New pool owner - Storm and mud blown all over pool

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R

Richtx24

Member
Jul 11, 2024
10
Houston North
Pool Size
9000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hello and greetings all,

First time pool owner here, my pool was just filled as of 2 weeks ago, just in time for us to get hurricane Beryl through Houston.
Along with around 3.5 in of rain, a lot of that water ran around my deck/yard (which is still muddy and not fixed up with grass) and found its way into the pool.
Now I am trying to deal with this cloudy/murky pool water since then without much luck. I have vacuumed and brushed countless times while running my pool almost 24h a day - visually the water looks much the same it was right after the storm.
I have looked into flocculant but seems like that may cause issues on my system, given I don't have a waste valve on the system. I'm inclined to using a water clarifier to see if that helps...
My latest measurements: FC 0.9 ppm; pH 8.0; TA 105 ppm; CYA 19ppm; CH 114 ppm.
After the above measurements I've added a bag of shock, 1 gallon of CYA during the day and just earlier I replenished my chlorine tables since my chlorinator feeder was empty.
I'll take new measurements tomorrow.

I got one of these "Super Water Clarifier" bottles at Walmart and intend to apply it tomorrow assuming pH drops a bit lower and my chlorine levels rise.
Any inputs on the clarifier or anything else I can do to alleviate this? I'm adding a picture of the current state of the water.
Also I have an overflow spa in it, should I treat that separately or once chemicals are added to the pool they automatically circulate the spa?

Any help to this newbie is greatly appreciated!

Regards,
Rich
 

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Welcome to TFP! :wave: I would not use the clarifier just yet. It also coagulates and can compromise your filter. Normally we would recommend the SLAM Process, but with new plaster you can't do that for another couple weeks. Instead, I would simply add one gallon of liquid chlorine to the water each day and brush really well as I suspect you have already been doing as a new pool owner.
 
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Let's talk about water testing. Where are those number above from? They look like pool store results which we never recommend. While you are in this awkward waiting stage, I would encourage you to order a TF-100 or TF Pro Series test kit. Another good kit is the Taylor K-2006C, but IMO the TF products are a better value. Absolutely everything you do from here on out is 100% dependent on accurate results and I guarantee you no one will be more reliable about your water testing than YOU - or perhaps another TFP member with one of those kits. :)

Test Kits

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www.troublefreepool.com

Swimming Pool Test Kits Compared

What pool test kit should I buy? Why shouldn't I use test strips? Our recommended test kits will pay for themselves in no time!
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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I really appreciate your inputs and will definitely look up and get one of the test kits you recommended! I am a very hands on guy and have been enjoying all the learning and challenges (even if early) with the new pool.
My numbers from yesterday were from Leslie's and today I did a test by myself with a cheap test strip kit as well as a Pentair test kit. I have the impression that the Pentair test kit is more reliable for the basics (Alkalinity, Chlorine and pH) and have had to read the other tests from the strips as that is currently my only option when testing at home.
I re-checked my water earlier today and my pH has gone down to ~7.6 and Chlorine has gone up to ~3 ppm. I did text the contact for the company who built my pool and they said it was OK to apply the Water Clarifier but they told me to keep an eye on the cartridge filter pressure and wash them if it were to go up a bit. Unfortunately I did all that before seeing your reply, otherwise I'd have paused a bit for consideration. I have brushed it all today in the hopes that brushing will help mix up the dust/sand with the product and helping it circulate. Any input if brushing does anything with the clarifier? I have it currently running on high speed and plan to keep it until tomorrow morning. Any other thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated. I will keep an eye here for your replies so I can consider them before doing anything else. Again, your help is much appreciated and I will order one of those tests shortly.
 
Another couple of questions if I may... As I treat the pool, should I treat the spa separately or does all the water in the pool circulate into my spa? The spa is an overflowing type, so I assume that to be the case. Also, why does TFP recommended Alkalinity falls between 60-80 but all other more mainstream channels / test kits / etc, recommend a range of 100-150, also preferably more close to 150? Calcium hardness recommendations on this channel also seem to be higher than other places I've seen online. Any ideas? More out of curiosity as all other chemical level recommendations seem to match that of other places.
 
Hi everyone, I didn't get replies on my latest questions, but still wanted to document and close out this post in case others run into this same issue in the future. I now have clear water again. It took me about 1 full week to start seeing clear improvements and my pool water was clear once again at around 7-10 days after the storm. The main things I did was brushing daily (2-3 times per day), washing my cartridge filters once in between and also applying Water Clarifier a couple of times (Clorox Super Clarifier). Once I took the filters out, I immediately realized that accumulation of mud and gunk was part of the issue so if I run into this again, I will wash them sooner and might get faster results. As soon as I washed them with a hose and put them back, another 3-4 days running the pool and the water was in good shape again. I plan on washing the cartridges once again in a couple of weeks.

PS: I did get a Taylor K-2006C test kit and, although a bit pricey, it's an amazingly accurate test. Water chemistry did not seem to play a role in this issue and it seems like all the haziness was entirely caused by the sand / mud blown into my pool with the storm.IMG_4970.jpeg
 

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