High Phosphates Over 1000 & Cloudy Waterby Kelly
After putting in 3 bottles of remover, I can't see the bottom of my pool. Yes I vacuum and yes, I backwash, but the minute I start to vacuum, everthing just moves around and I cant hardly vacuum it out. I have had it and ready to throw in the towel. I have wasted so much money trying to get it clear, that I can't turn it around. They keep telling me not to add chlorine that the phosphates thrive off it. I just want my pool back to normal and after going to two different pool stores they keep telling me the same BS. Can I just add a bunch of chrlorine and hope that helps? I am ready to put the cover on it and call it a day and buy a new liner next year! They tell me once I have them in my liner, they will never leave!! I have a vinyl, 10,000 gallon in ground pool with a sand filter. I cry every time I leave the pool store, for I feel like they are handing my a death sentence. Can you suggest anything for me to help turn this pool around? We only have three months of nice weather here in Chicago, and I have already wasted a month not being able to swim in a milky pool. Thanks Kelly Thanks for the question Kelly Pool owners like you are the reason why I put this site up in 2009. I really and truly feel sorry for pool owners when they get into this situation, and it's completely avoidable. Print my answer to your question and give it to the guys at the pool store and let them read it. Also, print out these posts as well: High Phosphate Levels And Low Chlorine Issue... Swimming Pool Phosphate Level Over 1000 Total Chlorine & Phosphate Problems...What Should I Do? Here's the truth. Phosphates are food for algae, not the other way around. Your questions says "They keep telling me not to add chlorine that the phosphates thrive off it." The phosphates thrive off of chlorine? That's completely bogus. ALGAE thrives off of phosphates. So, here are questions for the pool guy at the store. Have him read it out lout to you and listen to his answers: 1. Is chlorine the sanitizer for the pool? 2. Does chlorine kill the algae? 3. Should home pools keep their chlorine level between 1.5 - 3.5ppm? 4. If I keep my chlorine level between 1.5 - 3.5ppm, is that good enough to kill the algae and bacteria in the pool? 5. If keeping the chlorine level between 1.5 - 3.5ppm is the right level to kill the algae and bacteria in the pool, then there's no algae and bacteria in the pool, right? All of it is gone, right? 6. If there's no algae in the pool, then the chlorine is doing it's job in killing the algae, right? That's what I want, no algae in the pool, right? 7. Phosphates, even a slightly elevated level, is safe to swim in, right? 8. So, if I keep the chlorine level between 1.5 - 3.5ppm, and there's no algae because the chlorine kills it, and even though I may have a slightly elevated, BUT SAFE, phosphate level, then why do I need to phosphate remover? There's your answer. You don't need a phosphate remover. Sounds to me you're just trying to sell me chemicals I may not need. Why are you doing that? Can I use regular bleach instead of pool chlorine? I can't? I thought bleach was nothing more than watered down sodium hypochlorite? http://www.cloroxcsr.com/product-detail.php?prodName=cloroxregularbleach http://www.conelyco.com/Pool-Spa/tchlor.pdf If it's the same, why can't I use it? And how about this post: Do You Really Need All These Chemicals For A Pool Or Are They Just Trying To Get Your Money? There are only two thing you can do. The first is a partial or full drain and refill. 2nd is to keep filtering and back washing. There's no chemical to get rid of phosphate remover. Again, sorry to hear about your situation, but the above 2 solutions are the only ones available at this time. Take this post to the pool guy, have him read it out loud, and give you answers. You might be surprised at what he says. To post a reply, or if you have a similar question, you can see your post on the Q&A page in the "Swimming Pool Phosphates" category. Swimming Pool Questions and Answers Check back to this post for answers. Hope this helps and have a great Summer. Robert Comment: Cloudy Water Due To Phostphate Remover By: Kelly Date: July 11, 2011 Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it! I had my water tested and just to recap I was the article regarding "phosphates" and the pool store had me buying remover every time I came in. I am still vacumming and backwashing and adding water, but still no change. I have a reading and wanted your input in case I can be adding something else to help it turn over from cloudy to clear. Again, its an inground, 10,000 gallon vinyl sand filter pool. tempature: 88 saturation index: 1.3 TDS: 1100 CYA: 30 total chlorine: 0.3 Free chlorine: 0.3 ph: 8.5 tot alkalinity: 110 hardness: 339 I know none of these readings are correct from both experience and by looking at my cloudy blue pool and after I put that darn phosphate remover in my pool I just cant turn it around. I also cant keep chroline in long enough to even get a reading. Not sure if I need to put in ph down to get the reading to a 7.4, then the chroline will read? or should I put in a muriatic acid? I honestly dont even know what half these readings are for?? Any suggestions other then your already suggestions of vaccum and backwash? As always, the pool store wants me to buy phosphate remover - Thanks Kelly Comment By: Robert Date: July 11, 2011 Thanks for the great follow up Kelly Giving the readings is 90% of it all. It makes life so much easier for me. The TDS is Total Dissolved Solids. This means all of the solids and minerals that are in your pool. You are getting to the upper range. Normally about 1500ppm and you'll want to think about doing a partial water change. Saturation Index basically means your pool or spa water chemistry, as it relates to corrosion and scale-formation with the pH, alkalinity, etc... CYA is stabilizer for the chlorine Total chlorine is the amount of chlorine in the water. Free chlorine is how much chlorine you have to fight bacteria, algae, etc... And you probably understand pH, alkalinity, and hardness. There are some things you'll want to do. First is to keep the pump running 24/7 and back wash once per day. 2nd is to add muriatic acid to decrease the pH. To decrease pH 0.2ppm for every 10,000 gallons you'll use about 12oz. Start with 12 - 15oz. of acid added to the pool around the perimeter. Sweep the sides and bottom to break up any hot spots. Acid is heavier than water and sinks right to the bottom. Dilute the acid in a bucket of water first, especially with a vinyl liner. Swimming Pool pH Levels Pool pH About 2 hours later, shock the pool with liquid chlorine. To raise the chlorine 10ppm using liquid, you'll use 3 1/4 qts. per 10,000 gallons. I'd use 1 full gallon with the pump running. You can dilute this in a bucket of pool water, stir with a PVC pipe or a stick, and broadcast it around the perimeter of the pool. Again, sweep the sides and bottom well to break up anything. Your CYA is right in the range of 30 - 50ppm. You could get a tab floater and put 1 - 2 Trichlor tabs in it. Never put tabs in the skimmer. Do this in the evening then retest everything in the morning; chlorine, pH, alkalinity, and hardness. Take a sample into the pool store. If they don't charge you for it, take it in 3 - 4 times per week. Note your chlorine reading in the evening, then in the morning. Keep an acutal log. The next evening and morning do the same thing. You'll begin the see the chlorine level holding more and more with the CYA staying in the range of 30 - 50ppm. The alkalinity is fine, so don't touch that. No bicarb, alkalinity or pH up. Hardness is a bit high, so use liquid chlorine, not granules. Not only does granular chlorine have calcium (which will add to the hardness) but it has a pH of 12. Every time you use it the pH will go up a bit. So for right now, focus on getting the pH down to between 7.6 -7.8. If it goes to 7.2 - 7.4, don't worry. It's still good and will come back up through splashing around and water movement. And shock the pool to get the chlorine in there. And, lay off the phosphate remover. It's called a consumable. You buy it, use it, and buy more. You don't need it. I saved the YMCA nearly $5000 the first year I was there because I cut off the phosphate remover. They were going through 3 bottles per week at $32 per bottle (1/2 gallon). Hope this helps and let me know how it turns out for you. Robert Click here to read or post comments. |
