Home Up

             Troubleshooting

Cloudy Water, Algae Growth, Colored Water, Stains, Scale, Odors

Rough Plaster, Foaming,  

Eye Or Skin Irritation , Colored Hair,  Nails, Or Skin,

Bromine or Chlorine Levels Are Low or Nonexistent

 


 

PROBLEM

CAUSE

SOLUTION
Cloudy Water Poor Circulation/Filtration Cloudy water is most often caused by inadequate circulation/filtration, either signifying that the daily filter run is not long enough or the filter itself is dirty. To resolve, extend the daily filtration cycle and/or clean the filter  with a filter cleaner degreaser.
  Improper Water Balance If your water appears cloudy and the traditional clarifying methods do not seem to clear it up, test your total alkalinity and pH levels. High readings of either can cause cloudy water. Follow the directions on your test kit or see your pool chemical supply store to make any necessary adjustments.
  Swimmer Waste Body oils, perspiration, suntan oil and other swimmer wastes can cause cloudiness. Shocking the pool water will break up and remove these wastes.  Consult your pool chemical supply store for pool shocking instructions.
  High Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Calcium Hardness (CH), or Cyanuric Acid Levels Test your pool water to be sure the TDS, CH, and Cyanuric Acid levels are within the acceptable ranges. (You may have to bring your water to your pool chemical supply store for accurate testing.) If any one of these factors is too high, drain up to ½ of the pool water and replace with fresh water low in TDS and CH.
  Chemical Residue Calcium hypochlorite chemicals, such as HTH, leave behind chemical residues because they don’t dissolve completely. If you are using calcium hypochlorite as your sanitizer, consider switching to a 100% soluble stabilized chlorinating product. Consult your pool chemical supply store.
Algae Growth Green Algae If treated quickly, green algae is relatively easy to kill, being a free floating algae. Shock the pool in the evening. The next morning, add a concentrated multi-purpose algaecide. Keep the filter system operating throughout the elimination process and brush any dead algae that settles onto the floor of your pool into the main drain for removal. If green algae is left untreated, surface attachment can occur making treatment very difficult. Consult you pool chemical supply store for information on shocking your pool and algaecides.
  Blue-Green Algae

"Black Algae"

 Blue-green algae is a very hardy, difficult to kill algae that grows as small black dots or patches on the walls and bottom of improperly treated pools. Killing "black algae" takes time and persistence. Brush all affected areas well, using a stainless steel bristle brush for plaster pools. Brushing is the only way to remove the algae’s protective covering to make it susceptible to chemical treatment. Shock the pool in the evening. The next morning add a concentrated multi-purpose algaecide.  Continue brushing the algae affected areas following the chemical treatment until the algae is gone. Consult you pool chemical supply store for information on shocking your pool and algaecides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Mustard Algae Mustard algae is another hard to kill variety frequently found growing on the shaded side of the pool. Mustard algae is usually yellow or yellowish brown in color and is easily brushed off the walls of the pool. Treat mustard algae with the same procedure as "black" algae. Brush the visible algae areas, shock at night, and treat with a mustard algaecide the following morning. Both the "black" and mustard algae are very resistant to chemical treatment, so more than one application may be necessary. Consult you pool chemical supply store for information on shocking your pool and algaecides.
Colored Water Clear Green Water Clear green water indicates a presence of copper or iron in the pool water. First, bring a water sample to your pool chemical supply store to test the levels. Then, to treat, add a chelating agent.  Chelating agents attract and combine metals so they can be filtered out. Run your filtration system and do not allow your sanitizer level above 1.0 ppm for 72 hours after the addition of the chelating agent. You also should check and adjust if necessary, your pH and total alkalinity levels. If the pool water is too acidic, the equipment will deteriorate and in turn, put more metals into the water defeating the purpose of using a chelating agent.
  Cloudy Green Water Cloudy green water is caused by presence of green algae. Follow treatment schedule for green algae detailed above.
  Reddish Brown Water This is caused by iron. Iron is a precipitate of minerals in the water (alkalinity, calcium) that are allowed to build up and corrode light fixtures, ladders, rails, and even plumbing. Test and adjust the pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness levels, then add a chelating agent to the pool water.
  Grayish Black Water Manganese or other heavy metals, including silver cause the water to appear greyish black. Test and adjust as necessary, the pH, alkalinity and calcium levels, followed by a chelating agent treatment. Remember, the precipitated metal might have also come from another chemical product you have used for algae control.
Stains Metals Precipitating Out Of Solution Most stains are caused by metals plating out on the pool surfaces. New stains can usually be removed by adding a stain and scale treatment and brushing the stains vigorously. Older stains on a plaster pool may require acid washing or sanding. Ask your pool chemical provider for suggestions.
Scale Calcium Hardness Level is Too High Scale is a build up of calcium carbonate precipitated out of water by evaporation or heat. It can form on pool walls, inside pipes, heat exchangers, and other pool equipment. Of course, excessive amounts of calcium need to be in the water in the first place for this formation to occur. If your pool water has a high calcium hardness level, replace up to ½ of the volume of the pool with water low in calcium. If the source water is high in calcium, initially treat water with 1 qt. Of Stain and Scale Control per 10,000 gallons, keep pH between 7.2 and 7.4 and add a 4 oz per 10,000 gallons maintenance dose of Stain and Scale Control once a month.
Rough Plaster Calcium Hardness Level is Too Low If the plaster surface in your pool begins to get rough, it is a sure sign that your calcium hardness is too low. The pool water must have a calcium hardness level of at least a 200ppm. If the calcium hardness is not properly balanced out, calcium will actually be pulled from the plaster (causing roughness) to satisfy the demand for it. Maintaining a calcium hardness level between 225 and 300 ppm will avoid this problem
Foaming Overuse Of Some Types Of Algaecides
 		 To treat, use ¼ qt Defoamer per 10,000 gallons to first eliminate the foaming problem. Then switch to a non-foaming algaecide.
  Excessive Build-up Of Suntan Oils, Soap Residues or Other Contaminants When your filter becomes too dirty, it can no longer effective remove bather wastes from the pool water. The solution is to clean your filter with Tri-Sodium Phosphate (TSP) or Filter Cleaner Degreaser
Eye Or Skin Irritation High Levels Of Chloramines Chloramines are unwanted chemical compounds formed when free chlorine molecules combine with bather wastes such as body oils, hair oils, perspiration, etc., etc. When the pool’s free, available chlorine is insufficient to oxidize the chloramines, you will have the characteristic chlorine odor and eye or skin irritation complaints. To destroy the chloramines, shocking the pool is a solution.
  Low pH level When the pH is allowed to drop below the suggested range of 7.4 to 7.8 the water is acidic, and can cause skin and eye irritation. Test the pool water and make any necessary adjustments to your pH and total alkalinity levels.
  Bromine Level Bromine is rarely a cause of eye and skin irritation.
Colored Hair, Nails, Or Skin High Levels Of Chloramines Chloramines, when in high enough levels can cause skin, hair and nails to become discolored. The most susceptible are light-skinned, blonde haired (natural or dyed) persons. Again, to destroy the chloramines, shocking the pool is a solution.
Bromine or Chlorine Levels Are Low or Nonexistent Excess Organic Wastes – Sanitizer Demand Is Not Being Met Sanitizer demand can be defined as the amount of any chlorine or bromine product needed to kill all the bacteria and absorb all the foreign matter present in a body of water. If this demand has not been met, there is not enough sanitizer residual left in the water. (Sanitizer residual is the amount of chlorine or bromine that is left over after the demand has been satisfied.) The sanitizer residual level is what is tested for in the pool.
  Chlorine Or Bromine Level Is Too High If your sanitizer level is too high it can actually bleach out the testing powder or solution leading you to believe that there is no residual in the water. Dilute the test water with 50% tap water and retest. If your test kit then registers a sanitizer level, multiply that level by 2 to get the actual reading. Then see your professional pool dealer for suggestions.
  Chlorinator Or Brominator Is Not Functioning Properly To work properly, your Chlorinator or Brominator must contain chemicals and must allow sufficient water flow. Check to be sure that your feeder isn’t plugged or empty. Since most feeders operate only when the pump is running, you must be sure to operate the pump and feeder for at least 8 hours per day. Operate for a longer period of time if this is not sufficient.
  Inactive Or Old Test Kit Reagents For optimum results, be sure to replace your reagents at the beginning of each pool season.
  Low Cyanuric Acid Level In chlorinated pools, a cyanuric acid or stabilizer level below 25 ppm can make it very difficult to maintain the proper chlorine level due to the dissipation effect of sunlight on unstablized chlorine. To resolve, first be sure you are using a stabilized form of chlorine such as Stabilized Chlorinating Granules, Tablets or Sticks. Second test you cyanuric acid level at the beginning and middle of each season and add stabilizer as needed to initiate and maintain a 40 to 50 ppm level of cyanuric acid.
Odors Chlorine Odors – High Chloramine Levels Chloramines are unwanted chemical compounds formed when free chlorine molecules combine with bather wastes such as body oils, hair oils, perspiration, etc., etc. When the pool’s free, available chlorine is insufficient to oxidize the chloramines, you will have the characteristic chlorine odor. To resolve, shock the pool.
  Musty Odors Algae growth or high bacteria levels can lead to a musty, moldy smell. The solution is to eliminate the algae (see section on algae) and shock the water to kill any bacteria.
  Mildew Odors A smell that is closer to mildew might, in fact be mildew on pool covers or in deck crevices where water has been standing for long periods of time. The cure is to follow your nose to the source and take corrective measures. See your professional pool dealer for suggestions.