Another "Not Sparkling" Pool post - Looking for help

[dbdubb28]

So we went through our first SLAM process a couple of weeks ago and everything is been going very well since then.
Yesterday I brushed the pool and noticed that the bottom was dirtier then I originally thought. The brush was pushing up clouds of stuff as I was moving the brush.
I turned the pump on high and hit the boost button on the salt cell overnight and didn't think much of it.
this morning, FC came up to 10 (was at 7 yesterday evening) but the pool water isn't sparkling like normal. Not sure I'd say it's cloudy, I guess just somewhere in between.

Just ran the full panel of tests and here's what I've got:
FC - 10
PH - 8.0 - 8.2 (This is high for me, I'm usually around 7.6 - 7.8)
CYA - 65
CH - 200 (Always been here)
TA - 120 (always been here)
Salt - 3200

We've had an increase in rain over the last few days and a large storm moved thru last night. All in all we've gotten a couple of inches in the last couple of days. I had to drain some water from the pool this morning.
Could the elevated PH be the culprit here? I'm guessing this might be from all the rain we had...
I was also going to clean my filter today and do another brushing with the pump running on high, as we typically leave the pump on low 24x7. Thoughts and suggestions?

 

[mknauss]

Lower the pH to 7.4 or so.

Dull looking water can be the result of high pH.

 

[dbdubb28]

I'm on it. Thank you!

 

[OG OOLS]

Id vacuum brush and then slam it. Rinse repeat tomorrow until its crystal again and pass tests.

 

[dbdubb28]

Thanks OG, I'm hoping I don't need to do that. I've been on top of this thing since my last slam and that was only a couple of weeks ago.
I vacuumed this AM and will brush and clean the filter again this afternoon/evening. We have some friends coming over Sat and Sun, so hoping I can get it clear again.
I just added the Muratic acid. So I'll test PH again in a couple of hours and see where it's at.

 

[dbdubb28]

Quick update. The PH is down to 7.5 now with FC holding steady at 10.
I ran the brush along the bottom just to see if there was buildup and it was still very clean.
I'm going to rinse out the filter now to see what that looks like but I'm hoping with the PH back into acceptable range, the sparkling look will come back soon!

 

[dbdubb28]

I just cleaned the filter and there was certainly a green tint to it. Is it possible this was from my last slam two weeks ago?
This is the first time I've pulled the filter for cleaning since that slam and I'm hoping that's what this was. Thoughts?

 

[mknauss]

If it is green now, then you best run it up to SLAM level.

 

[dbdubb28]

Yes it had some green in it for sure. So you don't think it's possible to survive this one without getting it up to SLAM level then huh....
Man that's a bummer...
Is there any harm in getting thru the weekend in its current state and swimming in it? It really doesn't look bad right now, just the haze...

 

[mknauss]

You can swim at SLAM level FC. Or you can just do as your doing and deal with it later.

 

[dbdubb28]

Ok thanks for your guidance!
Just to be clear, is it safe for kids to swim at SLAM level FC too? Is it more a concern of them swallowing water?

 

[mknauss]

The active chlorine in pool water with SLAM level FC based on your CYA is less than a public pool with 1 ppm FC and 0 CYA.

Swallowing pool water, in general, is not a great idea.

 

[dbdubb28]

So forgive my ignorance here, but how come we always had to "stay out of the pool" as kids when parents were "shocking" it?
I didn't realize that there's no risk here...

 

[mknauss]

I doubt that they had any idea what the CYA was nor what level of FC they were taking the water to. Plus, the understanding of the science behind pool water chemistry has come a long way. Of course, the pool stores, manufacturers, etc are still in the past. But they are coming up to speed.

Dive into the 'Deep End'

Science of "safe to swim up to SLAM level"

First of all, let me begin by saying this isn't an indictment or skepticism of this community or the TFP methodology. This is a genuine open-ended request for more detailed info mostly out of curiosity, and also due to the fact that a lot of the concepts and principles on this site challenge...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Newdude]

Our parents weren’t using PoolMath to know what effects adding XXX to the pool would have. And they didn’t understand the CYA to FC ratio so it was a dump and pray situation

 

[mknauss]

Another great read --

Free Chlorine - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Newdude]

Dang Martybot beat me again !!!

 

[dbdubb28]

Ok Thanks all!

 

[PoolNewb2020]

The pool industry truly does a fantastic job at making people scared of chlorine. Yet their methods, more often than not, lead to unsanitary water, but most people don't think twice about swimming in it.

Think about it this way. You have hazy water and your filter is green, a clear indication of algae. There is no way your water as it is currently is any safer than SLAM level water.
If you are concerned about your child drinking it, I would skip swimming until you're done with the SLAM, because neither your current water or SLAM level water would be good for accidental ingestion.

 

[Newdude]

If you are concerned about your child drinking it, I would skip swimming until you're done with the SLAM

Pretty sure he was referring to the accidental mouthful that all kids having a good splashing time will end up with.