Chemicals seem to be in balance, but water cloudy...and getting cloudier...any ideas?

[Subscribe1028]

I use the Taylor K-2006 to test my water, as well as the Taylor 5-way test kit for in-between readings when I don't have time to do the full set of readings or when water looks good to the eye. Pool has been a bit cloudy sporadically since opening, but gradually getting worse over the last week. We've had very high temps over the last few days in IL, here are my readings over the last few weeks, including what I've done in between readings

5/24/18: Pool opening. Company who handled opening added 4 lbs of shock, algaecide, and metal out (not sure how much or what type). Water was clear

5/25/18:
Pool water 76 degrees, water clear
FC 3.0
CC 0.0
pH 7.4
TA 120
CH 130
CYA <30
Salt 3800 ppm

After about a week open, I swapped last years Filbur cartridge filter for a genuine Pentair cartridge filter replacement (Pentair Clean and Clear RP 200 sq ft filter). Then added Added 1 lb stabilizer through sock in skimmer.

Between 5/25/18 and 6/20/18 I tested only with my Taylor 5-way kit (FC and pH only) because water *appeared* to be pretty decent. Added some 1 lb bags of cal hypo when FC dropped below 3 (tried to keep FC at or above 5.0 based on the TFP Chlorine/CYA Chart), and pH maintained between 7.2 and 7.6 the entire time between 5/25/18 and 6/20/18.

6/20/18:
Pool water 79 degrees, water fairly clear, some haze in deep end (6.5 feet depth)
FC 2.2
CC 0.0
pH 7.2
TA 115
CH 170
Salt 3800 ppm
CYA 0 - began process of adding 6 lbs of stabilizer to sock in skimmer

Added 4 lbs of cal hypo 73% and FC went up to 5.0+ using Taylor 5-way test kit

6/28/18:
Pool water 80 degrees, water continuing to be hazy
FC 5.2
CC 0.0
pH 7.4
TA 130
CH 220
CYA <30 (black dot was obscured but never disappeared during test reading), finished dissolving approx 4 lbs of stabilizer (of 6 lbs total that I planned to add) about 5 days prior to this reading
Saturation Index -0.15

Between 6/28 and 7/1 I used Taylor 5-way kit every day, FC always at or above 5.0 and pH pretty much maintained at 7.2, sometimes up to 7.4.

7/1/18 tested pH and chlorine only using Taylor 5-way test kit, water with green hue
FC 0.5
pH 7.2

7/1/18 8pm: Cleaned cartridge filter
7/1/18 9pm: Finished adding last 2 lbs of 6 lbs total of CYA to sock in skimmer
7/1/18 9pm: Added 4 lbs cal hypo (73%)

7/2/18 8am:
Pool water temp 83 degrees, less green hue, water getting cloudier moreso in deep end
FC 11
CC 0.5
pH 7.4
TA 130
CH 240
CYA 30
Salt 3900 ppm
Saturation Index 0.1

Do I need to SLAM? Why is my water cloudy? My husband bought 20 lbs of cal-hypo in late May. We've gone through 14 lbs since 5/25/18 when the pool opened (which is why my CH is creeping up, but it's still fine). Plus the 4 lbs that the pool guy used when he opened. Plus a few bags I had leftover from last season.

Also, on 6/4/18, we bought a Dolphin M500 and just returned it yesterday. It *seemed* like the water would become cloudy as the Dolphin was running, and within no more than 1 hour after back-to-back 2.5 hour cleaning cycles, the pool bottom would be filled with debris again (no leaves, etc, but loose soot like debris....like what you get on the pool bottom after shocking it).

I've had my SWG set between 80 and 100% since the pool opened. I still have to depend on regular shocking. I think my PB should've given me an IC40 instead of an IC20, but whatever. I don't mind supplementing with bleach or cal hypo as needed.

Thoughts on why my water looks so cruddy? I'd love to enjoy a sparkling pool for the 4th of July!!

Thanks!

 

[mknauss]

SLAM Process

And yes, your SWCG is way undersized. Even running it 24 hours per day at 100% you will need to add chlorine occasionally.

The robot can not defeat algae. Chlorine does.

