Very Cloudy/Foaming issues

[Apatton]

**Follow up from my post last night** After the pool ran 8 hours, i noticed no difference in cloudiness. I decided since my water was mostly settled, i'd give the DE test another shot since it would be easier to notice. I first backwashed to get any junk from last night out, then added DE to my skimmer. A few minutes later there was a noticeable white cloud shooting out of my return back to my pool.

[BigDave]

That sounds to me like you'll need to open the filter and inspect. A proper sand bed should be able to hold DE. Did/does alot of sand come out in backwash?

[BigDave]

Maybe insufficient sand, some other broken or misplaced parts. Anything that would let the water go around or straight through the sand bed.

[CarlD]

By "High alkalinity" do you mean high Total Alkalinity or an elevated pH lever? "High alkalinity" shouldn't be the source of your problems in either case. And, if it's Total Alkalinity, just adding Muriatic Acid isn't going to fix it.

I'm thinking there's nothing wrong with your filter, but that you've been advised (and sold) to throw in so much junk that clearing it all out is going to take some time.

BD, WM: what do you think of this recommendation?

1) Give us a full set of test numbers: FC, CC or TC, pH, CH, T/A and CYA.
2) Backwash. Then add just enough DE (about 1/4 to 1/3) cup through your skimmer to raise your PSI 1lb.
3) adjust pH and FC levels to recommended shock level for your CYA level (http://pool9.net/cl-cya/)
4 Buy a package of "Skimmer Socks" (or similar skimmer liners under another brand name). They are cheap. Put one in your skimmer.
5) Run your pump 24/7. If it's a two speed, run it on High. Let this run for a day or two.
6) See if the pressure on the pump went up, and if the skimmer sock is full. If so, backwash and add more DE and wash out the skimmer sock and replace.
7) Keep pH between 7.2 and 7.8, and keep FC at shock level.
8) Let us know what happens and we can recommend the next step/steps.

[BigDave]

@CarlD: The filter has failed DE test. It needs to be addressed to clear pool.
@Apatton: It's probably a bad idea to mix and match our advice and your neighbor's.

[Watermom]

**Follow up from my post last night** After the pool ran 8 hours, i noticed no difference in cloudiness. I decided since my water was mostly settled, i'd give the DE test another shot since it would be easier to notice. I first backwashed to get any junk from last night out, then added DE to my skimmer. A few minutes later there was a noticeable white cloud shooting out of my return back to my pool.

But...... from his later post, it does sound like he failed the DE test.

[CarlD]

Yeah, now it does. I don't get it..... (shrugs)

[Apatton]

I'm sorry for any confusion, I'd like to take the chance to clear it up. Ever since dumping copious amounts of chemicals into my pool, previous to any DE addition, my jets have been returning very white-ish water...it is most noticeable when the pool is first turned on after sitting. So, while I have done the DE test twice, the only time I truly felt my pool may have been returning DE through the jets was after the pool had been sitting and not on for several hours. It was about 5:30am before i head in to work, and it may have simply been the nasty white-ish water that has been keeping my pool cloudy for the past 3 1/2 - 4 weeks. I felt it was whiter then usual, but in hindsight I had only gotten about 5 hours the night before thanks to the newborn, and had not yet had my morning coffee.

Still working to provide you the following information, waiting on delivery of my Taylor pool testing kit. Here's what i'll be providing when i post next, hopefully I can do it during the week: 1) Give us a full set of test numbers: FC, CC or TC, pH, CH, T/A and CYA. Speaking of this, can someone break down what these are? I recognize pH and Total Alkalinity, but i'm not certain what the other items are...Free chlorine and something else? No clue what CYA is.

[Watermom]

FC - free chlorine --- the chlorine that is available to still do the work. (Needed FC is based on your CYA level.)
CC - combined chlorine --- very simply put -- it is the chlorine that has already been used up oxidizing stuff in the water. Ideally, want 0 CC.
TC -- total chlorine. FC + CC = TC
CH -- calcium hardness. Unless it is really high, CH is not a concern in a vinyl pool. In a hard-sided pool, you want 200-400.
CYA -- cyanuric acid, also called stabilizer or conditioner. It is basically like sunscreen for your pool. Without an adequate amount, an outdoor pool will lose the chlorine to the sun really fast. For most pools, CYA of around 50ppm works well.

Hope this helps a little.

[Apatton]

Alright, kit came in today, here are my findings:

FC - .4ppm
CC - 1.2 ppm
TA - 900 ppm
CH - 0
CYA - 75 PPM

Forgot pH, 7.0

It has been raining here in PHX off and one the past two days, just an FYI.