Please define "cloudy water"

I see this in many threads: "My water is cloudy."

Sometimes, it means you can't see the bottom; other times, there's a "green tinge", or "white stuff floating in the water". And often it turns out the water is sparkling clear but "brown dust comes up when I brush".

This is only my second summer with the pool and I'm always learning. I think I have a pretty clean pool, good numbers and a pleasant feel to the water. I've never (yet) had pea soup or a swamp or cloudy water -- I don't think, anyway. But yes, when I brush the bottom, there's some dusty stuff that billows up now and then. Is that what's meant by "cloudy water"? And if so, what am I not doing that I should be doing to avoid it?

Or is that the sort of dead algae debris one would expect in a pool?

Its one of those "you'll know it when you see it" things. In my pool, a 20x40 IG vinyl with an 8 1/2 ft deep end, the water is normally very clear and "sparkles". You can see sunlight clearly reflected off the bottom and the main drains and all look very clear and "crisp".

When the water gets "cloudy", even slightly, it looks just a bit murky. You can see the drains at the bottom, but they aren't sharp. The reflections of light off the bottom are not crisp. Very often, you can't really see anything in the water and it generally looks clean and clear, but just not as sharp. Fortunately, this doesn't happen often (but it just did a few days ago when I inadvertantly shut off my SWG and spent the next 2 days trying to figure out why my water was cloudy with a lower CL level than expected).

"Cloudy" water almost always corresponds to some change in the water. Your numbers may be good, but how do they compare to when the water "sparkles"? That is really what is important. In my case, the CL had dropped from my normal 4-5 ppm to around 2 and the water was just slightly cloudy. I think overall, people use it as a good guage of when their pool is on the edge of a problem and needs attention.

Thanks! That helped a lot. I especially like your reference to 'crisp' and 'sharp' because it appeals to my other hobby, antique photo restauration.

I appreciate your input.

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Originally Posted by AnnaK

But yes, when I brush the bottom, there's some dusty stuff that billows up now and then. Is that what's meant by "cloudy water"?

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If you are using Calcium Hypochlorite (HTH, etc) You will see the calcium which has precipitated out of the CalHypo.

When cleaning up after having added CalHypo to maintain things over the winter the residue of gray/white powder was so thick I could not see the pattern on the bottom of the liner.:mad:

I have not used CalHypo in any form for a year and have not had any recurrence of the powder.

One other thing I lost with not using CalHypo was the black "bathtub" ring on the liner. The pool stores all said it was pollution. :eek: The better half was constantly scrubbing the water line. NO MORE!:D

Since switching to BBB the pool and everybody around it have been MUCH happier.

Sparkling is as mentioned in tphaggerty's post and this is what I see every day since the BBB method began ---- Thanks to this forum and all the experts.:)

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Originally Posted by fcfrey

If you are using Calcium Hypochlorite (HTH, etc) You will see the calcium which has precipitated out of the CalHypo.

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I'm not using Cal-Hypo. I notice this 'dust' when brushing mostly if we haven't been in the pool for a day.

The bottom and sides of the pool feels clean. I mean, when I slide my feet and hands over it it's, like, squeaky clean, not slick or grainy or anything like that. I've concluded it's dead algae bodies which hadn't been circulated enough to be filtered out. Certainly the water has that crisp sparkle which tphaggerty defined.

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Originally Posted by AnnaK

I'm not using Cal-Hypo. I notice this 'dust' when brushing mostly if we haven't been in the pool for a day.

The bottom and sides of the pool feels clean. I mean, when I slide my feet and hands over it it's, like, squeaky clean, not slick or grainy or anything like that. I've concluded it's dead algae bodies which hadn't been circulated enough to be filtered out. Certainly the water has that crisp sparkle which tphaggerty defined.

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If it's "squeaky clean", and your chlorine has been maintained at proper levels, then it's probably just dirt, pollen, etc that has blown into the pool, or dirt that has been tracked in by swimmers. Brush it up and your filter should take care of it.


Janet

Cloudy water is like the CYA test kit. You look in and you cant see the bottom.

The first thing to dissapear is the drain at the bottom of the deep end.

Then the whole deep end and you can only make out the liner in the shallow.

Then if it gets really bad, you start counting how many steps you can see.

On the path to recovery from "cloudy water" you get excited as new bottom features emerge.

You have pollen or chemical debris - you will know cloudy water when it hits - and you will read this website like never before.

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Originally Posted by chemicalbalance

You have pollen or chemical debris - you will know cloudy water when it hits - and you will read this website like never before.

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That's not possible. I read this forum with my first cup of coffee in the morning and my last sip of Tequila at night :) But I betcha that if I do get cloudy water, I'll post here like never before.