Cloudy Pool Water - Could use some help

[bcooper27]

Update........last night I put in (2) 182-oz jugs of 6% bleach at about 6pm and let it run for a while. I tested the water about 2-hrs later and saw my FC actually was down to 4.0 (and my test did show the presence of CC this time around.) So about 8pm I put in two more 182-oz jugs of the 6% bleach and let the pump run all night.

This morning I tested the water and this is the reading:

FC = 4.4
CC = 4.0
PH = 7.1
ALK = 90
CA = <30

The water looks just as cloudy as it did yesterday, no significant change at all.

Am I not being patient enough or did I not hit this pool with enough bleach to do the job? At this rate I should purchase a pallet of the stuff if I continue to need more.

As always I would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks,
-Brian

[Watermom]

2 of those big bottles of bleach in your pool should add around 13ppm of cl which should be a good dose for your pool given your low cya. Keep testing and hitting it with bleach as many times per day as you can to try and keep the cl level around 12ish. The key is to sustain the high reading without letting it yo-you up and down. No such thing as testing and dosing too many times in a day. Also, continue to run pump 24/7.

Try those cl tests again. I don't think you have 4.0 cc. Remember FC + CC = TC.

Keep an eye on your pH. It is pretty low. Might want to add a little Borax to bump it up some. Maybe add 1 cup additions. Pour it slowly into the skimmer, breaking up any clumps. Wait a couple of hours and retest pH and add more if needed. Note that if your cl level is above 10ppm when you test pH, you'll get a falsely high pH reading, so do this test at a time when your cl is not high.

By the way, it is ok to add Borax and bleach at the same time. Not necessary to only add one and then wait hours before doing the other.

Repost after you redo the chlorine tests.

[mbar]

Watermold does take a lot of bleach for a long period of time. Just remember to keep it at shock levels continuously - I would take it higher than shock level if you can't test often. The more vigilant you are now, the shorter the time to clear the pool. By the time you see the tissue like strands that you described, you have a pretty good case of it and you have to use a lot of chlorine to get rid of it. It also takes a while after it is dead to clear out. Don't get discouraged - just keep up with the bleach

[bcooper27]

I'll check the pool throughout the day and continue to try and get this to shock level.

Only problem...I'm out of bleach so I'll need to run out for more sometime today. I know Watermom said not to use the dichlor anymore as it may be contributing to the cloudiness. I have quite a bit of the dichlor on hand........considering my CA is low would it hurt to add a few pounds of the Chlor Brite or should I avoid that for now and stick with bleach? I don't want to mess this up but at the same time I hate to wait until I can get some more bleach (which would probably be a few hours from now.) Wife is going to run to Walmart (which was cleaned out of their brand yesterday) and probably to the Aldi's for their brand as well. Will also hit the BJ's club tonight and see if I can buy in bulk.

-Brian

[Watermom]

Since your CYA (not CA) is so low, go ahead and use the dichlor one more time but then I'd switch to bleach. Bleach will not cloud the water.

Don't forget to retest those chlorine numbers and repost with them.

[bcooper27]

Just tested the water again.

FC = .8
CC = 6.6

I'm using the Taylor kit. I added the powder as directed to the water and it came up very slightly pink and only took 4 drops to bring the pink water to clear (4 x .2 = .8). Then I added the other drops to the solution to test for CC and the water turned HOT pink and it took 33-drops to bring that one to clear water (33 x .2 = 6.6).

[aylad]

If you really have a CC of 6.6 (and it sounds like you do ) then at least you know the chlorine you're adding is fighting the stuff in the water. So...Watermom and Mbar have laid out your best plan--get that chlorine back up to at least 15 ppm and hold it there as consistently as you can. Brush the pool every day, keep the filter running and backwash/clean as the pressure indicates, and it will clear up. You are going to need a good dose of POPP--pool owner patience and persistence--the pool took a long time to get into its current condition, so the solution won't be overnight--but the solution WILL work if you apply it.

Janet