Unable to keep the pool clear this year

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M

mrmrshenke2005

0
Jun 11, 2018
27
Kingsville MO
Pool Size
30500
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
CircuPool RJ-60
This is our second year with the pool and I figured it would be a much easier year after the learning curve from last year but it hasn't been so straight forward. I started the year by filling up the pool, getting the CYA up then SLAMMING it. It then started to get a little cloudy after a couple of weeks so we did the SLAM again. Again, the pool slowly got a little cloudy so we started our third SLAM process again last week on Tuesday.

It started to get better by the weekend but we did have a lot of kids in it on Sunday on they were throwing things like bocce balls and things that included quite a bit of dirt. This of course caused the pool to get quite a bit cloudier as it was pretty dirty after the party. You can still see the bottom but it isn't clear. The pool is in the middle of the yard surrounded by mulch then grass and is used most days so it is always a challenge to keep the dirt/mulch/grass out. The pool temp is warm and has reached 92 degrees some days. Since we started the SLAM, we have been running the pump non stop and vacuum and brush daily.

Going off of memory, here are the numbers from before the SLAM
CYA 40 tested with sun at my back. I could see the dot on 30 but not at 40
TA 100
PH 7.6 or 7.7
CC .5

About three times to four times a day we test the chlorine level and bring it up to about 16 with 10% pool chlorine from Walmart. One of the things that I am wondering if I am doing wrong is stopping before it is as clear as it should. It looks really clear after we are done with the SLAM by looking at it but when we are unable to see across the pool while under water and I feel like we should be able to. This SLAM is taking longer then the other SLAM's even before the Sunday event but now I feel like we are starting over. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is swimming under water with goggles a good way to see if it is clear?

When we aren't slamming we test daily and keep the level between 4 and 8 so just a bit higher then recommended for the 40 CYA. It has been a bit frustrating this year and not sure what I am doing wrong. Thanks for any suggestions.
 
Mr Bruce said:
Are you passing an OCLT before stopping the SLAM?
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Yes, there hasn't been any issue passing the OCLT. There must be a little inconsistency in my testing because when doing the OCLT the chlorine was a point higher in the morning then it was during my test right before bed. I would add the chlorine then wait an hour or two and test before bed then test first thing in the morning. I do need to get a dropper or something so I can ensure that I am always getting exactly 10ml of pool water. Right now I just fill the cylinder to the 10ml line.
 
Are you running an OCLT before starting the SLAM? If that passes I wonder if it's an issue with the Intex pump/filter; I haven't heard great things about them.

How about a pic of what "cloudy" looks like?
 
I have not ran an OCLT before starting the SLAM. I don't think there is much lost at night because if we test too early in the morning we don't need to add anything but I have not ran a test to know how much is lost. We do start to notice more water bugs before we increase the chlorine. I am not home but will get a pic as soon as I can.
 
If you keep fighting this, one option is to drain and start over. 6500 gallons is a pretty small volume.
 
Mr Bruce said:
Are you running an OCLT before starting the SLAM? If that passes I wonder if it's an issue with the Intex pump/filter; I haven't heard great things about them.

How about a pic of what "cloudy" looks like?
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Here are a few pictures.
 

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mknauss said:
If you keep fighting this, one option is to drain and start over. 6500 gallons is a pretty small volume.
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That is an interesting thought. It would also get the temp down for a bit. I do wonder if I would see the same issue again at some point as we kept a close eye on the levels right after the first fill back in May.
 
Your signature says you are running the pump that came with the pool. I assume it's the small one. I would suggest upgrading to a sand filter, I would think the stock pump is part or all the problem with not filtering as good/fast as a sand filter setup.
 

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Blacklisted said:
Amazon has it about the same price and has a bigger one for not much more. Get the biggest one you can afford, less backwashing etc.

Amazon.com : Intex Krystal Clear Sand Filter Pump for Above Ground Pools, 16-inch, 110-120V with GFCI : Gateway

Amazon.com : Intex Krystal Clear Sand Filter Pump for Above Ground Pools, 16-inch, 110-120V with GFCI : Gateway
www.amazon.com
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Thanks for the advise, I ended up purchasing the 14in from Amazon before your reply so we will give it a try. It came in the mail yesterday. We have been running it since 3 pm yesterday and no increase in pressure on the pump yet It is about a 6. The pool is looking better today although when brushing it we still see a cloud of dirt. I am guessing that will take some time to clear up. We vacuumed yesterday and have brushed it a couple of times today, hopefully that cloud with brushing is gone soon. I will provide another update in a couple of days. Thanks for the advice!
 
I wanted to give a quick update. The pool is improving and is looking better then it has all year.

On Monday evening we swam and the pool got cloudier once we swam. You could see about 3/4 the distance across the pool at the beginning but maybe only 1/3 across the more we swam. We lowered the ph to about 7.4 (have not retested). On Tuesday morning we vacuumed the pool then brushed later in the day. There was still a cloud generated when brushing. This morning I decided to vacuum to waste since the dirt seems to settle on the bottom and is tough to filter. Each day it does get better with the new pump. My goal is to be able to easily see the across the pool when under water at the beginning and end of swimming. Not certain if that is realistic but hopefully it is.
 
The pool is basically where I was wanting it now. It is so much clearer then a week ago. We can easily see the other side when under water when we first get in. It gets a little less clear once every thing is stirred up but still not bad. We have been running the pump about 12 hours a day and vacuum daily. Thanks for the suggestions to get a better pump/filter has it has made a huge difference!
 
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