Help for cloudy pool

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D

Diane12569

Member
Jul 4, 2022
5
Yorktown Hts, NY
Pool Size
20300
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
My pool has been cloudy for weeks. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to taking care of our pool. We've always had trouble with the pool and my husband gave up and didn't even open the pool last year. So, I decided to take over but I'm not getting anywhere either.

We started the summer with a gross, swampy mess. We replaced some old equipment and put fresh sand in the filter. I have shocked, re-shocked, vacuumed, brushed, backwashed, etc. over and over again. I've been running the filter 24/7. The pool store suggested we flocc the pool, but that didn't help.

I ordered a TF-Pro test kit today (I've been using strips and Poolmaster 5-way) so I don't have any accurate numbers. I'm just looking for advice on what to do until the test kit comes. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Diane12569 said:
I ordered a TF-Pro test kit today
Click to expand...
Music to our ears! :party: Soon you'll have accurate numbers and all of this will make sense. In the meantime, be sure to bookmark our Pool Care Basics page and read the SLAM Process. You might also start using the PoolMath APP. In a pool your size you can add one gallon of liquid chlorine per day until the kit arrives. Don't bother with anything else. We'll walk you through everything once you post your numbers. Welcome to TFP! :wave:
 
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I was a complete noob when it came to pool maintenance. The many wonder folks here at TFP have made maintaining my pool a breeze. I got the testing kit and was overwhelmed at first, but one of the advice here was to read each test individually and just follow along. As it turns out, it's ridiculously easy.

I literally spend a total of 4 minutes per day "maintaining" our pool. First 2 mins for basic Chlorine and PH testing, and another 2 minute adding Chlorine or Muriatic Acid.

Once per week, I do a full test and that takes me approximately 10 minutes. It could be less but I like to test everything provided in the TF-100 kit. The SmartStir saves a lot of time so really worth the $50 or whatever it is.

Also for anyone else who uses the liquid chemical tests, I found it cumbersome to fill each test cylinder with water to the specific level (10 ML, 25 ML, to the bottom of the label, etc), so I bought a large 150 ML syringe to simply draw pool water, and then just bring it inside to fill all the test cylinders at once. Oh, so easy! Bought it from Amazon, 3 for $11.

 
Thanks for the replies! My test kit arrived today and after testing and reading Pool Care Basics I think I need to SLAM. Please correct me if I'm mistaken or if I'm not calculating correctly. Like I said in my first post, I'm completely new to this. I downloaded the PoolMath app and it suggests that I add 169 oz to reach shock level. Do I need to measure exactly or can I go over? How often should I recheck the levels during the SLAM process? Also, Is there anything I need to adjust before SLAMMING?

My results are:
FC 5.5
CC 1.5
PH mix b/w 7.2-7.5
TA 90
CH 50
CYA 30

Thanks for all the help!
 
Read SLAM Process
It is very descriptive on what you need to do, how to see when you are done, etc.

Add the bleach/liquid chlorine. No need to go way over, but you can approximate by half gallon, etc.
The first couple days, test and add liquid chlorine as often as you possibly can during waking hours. After that, it should slow down to 3 times a day or so until done.
 
Thanks, everyone, for all your help so far. This website has been a great help! But I'm stuck and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. My pool is still very cloudy.

The CC is 0 for a couple of days. The FC keeps going down during the day, but overnight remains pretty close.

So, I checked the CYA and it went down. I fill the CYA VIEW TUBE to the top but I can see the black dot. How should raise it?

I also just checked the PH and it went up to the color below (I'm not sure, maybe b/w 7.5 & 7.8). Do I use muriatic acid?

I can read the information in the Pool School section, but I just wanted to check to see what I should be doing while trying to correct the CYA and PH. Do I continue doing everything I've been doing during the SLAM process (vacuuming, backwashing, keeping the chlorine at SLAM level)?

Thank you all! 🤗

IMG_0578.jpeg
 
A sand filter can be slow to clear. The pH looks fine, the shade to me looks a bit below 7.5.

Add 10 ppm worth of CYA stabilizer granules using the sock method. Assume your CYA is 30 ppm and maintain SLAM level FC of 12ppm.
 
Y
Diane12569 said:
Thanks, everyone, for all your help so far. This website has been a great help! But I'm stuck and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. My pool is still very cloudy.

The CC is 0 for a couple of days. The FC keeps going down during the day, but overnight remains pretty close.

So, I checked the CYA and it went down. I fill the CYA VIEW TUBE to the top but I can see the black dot. How should raise it?

I also just checked the PH and it went up to the color below (I'm not sure, maybe b/w 7.5 & 7.8). Do I use muriatic acid?

