Still Cloudy after 2 weeks. Thoughts?

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J

jennsnoopy

0
Jul 3, 2011
38
Albuquerque, NM
So I need a little help. We have a cloudy blue pool and I want it back to crystal clear that I love so much. I think I know what to do and what the issues are but I wanted to run it by you all first.
We have an above ground rectangular intex 12x24 (see my signature). We kept it up all winter with about 7 -12 inches of water in it. We live in New Mexico. We didn't know how to close a pool correctly. Opening it was a bit rough, we ended up draining it until we couldn't any more, leaving only about 2 inches because it had a lot of algae in the bottom. We scrubbed, got rid of as much algae as we could, scrubbed more etc and refilled. Then we put our cya in since it was almost all new water and then did SLAM due to the algae that was left. Seemed to be clearing nicely but as its getting warmer here we are getting cloudy and having some algae growth around the above ground stairs we have in the pool. The problem was, we did not scrub the stairs we opened it and I think that is where the current problem exists as we are getting cloudy water and small amounts of algae around there. We cannot pull the stairs out because they are weighted with 80 lbs of sand. They are secured to the deck with screws but we think we will need to unsecured them to move them to get behind them and scrub.
The sides of pool are nice and clean and bottom is good, no visible algae anywhere but near stairs. I figure as we do this we will need to continue to SLAM as we will be getting algae everywhere as we scrub until clear.

What are your thoughts? Below are the pools current numbers I took this morning about 3 hours after I added additional bleach based on pool calc for SLAM.

FC=16 ppm
CC=0
CYA=40 ppm
pH: 7.6
TA: 130 ppm

What we have done up until now:
Running pump 8 hrs daily (how long can my intex pump be run during the day? See sign for type of pump)
Only checked numbers and adjusted our SLAM process only once day
Weather high are in the low 90's, lows mid to upper 60's

My thoughts moving forward:
Run pump more often. How much? Can intex pumps like we have run 24 hrs day?
Unscrew supports for stairs from deck and scrub the back side completely. (We can't take them out of pool completely as they have 80 lbs sand in them)
Vaccuum and backwash pool1-2 times daily while evidence of debris
Continue SLAM, checking 3 times daily and adjust accordingly

Anything else?

Thanks.
 
Hello Jenn. You are on the right track. You seem to speak "TFP" well, so I'm assuming you have a TF-100 or Taylor 2006? It is ideal to keep that pump running 24/7 until the SLAM is complete, along with the constant scrubbing and brushing to keep the water and debris moving. I don't have a lot of experience with your brand of pump, but perhaps someone else will advise if that's a problem. Yes - keep the SLAM going until you meet ALL 3 criteria. With our temps increasing, it will only be more difficult if you aren't aggressive and consistent. One concern - you stated only checking numbers and adjusting once per day for SLAM? That "may" be one of your problems. If your FC drops at any point during the day, it will stall your progress. Anything you can do to check your numbers consistently throughout the day will help. Everything else you stated sounds pretty good. Just stay with it. Perhaps more TFP advice to follow.
 
Ok great. Yes I am a stay at home mom so I can check multiple times a day, we've just been lazy. I have the TF-100 we bought last year when I found TFP. I need to get more CYA reagent though, that's almost gone. Do I have to test CYA multiple times per day? If so I need to get more reagent ASAP. It's been at 40 about a week and a half after we opened and has been consistent. I'm assuming I need to be most concerned about FC during the day? Once you have experienced crystal clear water anything else is mediocre. And when I say cloudy, I can see the bottom of pool, it's just not that sparkling "come here and swim" kind of water. Thanks.
 
Oh and one more thing. We have a solar cover. I can't find a cover that is not solar I can put on our pool. At only 4 feet deep, in New Mexico and our temps, the pool temp is 85-89 degrees. It's getting too hot and I'm wondering if that's contributing to the issue. If I don't cover it though, lots of debris will fly in and I'm worried direct sun will be just as bad. Thoughts? I'll try to post pics of our little intex oasis. I did when I first opened and thought we had it under control. Spoke too soon.
 
You only need to check your CYA once and then again only when there's been a major water exchange. So if your CYA was 40ppm, then it is 40ppm. Don't waste your reagents.

As well, when your FC is at shock level, the only tests you should be performing are FC/CC. All other tests are meaningless at high FC.

Sounds like you've got the right battle plan and all you need is some consistency and patience with the execution. You definitely need to keep that pimp running 24/7 during the SLAM. Circulation is key to making sure your water has an even distribution of FC. Also, it sounds like the stairs are a major pain to pull out, but I think it would help to remove them and clean them outside of the pool with a nice Clorox spray.

Algae can hide in lots of places, nooks and crannies so you have to hunt it down. Stick to it and you'll be back to clear sparkling water in no time.


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jennsnoopy said:
Oh and one more thing. We have a solar cover. I can't find a cover that is not solar I can put on our pool. At only 4 feet deep, in New Mexico and our temps, the pool temp is 85-89 degrees. It's getting too hot and I'm wondering if that's contributing to the issue. If I don't cover it though, lots of debris will fly in and I'm worried direct sun will be just as bad. Thoughts? I'll try to post pics of our little intex oasis. I did when I first opened and thought we had it under control. Spoke too soon.
Click to expand...

