12' Diameter INTEX Pool with very cloudy water

Hello! I have been searching through a lot of your postings and I think I my know what the issue is with my small 12' diameter pool but I'm not sure what is the best, safest and quickest way to fix it.

My pool developed some mustard colored algae and I added HTH Algaecide Sunday to kill it. The following morning I brushed the pool and added HTH Shock treatment. The water was no longer a yellowish/green color but more of a milky white color. The pump has been running for at least 12-14 hours daily (I unplug it at night). I have added HTH Shock twice but water is still the same. I have the HTH Drop test kit and the readings fluctuate quite a bit. Last night 2 hours after adding shock the Cl/Br was way above 5/10 as the test water was a dark orange. The PH was 7.8. I tested the water this morning and the Cl/Br was 2/4 and the PH 7.2 but the water is still a milky white color. What I am not sure about is do I need to use bleach and borax or just bleach? I would like to clear it as quick as possible but I am not sure what and how much I need to use. I am fairly new to owning a pool as this was given to us by a friend who is moving. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

As long as your pH is within the range of 7.2-7.8, you are ok. If it drops below that, you'll want to raise it a little with some Borax. I would advise that you quit putting all the pool store products in your pool. Usually they don't help and often cause additional problems. I would just stick with plain, unscented bleach. But, without knowing your volume, can't comment on amounts.

Please put your pool's information in our pool chart as it will make it easier for us to help. What kind of test kit do you have?

Pool Chart Entry Form

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

I have filled out the Pool Chart Entry Form. I do not know the HP of the pump since it is a pump that we had used several years ago when we had 24' Intex. We retrofitted it to fit this smaller pool since the original pump did not work. My husband had to use 2.5" hoses to make it work. The intake doesn't seem to have a very strong suction to it but the outtake is very strong. I am using a HTH 3-way drops test kit. It tests chlorine, bromine and ph. We get our filters at Walmart which, from what I have read, aren't the best but it's all we can afford right now. I have not tried to clean the filter yet because we lose water when we open the pump. I have drained off about 1/4 of the water and topped it back off but it didn't seem to help much. I am more than happy stop using HTH products and just use bleach and/or Borax as needed. Much cheaper and probably safer.

What is your chlorine and pH reading? (You can ignore the bromine side of the tester.) You're going to need to get a better kit. We think that everyone needs a good test kit. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C which you can get through the test kit link in my signature below. Try and order it early in the morning while the seller listed is Amato Industries. Sometimes they sell out during the day, but usually restock overnight. Some other sellers don't sell it for as good of a price.

Since the kit is only sold online, you need something to use until you get it. Get a cheap OTO (yellow drops) / phenol test kit, or if available at YOUR Walmart (check availability), get the HTH 6-way DROPS test kit, which is compatible with the Taylor K2006. Test the pool as soon and you can, and post the results. If you get the 6-way kit, ALSO test the water you FILL the pool with, especially if it's a well, and post THOSE results as well. (The HTH is the best available kit you're likely to find locally, but it's not the K-2006. It can only provide rough measurements chlorine levels above 5 ppm, and it measures "TOTAL" hardness, rather than "CALCIUM" hardness, which is not ideal.)

The kit I have is the HTH 3-way. As of right now the chlorine level is nonexistent but the Ph is 7.2. The fill water chlorine level is 1 or 2 (hard to tell) and the PH is 7.5. Earlier today the chlorine level in the pool was about 2 and the PH level was 7.2. I will try to find the HTH 6-way test kit but for now I have 3-way with the yellow and red drops. I have not added any chemicals to the pool since last night (HTH Shock). I have just been letting the pump run and skimming the top occasionally today. I am afraid to let the pump run 24/7 because we can't afford a new one so I unplug it in the evenings. The water is still a milky white color but does seem to be a little clearer closer to the top.

It's impossible to tell without accurate test results, plus pictures, but here's what I *think* is going on.

1. You've killed all, or most of the algae, turning the cloudy green into cloudy white. BUT, if you don't get some bleach in there RIGHT away, you'll do a RESET, regrowing all that algae, and being EXACTLY where you were before. Put 1/4 gallon of bleach in THIS evening. Do it again, TOMORROW evening, but then brush the pool completely. There may be hidden piles of algae in the pool, and you do NOT want them stirred up while the chlorine is low. After brushing, if there's the slightest evidence that the water changed to greenish -- add 2 cups MORE bleach.

2. I'm not sure what HTH shock you have, but most types of HTH shock contain calcium hypochlorite. It's quite possible, with this form of chlorine, to fill your pool with milky looking calcium carbonate. But, without test results, I can't do more than guess.

3. Intex filter cartridges aren't very good, and don't last very long. Intex suggests replacing them every two 2 weeks. They do work well enough to keep a pool clear IF nothing goes wrong. But when a pool gets cloudy, they filter out the cloud, very, very slowly.

Without new Unicel cartridges and some polyquat . . . it may take the rest of the summer to get your pool clear.

Honestly, if your water isn't very expensive, it would be easier to refill and start over.

Sorry.