Cloudy/hazy water and CC levels

[Chippa]

Ok pool peeps so I'm new to the site and very happy to have found it.
My quest for answers can hopefully be found by all the knowledgeable ppl here.
I will try to keep this as short as I can but in essence my pool water wasn't nice and clear like it has been last summer. This year has been consistently warm (32-40deg C most days).
With a lot of bather action and not really understanding up until now that CYA affects what my baseline FC should be and how much PH etc can affect other chemical efficiencies I was finding that it wasn't taking much to upset the balance.

So after searching online endlessly for information and reading forum posts I went to my local pool shop a couple of days ago to test my water...this was the results.

FC =3.91
TC=5.00
PH=7.2
TA=84
CYA=51
TDS=4229
CA=290
PO=0.945

So was told to buy starver as phosphate level too high and also buy non chlorine shock...so back home at 9.30am..dumped in 250ml of starver and in the afternoon decided to put in 500g of non CH shock, trying to drop my CC level.( which for some reason made my ORP readings plummet and put my system into overdrive making CH , tested with DPD tab and couldn't get reading-clear).
Kept pump running all night and day and was slightly clearer in morn, CH back up but still needed to be bumped up so I decided to follow the steps on how to properly work out how much chlorine to slam with the readings I had and dose last night with liquid CH.

And these are my reading from another water test this afternoon.
FC=3.99
TC=3.99
PH=7.1
TA=84
CYA=41
TDS=4950
CA=256
PO=256

So I was happy to see that I had corrected the CC levels overnight...the pool water is still hazy towards the deep end but quite clear at shallow end..

Is it worth dosing again tonight with some more liquid CH to help clear the water up or just keep filtering???? I'm trying really hard to get my water sparkling.

Thank you and apologies for the long winded post.

 

[Chippa]

Whoops my latest phos reading was 0.121 not 256 lol

 

[Texas Splash]

Chippa, G'day and welcome to TFP! From what you describing, you have algae. That's how it first presents itself as cloudy with an elevated CC level and quickly disappearing FC. Here's what you need to do:
1 - Get a proper test kit and test your own water. The pool store will never do you justice. Folks in your area go to Clear Choice Labs and get the K-2000C equivalent. That's a must.
2 - Next use the SLAM Process to get rid of that algae once and for all. The SLAM Process is not a one-time shock, so don't be fooled by local advice to spike the FC. Do the SLAM until you pass all 3 criteria. Those directions work.
3 - Stay out of the pool store.
4 - When you get your own proper test kit, post a full set of results if you would like and we'll be happy to coach you further. Welcome to the forum.

 

[kimkats]

Here is a link to the test kit in your area: Kits – Clear Choice Labs They have awesome customer service as well as great test kits!

So with you being new to TFP I am going to share a set of links I put together for new people. Now it is a lot of info but it will all start to sink in as you learn how to do things:

Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Trouble Free Pool
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Lets stop using any powder stuff. For now use just liquid chlorine/bleach. I am not sure what you have in your area. Does your pool store sell liquid chlorine? If you have to get bleach make sure it is PLAIN bleach. No "chloria max" or such as that adds extra stuff to your water.

Until your test kit gets there add a gallon of liquid chlorine/ bleach each afternoon and leave the pump running 24/7. When the test kit gets there you can do the full on SLAM.

Kim

 

[Chippa]

Hey Texas Splash!!
Thank you so much for your advice...I have just continued/ followed up with another slam at the original dose of liquid CH that I put in last night until all 3 criteria have been met ???
I have gone into several pool shops over here in the West and every time I ask for some advice on purchasing a decent test kit I just get a blank look so thank you also for the reccomendation on where to possibly purchase and type of kit.

I will report back tomorrow with my progress ?

Cheers A ??

 

[Chippa]

Here is a link to the test kit in your area: Kits – Clear Choice Labs They have awesome customer service as well as great test kits!

