ARGHHHHH!!! Cloudy water

[geneskaf]

ok, i went to test the alkalinity and my directions are not in my pool kit. Another roadblock. I have the 5 test from Wal Mart. How do I test the alkalinity? My CYA is 42 and there is O hardness. My chlorine is 15 ppm and my pH is 6.8. As soon as I figure out how to test the AK I will. I think you put 5 drops of AK Indicator in some water (amount?) and then add 5 drops of AK and count the drops it takes to turn red then multiply by 3???

Thanks

[geneskaf]

ok, if the test is correct the way i did it, (put drops in 25 ml of pool water) it never did turn RED but at about 28 drops it was clear and then at about 35 drops it started turning a yellowish color with a tinge of orange I guess. Its got 65 drops of AK Titrant and its a tinge of orange. I wouldn't call it red. Anyway, if I multiply by 3 it would be about 190. Should I keep putting drops in until it turns completely red?

Kathy

[geneskaf]

OK, now I have some new numbers. The water is still cloudy with visibility of about one foot. Todays numbers are:

Chlorine 1.5
pH 7.3
Alkalinity 60 (low, right?)
CYA 42

I know I need to add chlorine tonight. I had so much chlorine in it I couldnt test the pH or alkalinity. But...the chlorine HAS been holding. I'm told there is a lot of dead algae (tiny particles) in the pool. I'm vacuuming to waste, I put some sparkle stuff in the trap thingy and I'm backwashing as necessary. According to what I've read, I should let the filter get 5 to 7 pounds over and above the normal pressure before I backwash. Is this correct?

We are in the middle of a heat wave here in Washington and the kids are chomping at the bit.

Thoughts? Advice? Next?

Thanks,
Kathy

[Watermom]

If you still have cloudy water, you need to continue to shock your pool. Also, run your pump 24/7. I don't know what sparkle stuff in the trap thingy is, but you probably didn't need it. As far as backwashing goes, we usually suggest backwashing when the pressure rises 8-10 psi.

[geneskaf]

My pump has been running 24/7 for nearly a month now (the amount of time this pool has been being worked on). You say to shock - what will the shock do? It's been shocked and shocked and reshocked. I kept the chlorine up to 15 - 20 for a week. My pool liner is nearly whilte!

Kathy

[DogPaddle]

Kathy--sorry you're having such a frustrating experience. I haven't read every post on this thread so I apologize if someone already asked...what kind of filter do you have? Is it in good working condition? Have you backwashed and dismantled the filter to clean it well? You can run your pump until doomsday but without a good, clean filter you may be just be recycling silt back into the pool. (i.e., If you have a DE filter that has deteriorated the filter "fins" could have holes that let debris back into the pool. If the filter has holes you may not notice an increase in pressure that would indicate time to backwash.) Good luck and don't give up yet!

[geneskaf]

Hi,
I have a sand filter and have replaced the sand this year. I have replaced the gauge, too. I put clarifier in yesterday and have white pieces of stuff in my pool right now. I just spent some time vacuuming to waste and scrubbed the walls again. The pool store where I buy my chemicals and get my water tested gave me the clarifier for free...LOL...early on I spent so much money in there I guess they feel they owe me. They want to see me with clear water, too!! I had a lot of dead teeny tiny particles in my pool. Lord knows they couldn't be alive with the volume of chlorine they've been sitting in. I have been working on this pool for a month. I wish I would have emptied the pool originally and started from fresh. It would have cost me less! However, I really would know as much as I do about pools now, I 'spose. I just don't know what to do next. The 4th of July is nearly here and our pool is cloudy, cloudy, cloudy. It's blue...but cloudy.

Kathy