Help - can't get my pool water clear

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queenofmyswamp

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Jun 8, 2008
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See attached pictures (I hope they are attached)

We can only see down in the water a couple inches. pH is fine, alkalinity is a little low but not much, CYA is at 40, and we have been keeping it at shock level for weeks. It will hold its chlorine level overnight and I have run the vacuum for days straight and am confident there is nothing in there. Pool store recommended (I know, I know...) a bottle of something that said clarifier, but bottle said was to combat scum (?). I bought a bottle and put whole thing in per directions. No difference. Tried flock. Added according to directions and let sit for a day and half. No difference. Pool store suggested ClearBlue clarifier. Tried that and no difference. At the beginning of the season, pool store suggested new filter sand. Didn't make a difference. (I do think we needed that one though because our sand was about 8 years old.) I am at a total loss. The filter doesn't seem to need backwashed very often (I do it every few days), but filter has been running 24 hours a day for weeks now. What could be causing this? I have been following the TFP method for years and never had such a hard time getting it clear.

Pool store told me maybe I have copper in the water that just isn't showing up on their tests. But we have always used our same well water and it hasn't been an issue in the past so I am skeptical.

Any suggestions???????

Thanks!
 
I recently got a new filter. When I filled it with sand, I followed the directions, including adding water to the filter halfway through the sand filling. I should have let it sit before placing the top on, and checked the sand level after it settled. My pool was cloudy after 2 weeks of SLAmming, so I took the top of, and it was about 4" low on sand. It's now clearing much faster.

And yes, following the SLAM method and getting a good test kit is also needed.
 
I have dealt with The Cloud. Do you have a TF-100 test kit? If you are only using the pool store results for your water, there is a good possibility their CYA reading is wrong. All summer last year my problem after buying a house with a swampy pool I accidentally added way too much stabilizer and didn't get it under control until the end. So SLAM level was not nearly as high as it needed to be until I realized my problem. Get your own test kit, you won't be sorry.
 
Shoot - the only thing I haven't been testing myself is the CYA bc I ran out of the testing stuff end of last year, so I went to the pool store for just a CYA reading and they told me my CYA was 10 which seemed crazy bc it was 40 when we closed the pool and we didnt add much water. So I added a ton of stabilizer, which just recently finished dissolving. So I am maybe just not getting the chlorine level high enough relative to my CYA number if that is really high now, correct? Ugh.....every time I trust the pool store to do something, I regret it. I have more CYA solution on order, but we have a pool party in a week and I would love to get a jump on this problem.

Anyone have insight into the level of sand in the filter? I want to make sure that isn't also a problem. We just went by # of pounds and not sand level.

LOL - my post was rejected because I initially used a "curse word" in place of "shoot" above- a word for manure that rhymes with "tap". If that is considered profanity, this is a **very** family-friendly site! :)

Thanks!
 
My stand pipe had marking that said "Min" and "max" with lines every so often as a guide. (Intex sand filter.) I believe 2/3 full is usually the recommendation, but I didn't check yet to make sure that's correct. Mine seemed almost 3/4 full, I would guess. (After I fixed it, lol.) My pool has cleared more in the 5 days since I added sand than it did for the first 3 weeks. I'm also seeing more gunk in the backwash, which tells me it's filtering better.
 
I don't see any pictures, but I'm curious about the clarifier you added. Typically you only add 2 ounces per 10K gallons (but can be up to 2x that for really turbid water), so if your pool is 17K gallons you probably need 5-7 ounces initially. The clarifier is a coagulant that neutralizes some of the particles in the water and allows them come together to form larger particles making it easier to filter. If you add too much, you just push all the particles to the opposite charge and have not helped any, and can even make it more difficult to filter. You'll want to add about 1 - 1.5 ounce of clarifier after every 2-3 backwashes directly to the skimmer.
 
Okay, got my new test kit today and here are the results:

Alk 60
CYA 100
FC 7
CC .5
pH 7.0

I'm so mad! The only thing I asked the pool store to test a month ago was the CYA and they told me it was almost none and I needed to add 5 lbs. of stabilizer. That seemed illogical to me since it was 40 in the fall and we hardly replaced any water since then, but I did it anyway. I suppose now that is the problem - I am adding a bunch of chlorine and am not making any progress. :(

At this point, should I just focus on raising the chlorine level and keep it there and then worry about fixing the pH? We are supposed to have a swim party here this weekend and Im so frustrated. The pool calculator is saying I have to replace 50% of my water to get the CYA down to 50 from 100. Is this right? I'd rather use a lot of chlorine I think than replace all that water, but will I regret that?
 
