jjtiger Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 HI All...I have some concern on some advice I received at the local pool store regarding the conditioning of my pool...yesterday I brought a sample in and the water was crystal clear...chlorine and free chlorine was Ok...PH was a little low and alkalinity was fine...I told the tech I had a white film starting to form on the bottom and was hard to scrape off(my pool is a built in 16x32 with gunite bottom and fiberglass walls...it was painted 3 years ago with and epoxy paint)..she told me it was algae forming and I needed to up the PH and super shock it with 7bags of shock...when I got home I dumped the soda ash and checked after 2 hours..ph level was 7.9...then I broadcasted the 7 bags of shock...which instantly turned my pool water white and unable to see a foot down..now here I am 24 hours later with no change...water still white with no visibility...my question is will this clear up soon or was I given the wrong advice..filter always runs 24/7..thanks ..JOe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbdeli Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Did you use Cal-Hypo Shock? A few weeks ago, I put 4 bags of Cal-Hypo in my pool because I wanted to raise my CH a bit while Shocking. My pool was cloudy for about a day right after the cal-hypo was put in. It only took about 24-36 hours to clear up. It's probably the shock you used, and I'm sure chemgeek would be able to confirm this. Rob HI All...I have some concern on some advice I received at the local pool store regarding the conditioning of my pool...yesterday I brought a sample in and the water was crystal clear...chlorine and free chlorine was Ok...PH was a little low and alkalinity was fine...I told the tech I had a white film starting to form on the bottom and was hard to scrape off(my pool is a built in 16x32 with gunite bottom and fiberglass walls...it was painted 3 years ago with and epoxy paint)..she told me it was algae forming and I needed to up the PH and super shock it with 7bags of shock...when I got home I dumped the soda ash and checked after 2 hours..ph level was 7.9...then I broadcasted the 7 bags of shock...which instantly turned my pool water white and unable to see a foot down..now here I am 24 hours later with no change...water still white with no visibility...my question is will this clear up soon or was I given the wrong advice..filter always runs 24/7..thanks ..JOe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chem geek Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 The pH Up would tend to over-saturate the water with calcium carbonate and yes, it was probably Cal-Hypo shock that ws used and that would cloud the water. If you lower the pH back to a more normal range, at least down to 7.5, then the cloudiness should clear up faster. However, you need to check all of your water parameters, and get yourself a good test kit. You may need to lower your Calcium Hardness (CH) by dilution of the water and/or lower your Total Alkalinity (TA). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quantumchromodynamics Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 What was the chemical in the "shock"? If it was calcium hypochlorite, then you received very bad advice from that pool store employee. Calcium must never be put in the pool on the same day as pH increaser. The calcium combines with the carbonates and hydroxides to form calcium carbonate and calcium hydroxide. If you can provide a full set of chemical reading, we can better assist you. Pool stores are full of excess lie. The excess lie causes your Visa Debt and frustration levels to skyrocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjtiger Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 OK...thanks for the knowledge...I guess my next question is what was tha t white buildup that started to begin with...was it algae or something else??? What was the chemical in the "shock"? If it was calcium hypochlorite, then you received very bad advice from that pool store employee. Calcium must never be put in the pool on the same day as pH increaser. The calcium combines with the carbonates and hydroxides to form calcium carbonate and calcium hydroxide. If you can provide a full set of chemical reading, we can better assist you. Pool stores are full of excess lie. The excess lie causes your Visa Debt and frustration levels to skyrocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quantumchromodynamics Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 If you can provide a full set of chemical reading, we can better assist you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkusmier Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 Richard is right on the money. Check your TA and CH (calcium hardness). The cloudiness will probably clear but if it returns you likely need to do a few partial drains/refills to lower your CH. W/ fiberglass walls and a concrete floor, you will probably be fine w/ a CH level of 250ppm. The other alternative is to monitor your pH and keep it fairly low, e.g. 7.2-7.4. Your pool water temp is another variable - most substances are more soluble (dissolve more readily into solution) in warmer temps but calcium is an exception - it's more soluble at cooler temps and tends to precipitate (cloud your water) at warmer temperatures. If you're located in a warm region you'll have to pay attention to your pH to prevent a re-occurence. The better, long-term solution (pun intended) is to lower your CH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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