CLOUDY BLUE WATER!!

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

cloudy water

Postby key » Sat 19 Jul, 2008 08:34

hello all...this is my third pool in 4 yrs and i have never had such a problem. first my pool(abouve ground 18x4) was great for about a month then it stormed(go figure)! i got algae and put some 50% algecide in the pool. It killed the algae but it left my water extremely cloudy. Its been almost 3weeks and I have used sink and sweep which did gather most of the particles to the bottom and my husband got in the pool and manually vacumed the bottom with the vacum hose without the attachment. this has cleared up a great deal but it is still cloudy. you can actually see the white particle floating. I did have a problem with the ph but that is fine now the chlorine is good. One day the pool with be beautifuly clear and have a huge gathering at the bottom of dead algae but once i vacum it up the clods persist. I have used clarifier, shock(which stained the bottom) and its still cloudy...the pool store isnt going to be much help cause all the levels are within range...what the heck to i do????? my kids are dying to swim and i dont know about you all but spending 350 for this pool then another couple hundred in trying to clear it up is mind boggling and pocket draining. i thought about draining it and starting over but the particles will probably remain. HELP


starsplitter

swimming in cloudy/shocked pool

Postby starsplitter » Sun 20 Jul, 2008 15:50

I am trying to clear my pool as well. It is finally blue, but cloudy. We are shocking it a lot, which seems to be doing the trick. Can we swim in this water or is there a time frame we should wait?

Thanks,
Sherry
Pool Slave

Postby Pool Slave » Sun 27 Jul, 2008 18:20

Coming in late, but what a timely subject. I have all but lost faith in my local pool store 'experts'.

When I opened my pool June14th, it was nasty green, but after shocking it (1/3 times more than a normal weekly shock), it cleared up and was perfect. Fast forward to the week of July 18th. Started getting just the slighest hint of cloudiness and a tinge of green. Went to pool store with sample - no chlorine registering. After buying $82.00 dollars worth of balance, stabilizer, shock, algecide, and a chlorine 'stick' to put in the skimmer, my pool became a murky green mess. Soooo, back to pool store with a sample. Still had low chrorine. Told to scrub sides (which I already do on a regular basis), buy clarifier (to the tune of $15.00 a bottle) and shock again. The pool turned blue but was totally cloudy. Back to pool store with another sample. Told no chlorine and to use a flocculant ($20.00). Applied, recirculated all day and left pump off overnight so stuff would settle. The pool cleared up somewhat and I vacuumed to waste. Still not as clear as iI like it or has been in the past. Back to pool store with sample and told "no chlorine" and I must have "mustard algae" which "eats" chlorine. Okaaay. Bought heavy duty algecide (some sort of stuff with copper) and heavy duty (i.e. more expensive) shock. That seemed to do the trick, but 36 hours later I tested the water and it STILL registers no chlorine. So, I shocked again. Looks good now, but at the rate I'm going through the more expensive shock, I'm about ready to have the darn thing demolished and put in a jacuzzi! I have better things to do with my time AND money.

Um, sorry for the vent, but I feel the OP's pain.
Guest

Postby Guest » Sun 27 Jul, 2008 19:34

If you want to cut down on all these costs the best thing you can do is get a good test kit so you'll know what's going on in your pool.

Much of what a pool store sells you isn't needed or wanted for your pool. Unless you know your cyanuric acid level you can't accurately shock your pool. Without a good test kit you can't know what your cyanuric acid level is or what your free chlorine level is when you shock.

From the chemicals you listed adding, some will add other things to your pool that you may not want. The chlorine stick is probably trichlor which adds cyanuric acid and lowers pH. The shock you added will add either cyanuric acid or calcium.

High cyanuric acid levels make keeping algae away difficult. Low CYA levels and your chlorine is lost to sunlight very quickly.

It really is easy to maintain a pool once you know the basics. Relying on the pool store works if you have a good pool store nearby but I have found pool stores sell chemicals and don't always take the easiest route to a well balanced pool.
Pool Slave

Postby Pool Slave » Mon 28 Jul, 2008 06:04

Oh, I have and use test kits, but what's a person to do when the 'experts' repeatedly test your water and say you need this, that, and the kitchen sink? I'm a bit at their mercy - after all, they're the experts, right? sigh.

Anyway, for what it's worth, the CYA level is about the only one that has remained relatively level (but certainly something to keep an eye on). After I shock (Smart Shock), all levels are fine (including pH), but within 36 hours the chlorine tanks.

Water's looking good, though (for the moment). Su-weet...gonna be 99F today. 8)
Guest

Postby Guest » Mon 28 Jul, 2008 16:30

I do understand. And as you see in this thread alone, there are different opinions all the way through. One says use liquid chlorine and one says never use liquid chlorine. Try more than one pool store and you'll get more than one opinion.

There are a million chemicals available for pools. IMO, most aren't needed.

Now to the disappearing chlorine. Chlorine is used up fighting the nasty stuff in the water or the sun will break it down. If your pool is crystal clear then it is probably the sun breaking it down during the day. If the pool is green or cloudy then the chlorine is probably being used up fighting something in the water.