So with you being new to TFP I am going to share a set of links I put together for new people. Now it is a lot of info but it will all start to sink in as you learn how to do things:

Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Trouble Free Pool
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Lets stop using any powder stuff. For now use just liquid chlorine/bleach. I am not sure what you have in your area. Does your pool store sell liquid chlorine? If you have to get bleach make sure it is PLAIN bleach. No "chloria max" or such as that adds extra stuff to your water.

Until your test kit gets there add a gallon of liquid chlorine/ bleach each afternoon and leave the pump running 24/7. When the test kit gets there you can do the full on SLAM.

Kim

Hey Kim!!! Awesome info...many thx in advance...Yeah 12.5% sodium hypochlorite readily available in all pool shops over here...costs $15 AUD for 20lt drum...I was blindly just dumping cal hypo in what I thought was enough or what the pool shop said but I want to steer away from it as I think the liquid chlorine is a better option for my SWCG pool..

When I went down to the pool shop today to test my water and got my latest results they wanted me to dump 2kg of Cal Hypo in and a liter of clarifier ???

 

[kimkats]

Here comes the teacher in me LOL I need to get you caught up on our "language".

CH-Calcium Hardness (This is what keeps throwing me as you use it for chlorine)

Kim

 

[kimkats]

When I went down to the pool shop today to test my water and got my latest results they wanted me to dump 2kg of Cal Hypo in and a liter of clarifier

NOPE! The money train stops NOW!

The only thing you are "allowed" to buy from there is chlorine! Put your fingers in your ears and just smile at them. Don't bother letting them test your water any more. I will follow up on that in a bit.

Kim

 

[Chippa]

Oh my bad...haha off to the naughty corner I go!!!!

 

[Chippa]

Here is a link to the test kit in your area: Kits – Clear Choice Labs They have awesome customer service as well as great test kits!

So with you being new to TFP I am going to share a set of links I put together for new people. Now it is a lot of info but it will all start to sink in as you learn how to do things:

Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Trouble Free Pool
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Lets stop using any powder stuff. For now use just liquid chlorine/bleach. I am not sure what you have in your area. Does your pool store sell liquid chlorine? If you have to get bleach make sure it is PLAIN bleach. No "chloria max" or such as that adds extra stuff to your water.

Until your test kit gets there add a gallon of liquid chlorine/ bleach each afternoon and leave the pump running 24/7. When the test kit gets there you can do the full on SLAM.

Kim

Full test kit ordered from clear choice labs for salt wster pool ?? wasnt cheap ($178) but I'm guessing it's going to pay itself off fairly quickly......should be delivered in 2-3 days , stay tuned !!

 

[Texas Splash]

Full test kit ordered from clear choice labs for salt wster pool ?? wasnt cheap ($178) but I'm guessing it's going to pay itself off fairly quickly......should be delivered in 2-3 days , stay tuned !!

You'll be glad you did.

 

[AusPhil]

Full test kit ordered from clear choice labs for salt wster pool ?? wasnt cheap ($178) but I'm guessing it's going to pay itself off fairly quickly......should be delivered in 2-3 days , stay tuned !!

Certainly more expensive than what our American colleagues are used to but it is worth it in the long run ... depending on your own testing frequency and actual FC levels you may find that your chlorine test bits all run out together .... it's cheaper to buy the chlorine test kit than just the reagents.... just keep it in mind.
Unlike many here i struggle badly with the PH test and much prefer my forum maligned digital meter from ebay .... it's never been out by more than 0.1 when calibrating which is inside the error allowance for the phenol red test in the kit so i trust my digital meter far more than guessing the PH colour to match using the CCL kit.

 

[Chippa]

Ok....so kit arrived today and these were my results to the best of my ability..tested at around 3.30pm

CYA - 35
FC - 16
CC - < 0.5 *
PH - 7.8 *
TA - 100
CH - 425
SALT - 6000 (+/- 80ppm)

*
1.
Now the test kit mentioned that if my FC was at high levels it would just max out to 7.8 colour range so I'm guessing I'm having to wait on that one until it drifts down..
2.
I tested FC and CC a couple of times to be sure on the CC level as when I added reagents to make solution go clear the best I could get was very very slightly pink ( added additional drops but no change in FC) ...when I tested for CC it did change to more of a pink solution but was not very much at all, very small change.
Added 1 drop to change it back to clear so im not 100% there..

