Cloudy Water - Don't know what to do next

[tnrick]

Good day all. I'm a new pool kit and chlorine bleach this summer and all has gone well until this past week. My pool was clear last Saturday and we had a gathering of friends that included about 10 kids. I noted on Monday the pool might be a little cloudy so I dumped in some extra bleach. Tuesday it was definitely cloudy so I shocked the pool clear to a free chlorine reading of 17. It got a little worse, then better by Thursday, but no improvement since. It is definitely cloudy, cloudy, cloudy and is probably algae since I have some green accumulating on my steps.

Here's my test kit results Saturday before the party and before cloudiness:

FC: 5
CC: 0
TC: 5
pH: 6.8
Alk: 50
Cal: 130
Cya: 90
Temp: 83F

Here's my test kit results last evening:

FC: 15
CC: 0
TC: 15
pH: 7.0
Alk: 60
Cal: 130
Cya: 90
Temp: 85F

Why am I still cloudy? I know I got the FC to 17 on Tues/Wed. What should I do next?

Tx for your help.

Rick

[aylad]

With a CYA of 90, you're not getting the chlorine high enough to kill off the bloom. YOu need to shock it to 20 and hold it there until it clears, which will take re-testing and adding more bleach to get back up to 20, at least 2-3 times daily. Keep the filter running 24/7 and brush it daily while doing this. It'll clear up--you're just not getting high enough with the Cl to compensate for the high CYA.

Janet

[tnrick]

Thanks for the info and quick response. Just put more bleach in and headed for 20+.

In general, do I need to work on getting my CYA down and if so, what should I do?

Rick

[CarlD]

If you dump 1/3 of your water and refill, your CYA should go to 60. That's easier to maintain (IMHO) than 90. Or if you dump 1/2, your CYA should go to 45--what I consider ideal during the Dog Days.