Blue Cloudy Water

[Watermom]

Any idea what your CYA level is? Shock level is based on CYA readings. Did your Walmart not have a 6-way drops-based kit? It has a CYA test in it. Are you going to order a Taylor K2006 kit? Having more info from that kit will make it easier to get your pool cleared up.

[pooljunky]

I don't even know what cya is. My walmart only has the strip and the chlorine and ph drops kits. I guess I will take a sample in to the pool store then post the numbers from there.

[Watermom]

Unfortunately, we have found through the years that pool store testing is not usually very accurate. After all, they are in the business of making money by selling you stuff. It is better to test it yourself which is why I recommended that you get a good kit for yourself.

CYA is cyanuric acid, also called stabilizer or conditioner. It is kind of like sunscreen for your chlorine. Outdoor pools need some or else they quickly lose all of their chlorine to the sun. Needed chlorine levels are based on the CYA reading so it is important to know what it is. More info about the CYA/Chlorine connection can be found here:> http://pool9.net/cl-cya/

[pooljunky]

Hello Watermom, understand, but Walmart only have the drop kits. I will check at the pool supply store for a better kit. Yeah I know what you mean by getting tests at the pool store because in the past everytime I took a sample in I ended up spending at least $150.00 in supplies which is why I came to this site. I am so frustrated at this point. I have never had a problem like this. Someone on this site said maybe I need to add calcium hardness and you are suggesting stabilizer. I may need the stabilizer because it has been sunny here and my chlorine level drops really fast. I am going to get the reading today from the pool store and not purchase any supplies from them and post the numbers and wait for guidance from this site.

[Watermom]

Hate to sound like a broken record but the pool store won't have a kit that has the components you need. The Taylor K2006 is the one that can measure every single thing you need but you won't find it locally which is why we recommend ordering it through this link:> http://pool9.net/tk/ If you can order it, you won't be sorry. It will make your pool care SO much easier!

(I think many Walmarts are switching out their pool supplies for school supplies so it is getting harder to find the test kits there at this time of the summer.)

[pooljunky]

Ok just got back from pool store numbers are as follows: Chlorine low 0, calcium hardness low 70, cyan uric Acid ok 60, total alkalinity ok 120, ph ok 7.6. Pool store recommend 1 quart of algaecide, 6 pounds of shock, and 58 pounds of calcium hardness. Do you concur with their recommendations?

[Watermom]

No. I do not agree with those recommendations. Yet again, another pool store that tells a customer with a vinyl pool that they need calcium. You absolutely do NOT need calcium in a vinyl pool! This shows you why we aren't too trusting of pool store testing or chemistry advice. Remember, their sole reason for being in business is to make money. If they can get people to buy expensive pool products -- even if they are not needed --- then they increase their profit. Here on the forum, we try to help people learn to manage their pools as inexpensively as possible and to only add what they actually need. Yes, we do encourage the purchase of a good kit that is a little costly, but in the long run, it will save you lots of money.

Assuming that their numbers are right, and that may or may not be true ........

Needed chlorine levels are based on CYA readings. With a CYA of 60, your maintenance levels for chlorine will be 5-10ppm and your shock level would be 20ppm. The test kit that you have is only going to be able to measure chlorine readings to 5ppm. Thus, you are going to need that K2006 kit. It can measure chlorine levels way higher than 5ppm. More about the CYA/Chlorine relationship can be found here:> http://pool9.net/cl-cya/

I would not add the algaecide nor the shock nor the calcium. You don't want to use any forms of stabilized chlorine such as trichlor tabs or dichlor shock powder because both of those have CYA in them and your CYA is high enough already.

Instead, I would just use plain, unscented bleach for your source of chlorine. Many of us just use Walmart's generic 8.25% bleach. In a 26K gallon pool, each of the 121-oz jugs of 8.25% bleach will add about 3ppm of chlorine. I have a feeling that the reason your water is cloudy is because you are on the verge of an algae bloom since you have not been keeping your chlorine high enough. My advice is to shock your pool by adding 7 of those jugs of Walmart generic bleach. You'll want to keep your chlorine at shock level until you can go from sundown one evening to within an hour of sunrise the next morning without losing more than 1ppm of chlorine. Then, we usually advise holding the chlorine high for one additional day and then letting it drift down but you'll want to make sure it always stays between 5-10 ALL the time or else you'll continue to have trouble.

Until you can order the K2006 kit, you can use the chart at this link to estimate off the scale OTO chlorine test readings:> http://pool9.net/oto-chart/ It is not super accurate and is not intended to negate the need for a good test kit but is simply a stop gap measure to use in the meantime.

Run your pump 24/7 while you are working on this and backwash your sand filter any time the pressure is 8-10psi over your clean filter pressure.

Hope this helps. If you have further questions, we'll be glad to try and help you.

[pooljunky]

Watermom, excellent thank you. I will follow your recommendations then post my results.

[Watermom]

You are welcome.