Cloudy Blue Water

[Bfassler]

Hi. We opened our pool on Friday and started SLAM (because it was a swamp). We have the pool pretty blue now, but the water is cloudy and I still can't see the bottom in the shallow end. I don't see the huge algae clouds though that I could see over the weekend. We've been brushing and vacuuming.

I have been nervous about getting our chlorine up to 31 because we have a vinyl liner pool that is already faded and I don't want to make it worse. But maybe I need to just do it to get rid of this cloudiness?

Here's test results:
FC - 20 and holding since about 2pm yesterday. Also just added another four gallons of bleach now.
PH - 7.0
Alkalinity - 70
CYA - 80-ish (this is a hard test for me to read)

We also deep cleaned our sand filter for the first time (in 6 years) last night, but it really wasn't bad at all.

 

[Texas Splash]

CYA - 80-ish (this is a hard test for me to read)

That is key. Take a look at the following to see if it helps:

CYA Testing:
Proper lighting is critical for the CYA test, so you want to test for CYA outside on a bright sunny day. Use the mixing bottle to gently mix the required amounts of pool water and R-0013 reagent, let sit for 30 seconds, then gently mix again. Recommend standing outside with your back to the sun and the view tube in the shade of your body at waist level. Then, begin squirting the mixed solution into the skinny tube. Watch the black dot until it completely disappears. Once it disappears, record the CYA reading. To help the eyes and prevent staring at the dot, some people find it better to pour & view in stages. Pour some solution into the viewing tube, look away, then look back again for the dot. Repeat as necessary until you feel the dot is gone. After the first CYA test, you can pour the mixed solution from the skinny view tube back to the mixing bottle, gently shake, and do the same test a second, third, or fourth time to instill consistency in your technique, become more comfortable with the testing, and validate your own CYA reading.

No doubt if the CYA is 80, you need the FC at 31 to be effective. If you suspect the CYA could be higher, then of course the FC would have to increase as well. Like it says in that quote above, if you take another CYA sample, test as much as you need to and solicit the help of another set of eyes to do the same. Only share your results with each other afterwards to get a good average. At the same time, give the bleach time as a swamp-SLAM will take longer. Hang in there!

 

[Bfassler]

OK, thank you for the CYA testing tips. I just got home and retested:

FC = 25
CC = 0
CYA = higher than 60 and lower than 70. My daughter and I both looked at it and agree.
PH = 7.4
Alkalinity = 70

According to the Pool School page, we need to be at 28 for shock level. I'm going to add one more gallon of bleach and then monitor. Fingers crossed! Water still cloudy, but a bit better than this morning.

 

[Texas Splash]

Perfect! As I was saying to another SLAM poster, don't leave anything to chance. You'd be surprised where algae can grow in a space with little to no circulation - like behind a light cavity (niche). Ladders, steps, anything hollow, so make sure to pull everything possible if you need to. Now that you have a rock-solid CYA ..... SLAM!

 

[Bfassler]

Ok well. We’re still SLAMming. The water does seem slightly more clear every day but no big changes. I still can’t see the drains in the deep end and even the shallow end, which I can see the bottom of, looks murky. The FC is still dropping every day. It was holding but then I remembered to turn off my Intellichlor yesterday morning. The FC hasn’t dropped below 27 for several days and it’s been between 27 and 34 all week.

Current numbers:
FC: 27 (was 36 last night) - just added another gallon of bleach.
CC: .5 - this hasn’t changed much all week.
PH: 7.4
TA: 70
CYA: 70

We’ve gone through 80 gallons of bleach since Monday. Including pics this time as well.

Keep going?

Shallow:



Deep (should see drains here):


Overall:

 

[Texas Splash]

SO you started the SLAM on May 3rd I believe. You've made considerable progress, but used a tremendous amount of bleach thus far. I suspect something is still amiss. Either the CYA test result or there is still some live algae hiding you don't see. Have you pulled that light yet? That would be a prime suspect to me. Are your steps hollow (like wedding stairs), or do you have a ladder in the pool? Besides the robot, are you brushing all the pool surfaces as well? Lastly, the sand filter ...... when was the last time it was opened up and deep cleaned?

 

[Bfassler]

We haven’t done anything with the light or stairs. I’ve never done anything like that before. No ladders, just two sets of stairs and two lights. I have no idea what kind the steps are... they don’t seem removable at all. do we just pull on the light cover?

We did deep clean our filter on Monday and the sand seemed clean on top and after digging around in the sand with the hose the water ran clear within 2 min so it wasn’t bad at all. Yes we are brushing daily and running the robot.

I’ve tested CYA a thousand times and it’s definitely 60-80. I’ve never gotten a test result higher than 80 so I’ve been shocking for that amount to be safe.

I’m going crazy! Thank you for your help.

 

[Texas Splash]

Well, as frustrating as it may seem, the length of time for a SLAM can vary from pool to pool since the are several variables that effect its progress. Usually when a pool transitions from green to a hazy blue and stalls, it means there is still enough live algae in the water to keep the SLAM from clearing the water. Live algae is still being killed, but more is being generated. Chemically speaking, when the CYA and FC are accurate and balanced together at the sufficient strength, it will kill algae. Algae simply cannot survive in chlorine at the proper level. It sounds as though you've confirmed a good CYA, so that would leave a hiding spot for algae.

Light fixtures are notorious for harboring algae because they are designed to retain water in the back to keep the bulb cool. The problem is there is no water movement so it gets stale. Removing a light is not a terribly difficult process as long as the light isn't really old or rusted to where something is damaged. Usually there is a retaining ring around the light with one screw, maybe at the top or bottom, that you remove so the entire light can be pulled out and up onto your decking. Before doing this however, always make sure to turn power off to the lights! You don't want a light bulb on out of the water or it can burn out quickly. Once out of the water, inspect and clean the light niche and you're on your way. You can leave the light out during the entire SLAM.

If your stairs are permanently installed, I doubt they are hollow, but you can check to make sure.

 

[Bfassler]

Quick question. Is it ok to run heater while SLAMming? My husband refuses to get in the pool to check lights when it’s 70 degrees. :?

 

[Texas Splash]

Is it ok to run heater while SLAMming?

Yes, it's fine.

 

[Bfassler]

Wanted to provide an update in case you were wondering (not!).

Yesterday morning we could see drains! You had to twist your head a funny way and squint, but they were there! We didn't get a chance to get in yet and check the lights, but it's on the list. Yesterday was really busy with mother's day activities. Anyway, this morning you can see those drains pretty clearly and I can definitely see the pattern in the deep end (what's left of our vinyl liner pattern after 6 years anyway), so the SLAM is working. I'd say we're 95% there. For those of you that feel like quitting, it does work!

 

[Texas Splash]

Anyway, this morning you can see those drains pretty clearly and I can definitely see the pattern in the deep end

Awesome! Keep-up the good work.