Cloudy water from fine dust or algea

[newpoolbuild]

Hello,
Only VS pump and filter is working right now as intellicenter is missing a cable. We have not been using the pool this week due to construction at pool side. Run pump everyday, no robot. Just run robot 2 days in a row x 4 hrs/ day. Water cloudy and chemistry all in range. Every time I brush the walls after pump stopped running over night, I see a cloud being pushed around. Is this fine paver cutting dust settling on the bottom and walls or algae? Obviously robot can’t pick up fine dust. Can sand filter filt thru the fine dust? How do I get rid of it? TIA

 

[Texas Splash]

If your water was crystal clear before the construction, it's possible the dust is from the construction. You can use some DE in your sand to try and capture it. See link below. But if the chemistry was off a bit or you suspect algae, you should do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test.

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

 

[OG OOLS]

Id bet algae. Slammer.

 

[newpoolbuild]

my husband dumped some chlorine last night just in case. But the numbers all within range. Combine chlorine has been zero. Will do the over night chlorine loss test tonight when he gets home.

Id bet algae. Slammer.

 

[newpoolbuild]

Please help! We put in 1 1/2 cup food grade DE in the skimmer. The wTer is more cloudy now. Chlorine stayed at 16 since yesterday. Last night over night loss of chlorine went down 2. What should we do now? TIA

If your water was crystal clear before the construction, it's possible the dust is from the construction. You can use some DE in your sand to try and capture it. See link below. But if the chemistry was off a bit or you suspect algae, you should do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test.

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

Please help, we added 1 1/2 cup food grade DE in the skimmer, the filter pressure went up 1 and then went down. The water is more cloudy. What should we do now? The ov

If your water was crystal clear before the construction, it's possible the dust is from the construction. You can use some DE in your sand to try and capture it. See link below. But if the chemistry was off a bit or you suspect algae, you should do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test.

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

 

[Texas Splash]

Let us know how the water looks this morning. Also, what kind of bleach or chlorine are you adding to the water for the SLAM Process?

 

[CrystalRiver]

Your pool failed the OCLT. It needs a SLAM.

 

[newpoolbuild]

GM, the water still cloudy. No chlorine loss over night, combine chlorine less than .5, free chlorine went up to 13.5 from 12. We slammed on Th night w 2 bags of pool shock and 2 gallons of HOme Depot chlorine. Pump been running 24x7 since Th night.

Let us know how the water looks this morning. Also, what kind of bleach or chlorine are you adding to the water for the SLAM Process?

 

[newpoolbuild]

We have not added any chemical since Friday morning other than food grade DE. It has been sunny. Chlorine went up , cya and other chemical all w/ in range.

 

[Texas Splash]

This one is a bit tricky. WIth no OCLT loss and CC under .5, you have a cloudy water issue following construction. So is it algae or construction dust? You mentioned the cloudiness seemed to get worse after adding the the DE, but that shouldn't make a difference. But with all the talk of SLAM, we haven't seen a full set of test results to compare. So to be sure about the algae and the increased FC levels you have been doing, I would recommend posting a full set of water test results. Chemistry is always #1.

Is there any of that dust settling on the floor, or is it an overall pool water cloudiness issue throughout? Curious, have you ever done a deep clean of the filter sand?

 

[newpoolbuild]

Yes. When brush, small green cloud being pushed off pool step Ana corners. Robot has been running 4-6 hrs/ day not picking up anything. My husband has logged into my pool math app acct. if it is not showing, how do I link it to my TFP sig? Thx

 

[Texas Splash]

Okay, you nailed it. Green plumes means algae so continue the SLAM Process. I also see your Poolmath logs now. Your CYA (rounded up) is 50, so you should be maintaining an FC of "20" as per the FC/CYA Levels. That is very important for the effectiveness of the SLAM Process. Make sure to brush and inspect all areas of the pool to include any hidden spots like behind a light (niche) or main drain.

 

[newpoolbuild]

Thank you. We thought the green cloud was fine dust from construction

Okay, you nailed it. Green plumes means algae so continue the SLAM Process. I also see your Poolmath logs now. Your CYA (rounded up) is 50, so you should be maintaining an FC of "20" as per the FC/CYA Levels. That is very important for the effectiveness of the SLAM Process. Make sure to brush and inspect all areas of the pool to include any hidden spots like behind a light (niche) or main drain.

 

[newpoolbuild]

How come on Fri our FC was 16 and only went to 14 today. There’s no overnight loss?

