Slam 10 days and the water is still very cloudy

[Crystalqueen]

First let me say I’m fighting a very high TA water source. 330ppm. We had some equipment failure in October and had to shut the pool down and couldn’t afford the equipment because of medical reasons. So at the beginning of May I started cleaning the pool. I have used a water hose vac and vacuumed to waste till I couldn’t get anything. I had to put a lot of water in the pool and had a spike in TA. 230ppm when I had it down to 150ppm days before. Here are my numbers right now.
FC 15
CC 4
TA 220
Ph 7.3
Cya
CH 110

I ran out of liquid chlorine and I’m about to go get more and bring my fc back up.

I just got a Taylor test kit in yesterday. So I was finally able to test my FC. I have been adding a few cups of Muriatic acid every 4 hours 4 times a day (I have to sleep sometime). I’m running the pump 24 hours a day. It’s two weeks in and still cloudy. I brush almost everyday (5-6 times a week). I replaced the sand in the filter and the filter and the laterals looked fine. The pump was old so we replaced it. My pool with head flow and gallons called for a 1hp and we went with a 1.5 hp. Same as what was on it. Does anyone have a magic trick to get the TA down for a homeowner?
Btw it’s a 26,000 vinyl liner pool. It has white built in steps and every day the mustard algae is less and less.

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! A few notes that may help you:
- Don't worry too much about the TA right now. Focus on the SLAM Process. Review those instructions each day.
- What is your CYA? That's the only way to know if you are maintaining the correct FC (SLAM) level as noted on the FC/CYA Levels. That is key.
- Please update your signature with all of your pool and equipment info for future reference and posts. Also make sure to include the test kit you have.

After the SLAM, we'll help you with the TA. Let us know if you have any other questions. We'll do our best to help you along the way.

 

[Crystalqueen]

Why is it still cloudy? There are 4 plastic steps and I can only see the outline slightly if the third step. We have had an abundance of rain which has helped in the sense of not having to add water to the pool because our water source is so high in TA. My cya is 60-70. I started with a cya of 0 and may have added a little too much. But that was 2 weeks ago. I’ve been keeping my fc around 23. Keep in mind since October our pool turned into a swamp. Then in Jan we had tornado damage and high winds. We live very rural and 360 pastures around us. The day after the tornado the pool steps were black. We are pretty sure it was cow manure. Lol just trying to give as much info as possible. Today is actually day 12.
I have a separate phosphate test kit and it reads under the 200 mark but also is just a slight Blue tint. So it’s more than 0. If I had to guess it may be 50.

 

[Crystalqueen]

Here is another issue. I don’t know what filter it is. It’s about 42” x 36”. I vacuumed all the sand out, checked the laterals and refilled with sand. I put 350lbs of sand in. But because I don’t know what filter it is I’m not sure about the amount. One pages says 350 and another says 500 for this size. Would 150lbs of sand short be causing the lack of filtration?

 

[Texas Splash]

The TA is not the reason for your cloudiness, so you can ignore that for a while. It's still algae. When a CYA is in between numbers, we round-up. So if we call your CYA 70, your FC should be at 28. That's one big reason you have been in that "stuck" pattern of cloudiness. So I would first increase the FC to 28 and do your best to keep it there. Next is those steps. Are they what we call wedding cake steps? The hollow kind? Steps can be tricky and are known to hide algae is why I ask.

As for the filter, as long as you added enough sand to go about 3/4 the way up it should be fine. Watch the pressure gauge. When it increases by about 25% from the clean pressure, it's time to backwash.

 

[Crystalqueen]

Okay I added 5 gallons of liquid chlorine and will check my fc later today. Ty

 

[Crystalqueen]

I have maintained the chlorine between 20-24 for almost three weeks. It getting clearer but not enough to see the bend in the side of the pool. I can hardly see the print of the vinyl a foot down. I just feel like something is wrong. I thought maybe there was debris in the bottom and ran the vac which picked up minimal.

 

[IceShadow]

It’s all about patience and perseverance. 20-24 isn’t enough - go for 28 with each addition. Are you brushing often too? Any places the water can be that you can’t easily see - ladders, light niches, skimmer throats, weir doors? Gotta clear those out too.

 

[Crystalqueen]

I put a vac in the pool almost every day. I brush almost every day because of a bad shoulder. But when I do brush I get everything. The instructions say for my cya iit should be 24. The steps, bench and ladder I brush mostly by hand so I can get in all the little spots.

 

[IceShadow]

See post #5 - round up on CYA, so consider it 70.