Ok, please help with cloudiness

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J

jcrew6311

Well-known member
Apr 11, 2020
94
Arizona
I'm really struggling here to remove cloudiness. I'll tell you my current numbers...
FC- 15 (shocked some the last 2 nights)
Ph- 7.2
TA- 130
Ch-600
Cya-60ish

To be honest our pool was perfectly clean and visible to the bottom before about 3 weeks ago when we went camping for 3 nights, came back and pool was green. I shocked with liquid chlorine until it was back to blue in a day or 2. However, the cloudiness still hung around. I'll be honest I did something that I probably will regret but in a moment of frustration (from the cloudiness and feeling like the liquid chlorine had become a full time job), I bought a puck floater and a 80 puck container of the Clorox Xtra blue tabs from Costco along with the 24 pack of Clorox shock from Costco as well. I was getting tired of constantly having to check it and fill it and find a place to store all the liquid chlorine, plus when I went to 2 different Walmarts they were completely sold out. Well, I don't believe the pucks are what's causing the cloudiness, I believe it stemmed from the day we came back and it was green. I've since got it back to a constant blue/green but the cloudiness is what's killing me. When I check on it in the morning I can semi see the floor, but by the time we all get in in to swim it looks like a blue/green swamp almost! I've used 2 bags of Clorox shock the last 2 days, and used 2 bags a week ago. Chlorine has been plenty high, and we have vacuumed and back washed and scrubbed a great deal. The only thing fishy to me still is that when I check the pool in the morning I see a thin line of what I can't tell if it's dead algae on the floor that has been spit back our by the filter, or if it's dirt from outside, or sand from the filter being backwashed too much. I just really want the cloudiness gone! Thanks for any help.
 
You need to follow the SLAM Process. It seems like you’re just dumping shock in the pool and hoping it goes clear. It’s not a one-time addition, or even multiple times you need - it’s consistent testing multiple times a day and getting your FC back to the SLAM levels on the FC/CYA Levels. Stop adding more CYA with the tabs until you are done. What powder shock are you using? Is the Clorox shock cal-hypo or trichlor/dichlor? The stuff with Blue in the name is adding copper to your pool, which will have more negative effects than positive ones.
 
I'm sure the experts will chime in. However, I plugged your basic numbers into the Pool Math app. When you say 60"ish" for CYA, I'd go to at least 70. With all the extra CYA your adding with the shock and tabs, it will keep rising. Your SLAM FC level needs to be 28 ppm. If you do not bring that up, your issues will continue. I can get HASA liquid chlorine at my local independent pool store that has been bottled within a week. The other option is a partial drain and fill (50% or more) to drop the CYA to 40+. The Clorox Xtra Blue shock and tabs have copper. I would not use them. Good luck.

Cheers!
 
The good news is that costco will take the products back and give you full refund. I bought the extra blue 3 inch tabs from Costco too before learning on this site that they not only have lots of CYA, but also have copper.
Costco had no problems taking it back despite being open. I just told them my pool guy doesn't recommend them.
 
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Ok so I really want to do right by the TFP way because everywhere I go online people always rave about you guys. So, I'm returning the pucks and shock. Next step, I guess I need to lower cya and ensure that my pool is thoroughly vacuumed etc. So would this be correct order...
1) backwash to waste while vacuuming as much as I can.
2) drain pool to lower cya (how much should I drain if cya is around 60-70?) 7,000 gal pool
3) fill back up
4) begin slam process (I bought 6 gallons of 10% liquid chlorine)
 

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In Arizona you might need higher CYA for maintenance. But if you can drain halfway and refill, you should be at 30-40 and that could help with the SLAM. :) Your plan looks good. Be sure to test your pH and TA and adjust pH to 7.2 before the SLAM starts.
 
Pool school says don't lower TA just to reach target number. Curious if I'm supposed to keep ta at 140 if pH is 7.2 currently.

Also, I'm slamming currently, have drained about 1/4 of my pool, just refilled, but noticed theres some "dust" still on the pool floor I'm pretty confident is what's causing my pool to be so cloudy, as when I brush it away I can see my pool floor just fine, but the area where I brush it becomes murky. I've backwash vacuumed a lot, but was wondering how exactly that dust goes away after a slam. Should I expect it to just go away on its own? Can I vacuum into filter and expect it to stay in the sand filter?

Thanks!
 
If you are following the SLAM Process, focus on FC. Other levels, other than knowing your CYA, are immaterial at this time.

The 'dust' is most likely dead algae. As you maintain your FC for SLAM level, and filter and brush and vac, the dust will go away.
 
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Thank you! I guess my last question is...my pool is 7,000 gallons. I had 9 fc before slam, pool math app said to raise fc to 20 (cya is 50) I'd need 3 quarts liquid chlorine at 10% bleach. I did that, tested 30 min later and had a FC of 28. What caused a 8ppm discrepancy?
 
Did you have the correct % bleach input? Is your pool less volume than 7000 gallons?

Check those items and see how it goes next time you add.
 
If you’re pool is 4ft tall that’s not the water level- probably more like 3.5 ft - that’s what u put in the pool volume calculator
 
U can just go measure how deep your water is. 4 ft is the height of the pool wall not the water level. Chemical calculations are based on water volume. For instance my pool is 33’ x 54” but my water level is 48” so that is how I calculate my pool volume 33’ x 4’
Use the calculator @ the bottom of poolmath PoolMath
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