Extremely Cloudy Water

[hfisher]

New pool owner just trying to do what the pool store tells me and I’ve made a mess. Please help!
Filled will half well water and half trucked in city water. Shocked, stabilized, shocked again, ran the bucket method filter in addition to sand filter, metal sequester every night and vacuum thoroughly every day. Had the pool perfectly clear in one week. I put chlorine pucks a floater and we started using it.
After a couple days I noticed some tiny white things floating on top of the water. Wasn’t sure what it was but my water was clear and my chlorine was showing on the lower end of “ok” on the test strip so I shocked again and that’s when things went down hill.
Water continuously gets cloudier with every shock. I vacuum, brush the walls, backwash the filter, add clarifier. After 3 or 4 days of this I can still see my feet on the bottom but I head to the pool store to have the water tested. Per their advice I use an entire 5lb tub of PoolLife turbo shock and add more pucks to the floater.
My water went from moderately cloudy to solid white immediately and that’s the way it’s stayed for 3 days. Still vacuuming, although I can’t see the bottom, brushing walls, backwashing, and added another dose of clarifier. No change. Can’t see my hand 6in deep.
I’ve ordered the TF-100 test kit. I’m not sure how long it takes to ship but is there anything I can do in the mean time to make it safe for my kids to use?
Attached are pics of the start, after I got it cleared, the levels when it was somewhat cloudy but I could still see the bottom, and the pool after the big shock from pool store.
Thanks in advance for any help. I feel like a failure.

 

[Mdragger88]

Add 5ppm worth of liquid chlorine to the pool each day to keep things from getting worse until you can test properly.
Nothing else.
Use
PoolMath to calculate amounts.

You need to do the
SLAM Process but you must have good data & the appropriate tests first.
When your kit comes do all the tests and list the results here.
We’ll be waiting for you

 

[hfisher]

Add 5ppm worth of liquid chlorine to the pool each day to keep things from getting worse until you can test properly.
Nothing else.
Use
PoolMath to calculate amounts.

You need to do the
SLAM Process but you must have good data & the appropriate tests first.
When your kit comes do all the tests and list the results here.
We’ll be waiting for you

So I got the pool math app. Super cool. Looks like I’ll be adding about 2 gal of liquid chlorine a day. Just want to double check because I’m terrified of doing more harm or tearing up the equipment… Is that ok to do in your opinion?

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum. Be sure you enter the % concentration of liquid chlorine you will be using.
If you get the typical 10% liquid chlorine, one gallon of that will add close to 5 ppm FC to your 20,900 gallon pool.

 

[PoolStored]

Get a test kit ordered. Here are the recommended kits. Link-->Test Kits Compared

You need to follow the SLAM process when you get your kit. It will clear your pool. You cannot SLAM without a kit.

The Gallon a day the @Mdragger88 and @mknauss recommended is to keep the pool from getting worse until your kit arrives.

When you get your kit, follow the SLAM process. Print it out and keep it with you. Here is a link to the SLAM process...Link-->SLAM Process

 

[hfisher]

Thank you. That’s definitely doable until my test kit arrives.

 

[hfisher]

Get a test kit ordered. Here are the recommended kits. Link-->Test Kits Compared

You need to follow the SLAM process when you get your kit. It will clear your pool. You cannot SLAM without a kit.

The Gallon a day the @Mdragger88 and @mknauss recommended is to keep the pool from getting worse until your kit arrives.

When you get your kit, follow the SLAM process. Print it out and keep it with you. Here is a link to the SLAM process...Link-->SLAM Process

Thanks for your help. I ordered the tf-100 with the slam add on yesterday. Do you happen to know how long those usually take to ship? I ordered directly from the t

Get a test kit ordered. Here are the recommended kits. Link-->Test Kits Compared

You need to follow the SLAM process when you get your kit. It will clear your pool. You cannot SLAM without a kit.

The Gallon a day the @Mdragger88 and @mknauss recommended is to keep the pool from getting worse until your kit arrives.

When you get your kit, follow the SLAM process. Print it out and keep it with you. Here is a link to the SLAM process...Link-->SLAM Process

Thank you for your help. I ordered the tf-100 yesterday with the slam add on. Do you happen to know how long those usually take to ship?

 

[PoolStored]

They are pretty quick to get it out, maybe 3 business days in transit? All depends on the Post Office...

 

[Mdragger88]

@hfisher I wanted to point out something since you are on a well & seem to possibly have an iron issue.
If you were referring to using polyfill as the “bucket method” , it is only effective when the iron is visible. Adding sequestrant as you did just “hides” the iron & prevents you from catching it and actually physically removing it with the polyfill. It doesn’t get rid of it.
Sequestrant eventually wears off over time and is broken down by fc so I wouldn’t be surprised if your iron will “show itself” again.
If it does, you can break out the polyfill bucket again.
The catching iron with polyfill can be done simultaneously with the slam process.
Until you are completely done with the slam process (all 3 criteria are met)
and have removed all the iron possible with the polyfill you shouldn’t use any sequestrant.
Here’s some reading about that in the meantime

Sequestrant - Further Reading

www.google.com

Iron Fill Water Filter - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

As for swimming-
it is safe to swim as long as all these are true:
-Fc is between min & slam level for your cya FC/CYA Levels
- ph is in the 7’s
- you can see the bottom of the deep end for swimmer safety (rescue purposes)

Currently, I would say no swimmers.

 

[hfisher]

Thank you so much. I appreciate any input as I feel like I’m fighting so many variables. It’s just so disappointing to have it sparkling clear (feeling like I battled the well water and won), go to the pool store for product to resolve some slightly cloudy water, follow their instructions, and now have 21000 gallons of milk in the pool. Do you have opinions on floculant as that as been suggested to me by several other pool owners?