Next time you go to the pool store, ask for a printout of the chemical balance of your pool. Post the numbers they give you here. We can give better advice knowing those numbers and knowing the type of pool and equipment you have.

Pool Slave wrote:Oh, I have and use test kits, but what's a person to do when the 'experts' repeatedly test your water and say you need this, that, and the kitchen sink? I'm a bit at their mercy - after all, they're the experts, right? sigh.

Anyway, for what it's worth, the CYA level is about the only one that has remained relatively level (but certainly something to keep an eye on). After I shock (Smart Shock), all levels are fine (including pH), but within 36 hours the chlorine tanks.

Water's looking good, though (for the moment). Su-weet...gonna be 99F today. 8)
hvicki38

cloudy water b/c phosphates?

Postby hvicki38 » Thu 31 Jul, 2008 18:22

Please help me...I am having a party Sunday...2 weeks ago my pool company had me dump $100 worth of stuff in my pool...it stripped the copper in the heater....blue water and blue film....i disconnected the heater and went to a new pool place....they had me dump in 2 bottles of phosphate remover and an hour later 2 bottles of scale and calcium remover....now my pool is super cloudy....when will this clear....I have been running the filter nonstop and every hour or so vacuuming to waste....adding more water (have city water)....is there anything I can do to speed up the clearing process....please help me
catnip
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Postby catnip » Sat 02 Aug, 2008 09:07

I have the same problem with cloudy water. I just opened my pool a couple weeks ago, my problems started with the pool guy that pulled the cover off and dump all the debri and leaves into the pool. Next the pool water was dark green. After days of shocking the pool, I'm finally seeing cloudy water. but it has been a week of cloudy water. The pool guy told me to continue to add chlorine, sweep for two hours a day and backwash, the pool will clear up because the water at the bottom is dead water. Other than spending a lot a money at the pool store, is this good advice and when will my pool clear up?
New pool user

Cloudy water

Postby New pool user » Sat 02 Aug, 2008 11:00

Good morning all. I've read your posts and I seem to be having the same issues as you. I have a 28 ft. above ground pool and use a sand filter. The water is blue, but very cloudy (can't see the bottom cloudy) There is no algae growing anywhere. Everything is clean, except for the cloudiness of the water. When we opened the pool for the summer, we had beautiful, sparkling blue water. When we opened the pool, we put all new sand in the filter, and had to replace the filter itself, as one of the arms was broken. We also put in a new pump this year since the old one burned out, so everything with the filter has to be fine....there's nothing left to replace on it. :roll:
I added clarifier to the filter yesterday, ran th filter all night and have not seen any change at all. We are not on well water.
My readings as of this morning are:
Total Hardness: 200
Free Chlorine: 10
Bromine: 20 (according to the chart, this is too high and we don't add bromine so I'm not sure where this level is coming from)
pH: 7.5
Alkalinity: 150
Cyanuric Acid: 150 (according to the chart, this is way too high also)

Any suggestions as to how to lower the bromine and CYA ?
And would the high levels of these two contribute to the cloudiness ?

Thanks!
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mr_clean
Swimming Pool Superstar
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Location: So Cal

Postby mr_clean » Sat 02 Aug, 2008 13:41

Good morning all. I've read your posts and I seem to be having the same issues as you. I have a 28 ft. above ground pool and use a sand filter. The water is blue, but very cloudy (can't see the bottom cloudy) There is no algae growing anywhere. Everything is clean, except for the cloudiness of the water. When we opened the pool for the summer, we had beautiful, sparkling blue water. When we opened the pool, we put all new sand in the filter, and had to replace the filter itself, as one of the arms was broken. We also put in a new pump this year since the old one burned out, so everything with the filter has to be fine....there's nothing left to replace on it.
I added clarifier to the filter yesterday, ran th filter all night and have not seen any change at all. We are not on well water.
My readings as of this morning are:
Total Hardness: 200
Free Chlorine: 10
Bromine: 20 (according to the chart, this is too high and we don't add bromine so I'm not sure where this level is coming from)
pH: 7.5
Alkalinity: 150
Cyanuric Acid: 150 (according to the chart, this is way too high also)

Any suggestions as to how to lower the bromine and CYA ?
And would the high levels of these two contribute to the cloudiness ?


you first need to lower your CYA level to 50-60ppm by draining some water & refilling until you get it down to this level. When CYA is to high it makes chlorine weaker to fight algae, If you use chlorine tabs in your pool stop for awhile as they have CYA in them & will cause this problem over time. Next you need to boost chlorine level above 20ppm shock level with liquide chlorine & keep it there until pool clears, so you will need to check chlorine level a couple times a day & run filter 24/7, backwashing filter when pressure rises.
berkoboy
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This is what i did

Postby berkoboy » Tue 05 Aug, 2008 10:24

I had just returned from abroad like others here found my pool green.

here is what I did, which seems to be working. I have one comment however, like others have noted every pool is different and what may work for me may not for you.

