Pool won’t clear.

Jul 22, 2018
38
Babylon
Hey back again for some advice. What would you suggest for a cloudy pool? It never clears when the pump is on. But if I take off the pump for a couple days, the pool will clear with all the debris on the pool floor. I’ll vacuum but the some debris will rise and cloud the pool again. Is there anything I can put in the pool to help the skimmer or filter trap more of the dirt?
 
Hey back again for some advice. What would you suggest for a cloudy pool? It never clears when the pump is on. But if I take off the pump for a couple days, the pool will clear with all the debris on the pool floor. I’ll vacuum but the some debris will rise and cloud the pool again. Is there anything I can put in the pool to help the skimmer or filter trap more of the dirt?

Check something for me...

Turn pump on wait an hour or so water starts to look hazy/cloudy

Turn pump off wait a few minuets and the water looks clear

Is that correct?
 
Just out of curiosity... what are you using for chlorine? Brand and type? And when was the last time you took apart your DE filter and thoroughly cleaned it? The only time I had the same issue you are having is when I used Leslie's Power Powder Plus. I'll never use it again!!
 
Check something for me...

Turn pump on wait an hour or so water starts to look hazy/cloudy

Turn pump off wait a few minuets and the water looks clear

Is that correct?

When it's on, I can't see to the floor except on the shallow side. When it's off for about an hour, it's not exactly clear but more like a hazy clear. If I leave the pump off for a couple days, I can see straight through the ground with all the sediment on the floor. When I vacuum, the sendiments begin to rise and clouds the pool again. I vacuum to filter because I can vacuum for longer.

What I want to know is when the sediments rise, is there something I can add to the pool so the filter captures it. I feel like the filter is catching some, not all.
 
Not necessarily. Do a CC test with your AM FC test.


I did the overnight test... No chlorine loss. FC remained at 4.5 ppm. CC was .5. Possibly 0. It did turn a really really really faint pink after I added the 003. But as I stated in a previous post, some times when I do the chlorine test, the solution clear solution turns a faint pink own it's own after a couple minutes.

- - - Updated - - -

Just out of curiosity... what are you using for chlorine? Brand and type? And when was the last time you took apart your DE filter and thoroughly cleaned it? The only time I had the same issue you are having is when I used Leslie's Power Powder Plus. I'll never use it again!!

I use Leslie's Power Powder Plus 73% Hypo-Chlorite or Clorox Dichlor depending on the level of CYA. If my CYA is low, I'll use the Clorox.
 
Have you tried switching to liquid chlorine instead of the Cal Hypo and see what happens?

Can you post a full set of test results?
 

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What state or country is 'Babylon' in?

Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, typically have 10% liquid chlorine. Some also have 'cleaning' bleach with no additives that is either 6% or 8.25%.
 
I had the EXACT same issue using Leslie's Power Powder... it tooks me 2 weeks to get the sediment off the bottom of my pool. The only way I was able to clean it was to vacuum to waste and move very slowly across the bottom of the pool. After it got stirred up I would have to wait and then vacuum again. After finally getting it clean it happened again with Leslie's Power Powder so I quit using it. I went with Pool Time Chlorine from Home Depot and NEVER had the issue again.
 
When it's on, I can't see to the floor except on the shallow side. When it's off for about an hour, it's not exactly clear but more like a hazy clear. If I leave the pump off for a couple days, I can see straight through the ground with all the sediment on the floor. When I vacuum, the sendiments begin to rise and clouds the pool again. I vacuum to filter because I can vacuum for longer.

What I want to know is when the sediments rise, is there something I can add to the pool so the filter captures it. I feel like the filter is catching some, not all.

Please check something for me...

Previously I had a pool...a bit bigger than yours, behaving similar and the council was blaming the filter and about to invest a few hundred thousand in some new plant.

I went to site and had a look about and found a minor leak on the suction side of the pump. This was allowing the pump to suck air but not enough to show up in the basket rather it was being pushed through with the water, this was being chopped into small air bubbles by the pump and showing up in the pool as hazy water when in fact it was a minor suction leak.

I cant see the water to be able to tell you, but it is worth having a good look over all the various unions, o rings and joints.
 
I had to EXACT same issue using Leslie's Power Powder... it tooks me 2 weeks to get the sediment off the bottom of my pool. The only way I cleaned it was to vaccuum to waste and move very slowly across the bottom of the pool. After it got stirred up I would have to wait and then vaccuum again. After finally getting it clean it happened again with Leslie's Power Powder so I quit using it. I went with Pool Time Chlorine from Home Depot and NEVER had the issue again.

I think this is what I am dealing with. I saw the pool time at Home Depot, but thought it was a knock off store brand product. I think next summer, I will change to either hth or pool time chlorine or a liquid chlorine if I can find one.

- - - Updated - - -

Liquid bleach (they insist to call it chlorine) at Leslie's must be a regional thing. I just got a case of 4 gallons from mine yesterday. $12+tax for 10-12%.

I've never asked. I just never saw them in the stores.

- - - Updated - - -

Please check something for me...

Previously I had a pool...a bit bigger than yours, behaving similar and the council was blaming the filter and about to invest a few hundred thousand in some new plant.

I went to site and had a look about and found a minor leak on the suction side of the pump. This was allowing the pump to suck air but not enough to show up in the basket rather it was being pushed through with the water, this was being chopped into small air bubbles by the pump and showing up in the pool as hazy water when in fact it was a minor suction leak.

I cant see the water to be able to tell you, but it is worth having a good look over all the various unions, o rings and joints.

this sounds a little complicated. How would I know the pump is leaking?
 
CH is not significant on the low side as you have a vinyl liner.

TA is as low as you want to go. If pH is stable, leave it. If necessary use some baking soda to raise TA.

Chlorine that low makes you very susceptible to algae. You should never go below 3 ppm with a 30 CYA. You should add 10 ppm of CYA.
 
My local Leslie's has liquid chlorine, but you have to ask for it. They don't have it on display. It's a little more expensive than Costco, Walmart, etc, but it's also high concentrate which means fewer bottles to lug around.
 
My local Leslie's has liquid chlorine, but you have to ask for it. They don't have it on display. It's a little more expensive than Costco, Walmart, etc, but it's also high concentrate which means fewer bottles to lug around.

Next summer I'll try to utilize liquid chlorine more. It's the end of the summer, I'm about to close this pool in a few weeks. It was great learning from you guys. I was able to turn my pool from swamp green to blue. Just need to get that cloudiness out.
 

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