wait to soak the cartridges until afterwards? We've had the cartridge filter for almost a year & there are 4 cartridges total.

Also, what is your calcium level and has your TA dropped a lot? Sometimes hazy water is caused by calcium precipitation that is caused by a combination of high calcium, high TA and high pH. Once the calcium precitptates out the TA and calcium levels will drop some and the water clouds.

CH is around 120. Not sure if that's normal or not. I have a vinyl lined pool so I haven't given much attention to CH. Last season TA was usually between 150-180, but since I uncovered pool in the spring & been adding chemicals it stays around 80-90. pH seems to rise a little after I add chlorine, but not higher than 7.8. I recently brought it down w/ muriatic acid to 7.5 & it's holding steady.

Also, the water looks clear - just not its best. I just feel like it's not quite where it should be.

One more thing I mentioned in my 1st post about the skimmer sock. Is it normal to get dirty everyday or is this because of the "haze".

Susie

 

[JohnT]

Please clarify :lol: if you will the length of time for a clarifier to work. Are you saying if I use a clarifier it'll take about 7 days to work & if I don't things should clear up on their own in about 7 days? I'm not real clear on this!!! How hard is it to find "natural" clarifiers? There's not a pool store where I live. I was hoping I could get something at Walmart or Home Depot.

In many cases, clarifier is a waste, and I think that's what he's saying, but I've seen it clear a hazy pool overnight that has been filtered for weeks without improvement. IMO, you try to eliminate all of the things that could cause haziness like chemical problems, filter problems or biological contaminants. Once you know those are okay and you aren't just going to mask a symptom with the clarifier, then it's worth a shot. It wouldn't be something you'd want to do every week.

 

[ITri72]

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! :-D

My pool is back to the crystal clear water I remember! Thanks for the help, everyone.

I took the easiest route first & added about 5 ozs of HTH Super Concentrated Clarifier - by the end of the day yesterday the water was noticeably clearer & this afternoon it looked PERFECT!

Looking forward to a fun summer in the pool,

~Susie