What Happened Reasons For Cloudy Pool Water
Why do pools get cloudy even after you add chlorine? Primarily for two reasons: first, because of over-shocking the water , and two, because of common debris and other natural contaminants falling inside.
Cloudy swimming pool water happens because of the same issues:
- Shocking the water too much or too high, which leads to imbalanced chlorine levels
- High pH and alkalinity
- A clogged or broken filter
- Algae development
- Debris, bugs, and microbes
The outdoor environment is naturally destructive to a pool of clear water. Rainwater, bird droppings, twigs and leaves, flying debris, garden debris, algae, bugs, and even the sun can alter the chemistry levels of the pool water.
When you add chemicals and organics to the water, the appearance and properties change. High levels of pH make the pool cloudy, as does high alkalinity, high chlorine, and high calcium hardness.
Not only can these chemical changes occur naturally because of outside elements, but even altering the chemistry yourself can give the water a milky and unattractive appearance.
Circulation And Filtration Problems
Pools circulation system always brings things back into balance. If the water is not circulated properly, theres a huge chance of having cloudy water.
There are some additional parts you need to go through. Lets go then!
What about your pool pump?
The pool pump is considered the heart of your swimming pool. It circulates the water through the filter and removes debris. It also helps to keep the fluency of your water.
So, take extra care of the heart! Make sure it can circulate the water properly and can be active for 6-8 hours a day.
How is the filter?Your pool pump has to be suited up with the filter, mind it! If the pump is too powerful and pushes more water, the filter wont balance with it. It also has a risk of physical damage to your filter.
If the filtration system goes wrong, you will be deprived of having crystal clear, bluish pool water.
Pool pumps and filters share the same rating system per square feet. So, the pool pump and the filter should be at the same rate.
Are the pieces of equipment okay?
Many of us dont look after this matter. But these basic things have a great effect on your pool water. So, it should be your concern about how effectively the equipment is doing its job. Try to remove the blockages, timely parts replace and clean regularly.
Why Is My Swimming Pool Water So Cloudy
So youre asking yourself why the water in your pool looks murky and unclear? You should probably
Check the Chlorine Contents
Adding some amount of chlorine to your swimming pool is recommendable to keep it fit for swimming in. The presence of chlorine wards off organisms or bacteria present in pools that eventually causes athlete foot, ear infections, and legionnaires disease, amongst others.
The concentration of chlorine in your pool fluctuates depending on three factors:
- Amount of rainfall at that time or season if the amount of rainfall is high, it will definitely dilute the chlorine concentrations, giving pathogens and unhealthy organisms the chance to reproduce.
- Amount of sun radiation that has reached the pool Ultra Violet radiation can destroy chlorine levels.
- The number of people that frolic in the pool
Now, a pool with high chlorine concentration is bound to look really cloudy opaque. As more rain pours, sun rays or more people use it the chlorine levels should drop drastically, leading to a much clearer and more transparent pool. The point is not allowing chlorine concentration in your pool to get too high or too low. It should be tested every day to ensure it doesnt deviate from the average chlorine concentration of 2 to 4 ppm .
Check the Calcium Contents
Check the Hydrogen Concentration
Check if its caused By Too Much Rainfall
Pool Shock-ing
Shocking Hard Water
Now To the Business of the Day
1. Ensure the Water Is Tested
How Does It Work?
Finally
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Shock Those Clouds Away
If there was ever a time , its now. Go ahead and shock your pool to get rid of the excess chloraminesand keep it simple with affordable and effective shock conveniently sectioned into 1 lb. bags. This will also sort out the cloudiness caused by bacteria, algae, and other contaminants.
If youre dealing with algae, get ready to double or even triple the amount of shock youre usingand wait for your water to clear up before swimming, which could take about a day. But at least you know how long itll take ahead of time, and can get to other taskssorry, DMV, jury duty, and every other bureaucratic holding cell.
Balance Your Total Alkalinity
Example of how it should look by A. Perry Homes
Your swimming pools total alkalinity is the total amount of alkaline chemicals in the water. Your total alkalinity range should be between 80ppm and 120ppm. This will mean that your pool has the ability to neutralise acids and keep your pH levels stable. If your pH levels go too high, you will have calcium scaling.
If your total alkalinity levels are too high, you can end up with cloudy pool water. To lower your total alkalinity, add muriatic acid to your swimming pool and then aerate your pool. This will save you from adding a pH increaser as this will increase your total alkalinity too.