 

[Subscribe1028]

Thanks, I was thinking I prob need to SLAM, especially with now having a CC reading which I never had before this morning. I do run my pump 24/7 on 1000 rpm speed (with SWG between 80 and 100%). When I manually vacuum I bump it up to 2200 rpms. My PB input these settings when he installed. I've never messed with them, but maybe I should take a look at this next.....

 

[Demegrad9]

Yup, you need to SLAM, get the Bleach!

BTW: according to your 7/2 numbers, your CSI, saturation index, is -0.24. Make sure to use the the CSI calculator on the 'Pool Math' link not that little spin disc thing that came with your K2006 kit.

 

[mknauss]

I am impressed if you can close the flow switch on your SWCG at 1000 rpm. I have much the same equipment you do and it takes 1500+ rpm to close the flow switch on our SWCG.

 

[Subscribe1028]

Now that you say that, I was wrong about the pump. I was going off of memory, which I shouldn't do. I just pulled my notes from my "pool lesson" after the build was complete a few years ago, and my regular setting is 2200 rpm, my Aux 2 setting for vacuuming is 2800 rpm. I am minimally knowledgeable about the equipment, only good at regurgitating what I've learned from the pool people over the last few years during opening and closing!! I've learned a lot about pool chemistry and water testing from TFP, but stay away from the equipment stuff for the most part.

And good to know on the SI numbers. I was using the wheel thing. Will look at the pool math calculator. Thanks for the tip. When everything else seemed in balance, I decided to delve into SI for the first time.

 

[mknauss]

If you had a properly sized SWCG you could run the pump about 8 hours a day at a much lower RPM. Not sure what your electrical costs are, but that could be a significant savings.

I run our pump 6 hours per day in the summer. Every other day in the winter.

 

[Subscribe1028]

That's definitely something to look into for next season. Our electricity usage increases by about $80/month average in the summer months when the pool is open. But of course that includes extra electricity usage to run the A/C as well.

- - - Updated - - -

But I've definitely been looking to not run the pump 24/7, next year may be the year I finally do something about that by putting in a bigger SWCG.

 

[Subscribe1028]

This is the soot type stuff I'm talking about at the bottom of the pool. This was earlier today in the deep end after the 4 lbs of cal hypo (73%) last night. This is what we get all the time, it would be back after about an hour of using the Dolphin cleaner. What is this junk?

Here's the shallow end just before vacuuming earlier today (other picture was the deep end, these pictures were taken just a few minutes apart!!). You can see the gunk at the bottom of the stairs. Getting ready to start SLAM after work.


Here's a pic of the entire pool after vacuuming this afternoon, you can kind of see how the shallow end is pretty ok, but the deep end is just hazy. The picture is from about 1/2 hour ago. Nothing done to pool today except testing the water and vacuuming.

 

[mknauss]

Dead algae

 

[Subscribe1028]

OK, that's what I was thinking. Thanks for all of your help today, I appreciate it!

 

[Subscribe1028]

Today is day 3 of my SLAM. My CYA is 40, I tested a bunch of times transferring solution back and forth trying to get a reading, I settled on CYA of 40 to err on the side of caution, so using 16 as my target FC level instead of 12. I tested 7 times on day 1 between 4pm and 11pm, adding enough LC to bring back up to SLAM level each time (using pool math calculator). Had a drop of 2ppm FC between 11pm reading on day 1 and 7:30am reading on day 2. I tested and dosed back up to SLAM level 10 times yesterday. Biggest drop was 2.5ppm from 2:25pm to 3:45pm. Last night FC dropped 4.5ppm overnight?!?!?!? Is this normal? My water is blue and pretty clear (it started this way, my pool was never green or so cloudy you couldn't see the bottom).

My pool is in full sun the majority of the day. I have my SWG off. I've vacuumed both days so far (not today yet) and brushed after every LC addition. I have the pool covered with autocover overnight. I checked the back of the skimmer weirs for algae and they're fine. Nowhere else I can think of that algae may be lurking....except for the underside of the autocover. You think that's a possibility? I don't know of any way to clean the underside except by taking the cover apart (not an option).

My husband's getting irritated bc he wants to swim today, I'm getting frustrated. I know the general consensus is that a pool is ok to swim in up to SLAM level, so I'll prob let the fam swim today. Just wondering how long this is going to take with all this diligence and starting with a decent looking pool.