Cloudy water - Need help

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B

bhmhrex

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Aug 4, 2013
19
Hello, (Hope this is the right forum)

I opened my pool a couple weeks ago and everything looked great right off the bat. I put on my solar cover a couple of days ago and everything still looked great. Last night I was outside finishing up the deck and everything looked fine.....This afternoon I go outside and you can't see to the bottom of the pool at all even in the deepest area of 7 feet deep.

I have a 16 x 32 Doughboy pool that you sink in the ground. It is setup with a "Play pool" design with a deep middle with shallow ends on both sides and a ledge all the way around.

I went over to my automatic chlorinater and somehow it was turned off. Not sure if the kids were messing with it or what. I took my water into the pool store and they tested it. As I figured, no chlorine, PH level was almost nothing and the alkalinity level was sort of slow.

Anyways, she said to put the Vortex Liquid shock in and backwash to get the cloudiness to go away, wait 3 days and then add stabilizer through the skimmer.

My question is: Do I add the shock and then backwash right away? I don't think that makes sense, but maybe. Or do I add the shock, wait a few hours and then backwash? Also, how much should I backwash out?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
First off, welcome to TFP. This is the right forum and the advice you get here is awesome!

I am a new member myself.

You are going to hear the following from the other members:

- Get a reliable test kit (one recommended on this site) and learn how to do your own testing. The experts love it when you can post your test results. There is very little confidence in the pool store test results
- Next you are going to be directed to the pool school section. There is a ton of great info there.

I have noticed that there isn't a one solution that fits every situation. The solutions that the experts offer are based on the test results that you post.

Be prepared to hear suggestions that are sometimes the exact opposite from the pool store. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but my pool looks better than every after following the TFPC method. Wish I would have found it years ago.

So, let's start by seeing your test results. and if you haven't done so, get yourself a good test kit recommended on the site.
 
Scott39 knows the routine :)
First Task--> STOP GOING TO THE POOL STORE FOR TESTING! (really, they just want to sell you expensive bottles and potions, right?)
Then get a good test kit. I like the TF-100 for the most bang for your buck. Link in my siggy line.
Stop putting strange other chemical concoctions in the water until you get your test. Then report back here if you want guidance, but you also need to be reading Pool School (link at top right)
Go buy a mess of bleach (Walmart is common place to trade but I prefer to get mine at Costco)
Use Pool Math calculator program (under Pool School link) to help you balance your water. First the pH, then the Chlorine, then determine if you need to SLAM to rid pool of cooties like algae.
You'll need CYA stabilizer eventually or your chlorine will disappear...but you do NOT want to pump that up too high or you'll have to drain some water to get it out and too much CYA requires much more chlorine to care for your pool. The Chlorine CYA relationship chart is found under Pool SChool link too :)
 
scott39 said:
First off, welcome to TFP. This is the right forum and the advice you get here is awesome!

I am a new member myself.

You are going to hear the following from the other members:

- Get a reliable test kit (one recommended on this site) and learn how to do your own testing. The experts love it when you can post your test results. There is very little confidence in the pool store test results
- Next you are going to be directed to the pool school section. There is a ton of great info there.

I have noticed that there isn't a one solution that fits every situation. The solutions that the experts offer are based on the test results that you post.

Be prepared to hear suggestions that are sometimes the exact opposite from the pool store. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but my pool looks better than every after following the TFPC method. Wish I would have found it years ago.

So, let's start by seeing your test results. and if you haven't done so, get yourself a good test kit recommended on the site.
Click to expand...

Hi! Thanks for your response. I bought a kit last year and used it today as well. Sometimes I get under confident in my abilities and test and still take it to the store. My test showed NO CHLORINE at all (which would be accurate due to the chlorinater being off) and very very little PH, I mean the color barely changed it was a very pale orange looking color instead of the pinkish red color.

I'm just curious if it is necessary to backwash after I put in the shock or if putting in the shock followed by the stabilizer a few days later is good to clear up the cloudiness.

The lady at the store made it sound like I had to backwash afterwords to get rid of the cloudy water....but I thought that was what the shock and stabilizer would do?
 
Right on scott39! :goodjob: Welcome to TFP!

Don't forget Please update your location and pool info in signature as shown*here.

Test Kit Comparison, I personally have the TF100 from tftestkits.net

You can't have no PH and slow alkalinity doesn't make sense. You need to adjust your PH to 7.2 first.

The most important number is what is your CYA? Any idea what it is? Raise you FC to shock level according to this Chlorine CYA Chart. Use PoolMath to calculate how much bleach or liquid chlorine to add.

Read up on SLAMing Your Pool.
 
Welcome to TFP! Scott gave you a lot of information and he is correct. Sounds like you may need to SLAM. However, with out readings from a recommended test kit such as a TF 100 it will be harder to advise you.

I am not familiar with liquid shock. I can tell you that household bleach 8.25% is what we use around here. No scents or easy pour splash less.

You never want to backwash after you add Stablizer for at least 48 hours, but should wait at least 4/5 days if possible. You will just wash it all away.

I encourage you to read through Pool School. Ask questions, that is why we are here.

- - - Updated - - -

Boy I type slow. You have a lot of great information to get you started.
 
What the pool store lady said makes no sense taken at face value, but she might have meant to say that you might have to vacuum the pool during a SLAM procedure (not a one time"shock" product used here, but rather a process using bleach to clear the water) and once you add the Stabilizer you will not want to backwash for at least a week if the loose stabilizer is sitting in your filter. Around here we like to tell folks to put the stabilizer in to a sock and let that sit hanging in the pool in front of a return, so that the water return's turbulence will help dissolve the stabilizer. You can backwash during a SLAM then if needed because you wont be washing it all out of the filter
 

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Thanks everyone for the help. I have added the info to my signature. I will double check on all of the models. I will also go through the links provided.

It does have SOME PH, just very very little. The test I did with my test kit showed a very small amount, I just don't remember the numbers.

I'm going to shock it in the morning and I guess let it do its thing. I just didn't know if she was right in pouring the shock in and then backwashing right after. To me, that would be just dumping the shock right down the drain.

I did have a TON of what looked like silt in my basket today when I went out there, that was NOT there last night. The basket was completely clean. So I don't know what happened, but I wonder if filtration was a culprit in the problem as well.
 
I am adding two pictures. One picture is of a silt like substance that I found coated in the inside of my basket yesterday when I found the pool cloudy. I'm wondering if the culprit might not have been my solar cover. I have had the pool open for over two weeks with no issues. I bring it the solar cover and within two days my pool is cloudy and I have this silt stuff everywhere in my basket. It doesn't break apart like sand etc. Any ideas what it is?

The second picture is of the side of my filter. The area in red is squirting out water when on rinse or backwash. I don't remember this happening last season. Also, my pressure remains at zero on my pressure gauge....is that normal? It should gauge some pressure when running etc right?

I also added what my pool looks like.

313b8aed90d61d36b1edafde66182485.jpg


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2a8a349d22d701ce34d04bdf35299e13.jpg
 
That's a nice pool!

That goo looks like pollen/tree droppings to me. Been a lot of that this spring all over the country.

Don't know what that valve is, looks like some kind of bleeder valve.
 
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