+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 10 of 16

Thread: Help!Cloudy AG after Borax/chlorine granules

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    6

    Default Help!Cloudy AG after Borax/chlorine granules

    Help! I am fairly new at this! I have 24 foot round Intex metal frame pool with vinyl liner, 52 inches deep. the other night my ph was high so I added some borax, my free chlorine was low so I added some chlorine granules that were left over from last year (I normally use the bleach) but wanted to get rid of the granules. I use the 6-way strips from hth. My pool prior to that was clear, now it is a cloudy mess! I have let the pump run non-stop for over 2 days now and it isn't getting any better. Any suggestions???
    My test results this evening were
    TH=1000
    FC=1
    ph=7.8
    TA=180
    cya=0
    I greatly appreciate any input!

  2. #2
    mbar's Avatar
    mbar is offline Lifetime Member Whizbang Spinner mbar 3 stars mbar 3 stars mbar 3 stars mbar 3 stars
    Join Date
    Dec 1969
    Location
    Ashland, PA
    Posts
    1,009

    Default Re: Help!Cloudy AG after Borax/chlorine granules

    It seems to me that if those numbers are right you are precipitating calcium out of the water, which is making the water cloudy. Your best bet is to drain 1/2 your water and refill, you will have to test your fill water, because if it is high in calcium you would want to know it. Have you been using calhypo to chlorinate the pool? Have you put any calcium in the water? Yoiur alkalinity it high, and so is your ph. Borax is to raise ph, not lower it. Have you checked out the info on Pool Forum? Your numbers should be :

    Free chlorine at a minimum of 1- 3 This also depends on your cya (best guess chart sticky at top of chlorine fourum)
    Combined Chlorine - 0
    PH - 7.2 - 7.6
    Alkinity - 80 - 120
    Calcium hardness - 0 for a vinyl liner
    CYA 30-50
    This is why I suggest you drain 1/2 and refill, you may have to do this a couple of times to get rid of all the hardness.

    We can help you better if you tell us what you have put in your pool water this season
    Northeast PA
    16'x32' kidney 16K gal IG fiberglass pool; Bleach; Hayward 200lb sand filter; Hayward pump; 24hrs; Pf200; well; summer: none; winter: mesh; ; PF:7.5

  3. #3
    CarlD's Avatar
    CarlD is offline SuperMod Emeritus Vortex Adjuster CarlD 4 stars CarlD 4 stars CarlD 4 stars CarlD 4 stars CarlD 4 stars CarlD 4 stars
    Join Date
    Dec 1969
    Location
    North Central NJ
    Posts
    6,607

    Default Re: Help!Cloudy AG after Borax/chlorine granules

    I agree with Marie. With TH of 1000 and TA of 180 I would have predicted a milk-white pool. Bet those chlorine granules were cal-hyp...made the problem worse.

    If you get TH down to 500, you'll need to get TA down to between 80 and 110 to avoid the cloud. If you get TH down to under 400, your TA won't be a problem at all.
    Carl

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    6

    Default Re: Help!Cloudy AG after Borax/chlorine granules

    Hello, well I have drained 1/2 of my pool water two times now, once on Monday and refilled, the water was more milky-white than before I drained it. The water in my area is known to be hard water but is very highly chlorinated according to the water company and they say the amount of hardness in my regular water should not cause this milky-white condition.

    So today I drained 1/2 of the water again. I have not refilled it yet. Here are my water test results this evening (only half the water is in the pool-Intex metal frame 24 foot round, normal volume 12000 gallons) I tested with 2 different test kits:
    TH=1000
    FC=10
    PH=8.4
    TA=120
    CYA=30-50

    I do have a water softener in my home that I can run the water through when I refill it for the second time. However the water softener people do that recommend that. The first time I filled it-I bypassed the water softener and the water was crystal clear for over 1 month-then last week when I put the chlorine granules and borax in it, the water became milky white and I can't seem to get it back to clear. It is still very milky-white.

    What do I do next?
    Should I run refill water through the water softener?
    Any thing I can add to get rid of the hardness? I have heard that people use TSP? Should I try that? Should I just leave it alone and hope it clears up?
    I appreciate any suggestions. Thanks so much!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Poughquag, New York, USA.
    Posts
    231

    Default Re: Help!Cloudy AG after Borax/chlorine granules

    Your PH is way high. In your first post, you said your PH was high, so you added Borax. Wrong direction! Borax RAISES ph - the proof appears to be that your PH is now 8.4. It needs to be in the 7.2 to 7.6 range. You need to add acid, either muriatic or PH down.

    I think once your PH is in range, then you can start to work on the other issues.

  6. #6
    Watermom's Avatar
    Watermom is offline SuperMod Emeritus Quark Inspector Watermom 4 stars Watermom 4 stars Watermom 4 stars Watermom 4 stars Watermom 4 stars Watermom 4 stars
    Join Date
    Dec 1969
    Location
    Charleston, WV
    Posts
    9,345

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Derby, Kansas, USA.
    Posts
    11

    Default Re: Help!Cloudy AG after Borax/chlorine granules

    Use the water softener.
    I feel your pain. I have had the same problem.
    The water softener if filled using salt sodium chloride will not hurt your pool.
    If you can drink it you should be able to swim in it.
    The softener exchanges calcium, magnesium and some iron for sodium and
    nothing else.
    I recirculate my pool water thru a softener to avoid future problems
    I have also plumbed my refill water directly from the house water softener.
    My neighbors also must use softened water or suffer the calcium carbonate
    snow.
    Untill you get rid of some calcium your problem will not go away.

  8. #8
    salinda is offline Lifetime Member Weir Watcher salinda 0
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    San Jose, CA
    Posts
    130

    Default Re: Help!Cloudy AG after Borax/chlorine granules

    I also think the vacuums swirling the stuff around definitely happens for me in my spa, but I also notice that their filters get clogged with this stuff way before they get filled. If you use the PoolBuster, you have to clean the bag frequently when you are dealing with this type of precipitate.
    Salinda
    owner of ~35,000 gallon plaster IG pool/spa combo. Ikeric Dyna-Miser VS150 filter pump, 2 hp whisperflo spa jet pump, The Pool Cleaner 2x suction cleaner, Clean & Clear Plus 520 cartridge filter, Zodiac Clearwater LM2-40 SWG, Sta-rite 400k heater, solar heat pads and coils.

  9. #9
    poolbuoy is offline Registered+ Thread Analyst poolbuoy 0
    Join Date
    Dec 1969
    Location
    sturbridge,mass.
    Age
    62
    Posts
    59

    Default Re: Help!Cloudy AG after Borax/chlorine granules

    Pool all clear, just vacuumed a few time and shocked it. added more bleach up to 10ppm since my cya is 60.

+ Reply to Thread

Similar Threads

  1. Chlorine tabs or multi-function chlorinating granules
    By luvpinkflamingos in forum --cleanup--
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 06-01-2013, 05:18 PM
  2. Borax test Strips and cloudy water
    By deep_blue in forum Pool Chemicals & Pool Water Problems
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 07-02-2008, 09:30 AM
  3. Undissolved CYA Granules
    By fhcaputo in forum Pool Chemicals & Pool Water Problems
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 07-04-2007, 08:03 AM
  4. Tablets or Granules?
    By bob57 in forum Above-Ground Pool Construction & Repair
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 08-31-2006, 08:44 AM
  5. stabilizer granules on bottom of pool
    By heatherc in forum Testing and Adjusting Pool Water Chemistry
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 08-23-2006, 07:31 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts