Keeps getting cloudy - Please help...

[myLABSpool]

Okay the good news is that my pool is pretty much clear now after shocking again a couple days ago. I have not been able to perform the overnight FC test because the last two nights we've had a lot of rain (3"+) and it's expected to rain most of today. I have the solar cover on my pool and will keep it covered till the weather improves on Tuesday. I will hold the FC at 5ppm and make sure the CC stays at 0 like it has been.

Does keeping the solar cover on a pool promote cloudiness or Algae provided I maintain my chems?

Also, while I still have no sign of algae, is it still a good idea to use a maintenance does of polyquat as a preventive measure?

Also, yesterday I dumped my 300 lbs of sand and replaced it with 150lbs of Zeo sand. I know some people here may frown on the additional expense of Zeo, but I figured if there is even a small improvement in filtration over sand it is well worth it to me. I have always been accustomed to DE clarity growing up at my parent house and I just haven't been able to get that with my sand filter.

I will perform the overnight FC test as soon as I can get a night without rain.

Thanks for the assistance so far and I will keep you posted.

[CarlD]

Good luck!

aylad uses zeo sand. Poconos, Watermom and myself use sand and add a little bit of DE through the skimmer after we backwash. That and skimmer socks (combined with good maintenance) can really make your water sparkle!

[Watermom]

As long as your chems are kept at appropriate levels, having the solar cover on should not cause cloudy water or algae formation.

[myLABSpool]

Thanks to all that helped with my recurring cloudy problem. After shocking and holding it at shock level for several days the water cleared nicely. I also ran the recommended "Over night FC test" and found no lose of Chlorine. The weather got cool for a week so I put the solar cover on and tested daily to hold my FC at 4ppm. However much to my dissatisfaction by the end of the week I had a full bloom of Algae! Why the heck would Algae grow now after all that shocking and careful maintenance of my Chlorine?!!!!

So at any rate, I was forced to shock yet again and brushed several times per day. Finally after 4 days of shocking (based on the CYA best guess level) the algae cleared but the water was still fairly cloudy from all the algae particles (no longer green). It was now Friday morning and the weather was getting nice and we'd want to swim but the FC was still above 10ppm. So I added a quart of polyquat and by late afternoon the FC was way down (as I would expect) and the water was continuing to clear nicely.

As of today, my water is the clearest its been and I'm thrilled. I would describe its clarity as closest to DE quality clear as I've seen. It is sparkling and I want to keep it that way!

Because I'm very fussy about water clarity, I've also converted from Sand to Zeo in my 300lb filter. I'm also starting a weekly maintenance dose of a product called Pool Magic. My neighbor swears by it, so I figured I will give it a try. Anyone else ever try pool magic?

Another item I'm going to buy is a good robotic vac system with good internal filtration. I'm currently looking to spend around $1000 or less for either an Aquabot, Hayward Shark Vac, Tiger Shark or Aqua Clean. Seems like many have experience with Aquabot, but does anyone have experience with any of the others?

Thanks to everyone whom provided help.
Andy

[scottturner]

Good luck!

aylad uses zeo sand. Poconos, Watermom and myself use sand and add a little bit of DE through the skimmer after we backwash. That and skimmer socks (combined with good maintenance) can really make your water sparkle!

How much DE do you add to the skimmer? I take it in a regular sand filter that you lose the DE after a backwash? Thanks.

[aylad]

How much DE do you add to the skimmer? I take it in a regular sand filter that you lose the DE after a backwash? Thanks.

For Scottturner: You do lose the DE after backwashing. If you add DE to a sand filter, only add enough (start with a small handful) of DE to make your pressure rise by 1 psi. NOte that it takes a few minutes for this rise to happen, so give it a few minutes before you add more if you don't see it rise immediately. If you overshoot it, just backwash it out and start over.

Janet

[Watermom]

Scott --- you don't say how big your pool is so it is hard to suggest an amount. But to give you some idea --- I have a 24ft AG, a 1/2 hp fullrated inground pump and a 200 lb. sand filter. I usually start out with adding about 1/4 of a cup of DE and then go from there. The first time I did it, I didn't see a 1 psi rise, so I added more and then it was too much. After that, I learned that you have to wait a bit --- maybe even 1/2 hour to see the increase in pressure, so be patient and don't add any more until you give it a little time. If after 1/2 hour, no psi increase, add just a little more. You'll soon learn how much you need after a couple of tries.