WHIPPED CREAM in pool CLOUDY problem from the DAIRY and OIL

[funkymut]

I had a pool party for my daughter and there was a whipped cream eatting contest that turned into a food fight (like a pie eating one but no pie). Not being quick enough to tell them to wash their faces with the hose they all jumped into the pool with their bodys and faces filled with whipped cream. This was 3 cans of whipped cream in a 5,000 gal. Intex above ground pool 15' round. One of these pools with the inflateable top ring and is a self contained water bag. I changed the filter (it's a acordion white paper tub type), I shocked it and have had the pump working 4 days non-stop. What should I do?

[aylad]

Ground your daughter!! ;) Just kidding......

All you can do is keep the filter running and give it time to filter out. I would shock the pool and hold it at shock level for a couple of days. Can you post a set of water results taken with a drop-based test kit?

[AnnaK]

You might consider adding some washing soda which, when used as a laundry aid, helps to break down grease stains. It will raise your pH and the TA, depending on how much you put in, but it won't hurt the water. You could also see if your local pool store(s) carry an item called 'sum ball' or 'scum bug' which is a sponge-like thing that sits in the filter and catches body oils, suntan lotions, hair conditioner and such. Keep the filter running.

[Watermom]

Anna, those are good suggestions.

[AnnaK]

Thanks, WM. They can't hurt and might help. One correction: the scum bug/scum ball sits in the SKIMMER, not the filter. My error.

[waterbear]

You might consider adding some washing soda which, when used as a laundry aid, helps to break down grease stains. It will raise your pH and the TA, depending on how much you put in, but it won't hurt the water. You could also see if your local pool store(s) carry an item called 'sum ball' or 'scum bug' which is a sponge-like thing that sits in the filter and catches body oils, suntan lotions, hair conditioner and such. Keep the filter running.

Probably won't do much good until you add enough to get the ph above 9 and then you are creating a new set of problems. At normal pool pH most the it wil convert to bicarbonate pretty quickly. I would go with the scum bug and possibly an enzyme after a really good shocking

[funkymut]

UP DATE: I added 10 times the amount of clarifier because a pool store told me to, then another pool store said the pool is now probably cloudy form that. So they told me to shock it again, so I did and continue to run the filter and clean the filter as well. Still is cloudy. There is a faint faint chalky ring on edge of pool and tiny partical that are in the cloudy water. I will try a enzyme thing and scum ball thing too today and keep my fingers crossed. The clorine levels and Ph are a little high but that is probably from the shocking. Keep the ideas coming before I break down and empty the pool and refill. I will keep you all informed. Thanks for all the responses thus far.=)

[waterbear]

Overdosing on clarifier can cause the water to cloud. bad news is that it can be difficult to get it to clear after that (depends on exactly what clarifier you added, I do not mean brand name, I mean the actual ingredients in the product)
Saying that the chlorine and pH are a little high tell us nothing. We really need the numbers. Also, if your pool is at shock level the pH will read high when it is not. This is a known chemical interference. High sanitizer levels cause the pH to read higher than it really is. IF you have a GOOD test kit (such as a Taylor) then the chlorine can be at 10 to15 ppm before there is interference but with many inexpensive kits and strips this interference starts as low as 3 ppm FC levels.

[PoolDoc]

Watermom asked me to look at this . . . but the simple truth is that once you put in so many mystery ingredients into your pool, I have no idea what the outlook is. It might clear up in a day; it might take all summer! Adding MORE mystery ingredients only complicates the picture.

All I can say for sure is

1. If your chlorine and pH are OK, it's probably safe to swim, from a chemical and sanitation point of view. It *might* be irritating to your skin and eyes, however, since the byproducts of some 'mystery' chemicals and chlorine are fairly nasty.

2. If you want to QUICKLY and SURELY clean your pool up, draining and refilling is the way to go, IF (and ONLY if) you have clean clear fill water with no metals.

3. However, if you choose to drain and refill, you need to make SURE you have the right chemicals (with as few mystery chemicals as possible + the right testkits AND + a good plan, BEFORE you start draining.

[aylad]

....and that's what happens when you try to mix pool store advice with the advice we offer here.

Good luck with the pool........

Janet

[funkymut]

Hi PoolDoc and others, I am going to get the water read at one of the stores to get the exact levels but PoolDoc I am confussed about the concern regarding refilling the pool as I copy and quote from you,
"2. If you want to QUICKLY and SURELY clean your pool up, draining and refilling is the way to go, IF (and ONLY if) you have clean clear fill water with no metals. "
Excuse my ignorance, clear fill water with no metals but as opposed to what, Sir? Could you also elaborate on your third point as well, please? PoolDoc's Quote: "3. However, if you choose to drain and refill, you need to make SURE you have the right chemicals (with as few mystery chemicals as possible + the right testkits AND + a good plan, BEFORE you start draining" A good plan? More ignorance on my part but can't I just empty and scrub down the liner with baking soda and rinsed and refill and shock and level it out?

[aylad]

Pooldoc's advice to drain and refill IF you have clean clear fill water with no metals is the easiest and quickest way to clear up the pool....but if you have well water, or stream water with metals, then it's a real nightmare to try to manage a new fill, and would make it easier to possibly try to work with what you've got.

You can empty the pool, scrub down the liner with baking soda and refill, as long as this is one of the plastic-type one-piece pools and doesn't have a separate liner. When you drain a liner pool, the liner generally doesn't stretch back out again and will have to be replaced. Also, if you're going to start over again, you'll need a good test kit in order to get your water re-balanced, so you don't have to depend on the pool store tests and their advice (you've already seen how well their advice works). And by "as few mystery chemicals as possible" he means none of the pool store goop where they're not just selling you chlorine, or stabilizer, they add other stuff into it that has unpredicable results in the pool (such as what happened when you added a huge dose of clarifier).

[funkymut]

Hi Aylad, Oh, thanks for reading and answering and reading between the lines of my post questions and ignorance. I think I will refill because the amount of electric and personal energy and time it is costing me more in the long run. I do not have well water or stream either. Ugg, my husband is going to kill me. This $300 pool has cost us $200 in labor for trees to be cut down only to find out the neighbors trees cover the pools sunlight and leveling off the ground $200 and sand delivered $125 only to find out the sunny area and low end of the yard is on the other side of the yard and chemicals, and we have'nt gotten the water bill for the first 5000 gallons, now another! Yikes! Oh well lessons learned and a story to pass down to the grand kids someday I guess. lol

[aylad]

Having a pool is a learning experience, that's for sure! ;)

The good news is that once you refill it, if you start it off right (no pool store goop!), then it gets much cheaper and easier from here--as long as you enforce showers after the next whipped-cream fight!!

[BigDave]

This $300 pool has cost ...Out first donut pool cost $70.00 on sale at a major national toy store and included filter, ladder, and groundcloth. I thought "What a great deal! No problem". This "gateway" pool has led to greater and greater expenditures for bigger and better pools. It snared us like a schoolyard pusher. Not really. The pools we've had the last several years have brought much happiness to our family and friends and what I've learned here has kept us clean and safe.