Newbie - added too much sodium carbonate?

CADIYPool · May 12, 2014

My pH dropped from 7.6 to 7.0 over the last 6 days so I decided to add some EZ-CLOR pH UP to get back to an appropriate level. When I added the sodium carbonate, the water turned milky white almost immediately and has remained that way for the last 8 hours. Any and all suggestions on how to clear it up are welcome.

Before I added the sodium carbonate, I tested my water with my Taylor testing kit:
FC = 2.5
TC = 2.5
pH = 7
TA = 130
CA = 190
CYA = 52

I ran a demand test to determine how much sodium carbonate to add and the chart in the Taylor book said I needed to add 5lbs. My canister of ph UP said I should add the sodium carbonate directly to the deep end of the pool, so I did. After reading several postings on TFP, I now see that I should have added it to water then dumped the water in to the pool. The water immediately turned milky white and has remained that way.

After about four hours of running the pool filter, I retested the water with the Taylor test kit and got these results:
pH = 7.2
TA = 115
FC = 2.5
TC = 2.5
Br = 4
CYA = 48
CA = 180

I will run the pump overnight to see if it clears up, but am very concerned it will remain milky. Any suggestions on clearing it up?

Thanks!

Here are my pool stats:
Pool was installed in July 2014
35,000 gal in-ground pool
Hayward CL100 automatic chlorine feeder
Jandy Cartridge Pool Filter
Zodiac Jandy Legacy pool and spa heater
Sta-Rite Max-E-Pro centrifugal pump

UN1017 · May 13, 2014

Welcome to TFP!

The cloudiness should clear on is own, hopefully by morning.

There are some other things worth noting:

1.Your pH drop is likely due to the use of trichlor tabs in your feeder....which also means you can no longer afford an increase in your CYA.

2. Your FC is too low for a CYA of 50.

You might take a spin through Pool School and see how your levels are being affected. Also, your stated the pool was installed in July 2014. Did you mean 2013? Also, is your pool plaster?

Richard320 · May 13, 2014

Welcome!

Just keep the filter running. I also recommend raising FC up to about 8 using bleach (plain, unscented) and just be patient. It will eventually clear up.

Now, off to Pool School with you! I especially recommend http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/142-how-to-chlorinate-your-pool Those powdered forms of chlorine all carry some unwanted side effects, as you've just discovered.

duraleigh · May 13, 2014

Welcome to the forum. :lol: I, too, think it will clear up with time and filtering. It's 20-20 hindsight but next time use 20 mule team borax and it will solve that issue.

FamilyGuy · May 13, 2014

Just curious how you got a cya of 52 and 48 my test cylinder is not graduated like that

CADIYPool · May 13, 2014

Thanks for the help!!

The pool is a little clearer this morning, but still pretty foggy.

To answer your questions, yes, I meant 2013 and the yes the pool is gunite.

For the CYA measures, I approximated based on where the bottom of the meniscus hit the scale. (I find the CYA to be difficult to measure precisely because the black dot in the bottom of the vial very gradually fades away.)

Thanks again for your help!

timerguy · May 13, 2014

It's supposed to disappear gradually until it's completely gone, then see where the bottom of the level is. You can do it several times by putting it back into the shaker vial and dropping it in gradually again and again to test your skill at reading it. When You get the same reading twice in a row, that means you've got the hang of it!