Lots of suspended particles in the water

[jark87]

The problem was the water was cloudy and eating chlorine like crazy. Even though I slammed it twice.

Ah - that’s a very different issue. Just be sure that you passed all of the SLAM criteria before letting FC levels drop below SLAM levels. Phosphates themselves do not consume chlorine, as the Experts here will tell you that phosphate levels don’t matter if you properly maintain your pool chemistry. If they consumed chlorine, then I think there would be more guidance around keeping them in check. Phosphates are food for algae, so there’s a school of thought that by eliminating the food source, you can prevent algae. The better method is the TFP method where you maintain the proper sanitation levels, which will kill/prevent algae, and then, if you like, use phosphate control as insurance. That’s what I do.

So if you’re still in a situation where you can’t pass an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test, then you still have an algae problem.

Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)

The Overnight Chlorine Loss Test tells if the SLAM is finished or if you need to start a SLAM. This article says how to do the OCLT.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Dannym]

My test kit doesn’t measure 16 ppm of chlorine so it’s hard to do an overnight test.
It looked great yesterday chlorine levels were maintaining around 3 - 4 ppm.
Rained like crazy while I was at work came home and chlorine was at like 1 And it’s cloudy again.
I shocked it again I’m pretty sure it’s up near 16 ppm.
I’ll take a water sample for testing tomorrow.
Ph was at 8.0. Dropped it down to 7.4.
Alkaline is 100. A little high but it’s coming down from 110 last week.
This is driving me crazy!!!

 

[Sunnydaze]

My test kit doesn’t measure 16 ppm of chlorine so it’s hard to do an overnight test.
It looked great yesterday chlorine levels were maintaining around 3 - 4 ppm.
Rained like crazy while I was at work came home and chlorine was at like 1 And it’s cloudy again.
I shocked it again I’m pretty sure it’s up near 16 ppm.
I’ll take a water sample for testing tomorrow.
Ph was at 8.0. Dropped it down to 7.4.
Alkaline is 100. A little high but it’s coming down from 110 last week.
This is driving me crazy!!!

Your signature indicates you have a recommended test kit. Which kit do you have? Both the tf100 or 2006 kit will test up to 50ppm of chlorine.

With a cya of 70, your free chlorine needs to be 28ppm to SLAM. Please read SLAM Process
FC/CYA Levels

 

[jark87]

X2 on getting a good test kit if you don’t have one. You won’t be able to get through a SLAM without it. And the SLAM isn’t a one and done thing. You have to keep your FC at SLAM level until you pass the OCLT. As indicated above, that’s a FC level of 28 based on your CYA. It can take several days to get through the SLAM, so you need to be testing multiple times per day to make sure you’re not dropping FC below 28. Otherwise, you’ll be yo-yo’ing back and forth with your water clarity.

 

[1poolman1]

Sorry but it’s really bothering me.
If I wanted to get rid of it how would I do it?

Go into a completely dark room and shine a flashlight, especially with a tight beam. You'll see the same thing. Dust falls into the pool 24/7. You will never get rid of that look anymore than you can get all the dust out of the air in your house.
Those are called "fines," stuff that can't be filtered out or hasn't been trapped because it soaked after landing in the pool and is on its way to the bottom.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

How have you managed to do TWO SLAMs without yet having a proper test kit??

 

[IceShadow]

Here’s about the best I can do with my pool.

 

[Dannym]

Ok it’s more like shock than slam.
If I did have a super expensive test kit I work all day I don’t have all day to take water samples.
The stabilizer was at 40 so 16 ppm chlorine was ok.
Besides my wife would kill me if I close the pool down for four days

 

[Sunnydaze]

Ok it’s more like shock than slam.
If I did have a super expensive test kit I work all day I don’t have all day to take water samples.
The stabilizer was at 40 so 16 ppm chlorine was ok.
Besides my wife would kill me if I close the pool down for four days

Your post on Saturday says cya was 70. What kind of test kit are you using?

 

[Kellyp]

Ok it’s more like shock than slam.
If I did have a super expensive test kit I work all day I don’t have all day to take water samples.
The stabilizer was at 40 so 16 ppm chlorine was ok.
Besides my wife would kill me if I close the pool down for four days

Hi Dannym, I think most of us are pretty busy with work, family etc. Home testing takes literally 10 minutes. Much less time than running to the pool store.

There is no need to shut your pool down for 4 days, as long as your chlorine in between minimum and slam level for your CYA, you can safely swim. Problem is, you DO need to know your CYA, and pool stores are notorious for getting testing wrong.

No one will care about your pool like you do, evidenced by your determination to have better clarity. Pool stores care about making money.

I encourage you to read the forums extensively, ill think you'll see why doing your own testing with the appropriate kit is the optimal way to care for your pool.

 

[newdude]

Home testing takes literally 10 minutes

And that's the occasional full set of tests.

The daily FC/PH takes 2 mins. And once one is one with their pool, it's every other day.

DannyM you need to get in on this. We'll save you tons in the long run if you can test yourself.

 

[TexEdmond]

Have you tried getting your alkalinity down? My water cleared up significantly dropping below 100ppm TA, and then it went ultra clear down around 80 and below. I still get the same thing in front of my pool lights.

I have really high TA fill water and I'm always fighting pH rise. pH rise is caused by carbon dioxide coming out of solution and off-gassing to the air. Some of the cloudiness in your water is almost certainly very small bubbles of CO2.