Cloudy Water After Alum

[PoolDoc]

OK. That's a mess. Do this:

1. Tell me the EXACT product name on the 15 bottles of stuff you put in the pool.
2. Tell me the EXACT product you are calling alum -- I'm assuming you didn't buy a 100# bag of industrial aluminum sulfate. (Actual industrial alum is usually a coarse tan granular material.)
3. Tell me what COLOR the water is.
4. Start ignoring your pool store -- anybody that let you put 15 bottles of metal remover in a small pool is without a clue!
5. Turn your pump on, and leave it on. AND, turn your SWCG OFF and leave it off.
6. Get a cheap OTO chlorine test kit, use it, and tell me what you see.
7. As soon as you get a chance, open the filter, and make sure it's FULL of sand.
8. Order a K2006 ASAP; you can use the Amazon link in my signature if you like.
9. Use the bleach to keep your chlorine in the 3 - 5 ppm range. Dose in the evening.
10. Buy a 25# bag of DE powder. Add two cups -- only -- of DE to the skimmer. Then, go watch the returns, to see if the DE comes back into the pool, as a white stream (I hope your pool is clear enough for that). If it DOES come back, you'll need to repair your filter. If not, begin adding 2 - 4 cups of DE to your skimmer after each backwash. You'll lose the DE . . . and some of the gunk . . . each time your backwash.
11. Plan on this taking awhile (2 weeks?) to clear. If you get impatient, it's likely to get worse, so don't. (Our stock of quart bottles of P.O.P.* is out, so you'll need to fill your own!)
12. Send us the K2006 results, once you have them.
13. For now, do NOT put ANYTHING else in that pool, except bleach!
14. Draining and refilling would be faster, but do NOT do this on your own -- you can destroy your liner, or even your pool. If you want to do this, hire a pool company to do it for you.


* P.O.P. = Pool Owner Patience!

[BigDave]

One thing you mentioned was Fiber Clear. This is not (despite what the pool store may have told you) the same as DE. I bought Fiber Clear last year to improve my sand filtration, I saw no improvement. I did see big clumps of what looked like wet newspaper on my sand when I opened the sand filter to winterize it. I don't kinow if Fiber Clear really works as a DE replacement in a DE filter but (in my experience) it does not work the same way in a sand filter - it appears to attract itself and just forms big clumps.

When PoolDoc says to use DE, use DE not Fiber Clear.

[kelemvor]

One thing you mentioned was Fiber Clear. This is not (despite what the pool store may have told you) the same as DE. I bought Fiber Clear last year to improve my sand filtration, I saw no improvement. I did see big clumps of what looked like wet newspaper on my sand when I opened the sand filter to winterize it. I don't kinow if Fiber Clear really works as a DE replacement in a DE filter but (in my experience) it does not work the same way in a sand filter - it appears to attract itself and just forms big clumps.

When PoolDoc says to use DE, use DE not Fiber Clear.

The fiberclear faq says this:
When I disassemble my filter to clean it, there is a gray gelatinous material that is difficult to remove. Why does this happen and how do I remove it from the filter?
This is usually the result of a non-compatible chemicals (clarifiers, phosphate removers, etc.) being added to the water. Fiber Clear is merely filtering those chemicals out of the water. Clarifiers, phosphate removers some types of algaecides or other types of sequestering agents should not be added to a Fiber Clear filter. If you inadvertently add them, you will need to disassemble the filter and clean it thoroughly according to the manufacturer's instructions. You can then add a fresh amount of Fiber Clear.

Not that I'm suggesting the stuff or anything...

[BigDave]

None of the @#$%$ has ever been in my pool. Fiber Clear is the weirdest thing this pool has seen. It may be fine as a DE replacement in a DE filter I don't know. In my experience it didn't help in a sand filter and left me with chunks of newspaper delivered in a thunderstorm and run over by the car. Perhaps it is incompatible with the DHMO that I use in excess.

Sorry, wits, for the Hijack. Follow PoolDoc's advice. He will help you. POP is the one thing you can't overuse.

[waterbear]

None of the @#$%$ has ever been in my pool. Fiber Clear is the weirdest thing this pool has seen. It may be fine as a DE replacement in a DE filter I don't know. In my experience it didn't help in a sand filter and left me with chunks of newspaper delivered in a thunderstorm and run over by the car. Perhaps it is incompatible with the DHMO that I use in excess.

Sorry, wits, for the Hijack. Follow PoolDoc's advice. He will help you. POP is the one thing you can't overuse.

Dave, have you ever added polyquat? It will react much the same with the cellulose fiber.

[BigDave]

No, WB, no polyquat. Water, Bleach, Borax, CYA, and a little Baking Soda... people and toys too. Started this pool new last year. The pool store that sold me the Fiber Clear intimated but wouldn't actually say that DE is illegal. I gave it a shot, I expected more. Perhaps my pump was too small to adequately backwash this stuff out of the 27" filter.