 

[JessBlount617]

Ahem… allow me to introduce myself. I am the well water filtration expert..

We can get you from here:

To here:

In the amount of time you SLAM…

You have a well with iron-filled water. The only way to actually get rid of it, is once it oxidizes with your chlorine in the pool water, and is filtered through a Poly-Fil bucket.

You need
5 Gallon Bucket
Lock-tight lid (one that screws on, not snaps on)
Cheap pillows from Walmart
A sense of humor

Send pics of your filtration and we can help rig something up to get that iron out for good!

 

[hfisher]

Ahem… allow me to introduce myself. I am the well water filtration expert..

We can get you from here:
View attachment 597834
To here:
View attachment 597835
In the amount of time you SLAM…

You have a well with iron-filled water. The only way to actually get rid of it, is once it oxidizes with your chlorine in the pool water, and is filtered through a Poly-Fil bucket.

You need
5 Gallon Bucket
Lock-tight lid (one that screws on, not snaps on)
Cheap pillows from Walmart
A sense of humor

Send pics of your filtration and we can help rig something up to get that iron out for good!

Cleared my pool in less than a week with the poly bucket. I’m a fan too. Unfortunately it started getting cloudy after I started introducing chemicals with no real clue what I was doing. Here are 3 pics. Polly bucket rigged, results, and the last is my current mess.

 

[hfisher]

Ahem… allow me to introduce myself. I am the well water filtration expert..

We can get you from here:
View attachment 597834
To here:
View attachment 597835
In the amount of time you SLAM…

You have a well with iron-filled water. The only way to actually get rid of it, is once it oxidizes with your chlorine in the pool water, and is filtered through a Poly-Fil bucket.

You need
5 Gallon Bucket
Lock-tight lid (one that screws on, not snaps on)
Cheap pillows from Walmart
A sense of humor

Send pics of your filtration and we can help rig something up to get that iron out for good!

I appreciate you help. People don’t appreciate the well water struggle unless they’ve lived it too. Mine wasn’t as thick with iron as it could have been because we fashioned a whole house water filter to the garden hose. I still haven’t figured out how to make the water right in my house. Not sure why I thought I could manage a pool.

 

[PoolStored]

Do you have opinions on floculant as that as been suggested to me by several other pool owners?

Do NOT under any circumstances put FLOC into your pool.

 

[JessBlount617]

I appreciate you help. People don’t appreciate the well water struggle unless they’ve lived it too. Mine wasn’t as thick with iron as it could have been because we fashioned a whole house water filter to the garden hose. I still haven’t figured out how to make the water right in my house. Not sure why I thought I could manage a pool.

Well hot dog… I just realized you’re in Indiana too. My house filtration is an absurd set up by Kinetico - 3 points of filtration before it enters the house for toilets/shower, then another 5 points of filtration for consumable water… I had C&J Well come out and do an inspection too. House was built in ‘70… I imagine my well is just as old.

All looked good until I filled the pool… the pool ran me and several folks here through the wringer. It was a MESS… but these folks are insanely helpful and patient and so willing to teach others!

It’s a great community and we will get your pool in great shape in no time.

 

[hfisher]

Well hot dog… I just realized you’re in Indiana too. My house filtration is an absurd set up by Kinetico - 3 points of filtration before it enters the house for toilets/shower, then another 5 points of filtration for consumable water… I had C&J Well come out and do an inspection too. House was built in ‘70… I imagine my well is just as old.

All looked good until I filled the pool… the pool ran me and several folks here through the wringer. It was a MESS… but these folks are insanely helpful and patient and so willing to teach others!

It’s a great community and we will get your pool in great shape in no time.

Oh we have sooo much to talk about that I won’t clog this pool forum with. We actually had a new well dug just a few years ago and my water is exponentially worse using that than with the “improperly constructed, hand dug” 100 yr old well we’d used for the first 20 years we lived there. my basement is basically a water treatment plant. You happen to know of a forum for well water users in general??

 

[hfisher]

Do NOT under any circumstances put FLOC into your pool.

Will impatiently wait for my test kit and enjoy a cloudy pool in the mean time.

 

[JessBlount617]

Oh we have sooo much to talk about that I won’t clog this pool forum with. We actually had a new well dug just a few years ago and my water is exponentially worse using that than with the “improperly constructed, hand dug” 100 yr old well we’d used for the first 20 years we lived there. my basement is basically a water treatment plant. You happen to know of a forum for well water users in general??

Feel free to message me!! Happy to chat!!

 

[Mdragger88]

Thank you so much. I appreciate any input as I feel like I’m fighting so many variables. It’s just so disappointing to have it sparkling clear (feeling like I battled the well water and won), go to the pool store for product to resolve some slightly cloudy water, follow their instructions, and now have 21000 gallons of milk in the pool. Do you have opinions on floculant as that as been suggested to me by several other pool owners?

Floc is likely only going to make things worse - it almost never works as intended.

Flocculant - Further Reading

www.google.com

 

[hfisher]

Got my kit today. Did my first tests. Should I start a new thread with this info? I’m not sure how the massive amounts of metal sequestrant that I’d been adding factor in to this. My FC is well above SLAM level and I haven’t added any chlorine in 24 hrs. I’ve been brushing and vacuuming and running the pump 24/7 for a solid week.

CYA - 30
TA - 170
ph - 7.8
Fc - 32
Cc - 1 (maybe .5 because i couldn’t tell if it was 1 or 2 drops… shot out faster than i expected)
Ch - 300