Cloudy water stays after two weeks

[jhawkpool]

Hello!

I have been working the SLAM process for two weeks now, and we went from a very green pool to a blue pool thats very cloudy. We’ve continued the SLAM, running the pump 24/7, vacuuming for the past week, swapping out cartridges on the filter when it gets 30% above baseline, and cleaning cartridges with a hose.

Initially the pool was just eating chlorine, I suspect there was ammonia? We eventually got past that after adding liquid chlorine (10% HD liquid chlorine) and testing every 30 minutes until the pool started retaining chlorine. The green began to go away after that and after a week it turned cloudy blue.

But for the past few days, despite vacuuming up as much debris as we can with an automatic suction-powered vacuum, we haven’t noticed continued improvement. Hasn’t gotten worse, just no improvement on cloudiness.

Each filter we clean has gray stuff come off of it that I assume is dead algae.

The pool is a 16x33 oval aboveground pool with a uniform depth of 42”, about 10,500 gallons or so.

Our CYA is 40. We keep FC above 12 and usually well above that. I test with the TFP kit that has everything but the automagic stirrer. For FC we use the DPD drop test, and sample about a foot under the surface.

Does anyone have any ideas what might be causing the continued cloudiness?

Thank you!

 

[PoolStored]

How often are you testing and replacing FC?
How often are you cleaning the filter? What kind of filter is it?
Have you passed an OCLT yet?

Increasing the frequency of FC additions, like every 2-3 hours will help speed it, particularly in the heat of summer. There is no need to raise it above SLAM level.
You should clean your filters fairly often. Clean, note clean pressure, clean again when pressure rises 25%. So if clean is 8, clean at 10.

 

[Bperry]

Hello!

I have been working the SLAM process for two weeks now, and we went from a very green pool to a blue pool thats very cloudy. We’ve continued the SLAM, running the pump 24/7, vacuuming for the past week, swapping out cartridges on the filter when it gets 30% above baseline, and cleaning cartridges with a hose.

Initially the pool was just eating chlorine, I suspect there was ammonia? We eventually got past that after adding liquid chlorine (10% HD liquid chlorine) and testing every 30 minutes until the pool started retaining chlorine. The green began to go away after that and after a week it turned cloudy blue.

But for the past few days, despite vacuuming up as much debris as we can with an automatic suction-powered vacuum, we haven’t noticed continued improvement. Hasn’t gotten worse, just no improvement on cloudiness.

Each filter we clean has gray stuff come off of it that I assume is dead algae.

The pool is a 16x33 oval aboveground pool with a uniform depth of 42”, about 10,500 gallons or so.

Our CYA is 40. We keep FC above 12 and usually well above that. I test with the TFP kit that has everything but the automagic stirrer. For FC we use the DPD drop test, and sample about a foot under the surface.

Does anyone have any ideas what might be causing the continued cloudiness?

Thank you!

For FC, you should be using the FAS-DPD test with the powder, the DPD test isnt useful for the SLAM peocess. If your CYA is 40ppm, then your SLAM FC level is 16ppm, so that may be contributing to the long SLAM.

 

[jhawkpool]

For FC, you should be using the FAS-DPD test with the powder, the DPD test isnt useful for the SLAM peocess. If your CYA is 40ppm, then your SLAM FC level is 16ppm, so that may be contributing to the long SLAM.

Yes, the FAS-DPD. Got the terminology wrong; that's the one I'm using.

Good note on that - my PoolMath app told me the same thing. I'm going to keep it above 16 until it's clear. Any idea why that's so sensitive to a ~20% reduction in FC?

 

[jhawkpool]

How often are you testing and replacing FC?
How often are you cleaning the filter? What kind of filter is it?
Have you passed an OCLT yet?

Increasing the frequency of FC additions, like every 2-3 hours will help speed it, particularly in the heat of summer. There is no need to raise it above SLAM level.
You should clean your filters fairly often. Clean, note clean pressure, clean again when pressure rises 25%. So if clean is 8, clean at 10.

I'll do that. I test three times a day, more if I can swing it, like the SLAM guide said. I'll go back to doing every two hours tho.

We have a cartridge filter with one tall-ish (PWW150) pleated cartridge, and I rotate 3 of them, cleaning each one after it comes out. I pull them after a 30-33% rise (it's just easier to see on my pressure gauge), but am going to start pulling them at no more than 25% rise. I use a garden hose with one of those Little Big Shot nozzles on it to spray them down. Takes 10-15 minutes to do for each. Works great. As needed we soak them overnight in a garbage can with a dishwasher detergent pac and tap water, then do the full 10-15 minute thorough spray-down again, just like I do after it comes out of the filter housing. Works like a charm if the pressure starts rising more quickly than expected for that filter. Also something I got from these forums.

Have not passed an OCLT yet. I'll do that tonight and see what my overnight loss is. Honestly until now I highly doubt any night would've passed. This pool was *green* and had loads of stuff on the bottom, which vacuuming seems to have taken care of. We'll see once it clears up though. I keep running the vacuum every day anyway, like the guide says.

Just for my own awareness, SLAM level for my 40 CYA pool is 16. What's a safe level of FC for me to just get into the pool so I can brush the sides more easily? Or is that a terrible idea/unnecessary?

Thanks so much y'all!

 

[PoolStored]

Just for my own awareness, SLAM level for my 40 CYA pool is 16. What's a safe level of FC for me to just get into the pool so I can brush the sides more easily? Or is that a terrible idea/unnecessary?

Great answers above...all would have been my recommendation. ^^^ is a great idea. Pool is safe to swim, if you can see the bottom, when FC > MIN, up to and including SLAM level FC.