Cloudy pool won't clear

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M

milesvdustin

Well-known member
Jun 7, 2015
204
Marion, IL
Pool Size
21500
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
New issue this year. Opened the pool to a green swamp as usual (stupid mesh safety cover) and started the SLAM. Pool went to a cloudy blue in two days and has stayed there. The algae just won't get filtered out. Its going on 3 weeks now with no change. Cannot see the bottom in the shallow end. I am approaching 60 jugs of 10% already and I am tired of it. Last few years this issue did not persist, I was able to clear things up within a week.

Things I have done/am doing:
Brushed twice daily
kept chlorine at 16 ppm
checked the sand, its in good shape. Added a bag to bring the level up after a week
Opened the multiport valve, no cracks and spider gasket is in like new shape
s200 robot running continuously
DE additions through the skimmer, they will bring the PSI up after about 12-16 hours each time to where it needs backwashed

The water is not getting any clearer. I have the robot but no vacuum. What should I do besides close the pool? I can post a picture tonight
 
As drsipe asked, full test results are critical to providing help.
Pool store or test stips are HIGHLY inaccurate. Get a good test kit as noted here: Test Kits Compared

Have you added anything else, beside the jugs of 10% and the DE to the filter?
The DE add seems to indicate that something is being trapped.
Did you rinse the sand before adding? There can be a lot of fine dust in it. Not having enough is it's own problem (you should not be losing sand to any extent). Adding extra above what mfg. specs can actually impede the filtering. But neither is probably a root cause of the issue.

Not helpful now, but in the future - I learned that it is important to get the cover off ASAP in the spring. At times I still have chunks of ice, or there have been a few flakes of snow falling! Algae can grow even if very cold water - not fast, but....so even if it is too early to get things running (freeze danger, etc.), uncovered and a jug of CL will go a long way to preventing a swamp. Save cleaning of the winter dirt on the bottom until equipment startup. Add Cl periodically prior to start up. You won't need much or to do it often.
 
I use a TF pro, my numbers are all in line. Ill do a set today when I get home. This is my fourth year doing TFP.

Edit: Nothing added to the pool since opening other than 10%, some dry stabilizer, and borax to bring the PH up before starting the SLAM.
 
I should have looked - can see your pool math logs.
8 days ago you were at 9FC. Adding the 2 gal should have boosted you to 18.5FC, yet 2 days later you were only at 9.5. Something is really "eating" your Cl! (As you know!)
At 40 CYA, you should be aiming for a FC of 16 constantly. That means testing, especially initially, twice or more a day, and adding Cl daily (or maybe initially even more than daily). Adding, and then letting it drift down for days just allows the algae to recover in between. So a perpetual cycle.
 
How often are you testing/replacing? The thing you need to do to expedite clearing the pool is to test and replace FC more often. Every 2 hours will speed things up. Its the weekend, try every two hours, you will get progress.

You might also consider adding some POOL DE to your sand filter...
www.troublefreepool.com

Add DE to a Sand Filter

A clean pool filter will increase the efficiency of your pool! ... your filter are to backwash it, clean the manifolds and grids, and add new DE.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
milesvdustin said:
stupid mesh safety cover
Click to expand...
I disagree. This was this years opening

Screenshot_20240524_144551_Gallery.jpg

At my old house I had 60 to 120 oaks depending on which part of the decade we're talking about, it was a part time job dropping them. Evenso, with crud falling 24/7/365, I opened clear every year. It's your process, not the cover.

Screenshot_20240524_144635_Gallery.jpg
 
sande005 said:
I should have looked - can see your pool math logs.
8 days ago you were at 9FC. Adding the 2 gal should have boosted you to 18.5FC, yet 2 days later you were only at 9.5. Something is really "eating" your Cl! (As you know!)
At 40 CYA, you should be aiming for a FC of 16 constantly. That means testing, especially initially, twice or more a day, and adding Cl daily (or maybe initially even more than daily). Adding, and then letting it drift down for days just allows the algae to recover in between. So a perpetual cycle.
Click to expand...

Don't trust the pool math logs, my wife has been doing that, sporadically and likely not accurately. I'll have to get the app and take over.
20240524_140925.jpg

Current numbers:
Fc 7.5
Cc 0
Ph 7.2
Cya 50
Ch 50
Ta 60

No idea why cya is at 50, I only added 8 pounds of dry stabilizer and no other products containing cya. I have been backwashing a lot and last test was at 40.
 
Newdude said:
I disagree. This was this years opening

View attachment 576214

At my old house I had 60 to 120 oaks depending on which part of the decade we're talking about, it was a part time job dropping them. Evenso, with crud falling 24/7/365, I opened clear every year. It's your process, not the cover.

View attachment 576215
Click to expand...
Is that one of the mesh covers that the water drains through?
 

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Newdude can relate his. For me, in Minn. I wait until late Oct or even early Nov. (We have been known to get snow near then, so it's a judgement with the weather and when is the near last day to work outside comfortably). Don't know the water temp, but very cold, and I dance with freeze warnings at night. Don't want to have algae have a chance. Pump it down, add a gal of Cl, and cover. No algicide. As said, uncover as early as I possibly can. Years with an early closing and/or a late opening, and I have gotten a swamp too. Usually dirt and worms from fall/spring rains/snow melt, but no swamp. There were early years where it felt like I was just trying to move color - green out of the pool, and green into the lawn.
 
milesvdustin said:
I let water temps get below 60,
Click to expand...
I go longer because our weather here can never make up its darn mind. Upon opening either. :ROFLMAO: It saw some freezing nights but the 50 ish degree pool didn't budge and running the pump kept the equipment pad from freezing.

I'm not a fan of algecide at late closings because it consumes FC and leaves you with less of each. It clearly wouldn't help you if you closed earlier either.

When I drain mid winter, I toss the hose on the cover once the water is lowered, and circulate the bottom water to stir up the FC. I took samples at different depths last year and it was 0 FC rain water on the top, increasing to exactly how I left it on the bottom.

At the second drain this year the FC was getting low so I added a gallon of LC for a little boost as I was mixing.

I spend about an hour total messing with it after it's closed and it pays me spades.
 
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FC 18. Last CL addition was this morning. I've been hanging drywall in the basement all day.

Brushed it down and raised it to 20 again

For anyone following along, My pool math logs are up to date as of yesterday.
 
Tested the water after i thoroughly brushed the whole thing down, every square inch of wall and floor, and it came up FC 14, tested twice to be sure. Just hit it with CL again.

Water should be mixed well with the jets, I am drawing through the skimmer and main drain, and robot is running 24/7. Not sure why it did that!
 

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