 

[Orion7319]

Please help, we added 1 1/2 cup food grade DE in the skimmer, the filter pressure went up 1 and then went down. The water is more cloudy. What should we do now? The ov

You need to use DE for pools. Every time you backwash your filter, add enough DE for the PSI on the pump to rise by 1 PSI. Pool grade DE has been heat treated and is considered a carcinogenic (wear a mask when using it) where food grade has not. I’m not sure if food grade DE would make things worse or simply do nothing at all for you. If you want to try pool DE just backwash your filter before adding.

 

[newpoolbuild]

Thanks everyone for brainstorming and suggestions. We dumped more pool shock and liquid chlorine, DE, and pool clarifier. Brought CYA to 60. The water finally started to clearing up. PH raised from 7.2 last night to 7.5 today. It rained in the afternoon. What’s bugging us was that we have very little chlorine loss during sunny days too? Anyone reason why that’s happening? Our FC is still at 30 tonight. Is it ok to dump salt in the pool to start the SWCG now or should I wait for a few more days?

 

[Texas Splash]

The lack of drop in FC can be from a couple things. Either chlorine was added, the testing was off, or the water temp is dropping along with less UV intensity. It would still be good to see a full set of water test results as follows:

FC
CC
CYA
PH
TA
CH

You can add salt at any time, Also remember that your FC SLAM level is only 20, so there's no reason to be at 30. Just let it drop now. There is generally no need to use DE in a sand filter on a regular basis. Some use it for a specific purpose like at the end of a SLAM, but it's not always needed. Clarifiers are not recommended either because if they get to the sand it can ruin it. Hopefully that did not happen. We always get concerned when someone says they "dumped in shock or chlorine" because it implies an accurate amount of chlorine wasn't added per the SLAM Process. That could be why you over-shot the FC level by so much, I don't know. But make sure to use the PoolMath APP for your dosage amounts and follow the SLAM Process until you pass all 3 SLAM criteria.

Your signature doesn't show which test kit you are using, so I would add that as well.

 

[newpoolbuild]

Thank you all so much for helping out. This is a great community. It’s all crystal clear now. My husband followed the slam process by the pool math app. The first time was very simple cuz we just filled water. This time it’s a little complicated w the dust issue. He raised the chlorine to 30 because we weren’t sure the extract size of our pool. After FC to 16 and 20 didn’t work. He raised it a notch just to be safe. I hope the clarifier did not ruin the sand filter. Thanks for the assurance, we plan to add pool salt tonight. Is there anything we need to be cautious of? We r first time pool owners. Yes. We used the TFP 100 kit. Thx

The lack of drop in FC can be from a couple things. Either chlorine was added, the testing was off, or the water temp is dropping along with less UV intensity. It would still be good to see a full set of water test results as follows:

FC
CC
CYA
PH
TA
CH

You can add salt at any time, Also remember that your FC SLAM level is only 20, so there's no reason to be at 30. Just let it drop now. There is generally no need to use DE in a sand filter on a regular basis. Some use it for a specific purpose like at the end of a SLAM, but it's not always needed. Clarifiers are not recommended either because if they get to the sand it can ruin it. Hopefully that did not happen. We always get concerned when someone says they "dumped in shock or chlorine" because it implies an accurate amount of chlorine wasn't added per the SLAM Process. That could be why you over-shot the FC level by so much, I don't know. But make sure to use the PoolMath APP for your dosage amounts and follow the SLAM Process until you pass all 3 SLAM criteria.

Your signature doesn't show which test kit you are using, so I would add that as well.

 

[Texas Splash]

With a TF-100, you are on the right track. When in doubt, you can always post a full set of results and we'll review them for you. If you ever have equipment questions, let us know as well. Make sure to review the links and pages we pass along and those important ones in many of our signatures. After a few times, you'll have this process memorized.

In fact, don't forget to start reviewing our closing process below. Whether you do it yourself or pay to have someone do it this year, you'll want to understand the process. Closing time will be here soon for many of you.

Closing an In Ground Pool

Winterizing a pool is essential for keeping your in-ground pool protected during cold-weather months. This Pool Repair guide will show you how to do it.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[newpoolbuild]

Awe, thank you so much for thinking ahead and the kind words. We could not have done it wo the generous ppl in this community. My PB and his electrician are not familiar w the new technology I ordered

With a TF-100, you are on the right track. When in doubt, you can always post a full set of results and we'll review them for you. If you ever have equipment questions, let us know as well. Make sure to review the links and pages we pass along and those important ones in many of our signatures. After a few times, you'll have this process memorized.

In fact, don't forget to start reviewing our closing process below. Whether you do it yourself or pay to have someone do it this year, you'll want to understand the process. Closing time will be here soon for many of you.

Closing an In Ground Pool

Winterizing a pool is essential for keeping your in-ground pool protected during cold-weather months. This Pool Repair guide will show you how to do it.

www.troublefreepool.com