How to Treat Cloudy Water
No one wants to swim in a cloudy pool. Not only is it uninviting, it could be breeding dangerous bacteria while possibly causing damage to your pool and circulation system.
Pool water cloudiness, is due to the presence of particles that are too small to be filtered and are also unremovable by oxidation. Before it is safe to resume normal swimming pool activities, you need to figure out the root cause of your cloudy pool in order to fix it. Solutions vary depending on the reason why your pool became cloudy in the first place.
The four main reason that a swimming pool could become cloudy is:
Dirty Filter
In many instances, thoroughly cleaning the cartridge or backwashing your filter can alleviate the cloudiness issue.
Equipment Run Time
When the pool pump is not running the pump long enough, then only a small percentage of the water is actually being filtered. To prevent this, your filtration system should be running at least eight hours per day. All sorts of contaminants and debris will be removed from your pool by with each water turnover through your filter along with proper sanitizer levels.
Chemistry Imbalance
It is vital to the health of the water, the pool, the equipment and the occupants that the water balance be within the appropriate parameters. When a swimming pool is out of balance, more serious issues could arise beyond cloudiness; which, includes stained pool walls and corrosion of pool components. High chlorine is one of the top reasons that people experience cloudy water, along with high pH, high total alkalinity, high calcium hardness or high total dissolved solids, or TDS. Test and balance your water chemistry weekly.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors and contaminants from pool occupants can also contribute to cloudy water. Removing all environmental debris, such as leaves or flowers, from the pool along with properly sanitizing your pool could help clear up the cloudy water.
Until you’ve cleared up your pool water don’t allow anyone to swim in it. Make sure small children and animals can’t find their way into your pool area either—an important consideration at all times, not just when the water’s cloudy or algae ridden.
For additional help on properly clearing up turbid water or chemical handling, contact Blue Diamond Pool Services, your swimming pool specialists, at 407-435-8553.
Please read all bottles and observe all warnings and printed precautions when using products to rectify your pool issues. Follow all manufacturer guidelines for your pool equipment when balancing chemicals or doing any maintenance on the equipment.