CLOUDY WATER & Chlorine Level Is Still Too High After Shock Treatment
by Sheila
It is less than 7,000 I know for sure. Anyway we treated the algae which like I said was bad, with 3-1Lb. bags of shock which it's not green too much anymore. It's so cloudy I really can't tell. We put a long hose on the intake valve with a wand and vacuum head and vacuumed and let the pump run and kept cleaning the filter as needed (a cartridge filter). In the beginning the pH was way high and we had no chlorine showing on test kit. Well now, we have excellent pH level. Now we are too high on chlorine, because of shocking I'm sure. We put 2ounces of blue clarifier in, waited and added 2& 1/2 more ounces of clarifier. It seems slightly better, but still real cloudy but it has only been about 1 hour since I added the last clarifier amount. I still have pump running I want to get in and vacuum but chlorine level is still high on test kit. Having said all this I quess what I want to know is how long till the chlorine level will come down after having to shock it so much for the algae problem, and how long can I tell if I need to add anymore clarifier to help clear up cloudiness. Like everyone else, my kids want to get in the water and want to know how long? It is very hot staying at 100 degrees during the day. Thanks for the question Sheila First, I'd tell you to keep filtering and cleaning out the cartridges once per day. Next, lay off the clarifier for now. When the chlorine kills the algae, the pool water will become cloudy. This is where the filter comes in. It will trap all of the dead algae so you'll need to constantly be cleaning the cartridges. You might want to get another set and swap them out for the dirty ones. Clean them, then swap them out. Keep doing that until the water clears. Chlorine doesn't cloud water. If it does, it's only temporarily because you may use calcium hypochlorite. The calcium will sink to the bottom and can be vacuumed up. I'd like to have your complete chemicals readings: Chlorine CYA (cyanuric acid/stabilizer) pH Alkalinity Calcium Hardness Metals (iron and copper) Total Dissolved Solids It makes troubleshooting much easier and the process of clearing up your pool will go much faster. You can get this done at your local pool store. Without these numbers I'm just guessing at what the problem is. I'm not sure what "high chlorine" is. To some people it can be 5.0ppm and other 15ppm. I'd encourage you to get a Taylor FAS-DPD K-2006 pool test kit. Pool Water Testing Water Testing Kit It's really difficult to say exactly how long it will take the chlorine level to come down. It depends on the level. If it's at 20ppm it will take longer than if you have a chlorine level of 10ppm. An educated guess, with the sun and 100 degree heat, would be about 2 - 3 days, but again, it depends on the level right now. You have a couple of options immediate results. You can do a partial drain and refill. This will dilute the chlorine. Or use a chemical called Thiosulfate. This is a chlorine neutralizer. Only use this in extreme circumstances because it may mess up the chlorine reading. An 8.0ppm chlorine level is safe to swim in, but no higher. To post a reply, or if you have a similar question, you can see your post on the Q&A page in the "Cloudy Water" category. Swimming Pool Questions and Answers Check back to this post for answers. Hope this helps and have a great Summer. Robert |
