Cloudy Pool

[Barb Bell]

Pool company opened our pool on May 19, 2020. It was green - not unusual. Lots of algae. They added 20 L of 12% liquid chlorine. After 2 days, not much change. I tested the water on May 21 using Taylor K2006. Results were:
FC 4 ppm CC 0.5 pH 8 TA 50 CH 40 CYA 60 On May 22 I added 900 ml of muriatic acid (acid demand 4 drops ) to lower the pH. Then another 17 L of liquid chlorine.
Saturday's TABEX test from the pool company showed FC 0.67 CC 0.39 pH 6.3 TA 37 CH 75 CYA 53 TDS? 500 I added all told another 20+L Pool is no longer green, but it is very cloudy/milky. Can't see the bottom on the shallow end.
At 6PM this evening - May 24 FC was 20 so I just added another 4 L to bring SLAM up to 24 ppm.
We had a cloudy pool problem last year but the CYA was up to 100 . It finally cleared, but not until August. I hope we don't have to wait that long this year. We also had copper staining in 2017 and 2018 Last year we didn't use our older heater and had no copper. So I found the source of that issue!
Might someone help me to know what causes the cloudy water? It seems strange that the water doesn't look cloudy when I dip it out in a clear plastic container.
Thanks,.

 

[bmoreswim]

You are on the right track. Super straightforward. You have algae in your pool and need to see the SLAM through to it’s conclusion. Cloudy water in this case is the next step from green to clear. Any questions on the SLAM process? Running your filter 24/7? Brushing a few times per day? Check the FC level several times per day and bring back to SLAM level.

Only rely on your testing. Don’t even be tempted to get other testing and compare. It will only lead to confusion.

 

[Barb Bell]

Thanks bmoreswim for the swift response. I will test FC tomorrow morning and maintain 20-24 ppm. I ran out of R0013 and I wanted to check on the CYA so I had the pool store test my water. I assume their test of 53 is reasonably accurate. I will remember next year to test the water before letting the guys add 20 L of liquid chlorine. We pay $25 + $10 for the jug (returnable) + 15% tax so a net $30.25 for 20 litres! As the pH was at 8 ppm upon opening, I assume that 20 L addition was useless for algae kill. Is that correct? One question: Is it okay while slamming to use our electric cleaner ( an older Dolphin with a nylon bag) while maintaining high FC? Thanks again for your help! Barb

 

[IceShadow]

High pH won’t help the FC but it should still work. Shouldn’t be an issue to run the cleaner.

Have you ever opened the filter to do a deep clean of the sand? Taking a long time to clear two years in a row seems like it could be gunk in the sand that the backwash isn’t clearing. See link:

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Barb Bell]

We changed the sand in 2018. Backwashed yesterday. Brushing walls 3 times a day. We are using our Dolphin electric cleaner and the bag has had no signs of green algae for 2 days. I have kept the pool at FC levels at SLAM 20 -24 ppm FAC for 3 days now. No overnight loss FAC is 24 this morning. But water is still very cloudy, improved since yesterday. I can see the bottom in the shallow end now. I have some calcium hypochlorite. Should I add some of that or just continue with liquid 12% bleach today? Thanks. Barb

 

[bmoreswim]

Continue with the 12% bleach until you've passed all 3 tests required for the SLAM to be considered successful. A sand filter is the slowest type of filter to use during a SLAM at clearing out the dead algae. There is a lot of POP needed (pool owner patience). Don't give up early and call it good! It may take a week to clear out the cloudiness as a point of reference. Maybe more, maybe less. You can add DE (diatamaceous earth) to your sand filter to improve the filtering capability. Here are the instructions if you wish to do that. Add DE to a Sand Filter - Trouble Free Pool

 

[Barb Bell]

Thanks! I'll keep at it! And I will try to find some DE too. I'll post again in a day or 2. FC dropped from 24 to 21 so I just added 3 L and brushed the walls. Dolphin is taking care of the rest although it does climb the walls too! I very much appreciate your help! Barb

 

[bmoreswim]

People find it very helpful to take a daily picture looking straight down on a set of steps. It helps to see small changes in clarity which can help with POP.