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Which One Is Better
Clarifier is great for mild to moderate cloudiness but wont work when the water is extremely cloudy or swamp-like. Its also great for ongoing maintenance and to keep your water looking sparkly and clean.Clarifier is a lot slower to work than flocculant and usually takes several days to clear up a pool. Youll need to continuously filter your pool for 24-48 hours after using clarifier and then filter 8-10 hrs per day for several days but thats about the only work youll need to do.If youre in a hurry or have extra cloudy pool water, flocculant is what you want. It works in as little as a few hours. However, there is a price to pay for that speed. Cue the evil laugh hohoho!Since flocculant drops everything to the pool floor, youll need to manually vacuum up the mess. And youll need to set your filter valve to waste. You dont want to run all that muck at the bottom of your pool through your filter. If you do, you will block up your filter.So not only will you spend quite a bit of time vacuuming, but youll also lose a lot of water since the water that is sucked up in the vacuuming process will be sent to waste instead of being circulated back into the pool. But youll have clear water in a few hours. Another important point about floc is that you normally cant use it with cartridge filters unless you have special plumbing with a waste valve installed. If you dont have a waste valve, youll block up the filter and will be up for a new filter before you know it.
Is It The Environment
Dont go into too much of a panic if you just cleaned your pool and the water is still cloudy. The environment around you may be the issue and not the fault of the pool owners. What causes algae in pools?
Everything around your swimming pool might be turning the water gray. The weather, plants, the sun is, birds, algae, and even people swimming in it could create the problem.
However, if you narrowed it down and are sure that none of these factors is the issue, it is time to dive into more in-depth problem solving.
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Cause #: Environmental Effects
If your cloudy water has nothing to do with the chemicals or the filter system, then the only reasonable explanation left is that its being caused by the surrounding environment.
Yep, Mother Nature can be a real b*tch sometimes. Here are some of the likely environmental causes:
Leaves & Small Debris
While leaves will be easy enough to remove before they dirty up your water, its really the build up of smaller dust and particles that can get you into trouble.
Small Animals & Insects
Insects and small animals will always find their way into your pool eventually, but the biggest things to keep an eye out for is droppings, particularly bird poop.
The Dreaded Algae
Insects and small animals will always find their way into your pool eventually, but the biggest things to keep an eye out for is droppings, particularly bird poop.
Surface Runoff
Heavy rain can cause water to accumulate on the ground, in some cases making its way to your pool bringing plenty of other nasties with it .
Dont forget On top of all this, you also have to account for the countless things that we humans take into the pool every time we decide to go for a little swim. Thats right, youre not as clean as you like to think.
How To Clear Your Cloudy Pool
While there are many reasons why you have a cloudy pool, the fix is fairly simple and easy to do.
Firstly, a thorough clean of your pool to remove any foreign particles and algae is the best way to start cleaning up the cloudiness of your pool. Scrub and vacuum your pool including all the surfaces. If you have algae present, shocking your pool will assist in removing the remaining algae growth.
Find out what determines the level of pool maintenance required here.
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How To Clear Up A Cloudy Pool
Using a pool clarifier to clear the water is one of the easiest ways to get your swimming pool in working condition. Pool sanitizer gathers the tiny particles floating around in the water and clumps them together to create bigger particles.
The filter has a better chance of picking the clumps up so that they either get stuck in the filter and are ready to be back washed or so that you can vacuum your pool to get the pieces that fall to the bottom.
Check The Filter System
A cartridge filter, sand filter, or DE filter are the three types you might be using on your pool. Regardless of the kind you have, the filter must be working properly and running for at least ten straight hours every single day.
If the filter isnt clean, dirt and other particles get filtered back into the pool and make the water cloudy. If you have a pool with a backwashing system, ensure that you are doing this consistently.
Backwashing cleans out the filter and gets rid of dirty water so that when you turn the filter back on, it works as a water clarifier. If you have a cartridge filter, the best way to clean a cartridge pool filter is to do it regularly. Keep up on cleaning the cartridges as much as possible so that the algae doesnt go back into the pool.
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Start By Taking A Free Chlorine Reading And Balancing It
The first and most common cause of cloudy water is low free chlorine levels. Low free chlorine indicates you have chloramine that turns water cloudy, smells more of chlorine, and cannot sanitize your pool water by killing harmful germs and bacteria causing algae and ammonia.
As such, if your pool water is cloudy, the first thing you should do is to measure your free or combined chlorine you can get the value of combined chlorine by deducting the value of FC from Total Chlorine.
If you have your FC below 3 ppm or combined chlorine above 0.5 ppm, whether it’s a saltwater or non-saltwater pool, FC is low and you need to shock your swimming pool immediately to fix cloudy water and kill bacteria before you get algae or ammonia in your pool.
If you have a saltwater pool and it’s cloudy, the damage is already done and raising the percentage setting in your saltwater chlorine generator or your pump’s run-time will not help much in clearing cloudy water. You have to shut down your SWCG and shock your saltwater pool manually using harsh chlorine just like non-saltwater pools.
