Problem Pool Water: I'm Doing Everything Right. Why Is My Pool Cloudy?

By: Rob Coxworth
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:25:59
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

It’s high summer, the weather is hot and your pool is in constant use. You test your water, keep the chlorine up and shock like you’re supposed to but the pool looks cloudy. The pool stays stubbornly cloudy despite your best efforts. What’s up with that?

Here’s the scoop. Your pool is having contaminants added too fast for chlorine and your filter to handle. Chlorine is an oxidizer. It chemically burns complex organics from swimmers and the environment like sweat, sun tan lotion, dust and other stuff best left unmentioned. It reduces these nitrogen-based chemicals to simpler compounds and makes them useless to algae and bacteria as food. This keeps your pool clean and sanitary.

During hot weather and heavy swimming chlorine is being used up at a much higher rate and needs constant replenishment. In addition, sunlight breaks down chlorine with ultraviolet radiation. Given lots of chlorine working on lots of contaminants the oxidized, broken-down material never gets a chance to be properly filtered. It stays suspended in the water causing cloudiness despite your test parameters being good.

OK, WHAT CAN I DO?

There are several things that can be done to improve the appearance of your pool water.

-Try a floccing agent. Available at any pool store, a floccing agent drops suspended material to the bottom of the pool overnight so that it can be vacuumed out.

-Run the pump and filter 24/7 until the weather breaks and cooler temps arrive. Make sure your filter is clean. Backwash more often if necessary.

-Take a one day swimming break to let the chlorine and your filter catch up. (This is a last resort.)

Use the steps above and your pool water should clear up quickly. Oh yeah, take a swimming break in a heat wave? I was kidding about that one.

Rob Coxworth
Dr. Duck
WebfootLeisure.com

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Swimming category

  • Tips Before Choosing Summer Camps - By: Shijina Shijina
    Finding a best summer camp for the child is one of the interesting and exiting works of the parents. Most of the parents come up with more denomination to make the holidays more useful and knowledgeable for their children.
  • Swimming Pool Vacuum Cleaners - By: Natisha Nel
    Without cleanliness and maintaining the hygiene of the swimming pool it becomes dirty. Swimming pool vacuum cleaners are excellent equipments and with regular cleaning the pool can be used for longer periods.
  • Hayward Pool Cleaners - By: Natisha Nel
    Hayward, the brand name, has set an objective of making the pool experience hassle-free. The products available are pumps, heaters, filters, heat pumps, lighting and automatic pool cleaners.
  • What benefits can you get from scuba diving? - By: Badr Boubker
    Getting to know the marine flora and fauna from up, close and personal is an out-of-this-world experience enjoyed by a few but cherished by all.
  • Cleaning Supplies for Your Swimming Pool - By: Alex Fir
    Thanks to quality cleaning accessories, keeping your swimming pool nice and clean is easier than ever. There are lots of tools to select from, such as skimmers, brushes, and vacuum heads. These tools make pool maintenance very easy, which means that you can spend less time cleaning and more time swimming.
  • Helpful Tips On How To Get Certified In Scuba Diving - By: Tim Gorman
    Scuba diving is a wonderful sport, and although it requires a lot of specialized equipment, it's relatively easy to get certified. There are some basic things, though, that you need to have in place if you want to get scuba diving certification. Scuba diving is fun and exciting, but it can also be dangerous.
  • Teaching Your Children The Skill Of Learning To Swim - By: Steve Hill
    Do your children know how to swim? Have you ever thought about taking your children to swimming lessons? I am a very proud father tonight as my son was today awarded his ten metre swimming badge.
  • The 5 Rules to a Sparkling Swimming Pool - By: Ferrel Kenda
    You come home from a long day's work, your only thought is stripping off your clothes and diving head first into that marvelous oasis sometimes referred to as the backyard swimming pool. Your second concern at this point is whether or not to invite the family for your cool refreshing swim. You choose to go it alone, you rip back the protective cover only to reveal the thick green ooze that reminds you yesterday's lunch offering at the local greasy spoon.
  • Sports Pool... Swimming Pool on Steroids - By: Freddy Rodriguez
    Swimming pool on steroids. Ok, Ok...that's somewhat of an exaggeration!
  • Wow Your Friends with an Ocean Blending Swimming Pool - By: Freddy Rodriguez
    Have you ever seen a swimming pool that seems to have no edge, appears to go on forever and blends into the ocean? If you have never seen one of these, your first time could be somewhat scary. But there is nothing to fear.