Very cloudy blue pool. Need advice

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PoolSchoolMN

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Jun 4, 2017
25
Watertown, MN
I have a 26,000 gallon in ground pool. This is my 3rd summer with it. Sand filter. Pool opening was very green and dirty. I have run my filter 24/7 for 3 weeks. I’ve done the slam process. My pool went from green to a nice blue color but it has not cleared up. Water is still very cloudy. You can only see about 12 inches down.

The PH was very low initially. I’ve added borax and corrected that and it’s been good for over a week. I also decided to replace the sand in my filter 4 days ago and check all the laterals and they are all intact with no cracks or breaks.

Here are my test results today. The results have been pretty good as far as I can tell so I’m at a loss of what to do here. I did jump in for a swim and the water smells good and I did notice the sides of the pool had the roughness of that calcium buildup but appeared to come off easily.

FC 3.4
CC 1.0
PH 7.2
TA 90
CH 200
CYA 30

Also, a friend of mine thinks I should try adding an Algecide treatment to the pool. That’s next on my list unless someone has a better suggestion.
 
More chlorine is almost always the answer. What test kit are you using? You could not have slammed successfully if your pool is as described as you do not meet the criteria for exiting a slam. Read pool school!

FYI: Your filter is a location to store particulate matter that passed through the filter. It does not make your water clear or sanitized.
 
Thanks for the fast responses! I am using the Taylor test kit I believe the K 2006.

I would be so confused on not completing the shock process. I’ve gone through 25 gallons of liquid shock and 16 1 lb bags of pool shock. I kept the FC levels very high for the first 2 weeks as well as brushing 2 times daily. I’ve vacuumed the pool a couple times too.

It seems both of you agree that my slam process was not done correctly so I will go back and repeat it. I’ve been using the splash pool shock from menards. It is 12.5%
 
When I originally purchased the house the CYA was 150 plus. Had to drain and start over. Since then I’ve always used a combination of pucks as well as liquid chlorine whenever we had a pool party. The levels have always been good. This year we’ve had a tremendous amount of rain. Pool was overflowing until mid May when I started this process. Not sure if that would have lowered my CYA.

After reading more I think the high CC of 1.0 shows an issue. Shouldn’t be over .5. I originally thought it was ok to be at 1.0. I’m going to repeat the slam process and see what happens.
 
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You are using a different method of slam than we recommend. Read the below. You should only be adding liquid bleach to your pool during the slam.

www.troublefreepool.com

SLAM - Shock Level and Maintain

We’ve all had to deal with a green pool. Clear algae from your pool with a SLAM! Read here to use shock level and maintain to clear your pool.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
I did notice that as well. I never used the bags before and assumed it would be ok. I will be strictly following the slam process with liquid chlorine this time and making sure I continue it until I have the 3 tests completed. Off to the store for another big chlorine purchase.
 
PoolSchoolMN said:
I did notice that as well. I never used the bags before and assumed it would be ok. I will be strictly following the slam process with liquid chlorine this time and making sure I continue it until I have the 3 tests completed. Off to the store for another big chlorine purchase.
Click to expand...

You will probably need 25 gallons or so of chlorine. Test your CYA again before you go a lot of that shock you used contains CYA. The CYA level determines your slam chlorine level.
 

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Pool,

Don't feel bad, a lot of people make the mistake of not completely following the procedure. Some of the requirements seem sort of trivial especially about making sure the FC level is at SLAM level all the time. But this and the other SLAM parameters are very critical please test and add liquid chlorine as often as needed to keep it up. This will reduce cost in the long term. Once you get to a completed SLAM transition to the normal maintenance dose and keep the rest of your chemistry balanced within TFP recommendations. If you can do this your pool will be perfect from now on!

I hope this helps.

Chris
 
My CYA is definitely right around 30. If anything is a little lower than that and I have been done with the shock for about a week. I do plan on grabbing that many gallons. One quick question on that. Is the splashless bleach from target ok to use? Seems like every bottle says splashless. I know you don’t want scented bleach.
 
You don't want anything other than sodium hypochlorite. Usually splashless means there's something else in it. Check the label, should not have "other ingredients". Pool stores often have liquid bleach in 2.5 refillable jugs. If that's not available try Walmart. They seem to be the next best price in many areas.

I hope this helps.

Chris
 
Home Depot sells chlorine which has a higher percentage, this means you will use less to get to your SLAM target.

3 jugs per case for $9.98, the more you buy you get a discount. See if they have any stored inside out of the heat and sun.
 
I am on day 11 of my pool SLAM process. We have definitely kept our FC levels at or above where they need to be. We have used over 30 gallons of 12.5%. I just went and bought another 60 gallons for backup since menards had a buy one get one free sale. Anyways, the pool has certainly cleared up somewhat. I can see further down than I could before. The color is good. The CC is at .5 or below.

Doesn’t this seem like a really long time to do this process? Before I started I did test everything and the other chemicals are within the parameters you want. We’ve brushed every day. Backwashed our filter several times. It has never taken this long to clear up.

Our FC loss has been only 1ppm on several overnights. The only thing we aren’t meeting is the darn clarity.
 
PoolSchoolMN said:
I am on day 11 of my pool SLAM process. We have definitely kept our FC levels at or above where they need to be. We have used over 30 gallons of 12.5%. I just went and bought another 60 gallons for backup since menards had a buy one get one free sale. Anyways, the pool has certainly cleared up somewhat. I can see further down than I could before. The color is good. The CC is at .5 or below.

Doesn’t this seem like a really long time to do this process? Before I started I did test everything and the other chemicals are within the parameters you want. We’ve brushed every day. Backwashed our filter several times. It has never taken this long to clear up.

Our FC loss has been only 1ppm on several overnights. The only thing we aren’t meeting is the darn clarity.
Click to expand...
It's very rare that a SLAM takes this long. Are you doing everything including running the pump 24/7? Sorry but here's the quote from Pool School:

You are done when:

Chris
 
I didn’t install the ladder because I knew it was a hot spot for algae. Filter has been running 24/7 since I opened it over a month ago. Skimmers are cleaned twice daily and I’ve scrubbed everything everywhere. I even have my pool light out because I know it can hide behind that.

Like I said the water gets just slightly more clear every day but it should be crystal clear by now it seems like. Can’t even see 3 feet down.

Im tempted to abandon the slam and do the Phos free that my buddy recommended.
 

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