Blue cloudy water remains after swamp thang is gone.

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rookiePool

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Jul 5, 2008
6
Colorado
I have been taking care of the in-laws pool over the summer and...well, the pool went from crystal clear, when they left a month ago, to a cloudy blue about 2 weeks ago and then yep, Mr. Green moved in shortly after that. I visited a few pool stores and after around $200 in chemicals and no change in the water I started looking for answers online. BTW - A HUGE THANKS TO THIS FORUM!!!! :-D

4 days ago, I went and bought 7 bottles (about 900 ozs.) of bleach and dumped it in, brushed the sides, turned the eyeballs skyward to increase the circulation and the next morning Mr. Green was gone and the water was a pretty sea green/blue but very very cloudy. Nonetheless, Yippee!!

3 days ago, I kept checking the numbers (my CYA was climbing quick, Ph was at 8 ). Kept brushing the sides, did some backwashing and vacuuming. I poured in another 4 bottles of bleach (about 500 ozs.)

2 days ago the water turned a very nice shade of blue but STILL very hazy and cloudy looking. I read that the 3" tablets contribute to your CYA numbers, and for the past few days it has climbed near 100, so I removed all of the tablets from the skimmers. The Ph was down to 7.3, then I did another backwash and more brushing, then added 2 bottles of bleach (about 300 ozs.).

Yesterday, water was still cloudy. I drained a ton of water and added a boatload back in, trying to get my CYA lowered. I ran the little water-jet-skimmer-guy that rolls around on the bottom of the pool and picks up debris, I believe it is a Polaris brand. Numbers are the same from day before. I brushed the sides, and did another backwash.

Today, the water looks the same, a pretty blue, but still very cloudy with no drain in sight and only the top step can be seen on the stairs.
I have the DPD 2006 kit and have been using the 2:1 ratio to measure the chlorine, which is always the brightest red, so I am merely guessing at the actual numbers.

So here goes those annoying Rookie Questions:

1. Is there ANYTHING else I can be doing to clear up the water?
2. Have I over-chlorinated this pool or is that even possible?
3. How long does it take to lower the chlorine level after the water clears, so it will be safe to swim?

Here are my numbers this morning.
CYA - 100
ALK - 125
Ph - 7.3
FC - 15++

Thanks in advance. 8)
 
Here's my thoughts. Your CYA is still way too high, around 50 would be better. You've got some more draining to do. AT the very least 60 or 70 is more manageable, but 100 is just way too high. At 60 - 70 you will be able to use less chlorine and be more effective, and it will continue to lower overtime from backwashing the filter.

Secondly, as far as guessing at the numbers, a trip now and then to the pool store for them to test your water (you don't have to buy anything for them to test for you) will at least give you an idea if you are somewhat accurate. Some pool stores can't test chlorine that high, so be weary. Some even use strips. So you could just get some strips and have that to compare, I guess it's better than nothing.

I assume you don't want to spend money on a kit cause it's your inlaws pool? You could use the kit you have and just order the FAS-DPD kit from TF test kits for $23. That's really the only way to know for sure what's happening with your chlorine levels, and if you are done shocking. Personally I think having it is essential to pool care.

Clearing the green ickies takes time. It may just be time is all that's needed to clear the cloudiness. What is your CH number? High CH can cause cloudiness.

Are you running the filter 24/7, brushing brushing brushing?

Yes, it's possible to overchlorinate. That's why the FAS-DPD test is essential, so that you don't damage your pool with overchlorination.

Hope this helps. :-D
 
It can take the filter up to a week to clear the water even after all the algea is dead. Of course, with CYA that high, it is very difficult to tell if you have killed all the algae.

At very high CYA levels it can take the FC a long time to come down.
 
:rant: UGGH!!! I have seen absolutely no change at all in the water.

I have been so desperate that I actualy took a sample down to the pool store 2 days ago to see what their tests showed. I now know that they use test strips to test the samples. Their readings were totally off from mine. They said my Ph was 8.6 - WHA!!!? Said my CYA was 60 and my ALK was 80. And of course, they wanted me to buy another $100 worth of stuff to dump in the pool to get those numbers corrected. I know I will never be returning to that store, especially after they told me that the FC reading of 10 that they got, was the highest reading that you can possibly get. HA!!!