I can read the information in the Pool School section, but I just wanted to check to see what I should be doing while trying to correct the CYA and PH. Do I continue doing everything I've been doing during the SLAM process (vacuuming, backwashing, keeping the chlorine at SLAM level)?

Thank you all! 🤗

View attachment 441648
Click to expand...
If it is still cloudy, you still have to SLAM. You want it to be clear, CC less than 0.5 and OCLT passed (less than 1.0 FC loss in the night). It can take awhile…hang in there & keep it up.
 

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SoFlo Tech said:
Are you noticing any water loss in your pool?
Personally I’d add 3# granular stabilizer to the skimmer basket and place 3-3” chlorine tabs in a floating dispenser.
This should help clear your pool gradually.
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Using tabs is not part of the SLAM Process as they do not add fc quickly enough to eradicate algae.
3# of stabilizer will raise her cya by 18ppm not the 10ppm recommended.
Adding granular stabilizer directly to the skimmer is not recommended as it is acidic & it risks clogs as well as becoming trapped in the filter media.

CYA - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Well, it's August and I've basically given up on using my pool for this summer. It is STILL really cloudy. I passed OCLT weeks ago and CC has been 0 also for weeks. I stopped slamming about a week ago because after over 2 months of shocking and slamming, on top of the money I spent upgrading the equipment, I couldn't afford to keep it up. I check my FC every day and keep it at target level for my size pool. The filter has been running 24/7 non-stop but my pool won't clear. What do you suppose is the problem?
 
At this point if you wish , get some SeaKlear Chitosan clarifier. Add the dosage described on the bottle.
 
First and foremost - you really should be continuing keeping the chlorine up at SLAM levels until the pool is clear, because otherwise algae could be getting a foothold in the pool.

That said, if you're not losing anything overnight, it's more of a filtering issue. You mentioned floc in the first post - that could have gummed up the sand. I would strongly recommend you open up the sand filter and do a deep clean of the sand and see if it's clumpy or if it's not. If it's too clumpy you may need to replace the sand in the filter. (Best if you don't need to - older sand filters better than newer sand.) Here's info on deep cleaning the sand filter:

Deep Cleaning a Sand Filter

This post will walk you through the anatomy of a sand filter, and then provide a video at the end for how to deep clean your sand filter. The filter used in the photos and videos is a Hayward S180T top mount sand filter. The images are of a similar filter. Obviously not all filters are...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Once that's done, note your pressure on the filter. When it goes up by 25%, and not before, backwash it out back to normal. (Slightly dirty filters filter better than perfectly clean ones.)

Brush/vacuum as best you can at least once a day. Take the opportunity to snap a photo of the brush / pole in the pool each day, and see if you can see a little further down each day to know you're making progress. :)
 
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Diane12569 said:
What do you suppose is the problem?
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Sounds like you're exhausted, but the replies will probably be fairly consistent. In short, algae can't survive in properly chlorinated water unless there is a location somewhere in the pool that chlorine can't get to like behind a light, under a main drain cover,, etc. Things like that. Once a pool passes all 3 SLAM criteria, maintaining the recommended FC-to-CYA ratio should prevent a return of algae unless there is poor circulation. Maintaining a consistent FC level each day is key. Now if a pool passes an OCLT and still has cloudy water, it could be related to poor filtration. A deep clean of the sand can help some owners.
 
When you used the floc before, did you vacuum it to waste or put it through your filter? If you put it through your filter, you could have gummed up the sand and now it's not working so nothing is getting filtered.
 
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Diane12569 said:
Well, it's August and I've basically given up on using my pool for this summer. It is STILL really cloudy. I passed OCLT weeks ago and CC has been 0 also for weeks. I stopped slamming about a week ago because after over 2 months of shocking and slamming, on top of the money I spent upgrading the equipment, I couldn't afford to keep it up. I check my FC every day and keep it at target level for my size pool. The filter has been running 24/7 non-stop but my pool won't clear. What do you suppose is the problem?
Click to expand...
Diane,
Don’t be disheartened- i know u are frustrated but there is an answer. I agree with the others that at this point after passing the Overnight Chlorine Loss Test multiple times the filter sounds like maybe it has an issue with clumping or channeling if u have used potions like clarifiers or floc in the past.
A deep cleaning of the sand isn’t hard to do but it does take a little work. It’s something that should be done every couple years anyway. It’s a good idea to have some extra sand on hand incase u need to top up the level as well. After that there are other options too like adding a little de to the sand filter to help with the fine particulate or possibly using the one clarifier that @mknauss mentioned.
What kind of daily fc losses are u experiencing now?
Can u share your latest test results?
Do u have any pics of the water/ clarity?
 
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