Slightly cloudy water

[rgmarple]

First of all, I would like to thank of you who gave me guidance and direction last year when I bought a new house with a pool (and had no idea what I was doing).

Since then, I've enjoyed crystal clear water and limited issues thanks to a solid testing kit, liquid bleach, and the SLAM method.

This is the first time I've experience some haziness in the water, and by haziness I mean that I can see the bottom of the shallow end but not the 8 ft. deep end. The weird thing is that my water seems to be relatively in balance. Today's tests:

FC: 4.2
CC: 0
PH: 7.2
TA: 110
CH: 140
CYA: 60

I'm wondering - is it possible for some environmental factors to cause the haziness? We had quite a bit of rain this past Monday and some Tuesday, and I also left the solar cover on for a a day or two without removing it (this is a no-no?) We also had a party this past Sunday and there were 6-7 people in and out of the pool all day.

I ran the filter (sand filter) all night last night (approx. 10 hours) and I didn't notice any major improvements. I also backwashed this morning. I plan to run it again overnight tonight to see if it helps.

Could just be paranoid and need to give it more filter time but, time to slam?

Thanks again - I've only posted a couple times but I'm a long-time lurker.

RM

 

[Casey]

Your chlorine is low and on the verge of an algae bloom. Your target should be between 5-7ppm and never under 5ppm. I would SLAM the pool for a day and see how that clears it up. I would also brush it and run the filter. You need to feed the pool every day regardless of rain, shine and definitely if you have a bather load. I would caution letting a solar cover on for more than a day. I have found that it can breed algae. It's best to let the pool breath with it off. Solar covers do best at night time anyway.

 

[rgmarple]

Tested the water tonight after sundown and the FC level had dropped to 0.8 from 4.2. Water is still cloudy / hazy.

I used the pool math calculator to determine how much 8.25% chlorox to add - and ended up adding 6.5 of the 121oz jugs.

I guess this was too much because it raised by FC level to 35.... is this bad?

To continue with the SLAM method should I just continue to monitor the FC level twice daily and make sure it doesn't fall under 24 until the cloudiness is gone?

Thanks again

 

[Casey]

Perform an OCLT and see if you're losing chlorine tonight. If you lose more than 1ppm over the cover of darkness, continue SLAM'ing the pool until it clears, running the filter and brushing the pool daily. You need to be more precise in dosing the pool so you are not over shooting the FC. Let it drift down to normal SLAM level and redose accordingly. Let us know how the OCLT goes in the morning. Check the FC before day break.

Also, it would be helpful if you add your location to your profile and your pool specs and equipment to your signature via the settings right below the Pool School button at the top right of the page. Look for the signature on the left of the page, click it and fill in the body and save the message. It will show every time you post.

 

[rgmarple]

Thanks for the tips! I live in Western NY and my specs are as follows (in case the sig doesn't update right away):

32 x 16 Vinyl
Pentair Sand Dollar SD-60 Sand Filter
Centurion Magnetek Switchless Motor (1.0HP / 3450 RPM)

There is also a pool light in the deep end which I was sure to give extra special attention while brushing last night.

I *think* the water looks ever so slightly better this morning in terms of the being able to see the main drain in the deep end clearly. However, there is still an obvious haziness. My overnight test yielded 35 FC still - does not appear to have dropped.

Should I monitor the FC all the way down to 24 and keep it above until the water turns clear? I'm wondering if it is a matter of poor filtration - as I mentioned in the OP we had heavy rain and there is a good amount of pollen and particles in the air this time of year.

Thanks!

 

[JasonLion]

A sand filter can take a week or more to fully clear up the water. You should be able to see a visible improvement from day to day. As long as you see some improvement, give the filter time to do it's job.