Thanks. I started having problems late last summer. The water was actually clear and seemingly well chlorinated, but it began to take on a bad smell. I started seeing black and white/yellow growths (same stuff in the niche) around the skimmer face plates and under the ladder rungs. I closed the pool shortly thereafter using my usual routine. When I lifted the safety cover for opening this spring, there was a smell not like any other that I had never experienced in my prior 8 years of opening the pool.

I'm thinking the two have got to be related. I have since super shocked my pool with chlorine shock that has taken care of the bulk of the smell, but there is still a hint of it within the water and I cannot get the water to clear. It is very cloudy even after replacing all the cartridges with new and keeping my FC up around 12-15ppm for several days.

It seems that I am having a systemic problem vs an isolated one. Anyone have any thoughts?