Cloudy pool that wont hold Chlorine.

[bstevensa]

Ok, not to beat a dead horse but I have a problem and after searching through the forums I haven't come across anyone with the same problem. I have a 25k gallon above ground round pool.
FC = .4
CC = .4
PH = 7.2
TA = 70
CH = 260
CYA = 50
I shock every night and can not get my Chlorine levels up. My pool is pretty blue and I can my feet when im in the pool but there is a heavy whits cloud that I cant get rid of. I would assume it is because I can get the Chlorine levels up. I did read in the forums where I should shock and check levels in the evening and again in the morning to see if I am losing Chlorine over night. I plan to do this tonight so this question may be a little premature but I thought I would give it a shot. I am using tablets in a automatic chlorinator that is set to its highest setting and I am going through about 6 tablets in 2-3 days. I realize tablets is not the greatest idea but due to work my wife and kids are the ones taking care of the pool so I needed a way to keep the pool going though out the week with little to no maintenance from my family. This has worked for the last 3 years but for some reason this year I cant get the dang thing to take chlorine. I am going tonight to get some bleach to shock with tonight. Correct me if im wrong but I think i need to get my chlorine level to 20ppm which will require 8 gallons of bleach. I am getting this info from another post that said 2 gallons would raise Chlorine to 5ppm. I am using a K-2006 test kit (which I love) for the first time this year. In the past I have relied on the local pool store. Please let me know if im on the right track or if anyone can think of anything else I need to do

[aylad]

You are on the right track, and definitely need to shock the pool. You do need to get your Cl up to 20 ppm, and in a 25K gallon pool, 2 gallons should add 5 ppm. You're going to need to get it up to the 20 and hold it there by testing and adding more bleach as needed to maintain the 20 ppm until you are no longer losing chlorine when testing at night and again in the morning.

Along with shocking the water, you also must have good filtration. What type of filter are you using, are you running it 24/7, and do you see your pressure rising? What size pump do you have? Do you see any particles returning into the pool from the filter?

With 3 years' worth of using trichlor pucks, it's entirely possible that your CYA level was very high at the end of last season, and that it biodegraded into ammonia over the winter. This will cause an incredibly high chlorine demand, and may be what you're fighting. Unfortunately, the only way to overcome it is to keep at it with the chlorine until all the ammonia is gone. This can take lots of time, lots of bleach, and tons of POPP--pool owner patience and persistence. Unfortunately, trichlor pucks can make pool care easier, but only when you understand what it does to your water.

A question I have for you is whether your fill water is high in calcium or if you've been using cal-hypo at some point....high calcium levels can also cause pool clouding. Unfortunately, there's no way to know what's causing your cloudiness except to rule out one thing at a time....but with a CYA of 50, any chlorine level under 5 ppm is an invitation for algae, and yours is way under that.

By the way, welcome to the forum!!

Janet

[bstevensa]

I am using a sand filter with a 1.5hp pump and it run.s 24/7 throughout the summer. I do see the pressure rising and backwash about every 4 days. I also use skimmer socks. I don't know if they are really do anything that my filter wouldn't but they make me feel better. I did a test on my tap water and it has a CH of 80. I will admit that this year when I opened the pool I took a water sample to the local pool store and was waited on by a new person. He sold me the typical stuff ( chlorine, shock, algecide, and sodium bicarbonate) but he also said I need to add something that gets REALLY hot when it is mixed with water. I dont remember what he sold me or why I needed it but in the past they have never led me wrong so i trusted them. This may have been something that raised my Calcium hardness. This experience at the pool store and doing some research in these forums convinced me all I needed was a good test kit and I could do all this myself.


Thanks for the fast response

[Watermom]

The stuff that he sold you that gets hot is probably cal-hypo which would explain the calcium hardness reading. I wouldn't use it anymore in your pool. By the way, if your CYA is 50, you only need to take the chlorine up to 15ppm when you shock. (Take a look at the Best Guess chart in my signature below.)

Are you certain of the volume? 25K would be a pretty big AG pool. What size is it?

Welcome to the forum!

[bstevensa]

The stuff that he sold you that gets hot is probably cal-hypo which would explain the calcium hardness reading. I wouldn't use it anymore in your pool. By the way, if your CYA is 50, you only need to take the chlorine up to 15ppm when you shock. (Take a look at the Best Guess chart in my signature below.)

Are you certain of the volume? 25K would be a pretty big AG pool. What size is it?

Welcome to the forum!

Its actually around 27K I believe but I have always just used 25K. The pool in 33' diameter with 52" side walls but in the center there is 10' diameter that is 1' deeper than the rest.

[Watermom]

That is a BIG above ground pool!

[bstevensa]

That is a BIG above ground pool!

Yea, but is sure is nice. Up until this year it has been fairly easy to maintain also. We have a lot of "Get togethers" and its nice to have a large pool that the kids and the adults can get in and not be on top of each other. Our friends joke that we have an "Olympic Size Above Ground Pool"

[bstevensa]

*UPDATE* ok I have been keeping the Chlorine @15ppm for the last 2 days and 3 nights, checking every night at dark then checking again when I wake up. Last night I only lost 1ppm. I would assume that what ever was eating up all the chlorine might be gone now and I can start letting the chlorine go back down to normal, correct? Here is my new readings:
FC = 14
CC = .5
PH = 7.2
TA = 70
CH = 270
During all this the CH did go up some. How would I lower it? I have been told I do not need any CH and that it may be the cause that my pool is still white cloudy.
I have a fountain on the return right now trying to cool the pool off and I would assume that would also raise the PH. Once the PH is 7.4 I plan to raise the TA a little.
Any thoughts?

[PoolDoc]

Hi Brian;

Don't worry about the calcium - it may have been the problem, if you were adding cal hypo, but unless you are planning to STILL add it, it's not an issue now. Run your fountain, and keep your pH down, and the calcium will NOT be an issue.

What sort of filter do you have?