If your pool water is blue but cloudy, there are some reasons behind it, and you have to take action as soon as possible. Having a cloudy blue pool water is unsightly, and would even pose dangerous effects to swimmers. Some pool owners would initially contact pool professionals if this happens. As a pool owner, it would be cost-saving and wise to take your initial actions by figuring out the causes of such a scenario.
By understanding the scenario, you would quickly evaluate the situation and think of solutions you can immediately execute to avoid worsening the scenario. In this article, we are going to give you ideas on the reasons why there are times pool water is blue but cloudy and procedures that you can initially do to fix the said situation. So, if you have a pool and often encounter the said scenario, maybe it is time to save your pool by finishing the whole post ahead.
Part 1. The Common Reasons To Having A Blue Pool Water That Is Cloudy
To have your head on the game, you have to learn so many facts about your pool. Let us say your pool water is blue but cloudy, and you do not have any idea why it is like that. You probably would want to figure out reasons so you can easily evaluate things and figure out the solutions as soon as possible.
In this part of the article, we are going to identify the common reasons why your pool water is blue but cloudy, helping you formulate ideas within yourself to help save your pool and minimize possible costs it may cause you.
1. The Levels of Your Chlorine and pH are Incorrect.
Two of the most dreadful and important factors and levels that you have to maintain as a pool owner are pH and chlorine. One is dependent on the other. When there are right pH levels, free chlorine will ultimately be enough as well.
On the other hand, once there is not enough free chlorine, chloramines are formed, and once there are chloramines, it will turn your pool water to be cloudy, thus looking very unpleasant. It is recommended that the combined chlorine level must be maintained at below 0.5 ppm. Also, once the pH level is above 7.8, chlorine will be too ineffective to kill all the bacteria that are present in your pool water. High pH will result in a great risk of algae infestation and compromise your water quality.
2. The Calcium Hardness Level is Too High.
It is not safe if there is too much calcium hardness. It is defined as the total calcium dissolved in your pool water. Once the levels of calcium are too high, then they will be too unstable, and imbalances in the levels of pH and total alkalinity will also pose an effect on them. Calcium hardness level must be in the range between 100 and 400 ppm, you have to do something once it is above 400 ppm to avoid cloudiness and calcium scaling.
3. The Presence of Debris Accumulated from the Surroundings.
If your pool is located with lots of trees, it is possible that dried leaves, buds, trees, flowers, and twigs can be seen at the surface of your pool. If your pool does not have an appropriate water circulation, murkiness can be observed and be caused by these.
4. Rainwater
If you have an outdoor pool that has no cover, then you have to watch over rainwater. It has nitrates, phosphates, and other elements that will eventually turn your pool hazy or cloudy. Once there is a lot of rainwater in your pool it can also dilute the amount of chlorine present in your pool. Once chlorine is diluted, it will become less effective thus turning your pool water cloudy.
5. Your Filtration System is Not Doing Its Job.
The heart of every pool is its filtration system, it should work well for the pool to be healthy. But one of the main reasons why your pool water is blue but cloudy is your filter. If your filter is not working well, water can be stagnant, which can be the reason for having cloudy pool water. You may have a defective pump, the filter can be clogged, or you have not used your filter in a long time, it now malfunctions.
6. You Have High Levels of Alkalinity.
The total alkalinity levels in your pool water are closely related to having cloudy pools. Once the total alkalinity is too high, it will make the pH off resulting in scaling because of calcium. So you have to measure your TA, and once it is higher than 200 ppm, well this might be the reason why your pool water is blue but cloudy.
7. The Different Particles Left by Bathers.
There can be lots of bathers, especially during the summer, or if you suddenly have a pool party! Well, when there are a lot of bathers this also means lots of particles left by them which could affect the clarity of your pool water. Some of these are natural body oils, hair shampoos and conditioners, sweat, sunscreen, lotion, and a lot more. Once all of these are added up, they can be a reason why your pool is cloudy.
Well, these are only some of the possible reasons why you have pool water which is blue but cloudy. By learning all of these facts, immediate actions can be conducted as soon as possible avoiding larger effects which could also be harder to deal with.
Part 2. How To Solve A Cloudy Pool?
So, if your pool water is blue but cloudy, you have to take action immediately. How will you solve it? Well, there are a few things that you have to remember and start doing of course. First, you should be ready with some of the essentials that we are about to use in getting you clearer pool water, these are, test kits, pool clarifiers, and even pool shocks. Let us figure out steps to help us fix a cloudy pool, below.
Step 1. Use Test Strips or Kits to Check Chemical Imbalances.
Initially, you have to keep your water chemistry balance. This deals with all the chemicals being added to your pool to make it safe and healthy. pH and chlorine are two of the most vital chemical levels that you have to watch out for. You need testing kits and strips to measure the pool water chemistry levels and adjust accordingly based on what your pool needs. It is advised that you conduct water chemical testing every day if you have commercial pools that have bathers every day. It is a must to remember that once you have detected levels of your chemicals, you can adjust as immediately as possible avoiding harmful effects on your pool. This will help you achieve a clearer pool quickly.
Step 2. Check your Filter and Your Pool Pump.
As we have said earlier, your filtration system can also be a cause of why your pool water is blue but cloudy. So, before inviting guests over once more, you can do a thorough check on each of these two, and see if there is a technical problem or if there are just clogs that need to be cleaned. Sometimes, you just have to acquire a replacement to make it work well once more. In case your filtration system is right, maybe the pump is the real dilemma. You can check if the pump is too small concerning the size of your pool, or maybe it is already too old that it needs replacement. In case you do not have any idea how old your pump is, you can get its serial number and start consulting with a pump professional.
Step 3. Start Removing the Debris.
Once you have made sure that your filters and pumps are in good condition, and your chemicals are now balanced, you may start removing debris found at your pool’s surface. Free your skimmer from any twigs, dried leaves, or other debris. Once these baskets are emptied, proper water circulation and flow can be assured. You can also start vacuuming manually or brushing the walls as hard as needed. You can use a pool brush to make the job easier. Not only that, but you can use a water clarifier in case there are tiny particles that cannot be removed by your filter or your skimmer. There are lots of really nice clarifiers in the market that could help you remove all these tiny particles, helping you achieve a nice and clear pool.
Step 4. Shock the Pool
If your pool water is still cloudy after balancing chemicals, checking the filter and pump, and removing debris, it's time to shock the pool. Pool shocking involves adding a large dose of chlorine to kill off any bacteria or algae that might be causing the cloudiness. Follow the instructions on the shock product carefully, as the dosage will depend on the size of your pool and the severity of the issue. Remember to keep everyone out of the pool until the chlorine levels return to a safe range. After shocking, run your filtration system continuously for at least 24 hours to help clear the water. Additionally, you may need to backwash your filter to remove any trapped debris or contaminants. Once the water clears up and the chemical levels stabilize, your pool should be ready for use again.