Okay, so yesterday, I drained and added a significant amount of new water yet AGAIN.....no change.

Can someone PLEASE help me get this pool clear??? Do I need to lower the ALK? If I have to just keep draining and refilling with new water everyday until it clears, I can't imagine what my water bill is going to be? If that is the case, we may just need to close it altogether.

I have had cloudy water going on 12 days now. Is there anything else I can possibly do to speed up the process? :cry: I am very sad that it has taken this long, ESPECIALLY after seeing the pics this guy took and getting his pool cleared in 3 days!!
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=1180
Too bad he did not post his procedure, because I would have followed it to the letter.

Here are my numbers from this morning.
FC 15
TC 15
CYA 90
Ph 7.3
Alk 125
CH 260

Please please, help me clear this pool, my kids are driving me crazy to swim in this 97degree weather. 8)
 
Candace,

It is going to take some time. It took my pool two weeks to clear from the cloudy blue it was. It was a lot of vacuuming, brushing and bleach. Once you know the algae is dead (and the best way is to see if the FC drops at night - if it does, it is not dead) then the FC levels can drop and it is a matter a filtration.

I, personally, let my kids swim in it. I knew it wouldn't hurt them, and we just kept diligent watch since the water wasn't clear. I think it helped to stir up the stuff to get it to the filter quicker. There were several days in a row, where there was little or no progress, and then we began to see the bottom of things again.

Good luck! You are on the right track - it is just a really long track!

Branden
 
rookiePool said:
My kids would love to do that but....Is the chlorine level (15ppm) too high for swimmers?
Click to expand...

Not when your CYA is 90 :shock:

Still too high. Consider another partial drain and refill, to get it lower. So if you want to let them swim in 15ppm with a CYA of 90 they'll be fine. IF your worried about the suits just wear old suits, it won't hurt the kids any. Have them shower after, if they complain about any irritation (unlikely).

Your other numbers look good. This is from your test kit right, not the pool store?

POP, have some more POP.... :mrgreen:
 
Thanks everyone, and I agree, so I emptied more water again.

As I was filling the pool back up, I was curious about a plastic box located on the side of the sand filter. I opened it and found what appeared to be a skimmer basket completely filled with gunk, bugs, sticks and well...you get the idea. I sprayed it off with the hose and got it cleaned up and put it back and then did a backwash.

I really hope that tomorrow I see even a small change in the water, fingers crossed. :goodjob:
 
rookiePool said:
Thanks everyone, and I agree, so I emptied more water again.

As I was filling the pool back up, I was curious about a plastic box located on the side of the sand filter. I opened it and found what appeared to be a skimmer basket completely filled with gunk, bugs, sticks and well...you get the idea. I sprayed it off with the hose and got it cleaned up and put it back and then did a backwash.

I really hope that tomorrow I see even a small change in the water, fingers crossed. :goodjob:
Click to expand...

Don't you just love surprises? :wink: :mrgreen:

I bet you see a difference now! Keep us posted.
 

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:( Nope. No change at all today. No drain to be seen and not even the shallow end floor is in sight. :(

My DH really wants to just close the pool. I keep telling him, just one more day, just one more day. My POP is running very low...

Shouldn't we at least see the shallow end by now, 2 weeks later???

Do I need to shock it again??? :?

Numbers today:
FC 15
TC 15
CC 0
Ph 7.3
Alk 100
CYA 80
 
You should read this pool school article on fighting algae.

You are finally in a place where you can start fighting the algae. The key is to keep adding more chlorine to keep the FC level up around 21, given a CYA level of 80, as frequently as possible, up to once per hour. Shocking is an ongoing process that continues until you have killed all the algae.

Now that your CYA level is manageable, still high but livable, you should be able to start making some real progress.
 
JasonLion - Thanks for the encouraging words they certainly help revive the POP, and to know that I am at least on the right road to recovery is good. Maybe I can find a "pool chant" and say a prayer to that pool god and I will see a change soon, enough.
 
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