The pool water must be treated regularly to keep it pure and in excellent hygienic conditions. If you want your pool to be clear and perfectly clean, you must disinfect it on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, do a good maintenance of the filter, clean all the surrounding area and ensure a correct chemical balance of the water. The most effective way to clean cloudy water is to do a full pool treatment before using clarifying agents.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Diagnosing the Problem
Step 1. Carefully examine the color of the water and the condition of the pool walls
The growth of algae, mold and the accumulation of residues released by the bodies of swimmers are all elements that can make the water cloudy; if it is green or you notice that it is visibly contaminated with biological residues, you should not swim in it, but start a treatment to kill microorganisms.
Step 2. Get a water analysis kit
This test allows you to measure water alkalinity and hardness, total, free and combined chlorine, pH and cyanuric acid. These parameters are essential for determining the clarity, safety and hygiene of the water. Many inexpensive kits typically only allow you to determine the pH and free chlorine level, but are unable to provide an accurate analysis of the overall chemical situation of the pool.
Step 3. Analyze the pool water using a specific kit
The two factors most likely to make water cloudy are pH and hardness (i.e. calcium content), although a low chlorine level may indicate biological contamination.
To clean the pool you can use alternative products that do not contain chlorine, such as bromine, following the DPD method. Increase the amount of bromine for 2, 25 times; you should also increase the recommended levels of chlorine. Since this test is based on the density of the cleaning product, the bromine is thus much denser when multiplied by this value
Step 4. Check the filter for obstructions or malfunctions
The presence of sediment or foreign material in the filter can affect its operation and prevent it from retaining particulate matter. Previous cleaning attempts may have damaged the filter. It is important to check for obstructions by checking if the pressure of the pool's return pump has been reduced.
Do not use backwash cleaning methods if you have a sand filter, as you may reduce the efficiency of the system by loosening the filtration media and you will have to purchase a new filter
Step 5. Clean the bottom and sides of the pool
Use the wet vacuum to remove any residual debris, scrub the sides and the floor with a brush and remove all the dirt. Run the filter for 8-12 hours to remove all particulate and solid contaminants that could degrade water quality.
Part 2 of 2: Treat the Water
Step 1. Consider replacing the water filter
If it is not working properly or if it is a sand filter, a backwash cleaning method could damage the filter media. It is essential to proceed with constant maintenance of the pool and any malfunction must be dealt with seriously. Check your entire plant and filtration system before deciding what to replace.
Step 2. Clean the pool floor and walls
Remove any solid residue with the vacuum cleaner, scrub the walls with a brush and be sure to remove any trace of particulate that could clog the filter. Turn on the filtration system for 8-12 hours to remove the last residues that could make the water cloudy.
Step 3. Chemically treats the water to remove microparticle buildup
Loose colloidal particles could actually be responsible for the lack of transparency of the water. These are residues of both natural origin (such as algae) and mineral (such as dissolved calcium). Change the chemicals to the values below and turn the pool filter on for another day before retesting the water composition.
- Free chlorine: 1-2 ppm.
- Combined chlorine: <0.3 ppm.
- pH: 7.2-7.8.
- Overall alkalinity: 80-120 ppm.
- Water hardness: 180-220 ppm (higher levels are acceptable up to about 400 ppm).
Step 4. Adjust the pH using an acidifying product available on the market, alternatively you can make it more basic with borax
Do not attempt to mix aggressive acids or bases in the pool without using protective measures, such as an eye mask, protective clothing and respirator.
Step 5. Shock treatment if the combined chlorine levels (ie the total chlorine level minus the free chlorine) exceed 0.3 ppm
Combined chlorine is free chlorine which reacts with an agent in water to form chloramine, which produces a strong chlorine odor. This shock treatment should bring the chlorine level to more than 30 ppm.
- If you use litmus paper to test the pH and it turns out to be a purple or neutral color, then the chlorine level may be high. These test kits often contain a reagent, typically thiosulfate, which removes chlorine and allows for accurate analysis.
- High levels of cyanuric acid can decrease the effectiveness of chlorine as a sterilizing agent, but you can intervene by reducing them by dilution.
Step 6. Monitor chlorine and bromine levels for several days to verify stability
If the levels change a lot from day to day it means there is a chlorine demand problem. It also checks the levels of cyanuric acid, since it performs the task of stabilizing the chlorine to avoid degradation triggered by UV rays; also check the chlorinator or buy a new one to try to keep the chemical composition of the water stable.
Step 7. Adjust the total alkalinity of the pool by adding sodium bisulfate or muriatic acid
Make sure you always follow the directions on the package according to the capacity of the pool. These solutions must diffuse in the water and complete their chemical reaction within 6 hours.
Step 8. Adjust the water hardness (calcium concentration) using a water softener
You can also add a diluted softener mixture for this purpose. These are agglomerating solutions that are more effective when the water is slightly alkaline and that need several days before completing their action. The hardness of the aqueduct water varies greatly from area to area and you should seek advice from experts and qualified professionals in pool cleaning to determine the strength and concentration of these products.
Step 9. Use a clarifying product according to the instructions if the other methods do not bring the desired results
Clarifiers are agglomerating solutions that bind to the colloids present in the water and bring them to the surface, where you can remove them with a wet vacuum cleaner or with the pool filter. These chemicals are called flocculants and the treatment is termed flocculation. Continue to filter the water continuously until it becomes completely clear.
Step 10. Add a second dose of clarifier or a more aggressive chemical
Do not turn off the filtration system if the pool is not yet perfectly clean. However, keep in mind that excessive use of this product can slow down the clarification process; the particles tend to repel each other rather than attract each other, so the concentration of the clarifier increases. Always strictly follow the instructions on the package and do not repeat the procedure more than 2 times in the course of a week.
Step 11. Clean the water with the wet vacuum cleaner and scrub the surfaces of the pool to remove any residue that has settled due to flocculation
Stains, dirt build-up or rust are likely due to water hardness or changes in alkalinity rather than flocculant.
Step 12. Contact a professional pool cleaning expert if the problem persists
If despite several treatments you do not get the desired results, the problem could be caused by secondary factors that you cannot identify and which can instead be detected and treated more effectively and safely by a professional. Too many cleansing treatments can cause skin and mucous membrane irritation in swimmers. Make sure all water cleaning and filtering components are working properly.
Warnings
- Do not swim in the pool unless you have first tested the water and verified that it is safe by following all instructions from the manufacturers of clarifying products or water cleaning treatments. These solutions are concentrated, are usually used on thousands of liters of water and could cause burns if used improperly.
- Wear gloves and goggles when handling pool water treatment chemicals.
- Make sure no one has access to the pool until the treatment is complete.
