Cloudy Blue Pool

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Is this pool new to you? I don't remember if I read that or not.

Sound to me that with the track right there you will always be fighting the sand, but I would think you could get ahead of it once in a while...

Sounds like you're almost there... keep it up, and I predict you'll be swimming by the weekend!!
 
We purchased this home nearly two years ago. We had a pool service for the first year. It didn't keep the pool perfect, but it was decent. My husband decided to cancel the service, but didn't do anything with the pool. We were in a silent battle over who would take care of it. Summer got closer and closer, and I decided to deal with it last month by learning the chemistry, testing and switching to BBB. I've learned so much from this forum. The people here have been a tremendous help.

I don't remember sand being a problem in the first year. However, we had a really dry winter, so I think more sand got kicked up this year than the previous year which was very wet. I'm crossing my fingers that this is the case. If it is, we should be able to clean it up this summer because there is far less use of the track now that school is out. However, I have also read that the sand could be a sign of a leak in the pipes. We don't have a sand filter, but maybe sand was used in the construction of the pool. I don't know. One of our neighbors has a problem with sand but the neighbor on the other side doesn't appear to. (His pool always looks perfect.)

I hope that your prediction is right. I told my husband last night that I anticipated that the pool would clear up by the weekend as well. I just don't know how quickly the FC levels will fall once I declare victory over the algae.
 
Sand in the pool because of plumbing problems only happens with a sand filter. Sometimes a sand filter will break in a way that allows sand to get out of the filter and into the pool. Since you don't have a sand filter and do have a source of sand near the pool I am sure the sand is coming from outside.

The sand will vacuum right up. It shouldn't be too big a deal to keep on top of it as long as the track isn't in constant use.
 
Ok. That is a relief. I was somewhat troubled because I had vacuumed it all up twice and it keeps settling on the seat and bottom of the spa. Perhaps I'm kicking up a lot of sand when I vacuum and that is what is settling.
 
Dramatic improvement in water clarity over the course of the day! I can clearly see the bottom of the shallow end and I can fuzzily see the bottom of the deep end. The FC dropped to 16.5 and the CC is 1. So I am continuing to shock the pool. I'm going to bring it back up to 25 tonight and vacuum. I'm so excited!
 
algaeh8er said:
Dramatic improvement in water clarity over the course of the day! I can clearly see the bottom of the shallow end and I can fuzzily see the bottom of the deep end. The FC dropped to 16.5 and the CC is 1. So I am continuing to shock the pool. I'm going to bring it back up to 25 tonight and vacuum. I'm so excited!
Click to expand...

Keep the chlorine up there!!.....that's good.

Run that pump 24/7.....that's good

Keep your filter clean.......that's good

But what's best of all is your persistence!! :lol: :lol: It is a common newbie error to give up and try something else when the pool doesn't clear as quickly as they like....you didn't do that and you are soon to be rewarded with a clear pool!

It's also a fairly common newbie assumption that they "added a little something from the pool store" and their pool cleared right up. That's seldom, if ever, correct. What clears your pool is the persistent application of chlorine in large doses. Many people are often deceived by the dramatic improvement at the end of the process.......thinking it was some "magic bullet" that suddenly worked. Now, you know what it takes....it just takes some time.........very nice work. :lol:
 
My husband had been getting impatient and was threatening to add Floc a couple of days ago. I begged him not to do it. I told him that the bleach would do the trick. I knew when I came home and saw him outside in the backyard staring at the water that we must have had dramatic improvement during the day. I think he finally believes me now.

I can't thank all of you enough. I've learned so much over the past few weeks. I've made quite a few mistakes since I undertook this challenge (listening to the pool store, not buying a vacuum right away, getting my test kit from Taylor and waiting over a week for it to arrive instead of ordering the TFkit) , and I know that I could have gotten to this point a little faster if I knew what I was doing at the outset. But everybody here is so great and you all got my on the right path. I really appreciate all of your help, advice and encouragement. :-D
 
Water clarity was even better this morning. We can see the deep end pretty clearly at this point. It isn't perfect clarity, but it is close. Lots and lots of sand left in the pool. I haven't had a chance to vacuum it like I wanted to last night. I will try tonight.

FC - 20
CC - 1

I'm still waiting to run the rest of the numbers until I can get my chlorine down. I know there are ways to test with higher chlorine levels, but I don't have the confidence in my testing skills to do that accurately. I added bleach to bring the FC back up to 25, changed filters and brushed the pool.
 
