CLOUDY BLUE WATER!!

[partlycloudy]

I had all the same problems and still had cloudy water. STOP all the treatments and turn down the chlorine which is probably causing the cloud.In the panic trying to clear the pool, we run the filter non-stop which in turn adds way too much chlorine(chlorinator)which causes the cloud. I vacumn every morning and backwash till clear. Yesterday I turned the chlorinator down to almost off and this morning I could see the bottom. Now I'm gonna leave it off for the day and let the sun do a job on the chlorine and I'll bet money that she'll clear up. Too much chemicals fattens up the cash register and clouds up your pool.

pooluser: you are my new hero

I'd been off on holiday, came home to a cruddy pool, got everything back in balance but I couldn't get the cloudiness to go away. Racked my brain endlesssly. Like yours, the pool pump runs continuously so I turned down the chlorine feeder (always thought the more the better....wrong-o!) to low.

next day: gorgeous water the day after: clear as it has ever been

thanks! never would have thought that less is indeed better

[Guest]

we panic with the filter and the testing, all the while we keep dumping crap in the pool. The guys at the pool store just keep slapping you on the back while handing you another 20 dollar bottle of junk. I shocked yesterday, first time since it happened and everything is fine.

[eric]

Cloudy water here, too. When we opened this spring, the water was crystal clear - only 1 leaf at the bottom. Filled & was fine until a couple days ago. Water kept getting cloudier so, naturally, I kept turning up the chlorine & running the filter more. After backwashing yesterday & today, I finally turned the chlorinator down all the way & shut off the filter. Hopefully I'll see an improvement before we have to put the solar cover back on while it rains.

[MineralMan]

What he said about the pH lowering to 7.2 will often clear up cloudy blue water. Just muriatic acid from the hardware store and problem is gone. I have found this to work over and over again.

MM

[Guest]

Cloudy water here, too. When we opened this spring, the water was crystal clear - only 1 leaf at the bottom. Filled & was fine until a couple days ago. Water kept getting cloudier so, naturally, I kept turning up the chlorine & running the filter more. After backwashing yesterday & today, I finally turned the chlorinator down all the way & shut off the filter. Hopefully I'll see an improvement before we have to put the solar cover back on while it rains.

don't shut the filter off, just the chlorinator. Wait for chlorine levels to lower and vacumn and backwash often

[flocculantly fed up]

am looking ater my dads pool, he has a salt chlorinization thingy, before he went back home to England he added flocculant to the pool.

Every morning i get up to a lovely clear pool, with this yucky yellowy stuff hovering about 10cm from the bottom of the pool.

I try vaccuming and it stirs it up, I've run the filter continuously for 2 days with no improvement, backwashed, rinsed about a hundred times.

I'm now resorted to donning a snorkel and mask and floating around the pool with the pipe trying to suck this stuff up !! there is some improvement each day, but I think I might still be doing this in September !!

please help, and remember i have no idea what shocking means or anything else you guys are talking about !!

[Eric]

okay, i used the floc as you suggested...it immediately made my pool cloudy (i could see the bottom of the pool before the floc, now i can't even see the bottom in the shallow end) is this normal? I shut it off overnight, went out there this morning, the pool is still just as cloudy as can be and i cannot see the bottom. it has made it worse!!! what can i do now?????????? HELP!!!!

It can take a couple of days to let all the particles settle to the pool floor and when it does I suggest you vacuum it out to the drain line therefore bypassing the filter where it could possibly return into the pool. Hope this helps

[Floc Man]

This review made me laugh so much, i've even sent the link to my pals so a bit of viral you will be famous.

Mullins are you a woman? you nag like one!

Anyway had the same problem and added floc and voila pool is sparkling, can see the bottom after 5 days of cloudy blue.

Floc that!

