How Do I Clear Up My Cloudy Pool Water?

Mrs. Robinson had been a customer of mine for nearly two years when her Salt System kicked the bucket while she was on vacation. She walked in the front door of my office looking like she had just saw a ghost.What she had actually seen was a green pool full of algae just in time for her daughter’s birthday party the following weekend. We sent a Service Technician to her home to replace the bad Salt System and treat the pool for the algae bloom. A few days later, the pool was blue, but still way too cloudy to use and a little embarrassing to Mrs. Robinson.

Why is it Cloudy?

Swimming pools can become cloudy for a multitude of reasons:

1. High pH, Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness and TDS can all lead to cloudy water. Balance the water as needed.
2. A higher Total Chlorine result than Free Chlorine result can lead to cloudy water. Low Free Chlorine results can also lead to this issue. Test the Total Chlorine and Free Chlorine levels in the pool; these test results should be as close to the same result as possible. A good way to prevent and fix this is to shock the pool regularly.
3. An old or dirty filter will lead to cloudy water in a hurry! Check your filter. Clean the filter using a filter cleaning agent, such as Lo-Chlor Filter & Tile Cleaner, or replace the filter as needed.
4. Algae. Once the algae is dead, it is still floating around in the water leaving behind a mess for the filter to catch. The use of a clarifier will speed up this process. Clarifier helps to bind particulate matter in the water, such as dead algae, into large “chunks” making it much easier for the filter to catch it.
5. Heavy Bather Loads. Those pool parties you have on the weekends can leave you with cloudy water in a hurry. Using a strong clarifier, such as Lo-Chlor Miraclear Blue, can help cure the problem in a hurry!!

1. Don’t feel like adding clarifier to your pool on a weekly basis, or measuring out what you need? No problem! Our Miraclear Pool Clarifier is an amazing 30 day pool clarifier that can treat pools up to 30,000 gal. Simply place the tab in the pump strainer basket and replace every 30 days. It starts working immediately and dissolves within 24 hours of pump run time. Also available in a 15,000 gal size .

Here’s to You, Mrs. Robinson!

We tested Mrs. Robinson’s pool water and everything looked fine. Her cloudy pool was just a result of the left-overs of the dead algae that was in her pool. With a little clarifier and a good filter cleaning, Mrs. Robinson’s pool party was resounding success! She was so happy with the results, she added a clarifier to her maintenance routine!