Suddenly my pool is not clear

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corrado95

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Jul 16, 2018
47
Pran Buri
Yesterday I noticed my pool was not clear.
I take care of my pool for many year.
I checked chlorine and was about 1. I have seen the chlorinator some day show very low % so I have been thinking that perhaps the cell start to be bad.
But this day I checked and it showed 100%.
I filled chock chlorine, about 60% of it should be.
I let the pool pump ran the whole day, but the water looks the same.
I have never seen this happen before.
Can anyone help me with ideas?
 
We can try to help. Can you please reply with the following:
1. Post a full set of water test results with your test kit
2. Post a picture of your water
3. Post a picture of your equipment pad and the chlorinator you use.
4. Also tell us if you use any other chemicals in the water, if so what kind.
 
First I would like to say thank you for your answer!
I should try to give as much information as I can.
This morning I did a simple test before doing anything else. PH 7,8, Cl about 1, salinity 4,0
After that I put in chock chlorine 255 gram, started pool pump. Pool volume is 11,500 gallon
After 6 hours I saw that chlorine was very high
I did some other test with my test kit. TA 70, CH 160, CYA did still see the black dot.
I should say that the water for the pool come from a well in the society so calcium is high. What I can see so the water is not green as it is when there is algees, it is cloudy.I do not understand what “equipment pad” mean but I took a picture in the pool room.
I think this pool is called infinity pool. Pool bottom has 4 inlets and one outlet. The “ditch” has 1 outlet and an inlet valve with float.
1 year ago I changed filter media in pool filter, material now Zelbrite.
I think you can see on the steps in the pool that the first is clear then they will be less sharp at the bottom
I don't use any other chemicals than salt and acid. 3 weeks ago 25 kg salt, 2 weeks ago 1 litre acid.

pool1.jpgpool2.jpgpool3.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
In addition what Pat stated above,
Understanding what chemicals you use in the pool is very important.
For example, Calcium hypochlorite can cause cloudiness..
 
The "Equipment Pad" refers to all the items in your pool room. Is this an outdoor pool? If it is, then your CYA seems to be very low if you can still see the dot. It should be no lower than 30 unless you have an indoor pool. Since you have a salt pool, we usually recommend a CYA of about 70. Salt water generators work more efficiently with the additional CYA.

But before you increase the CYA, I would recommend doing an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test. I say this because of the cloudiness and because your FC level was much too low. This test will tell you if you have algae trying to grow somewhere. Before you do too many things, it would be good to make sure there is no algae somewhere. The Overnight Chlorine Loss Test is step #1. Make sure your FC is at about 5-8 ppm then do the OCLT. Let us know the results. Good luck.
 
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corrado95 said:
What do you use to higher CYA?
Click to expand...
We recommend pure cyanuric acid, 99% - 100%. Yes, you can use the product in your picture, but it appears to be a mixture ingredient (trichloro and cyanuric), so not pure cyanuric acid. That is okay, it just means you might need to use more.

For now, I would not add anything until you see the results of your OCLT in the morning. Then we'll know more info to help.
 
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When did you last clean your filter?

What is your filter pressure?

You may have a filter problem with the Zelbrite. I am not a fan of sand alternatives.
 

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corrado95 said:
It was cleaned 14 days ago. I don't know the pressure, I don't have a meter. Is that the same that the pool pump will make?
Click to expand...
No.

You should have a pressure gauge reading PSI on your filter. It is an important measure of when the filter needs cleaning.

Show us closer pics of the filter and the valve on top for us to see if it is like a US model.
 
corrado95 said:
Tested chlorine at 07:30: 8,5ppm
Click to expand...
Losing only 0.5 ppm of free chlorine is good. You passed the OCLT. :goodjob: That should eliminate algae so that we can better focus on other areas that may be a concern. It also allows you to increase the CYA to a better level, but since you have a Trichlor/CYA mixture, you should be careful to increase the CYA in stages so you can confirm it is increasing at a good rate. We typically advise a CYA of about 70 for salt pools, but again, go in stages to ensure you don't go too high. Consider a CYA of 50 as your first goal, then slowly increase from there. Once you increase the CYA it should help prevent FC loss to the sunlight.
 
