When your pool water looks cloudy, you know something isn’t right, but how do you fix it? Before you can implement the solution, you need to know the problem, as different causes come with different remedies. Thus, step one is to determine the cause of the cloudiness.
Important: fix the issue before allowing anyone to swim in the pool. Cloudy water could be dangerous, and until you determine the cause and take care of it, no one should spend any time in the water.
Causes of a Cloudy Pool
Most often, a cloudy pool is caused by imbalanced (or incorrect) chemicals. If this is the case, it means one of several things: an improper chlorine balance (either too much or not enough), an imbalanced pH or alkalinity level, or high calcium hardness.
Another potential cause of your cloudy water is your filter, either because it’s dirty or because you’re not running it long enough. For maximum benefit, your filter needs to be clean, and has to run for an appropriate amount of time — at least 8-12 hours a day with 24 hrs a day being ideal.
You could be fighting against nature and environmental factors, as well. Debris like leaves and pollen can clog your filter, and residue from storms can introduce bacteria that doesn’t belong in your pool. If this is the cause, you’ll probably be able to see the evidence right in front of you.
How to Treat Cloudy Water
Test Water and Balance Chemicals
Generally, you should start by testing the water. If there’s a chemical imbalance, it will be pinpointed away, and you’ll know how to proceed. If it’s a chlorine imbalance (generally, chlorine should be at 3–5 ppm when using the BioGuard 3 step process and 1 – 3 ppm if using a mineral sanitizer or optimizer), you’ll want to shock your pool, which you should be doing weekly, anyway. This will get your chlorine level back where it needs to be.
When testing the pH of your pool, you want to see a reading between 7.2 and 7.6. If you’re below 7.2, add pH increaser like BioGuard Balance Pak 200. If your pH is above 7.6, add pH reducer like BioGuard Lo ’n Slo.
Alkalinity is closely related to your pH level, as alkalinity should prevent your pH from fluctuating wildly. Check the level of alkalinity, which you want to see in the 125-150 ppm range if testing in the store. Test alkalinity often, as you’ll probably need to increase it several times throughout the season.
Read more on pool chemicals and proper amounts in our water chemistry cheat sheet post.
Clean the Pool
If you’re dealing with a dirty filter or debris, the first steps to clearing your water are to get rid of the debris, then clean your filtration and circulation systems. If you let unwanted particles build up, they won’t want to go away. You may also want to vacuum the pool, which you should be doing regularly.
What if the Pool is Still Cloudy After Shocking?
If you shock your pool to get your chlorine levels back to normal and you still see cloudy water, that’s probably okay—cloudy water after shocking is expected, and should clear up within a day.
If not, it’s possible you didn’t use a quality shocking product. If you’re certain you did, however, the cloudy water was probably caused by something other than chlorine. Go back and check the pH, alkalinity, and filter.
If you’re having trouble, you can always visit your preferred Zagers location with a water sample, and a professional water expert will give you a recommendation on next steps. We clear several pools every year and can give advice on highly effective products based on what you are experiencing and the environmental factors that are detected each season.
When properly maintained, your pool will give you maximum, clear-water enjoyment all summer long.