Cloudy water in pool with high calcium levels

[elocicero]

Hi everyone. New to the forum. However been lurking from time to time.

I have a 1yo 24ft round Doughboy with a deep end. About 16500 gallons. 1.5 hp pump a 150# sand filter.

I have not had cloudy water until the pool store talked me into using some metal magic. Now it won't get clear. The mm and cloudy water may or may not be related. Just seems like the instigator or pure coincidence.

These are my result from tonight using a Taylor K-2006 test kit:

1.4 FC (Been losing tons of chlorine daily...24 hrs ago it was 2.4)
0 CC
8 PH
90 TA
475 CH
48 CYA

Saturation is at .8 if that is important.

I am using poolife 78% Cal Hypo

[PoolDoc]

How much Metal Magic did you add? Was that the *exact* name of the product?

If you overdosed with Proteam "Metal Magic" -- HEDP -- that might be the problem. An HEDP overdose + high calcium can cause a calcium phosphonate colloid to form, one that is essentially unfilterable. If that's the case, the only real solution is to drain 2/3 of the pool and start over. Why were you adding the Metal Magic, in the first place?

OR . . . since your pH is high (why?) and your calcium is very high, you may have simply precipitated ordinary calcium carbonate (limestone dust, essentially).

There's no quick diagnostic test to distinguish the two possibilities, so do this:

1. Lower your pH to just barely under 8.0 (Muriatic acid guide linked in my signature)
2. Raise your chlorine with PLAIN 8.25% household bleach to 5+ ppm of chlorine. Brush and make sure your pool is algae-free
3. Order some polyquat -- probably 2 quarts. (www.poolsolutions.com/polyquat.html)
4. Maintain your high FC till the polyquat arrives. Then let it drop below 3.0, before adding a dose of polyquat -- about a cup.
5. Once the polyquat has been added, turn your pump OFF, and keep everyone out of the pool.
6. Wait 24 hours, adjust the eyeballs so they direct water up, and away from the pool floor. Put your pool on "RECIRCULATE" and add a 2nd dose of polyquat via the skimmer. Circulate for 2 hours and then turn the pump off again.
7. Wait 24 more hours. If the water is clearing, and white to tan dust is accumulating on the bottom, you can wait a total of 48 hours.
8. Vacuum any residue to WASTE -- do NOT run it through the filter!
9. After no more than 72 hours and 2 doses of polyquat, restore normal filter operation, no matter what the water looks like.
10. If you are able to settle, and then vacuum the 'cloud', you're in luck: it was probably calcium carbonate.
11. If there's little or no improvement, you are probably out of luck, unless you want to buy a DE filter.

Meanwhile, you need to stop the cal hypo -- right now you can't afford to add more calcium to your water. If you can get your water halfway clear AND IF your sand filter is well-functioning, there is a method for using cal hypo that will not raise your calcium levels. But, you are not ready for that, yet.

Good luck.