As long as you maintain the correct FC/CYA ratio, sun light is ok. I'm in the southwest too (Tucson) and so I know hot sunshine. I never cover my pool because the covers just disintegrate and get infested with algae and debris. I can easily maintain my FC even on the 115F dog-days of June and July. I actually believe that leaving a pool uncovered and letting it "breathe" is a good thing. During a SLAM you're generating lots of combined chloramines, some of which will get broken down by sunlight and will out gas from the pool water if you leave it uncovered. So uncovering a bit more during a SLAM can help speed the process up a bit. As for debris, well, the extra agitation from skimming with a lead rake helps during the SLAM and is a great way to get a little cardio in during the day :)

Don't get me wrong, using a cover is fine too. I don't for many other reasons (storage space, irregular pool shape, waterfalls, etc).


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Thanks for the help. I'll take the cover off then. So another question I know u guys get asked all the time. When can I let the family in given my current numbers? Like I said, it's cloudy (although you can see the bottom with no issues it's just not sparkling). It's only 4 feet and everyone can stand up in it. Kids are dying to get in. With FC of 16 though I'm thinking no way. Hubby is going to need to help me with the steps so I have to maintain current levels until the weekend when we can either remove them completely or get them away from the side and scrub a dub dub.
 
I have the same Intex pump as you. There's no issue with running it 24 hours a day. I've done it many times.
 
You can actually swim safely right up to shock level chlorine (based on your CYA) but it can be a little hard in your swim wear.

The only problem with swimming is the added bather waste will slow down your SLAM. It will take you longer to get to clear.

Question - is your pump a single speed pump?


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Yes it's single speed. So when I'm checking FC and it dips below 16 (which is my slam target based on my CYA) do I just kept adjusting via the pool calculator, adding bleach to keep it up to 16 ppm until it's clear and the other criteria are met?

We got this pool to see if we are pool people before we invest in a larger more permanent above ground pool with a great pump/ filtration system. Seeing how we are on year 2 with this pool, it looks like we are pool people.
 
Yes. You should test and adjust the water as frequently as you can but not more than once per hour. You're probably in the hazy/filtration stage of the SLAM (or, algae is likely all dead) and so I bet your FC drop will be small. So maybe test in 2 hours and see where you are at.

During the cloudy phase, it sometimes helps to add a little DE to the sand filter. I'm not sure how those smaller Intex filters work but you need a good pressure gauge on it to do the DE process. You can find the process in PoolSchool under the full table of contents under "Filters-Adding DE to a Sand Filter"


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That's correct Jenn. You can use the calculator to help you figure-out how much how bleach to add based on the "NOW" and "TARGET" columns until all 3 criteria are met. From the sounds of it, you will be investing in a bigger pool in the future. :paddle:
 
jennsnoopy said:
Yes it's single speed. So when I'm checking FC and it dips below 16 (which is my slam target based on my CYA) do I just kept adjusting via the pool calculator, adding bleach to keep it up to 16 ppm until it's clear and the other criteria are met?

We got this pool to see if we are pool people before we invest in a larger more permanent above ground pool with a great pump/ filtration system. Seeing how we are on year 2 with this pool, it looks like we are pool people.
Click to expand...

don't let your FC dip below your target of 16. raise it to 20, when it gets to 16, raise it again. give yourself a little wiggle room. maximum algae killing is happening when you are above 16, so any time below 16 is just slowing down the process. if you haven't already, make sure to remove your light and any ladders/etc that can be hiding algae.
 
Ok so I just checked FC. It's at 13 ppm. I had put my last bleach adjustment in at 4:45 am and tested at 6:00 am and got a reading of 16. So I lost 3 ppm. So to get it up to 16 again it says add 38 oz but you say I should target 20? Just want to make sure before I dump bleach here in the next half hr. I'm attaching pics in the next post of what it looks like currently. As you can see, some algae in corners. I'll scrub that now. It's like a dust cloud when I brush. Then all add bleach. And yes, I know we went all out around our little temporary intex pool. We are crazy but my dad is 68 and he would have fallen off that rickety ladder getting in. Pics coming up...
 
Definitely scrub as much as you can. Getting that algae loose helps to kill it faster and get it filtered out of the pool.


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jennsnoopy said:
Ok so I just checked FC. It's at 13 ppm. I had put my last bleach adjustment in at 4:45 am and tested at 6:00 am and got a reading of 16. So I lost 3 ppm. So to get it up to 16 again it says add 38 oz but you say I should target 20? Just want to make sure before I dump bleach here in the next half hr. I'm attaching pics in the next post of what it looks like currently. As you can see, some algae in corners. I'll scrub that now. It's like a dust cloud when I brush. Then all add bleach. And yes, I know we went all out around our little temporary intex pool. We are crazy but my dad is 68 and he would have fallen off that rickety ladder getting in. Pics coming up...
Click to expand...

your shock level is 16, correct? so if its at 13 and you raise it to 16, you are falling below 16 pretty quick and slowing down the process. your not going to hurt anything going to 20, just don't go too crazy :)
 
OK I added enough to raise it to 20. Ill check it in a few hours after I get my daughter back from dance. Im trying to post a picture now of how it looked this morning before scrubbing and adding more bleach:
poolsmall_zpskcddqwkd.jpg


- - - Updated - - -

and the stairs:
pool%20small2_zpsgxlzklct.jpg
 

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