[flocisgood]

Last year iI had the same cloudy water problem. Used floc and it cleared it. If you have a sand filter, DO NOT pour this stuff into the skimmer, pour it by a return jet, so to disperse it with the water. If you pour it in the skimmer, it will clump your sand. I had this happen ( along with other problems), with my sand filter and had to replace the sand. Needless to say, I don't own a sand filter anymore. I invested in a cartridge filter, and have been happy so far. Opened my pool last week with cloudy water, shocked it, and 2 days later, presto clear water. My point is, if you have a consistant problem with cloudy water, and your levels are balanced, your filter is not working, or is inadequate for your pool needs. To me, cartridge seemed the way to go. No backwashing, just rinse the cart off with a hose. No recharging DE either. Then again, some people swear by sand or DE. But in my experience, 90% of the problems I see in forums are not from cartridge owners.

Just my 2¢.

[poolhappy]

I have to say I really needed the laugh! This was the best blog I have ever read. After all the giggles I will try to floc my pool as it is a lovely shade of blue. I did just have my water tessted and all the levels are in line, so I am up to flocking! LOL OMG this was the best! Thanks!

[smoore]

Hey Everyone,
I sure could also use some help with this water/chemical stuff. I just put a pool 18x4, 3 weeks ago, filled with well water. it was a rust color, pool store told me to put in suspend, and then shock it, which i did. everything settled to the bottom, now water is cloudy and brown can not see but a few inches deep, after vac for days, I have a cartridge filter, 3 days ago I put 4 gals of liquid shocker in, no change, tonight I put 6 gal of bleach in, have ran filter for 24/7 since filling it. I put bleach in about hour ago, this is my readings:
CYA=300
TA= 180
PH= not even in the color pad at all (deep purple)
CHILORINE=10-20
TH=1000
I know just putting the bleach effects this, I will re test tomorrow.
Can anyone tell me what to do next? Oh yea it is suppose to rain tonight.

[me_too]

Hey Everyone,
I sure could also use some help with this water/chemical stuff. I just put a pool 18x4, 3 weeks ago, filled with well water. it was a rust color, pool store told me to put in suspend, and then shock it, which i did. everything settled to the bottom, now water is cloudy and brown can not see but a few inches deep, after vac for days, I have a cartridge filter, 3 days ago I put 4 gals of liquid shocker in, no change, tonight I put 6 gal of bleach in, have ran filter for 24/7 since filling it. I put bleach in about hour ago, this is my readings:
CYA=300
TA= 180
PH= not even in the color pad at all (deep purple)
CHILORINE=10-20
TH=1000
I know just putting the bleach effects this, I will re test tomorrow.
Can anyone tell me what to do next? Oh yea it is suppose to rain tonight.

Well water is usually high in hardness, alcalinity and pH. It's exactly what we're seeing here.

We could control the scaling tendencies of such a water by using a low pH and calcium sequestrant. However in this case the CYA is very very high and this needs to come down, this is the first thing to do. Unfortunately the only way to do this is to partly drain the pool.

[smoore]

Hello again,
Draining! How would that help, wouldn't I still be in the same boat, I would be filling with the same well water.
The water looks same today, after retesting nothing much has changed.
CYA=300
TA=180
PH=Still no reading
CHILORINE=10-20 It could even be a little higher
TH=400 (So it has come down some)
Isn't there anything I can do? I know that shocking takes the PH out, So how do you get it back in?
weather getting nicer, need clear water.

[smoore]

Will nothing has changed I put some ph in, and some clarifer my reading are no better.
cya=100
ta=180
ph= different color but still no color on stick
chilorine=10/20
th=400
Is there an answer

[twmackey]

Another way to do this is to drain your pool alittle bit and as you are draining it add water to it. set you selector valve to waste and if have a limner then remove a foot of water below the scimmer do not take any more than a foot though, because the line may pool from the wall. luckly my will not go past about 10 inch when irt starts to loose suctin. Any way do this about thrree times and it will givbe you more clean water. I did this when I had too much copper in the water. it worked great. I live in a area where is not a problem usually.