OK Mine's cloudy too....

[aylad]

I'm estimating your pool capacity at roughly 11,500 gallons. In a pool that size, 3 cups of 6% bleach will raise your Cl by 1 ppm. I would raise the chlorine, using bleach, to 12 ppm and hold it there for a couple of days. With the SWG, I'm told that when you shock the pool it's better to use an additional source of chlorine instead of putting the extra wear on the cell. I'm sure the SWG experts around here can elaborate on that, but it certainly won't hurt you to use the bleach, especially if your SWG is having trouble keeping up.

Don't add anything else to the pool until you have a good set of test results and can post them here so we can help you clear it up.

I'm sure you're going through filters like crazy, because the filter is trying to get all that stuff creating your clouds out of the water. I'd be surprised if you told me you WEREN'T using them like crazy!
Janet

[ThaSatelliteGuy]

Ok I have a better set of numbers since I just got home with what seems to be a decent test kit.

I have a 24' round pool, 45" actual water depth. So approx 12,750gal. (Alot less than I originally thought at 14700, which I guess is how I screwed the salt up originally)

Ok I do not have a salt test kit! phooey! But, SWG likes it, and it is barely tastable, as opposed to very tastable before I did a 20% swap on the water.

I tested with the new kit, and confirmed aggreement with the strips and the numbers are:

TC 4-5 (it's noon, SWG and pump been running since last night)
FC 4-5
pH 7.8
ALK 375
CYA 30 - 40

BTW The water is somewhat clearer than it was yesterday, but not crystal like before this problem...

[Watermom]

Can you confirm that alk reading by running that test again? That alk number is EXTREMELY high.

[ThaSatelliteGuy]

yea its right, I have never been able to get the alk down to a reasonable level since I filled the pool

[aylad]

Give your filter time to finish getting out all the stuff that is making the water cloudy--sometimes it just takes awhile. Continue cleaning the filter as necessary to keep the pressure where it belongs.

To drop your alkalinity, take a look at the sticky posted in the "Dealing with Alkalinity and Calcium" forum. If you follow it step by step, and don't get in a hurry, you can get it lowered. Your pH is already somewhat high and will rise with the use of the SWG, so while you're adding the acid, you may as well be working on the alk. Take you time, though, and read through it before you start.

Janet

[ThaSatelliteGuy]

Ok I'd like to think Ive had an epiphany, but its probly more like a Homer Simpson, "DOH!!"

Can my cloudy problem be pollen?? The last couple days, the pool has had noticeable debris. Most especially today. A few minutes ago, (6pm Houston), I realized that the extra fine crud I have been cleaning out of the filter is the same color pale yellow as the little dingleberrys that are headed for the skimmer!! Hello, 2+2 still is 4!


Am I now headed in the right direction, or have I still erred with my math?

Could my overall cloudy issue be the pollen? OH BTW, I AM under TWO TREES.

[Watermom]

Could very well be. Get some skimmer socks and place them inside the skimmer basket. (Cheap -- at any pool store.) It will do two things for you. First, it will show you if it is pollen that is mostly the problem and secondly, it will help you filter it out.

That said, I still think you need to raise your chlorine level up to shock level which for your pool would be around 15 based on your cya level. Add bleach to raise the cl level. Don't try and rely solely on your SWC cell to get to shock level. Shocking certainly can't hurt and might help in the chance that it is not pollen and even if it is pollen, it will help some. Try and test your water 2 or 3 times a day for a few days and each time, add enough bleach to get back to shock level. In a pool this size, each quart of 6% bleach will add slightly over 1ppm of cl.

Also, work on lowering alk as Janet suggested above. It will be kind of a long process for you since yours is so high, but it is easy and it will work given time.