You might want to verify that your CYA isn't over 100 by doing the dilution method to be sure. (No sense wasting more chlorine, just in case its higher.) Here are the instructions:

If your CYA level is 90 or higher, repeat the test adjusting the procedure as follows:
Fill the mixing bottle to the lower mark with pool water.
Continue filling the mixing bottle to the upper mark with tap water.
Shake briefly to mix.
Pour off half of the contents of the mixing bottle, so it is again filled to the lower mark.
Continue the test normally from step 2, but multiply the final result by two.

At least you know now that your filter is probably okay.
 

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pH 7.4
CYA 50
Alk 90
CL 15
CC 1

Been this way for a week (usually higher chlorine level though), but pool is still a pretty green opaque color. Any suggestions? We have tried 3 kinds of clarifiers. Can see about a foot down in the water now. I can't get a pic to post - any suggestions? I would greatly appreciate any help you have to offer. I have spent so much time and hundreds of $$s in chemicals this summer and haven't been able to see down more than a foot yet this year. I am at a total loss. Chlorine level holds constant overnight, so can this even be an algae issue??
 
How are you testing? Which kit did you get?
Next time list your chem levels in this order for ease of reading:
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA

Why do you keep spending money on pool store potions when they steered you wrong on your CYA already?? Have you added any anything else to the water??

Is the pool crystal clear but green??? It could be metals if so. If its cloudy green its algae and that needs just bleach and filtering time.

Maddie :flower:
 
Not crystal clear - can only see about a foot down. How do I post a pic? I keep buying pool store potions because I am trying everything I can think of and still am not making any progress a month later..... I bought the kit from TFTest Kits - even ordered a new one to make sure old testing materials weren't throwing things off.

Pools store said my alkalinity is the problem and that my pool water is basically vinegar so the chlorine isn't working. Sounds like bunk to me, but anyway, thought someone might get a laugh out of that. :)
 
Alkalinity is NOT your problem. And if you purchased their cure, you overpaid for baking soda. That's all Alkalinity Increaser is. You need bleach, and more bleach.

So which kit are you using and can you provide a full set of test results?
 
Like I said above, I bought the TFTest Kit - got the refill set a few weeks ago. Are you suggesting my kit might be the problem?? I posted results above - what number are you wondering about that isn't in my post from earlier today?
 
queenofmyswamp said:
So no one can help me because I listed my numbers in the incorrect order? LOL
Click to expand...
1: Putting them in the correct order and correct labels helps us to notice any issues quickly and efficiently.
2: Putting them in the correct order and correct labels assures us that you are using a proper test kit.
3: Volunteer business, we help who we want to help. If you have a problem with giving us the information in the format we request, we are under no obligation to do anything.

Frankly, I don't know how you can have a 100+ posts over 9 years yet are still going to the pool store for testing, floccing, clarifier, and thinking the sand needs a routine changing. If you were following TFPC like you claim you would not have "spent so much time and hundreds of $$s in chemicals this summer".

My only suggestion is to stop trying to mix advice, do it the pool store way or the TFP way. You can't do both.
 
How does the order reflect what test kit was used? Just curious....

VWbusguy - Yes, I replaced water to lower the CYA.

Donldson - Our sand was 8+ years old and original with our filter, so I thought from what I have read here that we should replace it even if that wasn't the source of our problems. In trying the clarifier and flock, I didn't surmise that either of those things would *hurt* anything I was trying from the TFP way. Extra money perhaps, but figured it wouldn't negatively affect my results. I ended up at the pool store only to have them measure CYA (because at the time, I was out of the reagent for the test) and got sucked into the clarifier. I am still at a loss as to how I can keep our pool at shock level for such a long time and not be making progress and still have the backwash water be so green. In past years, after shocking, the backwash water was always milky looking, which I assumed was dead algae.

I thought maybe I was being too optimistic with my CYA reading, and therefore my shock number needed to be higher, but I had my son do the CYA test too and he came up with the same number, so I am confident that is correct and that I have been at the right CL level for shocking it.
 

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