1 - pool water is very clear ( best it's ever been)
2 - CC should be in acceptable range?
3 - CL loss test will be done tonight ?

So fire away my forum friends !!! Give me your thoughts and action plan ?

P.S I am running a fully automated Astral EQ35 system with probes and VS 1 hp P320 XT pump...I am willing to step out of AI mode and just run the SWG off % but still run acid feeder.

Cheers A ??

 

[Chippa]

Note* I have been adding liquid chlorine every night to shock level for the last 3 or 4 nights so if my OCLT holds in morning I'm hoping that's all 3 criteria passed and I Can start to balance other chemicals in pool.

 

[kimkats]

SWEET numbers right there! The one tweak I am going to do is say to call the CYA 40 as we round it up to keep things on the safe side.

pool water is very clear ( best it's ever been)

I bet it will get better as you vacuum and filter out the last of the dead algae. What you are seeing is TFP water! It will sparkle once it is at the best we can get it!

run the SWG off %

I would turn the SWG off to let the FC drift down AFTER the OCLT tonight. If you pass then turn it off and let the FC drift down. Make sure to keep your FC on the upper end of the levels as seen on this chart: FC/CYA Levels Remember we are calling your CYA 40.

Kim

 

[Chippa]

SWEET numbers right there! The one tweak I am going to do is say to call the CYA 40 as we round it up to keep things on the safe side.


I bet it will get better as you vacuum and filter out the last of the dead algae. What you are seeing is TFP water! It will sparkle once it is at the best we can get it!


I would turn the SWG off to let the FC drift down AFTER the OCLT tonight. If you pass then turn it off and let the FC drift down. Make sure to keep your FC on the upper end of the levels as seen on this chart: FC/CYA Levels Remember we are calling your CYA 40.

Kim

Hey Kim Thank you for your reply....I will dial the ORP right down so it doesn't produce any CL but because it sounds like I will need to increase my CYA up to 70 I'm going to disable the ORP probe and just revert to using the screen settings ( 0>8 for CL then start playing with run times and % values. ?

 

[Chippa]

Ok so oclt test passed so now i have disabled my ORP probe and just running acid probe...SWCG turned off to let my FC drift down and i am now boosting my CYA from 40 up to 70 ppm today and will leave pump on until tomorrow and check CYA levels after 24hrs..

Poolmath calculated that I would need 2kg of stabilzer to bum up CYAwith a loss of 0.8 PH...is that going to be ok? Will PH recover quickly on it's own or is it just a matter of letting things settle down and once SWCG is turned back on it will rise again naturally?
Reason for my concern is the temp is going to climb up to 36C tomorrow and 38C on Sunday so ppl will be swimming and I am worried about PH being low and irritating swimmers.

Many thx for any advice ??

Cheers A ?

 

[mknauss]

The CYA will dissolve slowly so should not have a dramatic effect on pH. The PoolMath calculation can be a bit overstated for CYA. Swimmers typically do not have an issue with a pH of 7.2 or higher.

 

[Chippa]

The CYA will dissolve slowly so should not have a dramatic effect on pH. The PoolMath calculation can be a bit overstated for CYA. Swimmers typically do not have an issue with a pH of 7.2 or higher.

Awesome Thank you very much!!! Just one more question if I may then I'll leave you alone lol.

How fast would I anticipate my FC drifting down with SWCG turned off and adding the 2kg of CYA ?? Or is it just a matter of testing FC again later in the evening??? Just not wanting to over test FC if it's going to take a while..

 

[mknauss]

I would suspect your pool should consume around 3 ppm FC per day. Could be a bit more or less. So I suspect two full sun days you will be in the 8 ppm range or so. Good time to turn on the SWCG and dial it in.