ARGHHHHH!!! Cloudy water

[geneskaf]

Hi. My pool is vinyl. When I got home tonight I did a water sample with the drops (just a small testing unit for cl and ph. The water color was brighter yellow than the 5 on the side for chlorine and the pH was 7.2. So, chlorine stayed in there today. I checked the powdered shock and it is calcium hypo so I will return that tomorrow. I am going to run to the store and get some more bleach for tonight. Luckily, I live in Washington state and actually its raining right now!

I'll also take in a water sample to the pool supply store but I won't buy a thing (unless they have the water sample kit I want!).

Will report my chemical results tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone,
Kathy

[duraleigh]

Kathy,

That's great. Everyone here will be looking for them and you'll get lots of help.

[geneskaf]

Geez, now I can't find where I posted this the first time. If you find duplicates...forgive me. I'm not only pool illiterate but also message posting illiterate...LOL

Sorry guys, but I started a new thread because I'm not sure what to do next and I guess I need to do something!! The test below was done at about 3:30 pm PDT from a sample I took this morning at 7:30 am and right now its 5:40 pmPDT. I just tested the chlorine and ph and this is the result (I added chlorine AFTER the testing this morning) The chlorine is a 5 and the pH is at 7.2 and the pool is still cloudy.
???????????????????
Hi,

I finally made it to the pool store after a very hectic day at work. These are the results:
Tot chlorine 7.3
Free Chlorine 6.1
Alkalinity 133
Tot hardness 243
Optimizer 30
No Maganese
Saturation Idx .02
No Copper
No Iron
They did not test the CYA or TDS

They recommended this:
3 bags of Oxysheen
2 oz of Polysheen blue (clarifyer?)

She also tested my phosphates and said they were high (1000) and recommended I buy Sear Klear Phosphate Remover and use 2 oze.

I didn't buy anything. Thought I would wait for some directions from you experts on here. The water is still cloudy. When I checked the chlorine this morning, my husband checked with the stick tester and it said low. When I checked with the drop kit it said over 5. Even though it read high, I still put a gallon of chlorine it because it just hasn't been staying there all day, especially today because its sunny out. Soooo....what next????

Waiting with bated breath....
Kathy

[Watermom]

We really need to know the cya reading. In the meantime, test it at least 2x a day, and 3x a day is better if you can do it. Each time, add enough bleach to bring your cl level back up to 15. The key to clearing a pool is to sustain the high cl reading. If you let it yo-yo up and down, you'll never clear it. You really need a test kit that measures higher than 5 like the one Ben sells at the sister site to this forum www.poolsolutions.com which is what most of us use. But for now, you can dilute your sample and make your kit go higher than 5. Take one part pool water and one part distilled water, mix them together, test as usual and multiply the result by 2. If you need to go higher than this, take one part pool water and two parts distilled, multiply result by 3, etc. It does lose some accuracy with each dilution but it is better than nothing.

(After we get your cya reading, we may need to adjust what you need to keep your chlorine at but for now, go with 15.)

[geneskaf]

CYA results:

42

I also tested the following (with a drop kit at home)

Chlorine - 15 (this is using the shot method - one shot pool water, 2 shots distilled water)

Alkalinity 250

ph 7.0 - 7.2 (the color is in between these two)

Hardness - 0 (the sample never turned red in the first place so it says there is no hardness).

And.......the water is STILL cloudy. I've been putting in bleach daily and honestly, I've about had it with this pool. I'm starting to feel like I'll never see the bottom again.!!!!!!

Any thoughts? What next??

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

Kathy (in overcast Washington - thank goodness!!!!!)

[geneskaf]

Hi everyone,

Any takers out there??? I just don't know what to do to this pool and I need some help. I've been working on it nearly a month (as my husband has reminded me a LOT and we still can't see the bottom.

Any of you experts have some direction for me?

Kathy

[let_her_flicker]

I am by no means an expert, but after reading the thread I have a few questions. Today your alkalinity is 250. On 6/16 you reported 133. That is a big difference.

When you vacuum are you vacuuming to Waste or into the filter? If you are going into the filter, you need to backwash or the dead algae will get back into your pool making it cloudy. Every time you vacuum, I would vacuum to waste and get rid of that nasty stuff. Keep at it with the bleach.

Sometimes when lots of chemicals have been added it can make your pool cloudy. One time Ben talked about pool water just getting worn out and needing to replace most of it. There is really no time table or chart about it, but the theory is at somepoint, a person's pool water may not respond anymore.

If you have check out this link, it may help you:

http://www.poolsolutions.com/gd/cloudy.html

Good luck and keep working at it.

[geneskaf]

well, I guess mine is worn out, then. I replaced it 3 years ago. I'm going to take a pool sample in again for about the 10th time and see what it reads. I don't know anymore. I'm ready to bag the whole thing and not have a pool this summer!

Thanks for responding.

Kathy

[geneskaf]

Oh, and how do you vacuum to waste?

Kathy

[mbar]

Please don't give up. Here is what I would do:
To vacuum to waste, look on your filter - on the top where you turn your filter on and off there should be a place for backwash - if you don't have one, then I don't know what kind of sand filter you have. Was your filter checked? If your filter is not working properly, then your water will never clear.

Second, I would cut a pair of old stockings or tights - cut the leg off. Put the foot in the skiimmer basket, wrap the top part (where yu cut) around the top of the basket and put it back in - this will collect the small particles that the filter is letting back in the water.

Third, turn your return eyballs up so that the water is bubbling on the top of the water, this will aerate your water and with a ph of 7. to 7.2 it will lower your alkalintiy while raising your ph. You must keep lowering the ph back down to 7 and repeat - your alkalinity is too high. Check out the sticky in the alkalinity section of the forum, this will explain the process to you.

Fourth, keep your chlorine at 15 to 20 constantly - this means checking it a couple of time a day. You must not let it yo yo up and down - you still have combined chlorine which means that you are not killing the algae completely - it is trying to come back, and will use up your chlorine fast.

Fifth, and most important, don't let it get you down - you have to have complete patience - I know you think that you have, but you keep wanting to try new things - you must keep the chlorine steady until it holds overnight. You must keep your filter running 24/7. You have to make sure that the filter is working properly - the stocking on the skimmer will help. Invest in a good test kit - so you will have control over your own pool. Read all you can on these forum boards, after a while they will start to make sense to you. It seems really confusing, but in the end it is simple - keep chlorine in your pool at all times so that you don't get an algae bloom - balance the water according to the type of pool you have. Have patience and don't throw lots of chemicals in the water - most times the chlorine just needs time to work, and the filter has to filter out the dead stuff. Keep your ph and alk balanced - they will buonce around a lot if you don't. In a vinyl pool you don't need calcium, unless you have a heater, then keep it low - around 125.

Hope this helps, good luck!