BEAR FACTS Vol 2-6: Coudy Waters
Winters over and you’ve opened your pool. You added all the chemicals and the water is still not sparkling blue. Cloudy water can be frustrating when all you wanted was to look out and see sparkling water. I will give you a few tips to clear up your cloudy water.
Instructions
Step 1
The first thing to realize is that cloudy water can happen to any pool even a well maintained pool. Cloudy pool water can be caused by an improper chemical balance, a dirty filter, environmental issues like excessive rain or pollen, low chlorine, dead or alive algae in the water, and not running the pump enough to name a few. In order to clear up the cloudy water, you will need to figure out what the cause could be.
Step 2
Test the water to make sure all the chemicals are in the correct range. The wrong chemical balance can cause water to be cloudy. High PH, high Alkalinity and too much calcium in the water can lead to the appearance of cloudy water. The high PH level can prevent the chlorine from killing algae and bacteria in the pool, and your water will look cloudy.
Step 3
Make sure the pool is clean on all surfaces. Use the pool brush to brush the bottom and sides of the pool and then vacuum. If the chemicals are balanced but the pool bottom or sides are dirty, this can contribute to the cloudy water.
Step 4
Check your filtration system.
D.E.
DE filters should be rising or backing up often requiring bumping and backwashing. This is frustrating but it is the fastest way to clean up cloudy water.
Cartridge
Cartridge filters should be left alone. Most cartridge filters (in a clear pool) are so large the pressure never rises. You don’t want to clean a cartridge until you have to. In a way they are like sand. The dirtier they are the more debris they collect. I some cases a small amount of DE can be added to help remove the cloud. The DE should be removed once the pool is clear.
Sand
Make sure that the sand is still good. If the sand is a couple (4-7 years) of years old, you may want to replaced it with new pool sand. Once the sand is replace run the filter for a few days to see if it clears the water. This was the culprit last year when we were opening our pool and had cloudy water.
Step 5
Run the pump and filter for 24 hours straight for a few days to help filter out the particles in the water. I can’t stress this enough, run your filter. The more you run the filter the faster the cloud will disappear.
Clarifier can be added to the water to bind to the micro particles to help them filter out. As a last resort a flocculant can be added to the pool to help bind to the particles to make them bigger so they can be vacuumed out (In sand filters only and not recommended).