HELP ME!

Causes and cures for cloudy swimming pool water.
Milky pool water, white, pink, brown, purple, black cloudy water.
waterdog

HELP ME!

Postby waterdog » Fri 01 Jun, 2007 13:33

I've been going around and around with this dang pool all week.

HISTORY:
A week ago we had a storm, Friday (5/25) I shocked and vacuumed the pool. All chemicals read in proper parameters.

Sat. 5/26: pool was cloudy. Checked chemistry, still normal. Added clarifier. Changed out filter for a clean, new one. (We had had a lot of pollen and dust in the air for weeks since opening so the old filter was pretty clogged.)

Sun and Monday: Still not clearer and pH was all over the charts.

Tues 5/29: took sample to local pool store. They were too busy to give me a full analysis but told me to just keep "Shocking and Clarifying" until it cleared. Added 5 more #s of dry shock and another concetrated clarifier.

Wed - Today(6/1): Still cloudy. Yesterday added 12# of pH minus. This morning readings still off the charts. Added 2 gallons of Muriatic Acid and floc out. Seeing a slight improvement but readings are way off whack the other way now. *see following info* There is also a fair amount of foam if I run the bubbles or jets in the spa (no heat)

READINGS:

this morning: CL 0.0, pH7.8, ALK 224
after acid: CL0.0, pH 7.1, ALK 197
15 minutes ago: CL 0.0, pH 6.4, ALk 047
Now: CL 0.0, pH 6.5, ALK 036

As for the FC levels, we have a chlorinator that is full and the pump has been running 24/7, no reason for the readings to be 0.0 except that the pH may be affecting them.

This happened to me last summer later on in the season and if I remember correctly, adding Muriatic acid periodically seemed to help eventually.

I've also had to refill it about 3 inches two times with well water.

SIZE OF POOL:
30' x 15', shallow end: 3'6" deep end: 5'6"
Also there is a water fall feature that is an overspill from the spa into the pool, recycling the spa water along with the pool water.

Summary: I'm afraid I've overcorrected in my zeal to have a clear pool for the weekend. I also think the advice to "Shock and Clarify" was probably not right. What can be done at this point and advice for maintaining it once I get it back again.


Buggsw
Swimming Pool Superstar
Swimming Pool Superstar
Posts: 421
Joined: Sun 13 May, 2007 23:26

Postby Buggsw » Fri 01 Jun, 2007 16:38

Stop doing your testing after only 15 minutes of applying things. The water hasn't turned enough to be accurate. Your samples are greatly skewed as to the overall picture of your pool. Most pools turn over in 6 to 8 hours. Some pools turn over once in 12 hours. Depends on your pump/filter system. I wouldn't test any earlier than 4 hours of the pump running.

We need accurate test readings and pool volume as well as pool type (ie vinyl, plaster, fiberglass)

Post all your readings.
waterdog

Postby waterdog » Sat 02 Jun, 2007 11:11

Well, after allowing the water to filter overnight, my readings are as follows:
CL 0.0 (chlorinator is full of pucks and operating properly)
pH 7.1
ALK 078

I'm very sorry, I tried to be a specific as possible in my earlier post. Prior to Tues. I did not have accurate testing capabilities and was relying on test strips. The readings I was giving for yesterday were Morning (8am) and after applying acid (10am)and then approx. 3pm with a "15minute, panic test because I thought I'd really screwed things up" test thrown in for good measure.

ALSO:
The pool is gunnite/plaster
Volume: 15,000 gallons
Turn over rate: 4 hours
Current Conditions: still cloudy but a bit clearer, I can see the bottom of the shallow end and almost the deep end but it is still hazy.
Other factors: We had a brief thunderstorm last night, not a lot of debri washed into the pool.
Pool Temp: 85
Air Temp: 75


Without giving you my height, weight, birthdate, and social security number I can't think of anything else I've left out. :lol:

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