ARGHHHHH!!! Cloudy water

[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!

[let_her_flicker]

Kathy,

Don't throw the bag in just yet. Water should not wear out in 3 years.

So, by your response you have been vacuuming into the sand filter I assume.

To backwash you need a backwash hose that should be attached to the filter. It is rolled up and usually blue in color. If you don't have one, get one from your pool store. You will need a clamp too to hold it in place. Roll out the hose so it can discharge. Turn your filter off. Move handle clockwise to backwash. Turn filter back on. Water should flow through the blue hose. Check the little plastic bubble near the top of the filter housing on the side. It will look sandy in color. When it appears clear, stop filter. Move hand to rinse. Run on rinse for about 15 to 30 seconds. Stop filter again. Turn handle to filter. Start your filter again.

To vacuum to waste, roll out the blue hose. Remove all air from the vacuum hose by placing hose in front of the return. The place vacuum hose into skimmer throat (remove basket first). Turn filter off. Move handle to waste. Turn filter back on and water should come out the blue hose like backwashing (except at a slower rate). Vacuum bottom. Then follow procedures by turn filter off, removing hose, replacing basket, move handle to filter and turn on. No need to backwash yet.

Keep chlorine up. You do need to know how much CYA you have in the pool so you can know how much chlorine we need to get it at to kill all the things that are consuming your chlorine.

Make sure you try to keep PH around 7.5 Deal with the TA later. Even a PH as high as 7.8 doesn't inhibit the effectiveness of chlorine that much. Constantly aerating will cause the PH to rise.

The key is to do one thing at a time.

Hope this helps.

Harry