My pool is a liner pool 6x3m in the ground type.

I firstly supercclorinated it and left the pump running overnight. This made it blue but cloudy. then I sampled the water and raised the PH, with all the extra chlorine this will of course be low. I added enough chemicals to raise it from 7 ( normally at 7.4) up to 7.8.

ran the pump for about 4 hours then stopped the pump, put it manual and added flocculant. Left overnight, woke up to find I could see the bottom of the pool and lots of debris on the bottom.

Hoovered, a good backwash and its looking fine now, just a bit of tweaking to do and it will be perfect.

No I am no expert I have learned about my pool from making my own mistakes but what I would like to pass on is don't panic.

I have read all the posts on this subject and I have taken relevant pieces of information from everyone elses posts to help my particular situation.

Good luck everyone and enjoy your swim(s)
DUMMY

FIBERGLASS, CLOUDY OR GREEN

Postby DUMMY » Wed 06 Aug, 2008 16:20

LIKE EVERYONE I HAVE SPENT A TON OF MONEY BACKING THE CAR UP TO THE POOL STORE WHERE THE EXPERTS FILL THE TRUNK.WHEN THE POOL HAS GREEN STAIN ON THE WALLS, I AM SOLD METAL OUT AND STAIN B GONE ( CITRIC ACID ) TO REMOVE THE STAIN, CL LEVEL MUST BE VERY LOW FOR THIS TO WORK. THE STAIN GOES AWAY, HOWEVER, THE WATER BECOMES CLOUDY, CLOUDY WATER GOES AWAY AS SOON AS GREEN STAIN APPEARS, EVERY STORE TELLS ME THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH FIBERGLASS POOLS.. YOU CAN HAVE CLOUDY OR STAINED, ITS ONE OR THE OTHER.

DUMMY :(
Guest

cloudy pool(month) HELP

Postby Guest » Wed 27 Aug, 2008 06:53

I have been fighting this problem for a month!!! Same as others- take a sample, buy a lot of chemicals and no difference,
This time 400ml of acid in each deep end corner, after shutting off pool for 10 min.,wait 5 minutes turn onn. THen vacuum and putin 10L of liquid chlorine, one hour later 1 bottle of metal free because copper had gone to 3 because of all the algicide(ERASE) that had gone in previous.(las night at 8 oclock)
Previous to the above)Have drained pool to the bottom of skimmer while vacuumming at waste 2 times previous.
This morning it is NO clearer!!!and I can smell the chlorine. HAvent backwashed yet.
The ph is 7.8 Acid 2 Total 1.5 Free 0
T>A> 125 C.H. 130
The pool people want the cloudiness to cleR THEN WE WILL WORYY ABOUT ADJUSTING THE ABOVE.
Please help.
popsicle0311

Why won't my water turn blue??

Postby popsicle0311 » Mon 18 May, 2009 06:57

We are having the worst problem ever with our pool this year. :crazy: We cannot get the water to go from a very light green to crystal clear blue as it has in past years. We have done everything and when we take the sample to the pool store - they test it, and say that everything looks great!! If that is the case - why won't it turn blue? We have spent so much money on this pool, and have done everything humanly possible to clear it up and it still doesn't work. Does anyone have any suggestions.

It is a 19,000 gallon pool. If I add a whole bottle of Clarifier will it hurt the levels, ph, alkalinity, etc.? We are at our wits end with it and about ready to stop trying. :thumbdown:
sterling

Fiberglass, Cloudy Or Green

Postby sterling » Mon 18 May, 2009 19:26

DUMMY wrote:LIKE EVERYONE I HAVE SPENT A TON OF MONEY BACKING THE CAR UP TO THE POOL STORE WHERE THE EXPERTS FILL THE TRUNK.WHEN THE POOL HAS GREEN STAIN ON THE WALLS, I AM SOLD METAL OUT AND STAIN B GONE ( CITRIC ACID ) TO REMOVE THE STAIN, CL LEVEL MUST BE VERY LOW FOR THIS TO WORK. THE STAIN GOES AWAY, HOWEVER, THE WATER BECOMES CLOUDY, CLOUDY WATER GOES AWAY AS SOON AS GREEN STAIN APPEARS, EVERY STORE TELLS ME THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH FIBERGLASS POOLS.. YOU CAN HAVE CLOUDY OR STAINED, ITS ONE OR THE OTHER.

DUMMY :(

I have had a fiberglass pool for 6 years and love it. Twice I have had the problem you describe -- both times I used too much copper to kill algee followed too quickly by too much shock. A really GOOD pool person will give you the Exact instruction on what to put in, how much, how long to wait, what goes in next... It is exspensive but works.

Keep the copper down helps. leaving Days between copper and shock helps too.

If the copper is going from the water to the walls and back again, there is just too much copper. It has to be trapped somehow. Is the fill water high in copper?? Do you have copper in the plumbing?? I really don't think this has a thing to do with fiberglass -- 95% of the time I just have a pool that is much easier to mantain.

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