The swimming pool is a place where we spend a lot of time in the summer. When it’s hot, we want to take a bath to cool off; and if you can also have fun playing with family and/or friends, that’s even better. Being so special, you don’t like to see the water turn cloudy. For it, it is important to keep it in good conditioneven if we are not going to embark on a long season.
Corn, What if the pool water is cloudy? The first thing is to find the cause, since the measures taken to clean it will be different depending on the origin of the problem.
Contents
Why does the water in the swimming pool become cloudy?
When we think of summer, it is inevitable that we think of our beloved swimming pool, a place where we cool off and, above all, where we have fun. But for this, the water must be clean, blue and not cloudy, otherwise the bath could be counterproductive.
Therefore, it is important to know the causes in order to know how to correct the problem:
- altered pH: It should be between 7.2 and 7.6, but when it is not, the water becomes cloudy.
- inadequate chlorine levels: When the values are not optimal, the water is no longer clear. Also, you should know that there are three types of chlorine:
- free: it is the one that acts as a disinfectant. Its normal level is between 1 and 2ppm.
- residual: this is the one that no longer has any effect, and it should be at 0.2ppm.
- total: as the name suggests, this is the total amount, and it should be 1.5 ppm.
- lack of filter maintenance: It is convenient to clean it regularly to keep it working well. Also, if we have a sand one, we have to change it from time to time.
What to do when you have a cloudy pool?
If we have cloudy pool water, let’s see what to do to make it clean again:
Check pH
It’s very simple to do, since all you have to do is buy a water pH meter, insert the sensor in the pool, and that’s it. You will instantly know what pH value it has. If it is lower than 7.2 or higher than 7.6, you will have to increase or increase the value with specific liquids for this purpose.
You must do this carefully, following the instructions for use at all times, because if you add more than the indicated amount, the pH could drop or increase too much, which would not be a good thing because when we bathe, the skin would be irritated.
Check chlorine
Remember that there are three types of chlorine: free, residual and total. Each has its own optimal value. For it, In addition to pH, it is also convenient to check chlorine. And how is it done? Fortunately, there are counters that serve this purpose, such as these strips.
In contact with water, they take on a certain color. Depending on this, it will tell you if it is in optimal values or not. Otherwise, you will need to use a chlorine stabilizer.
There are other ways to measure chlorine, with more expensive meters, like this one. But these are used more in public and/or community pools. In any case, its method of use is also very simple: just put the sensor in the water to find out what value it has.
Pool filter maintenance
The pool filter must be maintained in good condition so that the water is clear. For him, it is important that it is cleaned and that the sand filter (if present) or carbon filter (if present) is replaced from time to time.
And if we still can’t solve the problem, filtration hours may need to be increased. These are recommended between 8 and 12 hours during the summer, as this is when it is used the most; but the rest of the year 4 to 6 o’clock in the morning will suffice.
What if everything is fine but the water is still cloudy?
Sometimes everything is fine, but the water remains cloudy. What to do? Well, to make it clean as we like it, we can choose to use a water clarifierlike this one which is liquid, or this one which is in pills.
But I insist, the manufacturer’s instructions for use must be followed to the letter, otherwise, as they say in Spain, “the remedy will be worse than the disease”. In addition, we must leave it to act for about 12 hours so that the filter can absorb the product and the dirt that has joined it. Then we will check the pH and chlorine levels again to see if they have changed or not, and act accordingly.
And if the water is still cloudy, you can use a flocculant (buy it here) following the instructions specified by the manufacturer. What this product does is increase the size of suspended particles. They then fall to the bottom of the pool. We have to let it run for about twelve hours and then we’ll run the pool cleaner.
We hope that these tips will be useful to you so that the water in your swimming pool is no longer cloudy.