My cloudy pool

[Watermom]

Let us know when you try the DE test. Also, post current readings again. How does the water look today? Any better?

[nateshirk]

So we triple shocked (84oz. of calhypo) Sunday night and got rain overnight, double shocked (56oz.) Monday night and got rain overnight, Tuesday morning I vacuumed and threw a single shock (28oz.) in because if the rain, and Tuesday evening my wife single shocked (28oz.) And more rain. Today (Wednesday), around 6pm, the readings were...

FC=13.5
CC=1
pH=7.6
All=150
CYA=48
Hardness was 150ish

Pool is getting clearer, but stil has debri (dead algie?) on the bottom. I'll vacuum again in the morning. It's supposed to rain again tonight. Should I keep shocking until it's clear? Or should it be clear by now? Also, when doing the calcium harness test, I can see small particles suspended in the water. They seem to turn blue when the water does. Is that normal? Or is that what's causing the cloudiness? Thanks for the replies so far.

[Watermom]

You might want to start just using bleach instead of cal-hypo.

You do need to keep shocking until two conditions are met:
1) You can go from sundown one evening to within an hour of sunrise the next morning without losing more than 1ppm of chlorine AND
2) You have no more than 0.5CC.

Then, we usually advise keeping the chlorine high for one additional day for added insurance and then let it drift down and keep it within the proper ranges based on your CYA level. A chart that explains the connection between CYA and chlorine can be found at the following link: http://pool9.net/cl-cya/

Have you tried the DE test yet so we can verify that your filter is working properly?

[nateshirk]

I have not tried the DE. I haven't had a chance to get any. But I may wait because doesn't back washing clear out the DE? I'm constantly back washing from vacuuming. Will all the rain affect the chlorine level overnight? It's raining as I type. Can I use the sodium hypochlorite from the pool store, since I already have it, or just go to bleach? They're the same thing right? Just different concentrates?

[Watermom]

Backwashing will clear it out but if there is a problem with your filter, it will help find it and potentially help you get the pool clear faster.

The main problem with rain is that people don't go out and check their pools and thus chlorine levels get low. Just be sure you keep chlorine levels up. In my pool, a lot of rain will lower my pH.

You are right that bleach is sodium hypochlorite, usually 8.25% and yours may be 10 or 12.5%. (If it is at the advertised concentration although often that is not the case.)

[nateshirk]

FC was 12ppm this morning around 10am. No where near sunrise, but still good right? CC is 0, pH 7.6, TA 150. Didn't think I needed to test CYA and hardness again. Pool looks clearer. I can't vacuum yet because the water level is low from vacuuming to waste yesterday.

[Watermom]

Glad to hear that you are making progress.

To know when you have passed the overnight test, you need two numbers to compare. In the evening, add enough bleach to get to shock level. An hour or so later, retest the chlorine and make note of the reading. The next morning within an hour of sunrise, test the chlorine again and compare it to the reading from the night before. (The reason for wanting to get a morning reading before there is much sun on the pool is because sunlight will also drop the chlorine. Chlorine loss overnight when there is no sun is strictly from oxidizing stuff in the water. You need to be able to tell how much chlorine was used sanitizing without loss to the sun being a factor. Does that make sense?)

So, shock it again tonight and compare numbers in the morning and then post with results. Sounds like you are on the right track!

[Pappy]

The only "floc" I see regularly recommended here is the Kem-Tek 60% polyquat. I'm not sure it will help in your situation though.