- Cloudy pool water is caused by four common issues,
poor filtration, low chlorine levels, poor water chemistry
and outside contaminants like debris or algae.
Regardless of why your pool is cloudy,
there are two products that can help clear things up,
pool flocculant and water clarifier,
but you can't use them in every situation
and you need to tackle the root of the problem first.
Luckily, once you start treating your water
the cloudiness should go away quickly.
So here's a step-by-step guide
on how to clear up your cloudy water in 48 hours or less.
Let's dive in.
(exciting music)
(water splashing)
Real quick, if you want more help taking care of your pool,
be sure to grab our free pool care cheat sheet
at swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet.
It's totally free and will help keep your pool clean
and clear throughout the year.
Okay, here are the four problems
that cause cloudy pool water and how to fix each one.
Remember, you need to tackle the root of your issue first,
otherwise the cloudy water will just come right back.
Problem number one, poor filtration.
If your pool filter isn't functioning properly
then it can't remove the tiny contaminants
that cause cloudy pool water.
The solution, keep your pool water circulating properly
and check the following filtration issues.
Number one, your filter needs back washing or cleaning.
That means back washing your sand or DE filter,
cleaning your DE filter grids
or soaking the cartridge in your cartridge filter cleaner.
If you need more help cleaning your filter
be sure to check out our other walkthrough video.
Number two, your skimmer basket
or pump basket is full of debris.
Remove any leaves, twigs, or debris
in your skimmer or pump basket.
If you frequently find debris in your skimmer
consider adding a skimmer door, also known as a weir.
Number three, your filter media needs replacing.
Change your filter sand every three to five years
and replace your cartridge filters every year or so.
And if you have a DE filter
add fresh diatomaceous earth powder after each backwash.
Number four, you're not running your filter long enough.
All of your pool water must run
through your filter system at least once a day.
That usually means running your filter
for at least eight hours daily.
Problem number two, low chlorine levels.
When there's not enough chlorine to sanitize your water,
bacteria and bodily contaminants like sweat
can build up and cloud your water.
Chlorine levels can also drop
if there's a lot of debris like leaves in your pool
or if your chlorine isn't stabilized.
The solution, test and adjust your chlorine
and cyanuric acid.
Start by testing your free and combined chlorine levels.
If your combined chlorine is too high,
it means your chlorine has been used up
and combined with contaminants.
Full shock can help rebalance
and reactivate your chlorine levels.
Also, test and adjust your cyanuric acid levels or CYA.
CYA helps protect chlorine from breaking down
under the sun's UV rays.
Your CYA levels should be
between 30 and 50 parts per million.
Problem number three, poor water chemistry.
High pH, alkalinity and calcium hardness
can form scale on your pool surfaces
and inside your plumbing
and this scale can cause cloudy water.
Poor water chemistry also makes it more difficult
for your chlorine to function well.
The solution, test and balance your pH, alkalinity
and calcium hardness.
Be sure to check your alkalinity first
since that can impact your pH.
If you need more help balancing your water chemistry
be sure to check out our other video.
Number four, contaminants like debris or algae.
Particles, small debris
and early stage algae growth can cause cloudy water
especially during the springtime.
The solution, treat algae in its early stages
by shocking your pool
and balance and clean your water when you see debris,
like after a rainstorm or when pollen is high.
Once your filter system is running smoothly,
your chlorine levels are correct, your water is balanced
and you've eliminated any algae growth,
you're ready to clear up your water.
You can either use pool flocculant, also known as pool floc,
or water clarifier.
Pool flocculent coagulates small particles
into larger clumps that sink to the bottom of your pool.
Flocculant is faster and more effective than clarifier,
but it requires more work.
You must manually remove
the clumped up particles with a pool vacuum
and you can only vacuum out flocculant
if your filter has a waste setting or a drain port.
Pool clarifier on the other hand coagulates particles
into smaller clumps that are removed by your pool filter.
It's easier to use than flocculant,
but it's not as powerful
and generally takes longer to clear up your pool.
So, if you want to clear up your pool fast
and you've got really cloudy water, use pool flocculant.
Even though the vacuuming takes more work,
flocculant works more effectively.
Just make sure you have the ability
to bypass your filter when vacuuming.
If your pool water is just a little cloudy
or you don't have a waste setting on your filter,
opt for the pool clarifier.
You can use this in any situation with any filter setup.
It's just not as powerful as flocculant.
By the way, if you're looking for products
to help clear up your pool,
we have our own line of pool chemicals.
You can check them out at shop.swimuniversity.com.
Now, here's how to use pool flocculant
to clear up your cloudy water in 24 to 48 hours.
Step number one, balance your pH.
Test your water's pH levels and adjust as needed.
Proper pH levels help your flocculent work more effectively.
Two, add flocculent to your water.
The pool flocculant will bind with contaminants
that cause the cloudy pool water
and then those large clumps
will sink to the bottom of your pool.
Number three, circulate your water.
Circulate your pool water
with your filter system for two hours.
If you have a multi-port valve, set it to recirculate.
This will bypass your filter while helping the water move.
After circulating, shut your filter system off
for eight to 12 hours to let the particles settle
to the bottom of your pool.
Make sure your automatic timer doesn't turn on
in the middle of the night.
Four, vacuum the flocculant out of your pool.
You should now see a big cloud at the bottom of your pool.
This means the pool flocculant collected all the particles
and sank it to the bottom.
And now it's time to vacuum.
Vacuum the water out of your pool on the waste setting.
If you just vacuum your water through your filter system
it'll blow right back in through your return jets.
And if you don't have a multi-port valve,
open the drain port on your filter
and let it drain out as you vacuum.
Move the vacuum slowly along the bottom of the pool
or else you'll kick up the cloudy water.
And you may have to do this multiple times.
Let the cloud resettle before continuing.
The flocculant filled pool water
will exit out of your filters waste port as you vacuum.
So be sure to have your backwash hose connected
and make sure your water level
doesn't drop below the skimmer.
Five, test and balance your water.
Because you remove water from your pool,
you need to rebalance your water chemistry.
Once you get your pH and alkalinity rebalanced,
add your chlorine.
Now that you've gotten the cloudy water out of your pool,
you can start running your filter system normally.
Finally, if your pool is only mildly cloudy
or you don't mind waiting an extra day to clear things up,
here's how to use pool clarifier to clear up cloudy water.
First, skim brush, and vacuum your pool.
This helps loosen particles and removes larger debris.
Then test and balance your alkalinity and pH.
Next, shock your water.
This will remove any early stage algae growth
and will help rebalance your chlorine levels.
Run your filter and let the shock dissolve overnight.
Then retest your water.
After your pool shock has dissipated
it's time to add water clarifier.
Keep your filter running 24/7
while the water clarifier is working.
The filter will collect the clumped together particles.
Finally clean your filters.
After two or three days, your water should be clear.
Since your filters picked up all the contaminants,
clean or backwash your filter
and retest your water chemistry.
(water splashing)
If you need more help keeping your pool water clear,
grab our free pool care cheat sheet
at swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet.
It's totally free and we'll help keep your pool clean
and clear throughout the year.
And if you found this video helpful, leave a comment,
hit the like button and subscribe
for more pool maintenance tutorials throughout the season.
That's it.
Thanks again and happy swimming.
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