Cloudy water but good levels

[Jonryan26]

Numbers have been pretty consistent.
FC 5.5
CC .5
pH 7.8
TA 90
CH 120
CYA 80

The water has been blue for a few weeks but stays cloudy(can barely see the bottom.) I backwash and brush daily. I'm using the BBB method and have been running the pump 24/7. Any recommendations?

 

[JamesW]

What size sand filter do you have? Model and/or dimensions?

 

[Butterfly]

Have you passed the OCLT?

 

[supertune]

Hi,
Are you running your SWG or just BBB?
With your CYA at 80 and FC at 5.5 your under your FC minimum of 6-9.
How often are your FC getting this low?
Up your FC up to 9 and keep it there and see if your pools clears up, do this after you pass the OCLT. A shock process maybe what's needed.

 

[Jonryan26]

My sand filter is a Pentair SD-40 19'' that holds 150 lbs, and I'm using both BBB and a SWG. I haven't replaced the sand on it this year but I did last summer. I was keeping my FC between 3-5 based on the "Recommended Levels" chart on the pool school but if you feel I need to bump it up I can. I didn't get a chance to test the water this morning but over 24 hours the FC went from 5.5 to 4 and the CC stayed the same at .5.

 

[jblizzle]

It is a little easier to use the Chlorine CYA Chart to find you recommended levels. According to it, the recommendations for CYA of 80 are FC of 4-6 for a SWG system (6-9 is for a non-SWG setup). It would not hurt anything to supplement the SWG with bleach up to around 9 to see if that help clear the pool ... although you should probably check the OCLT result (with the SWG off) to see if you should shock your pool to clear something up.

 

[JamesW]

The pump is oversized for the filter. It can work under good conditions, but if you have fine debris, it can take an extended time to clear the water. You could reduce the pump size and/or get a larger filter. A large cartridge would be a good choice.

Even under good conditions, a sand filter can only get down to about 20 microns. With the oversized pump, it's likely that the filter is not even getting down to 50 microns. 50 micron particles are large enough to be seen and to cause noticeable cloudiness.

Your setup will eventually work, but it is far from ideal.

 

[Jonryan26]

I had never thought about the pump being over powered or the filter being too small... How do I add a large cartridge? Would adding DE to the filtert help? Fot the OCLT, I brought the FC up to 23 last night and this morning it was still 22, and the CC went from .5 to 0. But the water is still cloudy.

 

[duraleigh]

Probably the best thing you could do moneywise is to put a 3/4hp (or even 1/2) pump on the pool (maybe even find a used one on cragslist). You will immediately begin saving money from the reduced electric consumption and that will be a far better match to your filter.

 

[Jonryan26]

I'll find a new filter. In the mean time, any other suggestions. What's strange is I had this same setup last year, and was able to go from green water to crystal clear water with no problems.