Pool is very cloudy at wits end

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Ilovepeas09

Ilovepeas09

Member
Aug 24, 2020
7
Tuckerton NJ
Replaced our liner this year and it’s been all down hill from there. Water clarity was great when we filled it and has just become more cloudy over time. Using a Taylor k-2005c test kit I have the following reads: PH 8.0, Alkalinity 100, cyanuric acid 35, FC 5-10, TC 5-10, combine chlorine 0, calcium hardness 180. The company that installed the liner put mustard algae plus in it and to me it seems to now be more cloudy. Please help thank you!
 
I started with your Taylor kit. I added the FAS-DPD test to it. That will let you get a better handle on your actual FC level. This test gives you an actual FC number instead of the 5-10 range you posted. My guess is your FC level is lower than you think and you have an algae problem. Try readying the Pool School articles here on balancing your water.
 
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09,

Welcome to TFP!

Please read ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry. Your liner company just added copper algaecide which is a no-no. You need a proper test for FC. Please get it on order asap! While you wait read this material and ask any questions. I'll see if we can get an expert to advise @mknauss. Please also add the information about your pool in the signature section.

Chris
 
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DorsalSpine said:
I started with your Taylor kit. I added the FAS-DPD test to it. That will let you get a better handle on your actual FC level. This test gives you an actual FC number instead of the 5-10 range you posted. My guess is your FC level is lower than you think and you have an algae problem. Try readying the Pool School articles here on balancing your water.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I went out today and bought a FAS-DPD test kit. It’s giving me a FC if 7.3.
 
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Do the test using the 10ml water sample. That will save you on reagents and it's accurate enough. Did you read the ABC's and the SLAM process? You probably have algae. Use a CYA value of 40 (round up so 35 is 40). You can also do an over night chlorine loss test (OCLT). You check your chlorine after the sun is off the pool late in the day. Recheck your chlorine early in the morning before the sun is on the pool. The only thing that will consume your chlorine over night (no sun) is algae. A loss of chlorine overnight is a clear indication of algae. From there you will need to SLAM. Post your results and we can go from there.
 
I read the ABC's and SLAM process. All of my chemicals are balanced I checked them myself and took them to a pool store. Had a pool company come out on Saturday and tell me why phosphates were at 500. He put Phosfree in my pool. So so far I have shocked, flocced, algaecided, and water clarified the pool to no avail. I purchased the Taylor phospahte test kit it will be here Wednesday. I started the SLAM process yesterday. Having trouble finding bleach because of Covid. How long does a SLAM process usually take? I appreciate everyones help with this.
 
09,

As Marty said a while back you need a SLAM. The amount of time it takes depends on how bad your pool is contaminated with algae, plus other chemicals you don't need such as flloc and phosfree. Phosphate level does not matter. We ignore it. Remember we don't sell anything. Pool store/services make money selling phosfree. It works but you don't need to remove them. You've been on the pool service/store wild goose chase with that. TFP methods are a direct route to solutions.

I hope this helps.

Chris
 
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Ilovepeas09 said:
All of my chemicals are balanced I checked them myself and took them to a pool store.
Click to expand...

Would you mind posting a your latest results, ideally from your kit? "Balanced" by pool store standards many times does not match with what we are saying.

Speaking of... we are going to be giving different advice than what a pool store will tell you. You are just going to add to your frustration if you are trying to mix and match TFP and pool store advice. I understand you are at a frustrating point in pool maintenance... take a deep breath and we can help you get through it. Many of the posters who are helping you found this site the same way that you did.
 
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Ilovepeas09 said:
He put Phosfree in my pool. So so far I have shocked, flocced, algaecided, and water clarified the pool to no avail. I purchased the Taylor phospahte test kit it will be here Wednesday.
Click to expand...

You need none of those chemicals, pretty much ever (well liquid shock is OK as a chemical, but we use SLAM not shock).

As for how long the SLAM takes, I like to say this. The pool did not go from crystal clear to cloudy in 1 day. It wont get back to clear in one day either. As a rule of thumb, ask these questions.

1. Can you see the shallow end floor? If not, then you have probably least a week, more likely 2.
2. Can you see the deep end floor? If not, but you can see the shallow end, then maybe you can finish in less than a week if you are lucky.
3. Can you flip a quarter into the deep end and read head or tails? If so, your SLAM is just about over.
 
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06

No such thing as dumb questions here. As long as your FC level is at or below SLAM level for your CYA level. My wife and I have done this several times with no ill effects

Chris
 
-Please stop wasting your money at the Pool Store. None of those "miracle" potions fixed your problem and may in fact have made it worse.
-If your Free Chlorine level (FC) is kept too low for what your CYA (stablizer) level is you'll get algae.
-Phosphates (especially as low as 500!) matter naught if your pool has enough chlorine in it, and the PhosFree he bilked you for was a very dilute version of the chemical we would advise you to use *if* you were needing to deal with that.
-If you obtained the FAS-DPD powder test kit change your signature line to read "K-2006C" as that is what you now have. ✅
- Did you manage to get all that FLOC out of the pool??
-Cheap algaecides contain copper- any green haired blonds at your house??

Maddie
 
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I think the 2 rules people swimming in a pool are

1.) FC shoudl be at or below your SLAM level based upon your CYA-FC chart
2.) You should be able to see the bottom of the pool for safety, in case someone were to struggle underwater, or to make sure that you dont jump in and hit a large kids toy that blew into the pool.

I suppose the third rule might be, dont swim in a pool that has less than the minimum FC for your FC-CYA chart, as you run the risk of bacteria/etc in the water. I know for me in my pool, about 3 to 4 days a week I pick out a mouse, mole or other critter floating in my skimmer, so the minimum FC makes sure that there are no bad thigns from them in my pool.
 
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