noob with cloudy water

[swimmerfred]

Hey Folks,

crystal clear water for first few weeks, then green and cloudy, then blue and cloudy. I fixed the green with algecide and smarter cleaning, but can't get the water back to crystal. Here's the dirty details:

30x15 above ground
cart filter running 12-24 hours/day (cloudy regardless)
triclor tabs from an automatic feeder, turned up to highest level
solar cover used about half the time
shocked weekly with super shock

FC=about 4
pH=7.3
alk=120
hardness=200
cya=0-30

Here's the thing, I know the triclor are supposed to be stabilized, but my cya never goes over 0-30. in fact it may be pegged at 0 for all I know. (test strips are hard to read) Additionally, the pounders of super shock say that it should increase fc something like 5ppm roughly for a pool my size. however, it takes several lbs to get fc over 7. what am i doing wrong? Not sure if it's related, but my cartridge is fairly new and it has to be cleaned every couple of days or flow drops quite a bit. Struggling to filter out the suspended particles that are cloudying the pool?

Again, first season, very new. I've searched all the forums, but holy cows is there a lot of conflicting info.

Thanks a ton!

[Watermom]

Hi Fred and welcome to the Pool Forum.

I assume you are using test strips since you report the CYA level as being a range of 0-30. If you have been using trichlor, then you have a CYA reading. Do you have a reputable pool store that you can let test your water and report back with their numbers. Just don't let them talk you into buying a bunch of stuff.

You'll need a good test kit if you don't already have one. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C (same kit, larger bottle of some reagents). If you buy it through the Amazon link in my signature, the Pool Forum makes a little money on the sale which helps us keep this form online. Only buy if the seller is Amato Industries, however. Some other sellers are substituting the K-2005 which you do NOT want. If Amato isn't listed, wait a day or two and try again. They seem to restock pretty quickly when they sell out.

Tell us exactly what all you have put in the pool meaning ingredients and not product names. Then somebody here can try and help you.

[CarlD]

Hi, and welcome!

I think I can help. We call them "silly strips" because you'll go silly trying to get an accurate reading from them. FC is usually the most accurate and pH is sorta OK. Alk and hardness get pretty vague, and CYA NEVER reads close to the proper test.

I suggest you take a sample to a pool store, but don't buy anything. Then you'll need to get a proper test kit, which, for the $50-$70 they range is cheap. We recommend the Taylor K-2006 and you can get it via Amazon by clicking on the sig line of one of 3 moderators: PoolDoc (actually the owner), Watermom, or aylad. If it's from Amato Industries via Amazon, they send the right one everytime.

Meanwhile, I'll be your CYA level is higher, but even if it's not, you can't get rid of algae and clouds until you raise FC to at least 12. I would take it to 15 because if the CYA is what I think it is, you'll need it at 15. Even if it's not, 15 won't hurt a vinyl-lined pool.

To get it to 15, you have to increase your FC by 11 points. Every gallon of 6% bleach should raise your FC by about 5 points, so just about 2 gallons of bleach should bring your level up to a proper shocking level. You'll have to add more bleach to keep it there for a while.

Next, go read our sister site, poolsolutions.com and get all the knowledge you can. And keep running that filter 24/7

Carl

[swimmerfred]

Ok, Ok, I'll order a test kit. In the meantime, regardless of how much shock, or bleach I add, it never seems to bump the fc like it should. I added 2 gallons of 6% bleach and fc increased by 4 points. I'm starting to get frustrated dumping gallons of bleach and pounds of shock in, with absolutely no improvements. Any thoughts?

[BigDave]

One thought: you can't really tell what your FC is with the strips. When your K-2006 arrives, I promise, you'll be surprized at how easy it is to use and interpret.

[aylad]

I would suspect that you are having trouble raising your FC for several reasons, some of which are 1) you are still on the edge of an algae bloom, since algaecides (and here we only recommend polyquat) are much better at preventing algae than killing it, therefore it's consuming the chlorine as quickly as you put it in, 2) your algaecide is creating its own chlorine demand in the pool, and 3) with a low CYA you're losing a lot to the sun. In order to clear it iup, you are going to have to get the chlorine up to your shock level (as they said above, that's based on your CYA level, so you need an accurate one to start with)--see the "best guess" link in my sig for more info about that--and keep that chlorine level up until you stop losing chlorine when testing at night and again in the morning before the sun hits the pool (that measures how much chlorine the pool is using and rules out what the sun is consuming). Only then can you let your chlorine drift back down--but how low you can let it go also depends on that same CYA level. So....you're gonna need a test kit to accomplish this, but it can be done with the cheap OTO (uses red and yellow drops to measure chlorine and pH). However, if you can invest in a good, comprehensive kit, it will pay for itself over and over and make your life SO much easier!!

[swimmerfred]

Kit's on its way. Taylor K-2006. I'll update as soon as i have some good info. Thanks for all the help so far!

[Watermom]

Good decision to buy the kit. You're gonna love it.

[swimmerfred]

Ok, tested with the Taylor kit and here are the results:

FC = 3ppm
CC = .5ppm
pH = 7.1
TA = 170ppm
Ca Hardness = 200ppm
cya = 35ppm

I cleaned out my cart filter a day or so ago, and the stuff that ran off had a green tint to it so I'm guessing that algae is probably my problem. Also, the cloudiness does have a slight green tint to it. I've used an ounce or two per week of Super Algae Something ( I don't have the bottle nearby ) but obviously I'm using the wrong stuff or improperly using it. Here's another thing I should have mentioned: All this started after a huge storm that hit the area. I didn't know then that storms can be tough on a pool, and I've never caught up since. Anywho, what should I do now?

[aylad]

Yup, shock the pool. Take your chlorine up to 15 ppm and hold it there by testing and adding enough chlorine to get back up to 15 ppm as many times a day as possible. Run the pump 24/7, brush the pool daily, and clean the filters as your pressure indicates. Maintain the high chlorine level until the pool has cleared up, and until you can test at night and again in the morning before the sun hits the pool, and you don't lose more than 1 ppm chlorine in that time. This is a process that can take a few days, not just a one-time dose of chlorine. When you get to the point where you're not losing chlorine overnightm, then you can let the chlorine drift back down to normal (3-6 ppm for your CYA level).

Oh--and stop using the algaecide. If it's not polyquat 60, it's creating more problems than you think it's solving. Just stick with chlorine.

Janet