Soap in pool water

[Harley95]

OK so I power washed the deck yesterday and some of the cleaner went into the pool. I add some clearifier and shock but it is still cloudy. How can I get the water clear again???

[CarlD]

Welcome! Here's what I would do:

Run your filter 24/7.
Try skimmer socks in your skimmer.
If you have a sand filter, add a little DE to it (we have scads of threads on that)
Be patient.

Carl

[Steve-TX]

How much DE do you add to the filter, is it based on pool volume or filter size? I assume you are removing the multi-port valve and adding it directly into the filter, is that correct?

This may have been anwered before but I don't have the ability to conduct searches yet, will this question qualify me?

[PoolDoc]

Do NOT remove your multiport; just dump a couple of cups into the skimmer.

Also to clarify something (not your water, unfortunately): there is not any definite information that I have found about how to remove soaps and detergents from your pool. I have known of pools to drained as a result. Some detergents (dish soap) are broken down by chlorine; others (laundry detergent) are not. Watermom is giving you generic how-to-clean-up-your-pool advice, not specific how-to-remove-soap advice.

However, very often simply doing your pool the right way for a week or two resolves problems, even when we don't know exactly how the resolution came about.

Adding DE to a sand filter can do two things for you:
#1 - If you see the DE powder shooting back into the pool, via your returns, then you have just discovered that your sand filter (or cartridge filter) needs repairs.
#2 - DE, on top of your sand, will filter out finer material than sand will, AND it will backwash out of your filter freely, hopefully carrying with it what ever it trapped.

On the down side, a sand filter makes a TINY DE filter, so adding DE will greatly shorten the time between backwashing.

[Watermom]

Watermom is giving you generic how-to-clean-up-your-pool advice, not specific how-to-remove-soap advice.

Actually, Watermom hasn't even posted in this thread until now! Hey ---- Watermom, CarlD, Aylad, Poconos, ------ we are one and the same. Right, Bob? I mean Ben!!

[PoolDoc]

I have an excuse . . . wait a minute, and I'll remember what it was . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[CarlD]

We 4 are all brothers and sisters under the skin! Here's a hint: Watermom has 3 dogs, of which two are puppies...goldens. I have 2 dogs, both Belgians, and a cat who THINKS he's a dog and probably gets into more mischief than Lisa's two puppies.
Watermom is more saintly and I'm more....well Ain'tly!

Carl

[waterbear]

Reminds me of my mother with names. I have three older brothers and when she wanted me she would say all of our names from oldest to youngest until she got to mine! When I was very young I though my name was Sandyharveycharlesevan.

As for the soap, sometimes enzymes can be useful particularly the extra strength ones like Pool First Aid by Natural Chemistry if chlorine does not do the job.

[Watermom]

We 4 are all brothers and sisters under the skin! Here's a hint: Watermom has 3 dogs, of which two are puppies...goldens. I have 2 dogs, both Belgians, and a cat who THINKS he's a dog and probably gets into more mischief than Lisa's two puppies.
Watermom is more saintly and I'm more....well Ain'tly!

Carl

You forgot to mention Janet's horses, cat and her new 3 year old German Shepherd that she just got this week!

And, duh ....... of course I'm more saintly than you, Carl, I'm a girl!! (Actually, all 5 of us are family. And, while we are telling about our pets, our "other brother" Ben also has a dog.)

EDIT -- Evan, my mom did the same thing except we had 4 girls in our family!

OK. Sorry for hijacking the thread. We now return you back to your regularly scheduled pool care questions!