Pool Extremely Cloudy

[ckckckck]

Hello All,

I am a brand new above ground pool owner (27' diameter, 18,500 gallons, sand filter). I have been reading pool school and working to clear my pool but am not having any luck so far. I am attempting the SLAM process, and so far the water has turned from green to blue, but is *extremely* cloudy. I would guess you can not see down more than 2-3 inches. My skimmer bucket is always empty, and there are no debris in the pool at all that you can see. However, when I run my robot on the pool floor, it always comes up with pine needles and leaves (quite a bit usually). I believe the previous owners left the pool uncovered so I am worried there may be (a lot?) or organic material on the bottom. I tried vacuuming but there was nothing in the skimmer (I am not positive I had good suction). Maybe I should backwash and then try to vaccum again?

Here are my latest numbers from this morning:
FC: 19.5 (was 24ppm when I went to bed last night)
CC: 1.5 (was 2ppm when I went to bed last night)
TA: 140
PH: 7.2
CYA: 70
CH: 250
Temp: 82 degrees

Thanks and I would appreciate any advice on how to clear up my blue but extremely cloudy pool!

 

[PoolGate]

You are not going to get far with a bottom full of trash. You have got to clean all the solid matter you can get out of it. Have you considered just draining it and starting over?

 

[ckckckck]

Thanks PoolGate, sounds like I should be focused on that. Honestly, the thought of draining has crossed my mind, but I was under the impression that would be expensive (to get the new water trucked in), so was hoping I could avoid that.

 

[an1vrsy]

You might consider getting a wheeless leaf vacuum from Walmart or similar. You can then connect your garden hose and vacuum up the debris on the bottom of your AGP. Be careful, when purchasing a leaf vacuum you want to be careful with a model that has wheels rather than brushes. You don't want to rip your liner.

 

[PoolGate]

Thanks PoolGate, sounds like I should be focused on that. Honestly, the thought of draining has crossed my mind, but I was under the impression that would be expensive (to get the new water trucked in), so was hoping I could avoid that.

I used my hose to fill my pool. You can salvage the water but the swim season is ticking away. Also try a simple pool "leaf rake" sold at Amazon.

Amazon.com : Swimline Professional Heavy Duty Deep-Bag Pool Rake, Blue : Swimming Pool Maintenance Kits : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : Swimline Professional Heavy Duty Deep-Bag Pool Rake, Blue : Swimming Pool Maintenance Kits : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

 

[jblizzle]

You can't fully drain the pool. Must leave at least a foot of water in it of the line may shrink and tear when you try to refill.

Scoop at the organics out and follow the SLAM process.

Is the filter pressure rising?
When is the last time you inspected your sand? Might be worth Deep Cleaning your Sand Filter to make sure it is working. After the, consider Adding DE to a Sand Filter to help clear up the cloudiness.

 

[Lemonred34]

Leaf rake and leaf gulper have saved me. My pool sits under pine trees. Was left uncovered all winter so you can imagine ?

Leaf rake got a good bit out and when the leaf rake was coming up empty after skimming I put in the leaf gulper. Pulled out about a wheelbarrow full of more pinestraw/leaves. My pool is still cloudy after slamming but has reached a point that we can get in it. Low and behold pulled out pine cones and sticks from the bottom. The amount of debris in our pool was extreme. Hence why I’m still cloudy after 5 weeks of slamming I suspect. I’ve noticed it clearing at a much faster rate than before since removing it all.

 

[ckckckck]

Thanks for all the very helpful replies! I will try the pool rake and leaf vacuum and see how I make out. If that doesn't work maybe I will have to drain and replace some water...

 

[IceShadow]

Thanks for all the very helpful replies! I will try the pool rake and leaf vacuum and see how I make out. If that doesn't work maybe I will have to drain and replace some water...

With a CYA of 70 you might want to change some out anyhow, like half or so. But removing the crud from the bottom is gonna be vital.

 

[ckckckck]

Thanks everyone, just to give an update:

I was able to vacuum out all the crud, and as an added benefit this also lowered my CYA about 10 (70->60) - I vacuum to waste and then refilled. After that, i ended up using a flocculant, which worked fantastically (HTH Floc from Walmart). The next day there were a ton of clumps on the pool floor that I vacuumed out and now the pool is way more clear. You can see the bottom and it's just slight cloudy (before is was extremely cloudy and you could only see down 6-8 inches).

Thanks to everyone for all their help!

 

[jblizzle]

You still need to follow the SLAM Process to ensure everything is killed.
Sounds like you may have gotten lucky with the floc. We do not recommended it as it can cause more headaches.