Wait Just How Cloudy Is Your Pool
Cloudy is a pretty vague term, and you should know that there are different stages of cloudy pool water. And yes, it goes from bad to worse.
Personally, Id break cloudy water into three categories:
- Flat. The least severe form, in that your pool water still has its color but it doesnt have the sparkle it once did.
- Hazy. The water is starting to lose its color and its now difficult to make out small details on the pool floor.
- Milky. The water is no longer translucent, meaning the pool floor is not visible at all. This is pretty much as bad as it gets.
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Treating A Cloudy Pool Isnt Hard But It Can Be Complicated
The most important thing to know is, why the pool went cloudy in the first place. And to do this, we use a computerised water test. After analysing the water test results, buy the chemicals recommended for your type of pool, follow the process here, and you can return to swimming as soon as possible.
Step one
Add the chlorine, the algaecide and the clarifier to three different areas of your pool. Remember, these chemicals can discolour the pool surface if left to settle. So make sure they are well dissolved into your pool.
Step two
What Chemicals Do You Need To Treat A Cloudy Pool
So you want to know how to treat your cloudy pool water? Well, youve come to the right place. First though, lets break down the chemicals that youre going to need to treat that cloudy pool water. First, youre going to need some chlorine. Now, chlorine comes in a range of different types. So, please consult a pool professional like your local Poolwerx. Theyll be able to assist you in finding which chlorine is the best match for your pool, including your pool surface and your pool equipment.
Next, youre going to need pH control, whether thats liquid acid or dry acid. Youll also need algaecide to remove the algae. And finally, youre going to need a clarifier, whether its CrystalClear, 4 in 1, or the Maxi tabs, these will help maintain the clarity of your pool water. Now, obviously these pool chemicals will require you to wear personal protective equipment. Were talking gloves, safety glasses, and of course, protective clothing.
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Using The Bottom Drain
The pool skimmer is at the top of your pool and doesnt help collect the particles that sit on the bottom. Getting those particles at the bottom of the pool is just as important as those at the top.
You have to help the filters suck up those particles, and the best way to do that is to constantly stir up the water or turn on the bottom drains.
Every inground pool has one or two bottom drains. The filter system uses these to pour water from the bottom of the pool and circulate clean water to the top.
If you already tested your water chemistry and utilized the pool shock, this might be the next best option.
Ii When Was The Last Time You Shocked Your Pool Water
In some cases, shocking your pool is the best way to address issues with the water.
Any time you notice a strong smell of chlorine, or any time the combined chlorine levels are too high, you should consider using some pool shock ASAP.
When you shock your pool water, this raises chlorine levels to 10 ppm. This ultra-high dose breaks down the chloramine responsible for that trademark smell. At the same time, this process kills pool algae and bacteria that can lead to green pool water.
Unfortunately, cloudy pool water is often a by-product of shocking.
So, how can you rectify this issue?
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How To Clear A Cloudy Pool
So youve got your pool up and running, cleaned out all of the leaves and dirt, and everythings looking good, then one day you look out and notice that your pool water is cloudy. What happened? In this article, we will discuss what causes pool water to turn cloudy and discuss ways to get your water clear again.
How To Quickly Fix Your Cloudy Swimming Pool Water
No sane person will want to jump into a pool filled with cloudy pool water, more so when the water resembles a big bowl of milk! This type of water is not only scary, but theres a possibility that it might be damaging the pool as well as its circulation system. If left untreated for long, it may also start breeding dangerous bacteria.
Before you can start implementing solutions aimed at clearing the swimming pool water, you will want to know what caused it to turn cloudy. Its the most efficient way to prevent the outbreak and spread of potentially serious illnesses. Additionally, it also ensures your pool wont sustain too much damage. Solutions recommended for use are dependent on the underlying cause.
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Using A Sand Filter To Remove Moderate Cloudiness
This method is the most appropriate for the ones whose swimming pool is mildly cloudy. Besides, this method involves the use of Sand filter and not a cartridge or any other type of filter. To clear the water of the cloudiness, you will need a water clarifier.
- Start by backwashing the filter before proceeding with the cleaning of the debris through it. Remember that keeping the screen clean will enable you to filter out more pool water from the waste.
- Then, add the water clarifier in the pool as per the instructions on the back of the bottle. With the help of a clarifier, you are primarily accumulating the debris particles so that they become more prominent in size. This chemical is required for a sand filter as it is not as efficient as other filter pumps. This way they will not pass through the sand filter and stay in the pool water. You may need to add the necessary quantity as per the instructions for your pool size.
- Remember to keep the sand filter pump running for the next whole day to clear the water from the pollutants.
Do not miss back washing the filter once a day to until the cloudiness of the pool vanishes. Keeping the screen clean through this process enables you to clear the debris more efficiently.
