Cloudy water with chemistry ok?

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Albee

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LifeTime Supporter
Aug 10, 2011
11
Just got back from 1 week vac and my pool looked like this with stains all over the bottom.
[attachment=0:22nchq8o]IMG00172-20120818-1902.jpg[/attachment:22nchq8o]
I did a backwash on my sand filter and let the vacuum run for 24h.
I also checked my chemistry and everything seams in order:

Temp 82
Salt 3000
FC 11
CC 0
PH 7.4
TA 70
CH 190
CYA 65


Unfortunately my water looks very cloudy right now and the filter doesn't seam to filter the small particles very well that have been stirred up from running the vac.
I ordered De after reading thorough some of the advice

I hope somebody could let me know how to get my pool sparkling clean and also for future reference how to prevent the residue on the bottom (more frequent vac).
 

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You must shock the pool. You must also do it according to the process described in Pool School.

Chlorine held at shock value and aggressive brushing of the sides and walls will, at first, make the pool worse and then clear it up as you continue the process.

Algae grows in the presence of inadequate chlorine so to prevent that algae in the future, you will have to constantly maintain adequate chlorine levels
 
Thanks for the quick feedback.
I just don't quite understand how I can have algae with CC being 0?
Also my FC is 11.
Are you guys saying I am having algae because there is stuff on the bottom?
 
Try running an OCLT and see if you are losing chlorine overnight. Make sure the SWG is off during the test. If you have not been brushing, algae can form a resistant coating to chlorine. For the most part, a cloudy pool needs to go through the shock process to clear it up.

You can have algae in the pool with your CC's=0.
 
I just don't quite understand how I can have algae with CC being 0?
Also my FC is 11.
Are you guys saying I am having algae because there is stuff on the bottom?
Click to expand...
Having CC's is not a test for algae. It is quite common to have algae present and 0 CC's

You have visible algae so you need to shock your pool to get rid of it.
 
Thanks for your advice. I am learning every day.
Lost 1.5 overnight and started the shocking process this morning.

According to the shock level recommendation I should be at 24 FC.
I went a little bit overboard with the bleach as I ended up @ 35.
I do have a fiberglass pool. I was reading that higher levels are an issue for Liners.
Do you think I am OK with the high level? Can I run my automatic cleaning robot in that my chlorine?
Also is the TF100 accurate to measure this much FC?
I am asking this as I noticed that after adding the powder (R0870) the water sample gets light pink.
Then after adding the R0871 drops the water gets a darker shade of pink until it gets lighter and then becomes clear after adding more 871.
When I tested at lower chlorine levels it always started out dark pink and then got to a lighter pink and then to clear.
 
Dose carefully. Use the poolcalculator to make sure you hit your intended ppm more closely. The extra FC in your case will have little affect on your pool but that's a pretty big miss and BBB is all about accuracy. Anyway, your pool will be fine.

The TF-100 FAS/DPD test will test the high FC very accurately. I have tested as high as 70ppm but I think 50ppm is a more realistic upper limit.

You may need to use just a bit more powder when you are measuring the high FC. Your test results are fine but your description indicates another bit of powder in the initial mix may have made your procedure more consistent. Nevertheless, you can pretty much count on the endpoint ( when the solution turns clear) as being accurate.

Brush that pool. You need to get that algae up off the floor and suspended in the water so the chlorine can kill it. Keep up with your reports....it sounds like you are on your way to a crystal clear pool :lol:
 
Albee said:
I am asking this as I noticed that after adding the powder (R0870) the water sample gets light pink.
Then after adding the R0871 drops the water gets a darker shade of pink until it gets lighter and then becomes clear after adding more 871.
When I tested at lower chlorine levels it always started out dark pink and then got to a lighter pink and then to clear.
Click to expand...

Do you swirl the water in the tube with the powder before adding the 871?
 

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I am curious about the care of your pool during the vacation.... is it possible that someone was left with instructions to put X amount of bleach into the pool while you were away and they left that all until the last day and dumped it all in on the day before your return?
 
am curious about the care of your pool during the vacation.... is it possible that someone was left with instructions to put X amount of bleach into the pool while you were away and they left that all until the last day and dumped it all in on the day before your return?
Click to expand...

I have a saltsystem and that takes care of the chlorine and that worked fine.
Its hard tell what triggered it.
I believe I had something already going on in the pool and it just got worse with the rain we had going on and I also had a dead mouse in the skimmer that was already rotten when I came back.

I am just glad I am getting advise from you folks here on how to get rid of it.
 
Update on day 3 of shocking:
Pool looks crystal clear since 1.5 day. Yesterday FC dropped to 19 during the day. At 6pm I put some more bleach into the pool and reached FC of 30.
That was the first time I added some after that initial over shocking.
I added some DE to the sand filter after day 1 and that really cleared up the cloudiness. Of course I had to backwash after 0.5 days as it was picking up so much.

Overnight loss was about FC 1.0ppm to 1.5ppm
I am saying about as I am having a hard time measuring it accurately.
I am always measuring twice and I am having a hard time getting two of the same results.
I am cleaning the test tube with clear water and rinse it pretty good with pool water, but most of the time I am getting like on the first count 59 drops and and the time with a fresh start like 60.
Any suggestions or is this normal at those high chlorine levels?

Also when is it save to use the pool again?
Can you swim in water with high chlorine levels?
Is there like a max level of FC and I need to wait till like say below 20 to go in or is OK to jump in even at 30?
 
We say it is safe when the FC is below shock level and the CC are not more than 0.5ppm and you can see the bottom of the pool.

With a CYA of 65ppm, you should be fine to swim under FC of 25ppm.
 
aviolentworld said:
i am in the same situation but since i shocked my cya rose to about 90 and i am not sure why. it has been steady all summer around the 40 mark. can shocking raise CYA acid? also can this add to the cloudiness of the pool overall?
Click to expand...

What did you use to "shock" your pool? Did you follow the Shocking Your Pool process?

If you used powder (dichlor or trichlor), then that certainly raised your CYA {note: the other powder, cal-hypo, adds calcium CH} ... which is why we recommend always using liquid chlorine.
 
jblizzle said:
aviolentworld said:
i am in the same situation but since i shocked my cya rose to about 90 and i am not sure why. it has been steady all summer around the 40 mark. can shocking raise CYA acid? also can this add to the cloudiness of the pool overall?
Click to expand...

What did you use to "shock" your pool? Did you follow the Shocking Your Pool process?

If you used powder (dichlor or trichlor), then that certainly raised your CYA {note: the other powder, cal-hypo, adds calcium CH} ... which is why we recommend always using liquid chlorine.
Click to expand...
when i would shock i use cal-hyp and then run my chlorinator on the 2 mark and that usually keeps my shock level up. i am trying to use my chemicals i already bought for the year before i can do the BBB method so i have never used liquid chlorine.

the part that confuses me is keeping the FC at shock level. say if i were to shock with liquid chlorine would i run my chlorinator to keep it up? or do i test more frequently and keep using the liquid.
 
Read the link I provided. You should be testing as often as is required to keep the FC up with liquid chlorine. This is likely hourly when you start the process.

I assume you drain a lot of water in the winter given your location. If so, using tablets may work fine for you ... if you understand what they are adding to the pool and keep a close eye on your CYA and switch to liquid before it gets too high.

Your water likely got cloudy in the first place because the tablets were not adding enough FC to compensate for the increasing CYA.
 
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