Cloudy Water - Need Help

[crumpj2322]

Hi,

I recently went to get my pool in shape for the summer, it was not covered all winter but the water was crystal clear. It was shocked months ago after rain, but I never felt like the granules of shock fully dissolved. if that matters.
About a week and a half ago I was vacuuming the pool, i decided to sweep, sweeping created a cloud that turned the water milky white. I went to Leslies and bought Pool first aid at their advice, this did nothing. I replaced the cartridge filter as the old one was ruined, all the straps broke. I ran and ran the filter, the pool has slightly cleared to about a foot and a half, but has remained cloudy going on two weeks now. I went to a different pool supply and they sold me pool clarifyer, i added 1 oz per 5000 gallons as the directions explained, Ran the pump for 12 hours straight, this did nothing. So I went and bought a testing kit from wal-mart since all i had was a ph and Cl tester. here are my readings:

16000 gallon Monarch in-ground pool w/ spa, at least 20 yrs old , possibly painted but never resurfaced, (Was a swamp before I bought the house, fixed by the bank, I found out from neighbors)
Hayward Cartridge Filter, 175 sq filter CX1750Re, 1.5 horse pump

Chemical drop Tests

Hardness- Water did not turn Red, it turned light yellow and the Titrant neutralized the color(At 6 drops) giving me no reading
Alkalinity - (Calcium Carbonate) 9 drops x 10, 90ppm
PH - 7.2 - 7.5
Cl - OFF the Chart too high unreadable ( been this way for months) I retested the Chlorine, 2 Parts chlorine free water 1 part actual pool water, the water based on the color and this drop kit, the level is at least 15ppm maybe slightly higher.
Cyanuric Acid - 80 - 100 ppm

 

[Bama Rambler]

How did the FC get 'off the charts'? Are you adding chlorine?

You need to know what the FC actually is. dilute the pool sample 1:1 with chlorine free water and see if it helps reading it. Multiply the reading by 2. If that doesn't work use 2 parts chlorine free water to 1 part pool water and multiply by 3.

A good test kit is your friend. Your FC won't be off the chart on a FAS-DPD kit.

 

[crumpj2322]

Ok I tested the FC with 2 parts chlorine Free water and 1 part actual pool water , remember all I have is a drop testing kit, according to the deep yellow color the pool water is at least 15ppm maybe slightly higher.

 

[duraleigh]

If you shut off the pump for a day or so, do you think the white stuff will settle back to the bottom?

Do you have any clue where it came from?

Is your filter catching any of it? (increased psi, dirty filter?)

 

[crumpj2322]

no I tried that , it isn't settling. The cloud is from sweeping the pool. the pool filter is New

 

[duraleigh]

I'm not sure I understand. If it was on the bottom, and it only came up when you swept it up, are you saying it will not go back down?

What is your current psi?

 

[crumpj2322]

yes it will not settle or filter

 

[duraleigh]

Well, I could stab a guess and say it might be calcium precipitate. AS others have said, you really need a better test kit to take charge of your pool and get it fixed. Cloudy water can be from a ton of things but they can almost always be filtered out or vacuumed. Can you post a picture?

 

[crumpj2322]

Yes I will post it first thing tomorrow in the daylight, Thanks for your help I appreciate the input. What is an affordable test kit and type ? what do you recommend?

 

[duraleigh]

Yikes!! I have to let someone else help you there.

 

[jblizzle]

Look in my signature for test kit recommendations. The TF100 is a great value.

Posted with Tapatalk 2

 

[Bama Rambler]

Just order the TF-100 from tftestkits and be done with it. It's the best value and contains all the common test you'll need. It'll also last you more than a year most likely.

Now a couple more questions;
How long are you running the pump?
What are you adding to have the FC that high?

And last exactly which clarifier did you use? I'm keeping a log of clarifiers that work and that don't, so if you can tell me what it was I will add it to the list.

 

[x2rider]

FC of 15 with your CYA of 90 isn't too far out of the norm, according to the chart, your target right now is 10, shock level is 35 and your minimum is 7 which is probably the maximum that walmart test kit will measure without dilution. When you get the new test kit, you can test for CC's.

 

[crumpj2322]

I am running the pump 4 hours a night, I have been floating 3" Chlorine pellets all year, consistently. The Clarifier I used was BioGuard - Improve poly sheen blue, concentrated water clarifier.

 

[crumpj2322]

here are photos

 

[crumpj2322]

Here are photos, their not to detailed since I had to downsize them so far

 

[jblizzle]

I have been floating 3" Chlorine pellets all year, consistently.

Yikes that is going to be a major problem when the water warms up if you continue to use the tablets. You already think your CYA level is between 80-100 (recommended level is 30-50ppm) and those tablets just keep adding CYA to the problem. Come the hot weather, you will certainly start to struggle keeping algae from taking over.

Before you keep dumping in chemicals. Here is what I would recommend.

1. STOP using tablets
2. Get the good test kit
3. Test your CYA (confirm it is in the ballpark of 90)
4. Drain and refill 50% of your water to lower CYA to a manageable level
5. Maintain an appropriate level of FC for your new CYA level (maybe even go through shocking process)
6. Deal with the cloudiness if it remains.

EDIT: I did not mean to derail the path of the thread, but I think addressing the FC/CYA is more important up front than dealing with the cloudy water (which could be related).

 

[crumpj2322]

one thing, and forgive me if this is a lame question, how come if the chlorine level is as high as this test says it is ( I Tested by using 2 part fresh water 1 Part pool water x3 of the drop test reading = 15ppm est) do I not smell any chlorine when i get near the water ? I am also draining as we speak.

 

[jblizzle]

No such thing as lame questions!!!

It is the CC that actually causes the chlorine smell. So, you will only have strong odors if there are a lot or organics in the pool being consumed by the FC. If you maintain the appropriate FC levels, the CC levels will stay below 0.5ppm and your pool will not smell or sting the eyes. Although the eyes can be irritated is the pH is off as well.

Since you do not smell anything, it probably means that most everything in your pool is already dead and just needs to get filtered out to clear the water.

 

[crumpj2322]

K - Im preparing to order my test kit and I will check back once I refill and test.