Here are some CYA testing notes you might find helpful.

CYA Testing:
Proper lighting is critical for the CYA test, so you want to test for CYA outside on a bright sunny day. Taylor recommends standing outside with your back to the sun and the view tube in the shade of your body. Use the mixing bottle to combine/gently mix the required amounts of pool water and R-0013 reagent, let sit for 30 seconds, then gently mix again. Then, while holding the skinny tube with the black dot at waist level, begin squirting the mixed solution into the skinny tube. Watch the black dot until it completely disappears. If it helps, pour a little, look away, then look back and pour some more. Some people like to squirt enough solution to go line-by-line for a better feel. Once it disappears, record the CYA reading. After the first test, you can pour the mixed solution from the skinny view tube back to the mixing bottle, shake, and do the same test a second, third, or fourth time to instill consistency in your technique, become more comfortable with the testing, and validate the CYA reading. If you are still questioning your own results, have a friend or two do the same test 2-3 times. Share your results only after everyone is done to see if you came up with the same average results.
 
Corrado, I want to be clear about something I said above so there is no confusion. Do not try to adjust your CYA all at once with that product you have. Since it's a mixture of Trichlor and Cyanuric Acid, you would not only be increasing the CYA but also the FC level. Kind of similar to chlorine tablets, but tablets dissolve slowly. You have granules so you have to go slow and in stages so take your time and be careful. With each addition, check your FC level as well so it doesn't go too high.

Does that make sense? Not sure if you are familiar with our PoolMath APP, but it has a tool in the menu called "Effects of Adding" which we find very useful to determine how much chemical to add. Anyways, please be careful with your dosage amounts. If you have a question please let us know.
 
Something you may find better (easier) to use to increase your CYA is pure cyanuric acid. It will be easier to dose and more predictable for raising your CYA, but I wasn't sure if you had pure Cyanuric Acid available in your town. You can still save and use the bottled granular stuff you have later, but the pure Cyanuric Acid will increase your CYA much faster without changing the FC level.
 
Texas Splash said:
We recommend pure cyanuric acid, 99% - 100%. Yes, you can use the product in your picture, but it appears to be a mixture ingredient (trichloro and cyanuric), so not pure cyanuric acid. That is okay, it just means you might need to use more.

For now, I would not add anything until you see the results of your OCLT in the morning. Then we'll know more info to help.
Click to expand...
What kind of acid do I have, I use it to lower the PH. If i should use that to get higher CYA, then the PH will be too low.
Texas Splash said:
Corrado, I want to be clear about something I said above so there is no confusion. Do not try to adjust your CYA all at once with that product you have. Since it's a mixture of Trichlor and Cyanuric Acid, you would not only be increasing the CYA but also the FC level. Kind of similar to chlorine tablets, but tablets dissolve slowly. You have granules so you have to go slow and in stages so take your time and be careful. With each addition, check your FC level as well so it doesn't go too high.

Does that make sense? Not sure if you are familiar with our PoolMath APP, but it has a tool in the menu called "Effects of Adding" which we find very useful to determine how much chemical to add. Anyways, please be careful with your dosage amounts. If you have a question please let us know.
Click to expand...
I will order the acid, I have started to contact a company that have it in their sortiment, but not in stock. I will check this app.
 
corrado95 said:
This is my meter, I am rather sure it is not calibrated.
Click to expand...
Does the gauge go to zero when the pump is off?

The gauge could be useful if you noted the position when the filter is clean and saw a rise as it got dirty.

It would also have been interesting to know the difference in readings when you had sand and now with your Z stuff.
 

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