Help! Cloudy water!

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B

BJ

0
Aug 9, 2007
8
Iowa
Help! I have an above ground vinyl pool...18ft. round, 4 ft. deep. Everything had been going fine, until vacation. Upon returning, my water was green. I followed all the books that came with my pool and added algaecide, scrubbed, vacuumed and shocked. Now, my water is no longer green, but it is very cloudy and when I change the filter (cartridge), which I have been trying to do daily or every other day, it has a whitish(is that a word???) film on it. I really would love to have clear water to swim in as this is the hottest stinkin' weather we have had all summer! Any advice??? I know it takes patience (read other posts) but I have been working on this for over two weeks now. (whiner here, I know) :roll:
 
Thanks for responding so quickly! Geez, I'm impressed!! Ok, for more information....I'm blonde. Not that this is a bad thing, I'm just saying..... I test my water daily for my chlorine and ph levels, but to tell the truth, I am only comparing my water colors to the ones on the tube. Haven't much paid attention to the actual numbers, and to also tell the truth, have never tested for total chlorine. (I can hear the gasps now!) I do know that my chlorine is pretty high right now, between 4 and 5 (?) and that my PH is a bit low 7.3 (?). I added some PH + this morning. I am truly embarrassed at this point, but craving any help anyone can give me. Sorry! :oops:
 
BJ,

Absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone on this forum started at the same point you are now.

The answer to your issue is (about 97% sure), you need to add more chlorine.....lot's of it up to about 15+ppm. It will quickly be consumed by the remaioning algae in your pool and you need to add still even more.

Your goal is to keep the chlorine up around 15+ constantly adding until your water is clear. Without a test that goes above 5ppm, that will be troublesome but doable. To bring a pool your size from it's current reading of five up to 15+, you'll need about 2 gallons of 6% clorox. Put it in this evening and then test agian tomorrow AM and bring it back to 15pp.

How can you do that with your kit? Dilute your pool water by adding 2/3 distilled water to one part pool water and then test as normal. multiply the result by 3 and you'll get in the ballpark. It is terribly innacurate to do it that way, but if the 5ppm kit is all you have, you can make it work.

So, after all the details, your problem is you haven't added enough chlorine nor kept it high enough long enough for it to clear your pool. Do so and your pool will clear.

If their is a pool store near that will test for you, post a complete set of results and you'll get much more accurate advice. Be sure they test for CYA.
 
Ok, we are here to help. (I'm blonde too, but don't tell anyone!)

First, you need to get a good test kit so you can take matters into your own hands. There is a fab one linked in my signature. For now, an HTH 6 way test from WalMart will tide you over until it arrives. Just say NO to test strips!!

While you are looking at my signature, you will also want to read the stickies, which will give you a good idea of what caring for your pool water is all about.

Second, you need to check for chlorine EVERY DAY. This is not always stressed enough. It only takes a couple minutes each day to test and add a bit of bleach.

Third, get a water sample to the pool store today and get it tested. DO NOT buy anything!! (this is not the best testing method, because oftentimes the employees doing the tests know less than you do, but for now, it is better than nothing!)

Come back here and post those nymbers and we can help you!! Without numbers all we can do is guess (which sounds like what you've pretty much been doing to this point! )

Never fear, we will get you back on track and back into your Trouble-Free Pool!!
 
Wow!!! You guys are awesome! Thank you for not making me feel like a moron. I will do as you suggested. Another (I'm sure very stupid and embarrassing) question.... How much water do I need to take in to have tested and in what kind of container??? I'll post my results as soon as I have them. Thanks a million for your help!!! :-D
 
Thanks so much for all of your assistance! I'm going out to grab my water (can one grab water?) and head to my local pool supply store for testing. I will post my numbers as soon as I get them and pray that I haven't bugged y'all too much and you'll continue to assist me. Again, thanks a ton! :-D
 

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Ok, I'm back from the pool store. Please remember you are dealing with a blonde (no offense, mermaid) who has been using an apparently sub-standard test kit and a lot of guess work.... so these numbers mean nothing to me.
Free Available Chlorine (I believe you refer to this as FC) = 3.5
Total " " (TC (?)) = 3.5
Combined Chlorine = 0.0
Total Alkalinity = 98
pH level = 7.4
Calcium Hardness = 152
Cyanuric Acid = 20
Copper = 0.0
Iron = 0.0
Total Dissolved Solids = 500
Saturation Index = -0.19

The pool place said all my levels were fine and that I needed to add Clarifier/Flocculant. I'm stickin' with what y'all tell me to do though. I trust you more. (Plus you didn't call me a freakin' idiot!)
So...do I go ahead with the chlorine tonight?? I changed the filter this morning too. Should I change it daily for a while???
Thanks in advance!
 
Yep, chlorine is the answer. It'll be most effective if you put it in this evening. Take your pool to 15ppm. Keep it there. Keep it there. Keep it there. Oops!, did I repeat myself? Nope, just emphasizing how important it is to keep your chlorine at that high level to clear up your pool. Algae and the Sun will constantly be reducing your chlorine so you must replace it.

In no particular hurry, but I would suggest raising your CYA up to the 30-40 range. It'll help protect your chlorine from the Sun a little better. Don't let that suggestion side-track you, tho. Your goal is to keep your chlorine in the pool until the pool clears.
 