I started another thread about CYA, but since I'm getting closer to finishing this algae war, I decided to run a full set of numbers this afternoon with my new kit.

FC 14.5
CC .5
pH 7.2
TA 150 (or 143 if you use CYA correction)
CH 350.
CYA between 30 and 40.

The CYA level came as a shock because both the pool store and I came up with 70 a couple of weeks ago. My guess (which I addressed in the CYA thread) is that the cloudiness of the pool water interfered with a proper reading of the test. Even though I am close to shock level at 14.5, I decided to keep it at 25 for now because that is what has been working the last couple of days. When I am completely done and the CC is 0, I will allow the chlorine levels to fall to the proper range and keep a close eye on the water quality of the pool. The TA has risen from 90 a couple of weeks ago, so this is concerning. I'm going to have to read up on that.
 
algaeh8er said:
I started another thread about CYA, but since I'm getting closer to finishing this algae war, I decided to run a full set of numbers this afternoon with my new kit.

FC 14.5
CC .5
pH 7.2
TA 150 (or 143 if you use CYA correction)
CH 350.
CYA between 30 and 40.

The CYA level came as a shock because both the pool store and I came up with 70 a couple of weeks ago. My guess (which I addressed in the CYA thread) is that the cloudiness of the pool water interfered with a proper reading of the test. Even though I am close to shock level at 14.5, I decided to keep it at 25 for now because that is what has been working the last couple of days. When I am completely done and the CC is 0, I will allow the chlorine levels to fall to the proper range and keep a close eye on the water quality of the pool. The TA has risen from 90 a couple of weeks ago, so this is concerning. I'm going to have to read up on that.
Click to expand...

I agree with your entire post. Keep the chlorine in there...speeds up the process and keeps you at breakpoint to get rid of CC's.

You're fine to work on Alk after your pool has cleared. If it's easy for you to get one of those floating fountains, that will start the process. It'll require some acid sooner or later, tho to keep the pH down. Anyway, I'd suggest not even addressing it until you're happy with how your water looks.
 

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Thanks. We have an attached spill-over spa to our pool, so I think we can aerate with that, right? I've never seen a floating fountain.

The water looks wonderful, but I'm still getting CC readings. This morning, my FC was at 19.5 and CC was 1. My husband bought a bunch of bleach, but it didn't have any information on it about sodium hypochlorite percentage. I was worried that even though it didn't say anything, that it may have some additive, so I didn't add chlorine this morning. I am planning on picking up some trustworthy bleach and running home during the noon hour.
 
I regret that I didn't take any photos. I have to get a new battery for my digital camera. Perhaps I'll get that done this weekend so you can at least get my after pic. Suffice it to say, that at this point, I can make out just about every grain of sand that my vacuum missed in the 8 foot deep end that we have never been able to see.
 
This morning: FC: 22 CC: 1. I'm getting really frustrated that I can't seem to get rid of the CC. My husband wants to use the pool this weekend, the water is clear, but the CC is hovering at .5 to 1 for the last few days.
 
Algae,

Enjoy your pool and go swimming. That CC is not a number to be afraid of. You have most likely swum in far worse. You have such a good grip on your pool's condition, it'll just take some fine tuning to keep it right all Summer. :lol:
 
With a high chlorine level you should make sure to rinse off after swiming. Bathing suits can fade and elastic get less stretchy if not rinsed off. The chlorine residual can also affect hair if you don't rinse off. Note that some people won't swim unless the FC level is at or below the max level from Ben's chart, which would be 15 in your situation.
 
I find that the sun burns off quite a bit of chlorine during the day, so I wouldn't be too surprised if the chlorine is at a more acceptable level by late afternoon and we can all enjoy the pool in relative comfort. At some point, I'll give careful consideration to raising CYA, maybe even to the level that I thought it was at earlier in this thread. But, I want to see how the pool behaves at this level for a while first. Our pool runs east to west, length-wise in our yard, it isn't in shade unless it is early morning or late afternoon, so it does get quite a bit of sun during the day.
 
Hi, Jason,

Yeah, I know the deal about fading has been around for years in swimming pools. my problem with it is when you wash your clothes in the washing machine with the Clorox recommended dosage, that calculates out to (I think) about 187.5ppm of chlorine for a fairly long exposure (and with no CYA). That makes me question the ability of 25ppm chlorine to fade clothing.

I have posted before asking someone with real-time evidence that there suits have faded but haven't heard anything from anyone.....yet. :lol:

That said, Jen, if your suits fade, I'll swear I never even heard of you!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

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