Opaque Pool (milky white). High CYA. Help!!!

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M

maxzoran

Member
Jul 3, 2020
19
Fort Worth, TX
Pool Size
16000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hi there! A friend turned me onto this site and I need help more than ever. Went on vacation for 9 days and the pool looked great before I left. Came back and the water was cloudy and sorta green. I took a water sample to my local pool store with the following numbers. The analysis was done mechanically fyi

total alkalinity: 43
ph: 7.1
free chlorine: 2.3
total chlorine: 2.8
hardness: 288
CYA: 156

I was told to first adjust the alkalinity, then the ph, then shock the pool. I have done all of that over the past few days and now the water is an opaque milky white (can't even see the bottom). What do I do now?! I see the error of my ways after browsing the site 1) I do not have a TF-100 test kit 2) I've been using a trichlor feeder which is why my CYA is sky high,

Any help is very much appreciated!
 
Welcome to the forum!
You need to follow the SLAM Process. To do that, you need a proper test kit. I suggest the TF-100 A proper test kit is needed to get the accurate water chemistry results needed to follow the TFP protocols.

While you are waiting on your test kit, add 5 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine / plain bleach to your pool each evening with the pump running. This will replenish the FC lost each day to the sun and also inhibit any algae in the water from growing further.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
 
mknauss said:
Welcome to the forum!
You need to follow the SLAM Process. To do that, you need a proper test kit. I suggest the TF-100 A proper test kit is needed to get the accurate water chemistry results needed to follow the TFP protocols.

While you are waiting on your test kit, add 5 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine / plain bleach to your pool each evening with the pump running. This will replenish the FC lost each day to the sun and also inhibit any algae in the water from growing further.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I just ordered the TF-100 tonight so hopefully I will get that soon. I have also cut off the chlorine feeder so it will no longer add stabilizer. Do I need to do anything about the high CYA now?
 
When you receive your kit run a full set of tests and post them here. If the CYA is above 60 ppm, some amount of drain/exchange to fresh water will be needed. Do the dilution test for the CYA. Mix pool water and tap water 1:1 and use that for your water sample for the test. Then double the result.
 
@mknauss asking for "a friend" (me) who has the same issue but likely not the algae growth just yet, and the milky white never got bad enough that I couldn't see the bottom. I never had greater than 0.2ppm difference between FC and TC, with the qualifier that it wasn't done with a real test kit. My CYA dropped 153 to 121 after an approximate 50% drain/refill. I'm currently draining again, significantly more than 50% this time. Does one wait to SLAM a pool until it's completely filled? Does one always just SLAM any newly filled pool no matter what? What do I do until next week when my TF100 arrives?

@maxzoran please forgive the thread hijack. I found this thread because I'm in exactly the same boat, cloudy water and high CYA. If I need to take this post down and bring it separately for advice, please accept my apologies as a fellow Funkytowner.
 
TexEdmond said:
Does one wait to SLAM a pool until it's completely filled? Does one always just SLAM any newly filled pool no matter what? What do I do until next week when my TF100 arrives?
Click to expand...
Yes.
No.
Add 5 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine each evening with the pump running until you get your test kit.
 

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Wow, 70 ppm of TA.
I suspect that is the primary source of the issue. And you added acid at the same time? I would not go near that place again.

When you get your kit there is a good chance you may have to drain/exchange some water. Start determining where you will send several thousand gallons of water. Read Draining - Further Reading
 
mknauss said:
Wow, 70 ppm of TA.
I suspect that is the primary source of the issue. And you added acid at the same time? I would not go near that place again.

When you get your kit there is a good chance you may have to drain/exchange some water. Start determining where you will send several thousand gallons of water. Read Draining - Further Reading
Click to expand...
Yeah so they had me dump all of that in at once. Then I waited 6 hours and then added the recommended 11 ounces of ph up and here's where we are. Trust me...I am only coming here from now on. I'm thinking a bad store test led me down this path.

On the upside...I ended up on TFP! I really appreciate the help!

I already have a submersible pump on the way and I have a place to drain it. I was prepping to exchange due to the high CYA (if that's even a legit reading).
 
Great. I am sure your CYA is high. Might be alot higher. So get ready for a large exchange.

Do not use pH UP in the future, that is sodium bisulfate. The sulfate stays in the water and degrades plaster and destroys metal.
 

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