BJ said:
Ok, I'm back from the pool store. Please remember you are dealing with a blonde (no offense, mermaid) who has been using an apparently sub-standard test kit and a lot of guess work.... so these numbers mean nothing to me.
Free Available Chlorine (I believe you refer to this as FC) = 3.5
Total " " (TC (?)) = 3.5
Combined Chlorine = 0.0
Total Alkalinity = 98
pH level = 7.4
Calcium Hardness = 152
Cyanuric Acid = 20
Copper = 0.0
Iron = 0.0
Total Dissolved Solids = 500
Saturation Index = -0.19

The pool place said all my levels were fine and that I needed to add Clarifier/Flocculant. I'm stickin' with what y'all tell me to do though. I trust you more. (Plus you didn't call me a freakin' idiot!)
So...do I go ahead with the chlorine tonight?? I changed the filter this morning too. Should I change it daily for a while???
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Is your water blue and cloudy? or is it green? You probably don't need to floc. You can do this with bleach and brushing!

Ok. The important numbers for now are CYA and FC. With a CYA of 20, you need an FC of 12 to shock your pool. Have you figured out Jason's calculator? It is really easy, even for blonds! You plug in your pool volume, your current numbers, and your goal numbers ( in this case, 12 FC) and it will tell you how much bleach to add to shock. Add this.

In case you cannot figure it out (give it a try, and give yourself a bit of credit: you found TFP didn't you?? :) )If your water is 4' deep, you have 7600 gal. if your pool wall is 4', you probably have about 6700. Either way, a gallon of bleach (plain old unscented (or regular scent) bleach) will get you close.

Keep cleaning your filter - you can hose it off well and reuse it (did you say what kind? cartridge? Is it an intex pool and filter?)

After you get the bleach in the pool, come back and I will tell you how to test your chlorine with the kit you have. It will not be terribly accurate, but better than nothing, and easier than running to the pool store several times a day!
 
Ok, I am writing this before you reply in case I don't get back here. I just did not want to overwhelm you!

I assume you have an OTO (turns yellow) test kit, with at least a pH test, and maybe a few others. Correct?

I will also assume that your tester will read up to 5ppm. correct?

If both of the above are true, then you can get your tester to read up to 20 ppm by doing the following:

In a clean container, mix 1 tablespoon pool water with 3 tablespoons distilled or drinking water. (Not tap water)
Fill the test vial to the proper line.
Add the necessary drops of reagent.
Read the result. Multiply the result by 4.

That's all!

Test your water this evening after the sun goes down, and use Jason's calculator to figure how much more bleach you need. Add this.
Test your chlorine in the morning and post back here.

(Always add bleach with the filter running, and let it circulate for a while. Always add your bleach in the evening. When you are fighting a problem, test your chlorine2 or 3 times a day and adjust the FC with bleach as necessary.)
 
It is not uncommon for it to take the filter several days to filter out the algae after it is dead. You should see an obvious improvement in the water each day if you have killed all the algae.

A flock treatment would speed things up noticably but it costs money and is a fair bit of work.
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you! (Just emphasizing my gratitude!) I will add the chlorine tonight and test first thing tomorrow (and every morning, I promise)!! I will keep cleaning my filter (Yes, it's a cartridge. I have two and clean and replace them with each other.)
Oh, and the water is blue and cloudy, not green at all.
I will bring up the CYA after I get the water clear. Is that correct?
Thanks for the tips on the calculator! How handy is that?? Someone buy that guy a box of candy and send him kisses from me!
You guys have been extremely helpful and have saved me from pulling out my hair. My hairdresser and I thank you.
 
BJ said:
Thank you, thank you, thank you! (Just emphasizing my gratitude!) I will add the chlorine tonight and test first thing tomorrow (and every morning, I promise)!!

yes for tomorrow, and while you have a problem, but on a regular basis it is better to test in the evening and add your bleach then, so it will have a chance to work before being destroyed by the sun

I will keep cleaning my filter (Yes, it's a cartridge. I have two and clean and replace them with each other.)
Oh, and the water is blue and cloudy, not green at all.

then it is mostly a matter of filtering... keep washing and changing them, and brush your pool to keep the stuff suspended so the filter can catch it. If you don't see improvement in a few days, you may need clarifier. But you probably just need time!! I'd keep the FC level up anyway while clearing this cloudiness.


I will bring up the CYA after I get the water clear. Is that correct?

Yep!

Thanks for the tips on the calculator! How handy is that?? Someone buy that guy a box of candy and send him kisses from me!
You guys have been extremely helpful and have saved me from pulling out my hair. My hairdresser and I thank you.
Click to expand...

You are quite welcome!
 
Ok! I think I'm actually getting somewhere (thanks to y'all)! I added the chlorine last night and changed filter again. I tested the water (by using the dilution method you gave me) and I have the chlorine level up to 12. The water already looks quite a bit clearer! Yeehaw!!! There is a little bit of tan colored debris on the bottom of the pool. Do I vacuum this or merely brush it? I will check the level again later today and then use the calculator to see how much more chlorine to add to keep the pool at the high level. Is this correct?

Beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel (or at least the debris at the bottom of the pool) and eternally grateful,
BJ
 
if it is just a little, and if your water is still cloudy, I would just brush it up.
In case you have not done so, you are also correct about the testing and bleach!

Sounds like you are getting it all... If you hadn't said anything, I would never have realized you are blond! ;)
 
Thanks a ton, Grace! Ok, buggin' you yet once again. I'm working away at the cloudiness and seeing improvement. I am practicing my bestest (I know that's not really a word, but I like it anyway) at having lots of patience....even though I want to be in my pool today.
My question is about raising the CYA. I bought some stabilizer, but it says to put it in the skimmer. Since my pool is an above ground, quick set pool, I don't have this type of skimmer. How should I go about dispersing the stabilizer?

Again, I appreciate your help more than you know!
BJ
 

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