Question: Why is my pool water clear when I scoop it out to test but looks like has a green tint while in the pool? There are lots of different metals that can be in the water but the most common are zinc, copper, iron, magnesium, and silver. However, you should be careful when adding sodium bicarbonate as it will also have the same effect on the pH. Chlorine generators operate well with salinity levels between 2500 and 3500 ppm. Or even algae. Answer: Your chlorine is too high. What could cause this? Answer: Calcium levels are high, to reduce its level, drain and refill a portion of your pool water, maybe halfway. Start by increasing the chlorine generators output a little bit. If the stabilizer level is too high, chlorine cant work at its optimum. Basically, all chlorine generators have a percentage setting that controls how much chlorine they produce and how much time the pump runs to produce enough chlorine. You just have to find Cyanuric acid for your pool. If free chlorine is still reading low after doing all the above, you might need to add a small amount of liquid chlorine to boost the levels. Hayward's AQR15 AquaRite Salt Chlorinator. Often metals will be present in the water without causing any issues. If you have determined that your pool chemistry is balanced including acceptable free chlorine levels, your next option is to try a pool water clarifier. SWCG maintenance is all about cell cleaning and replacement, period: Chlorine production happens in the salt cell, and a defective cell will lead to less or no production of chlorine. Include as much information as possible including details about your pool chemistry, pool size, system, vacuum, etc. We have tested the levels and added the recommended shock (clorine and none chlorine) but it still cloudy after 4 days. I am a new pool owner. The goal should always be to first diagnose the problem and fix it with as little chemicals as possible, if they are even necessary in the first place. If you sure all the chemical levels are okay, the problem could be your filter, check it out. Answer: Currently, it's very unfortunate that there is no chemical to lower Cyanuric acid levels in your pool or spa apart from draining and refilling or at least refilling your pool with fresh water. These RO filters are expensive and I don't think it could be an option just to lower stabilizer level in your pool, however, it could be an option if you don't consider cost and you're unable to drain and refill your pool water for some reason. Just make sure all the chemicals are balanced then leave the pool pump to run for at least 24 hours and all will be fine. The only way to fix this is to first brush all the walls of the pool. Also, try cleaning the salt cell, it might be dirty and therefore cannot produce enough chlorine. An overdose of chemical increasers including; alkalinity, pH and calcium. First things first: test the salt concentration (also known as the salinity) and adjust as needed. Question: I have a few small rust spots in my fiberglass small saltwater pool. (and when). The reasons you may be experiencing cloudy pool water related to chemistry: Aside from inconsistent chlorination the most common culprit causing cloudy pool water ispool algaewhich can be caused by poor sanitation and circulation. The answers to these questions and more will be revealed in this post. If you suspect your filter isnt working correctly, start by cleaning it (for cartridge filters), or in the case of sand and DE filters, backwash them. My ph is 7.2 and my alkalinity is 80. Try either of these products to reduce alkalinity: To increase the alkalinity level, use an alkaline up/increaser product. Top choices include sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and sodium carbonate (soda ash). Using minerals or catalysts without sufficient shocking. -Put your filter on circulation and Add ascorbic acid targeting stain-affected areas, if the stain is not all gone in 30 minutes, add more ascorbic acid, repeat until you see no more stains. The average lifespan of a salt cell is three to five years in most SWCGs, after which you need to replace the old cell with a new one that will produce sufficient chlorine. Do you have any thoughts? Free chlorine should be 3ppm, which should also be the value of total chlorine and that means your combined chlorine is always 0ppm for a well maintained swimming pool. Answer: First of all, your filter could be clogged and needs a backwash. The pool company has not returned our call. It speaks to the importance of purchasing a quality pool test kit so you can keep an eye on your pool's chemistry. Its a good idea to check your chlorine generator is working and set correctly. Make sure that you dont add too much salt into the pool. Turning off the chlorinator, additional swimtime by multiple people, as much direct sunlight as possible, and heating the pool don't seem to make a dent in reducing the high level. However, if the cost is not something to worry about, there are specialized Reverse Osmosis machine filters that can capture Cyanuric acid among other compounds and remove them from your pool water through reverse osmosis (RO). Will this tear up our saltwater system? Question: How do I decrease the chlorine level in our salt water pool? -Raise pH and TA using baking sada, when TA is balanced but pH is still lower than 7.2, use borax to raise pH without affecting TA. Keep in mind that salt levels will be recycled during the process of chlorine production, and you may not need to add more unless the level falls way below the recommended range. Saltwater pools make the needed chlorine by converting pool salt to chlorine through electrolysis. Without proper filtration, you will certainly have cloudy water. What is going on? If you lose lots of free chlorine i.e 1ppm and above, you have algae and you need to add chlorine in the pool. Low salinity levels reduce free chlorine. Instead of adding chlorine manually, as you do in a regular chlorinated pool, saltwater pools use a saltwater chlorine generator system (SWG) to convert saltwater to chlorine. The "low Salt light ' is still blinking. Pool pump and filter system are not running for long enough intervals. If I turn my nano CG down to 75% will that help reduce the fci or should I turn off the nano altogether until the fci stabilizes? Pool looks great. https://dengarden.com/swimming-pools/Fixing-Swimmi https://dengarden.com/swimming-pools/Why-Swimming- https://dengarden.com/swimming-pools/How-to-Clear- https://consumer.healthday.com/fitness-information Saltwater pool systems operate efficiently only when salt is in the right concentration. Barack James (author) from Green City in the Sun on March 26, 2019: Just like non saltwater pool, water will turn cloudy when free chlorine level is low. Barack James (author) from Green City in the Sun on May 06, 2020: The ideal range of salinity level for a saltwater pool is between 2500 and 3500 ppm. After youve done this, you will need to filter, filter and filter the water. Apart from low salinity levels, low free chlorine can be caused by: If the salinity and everything mentioned above is just fine, but free chlorine is too low, this may be the result of heavy pool usage and you may need to add a small amount of regular chlorine (or adjust your chlorine generator to produce more chlorine). Answer: High pH may be caused with Calcium Hypochlorite(granular/powder chlorine) pool shock if used regularly to shock swimming pool. The number one cause of cloudy pool water isinconsistent chlorination or low free chlorine. Don't drain a lot of water at once but slightly below the skimmer so that you don't interfere with your chemical levels with fresh water. Barack James (author) from Green City in the Sun on July 12, 2020: My salt water is just 4000 gallons.Is it correct that it requires 3500 ppm of salt? Test the water after 24 hours to see if the chlorine levels are high enough. After you have everything balanced you can reassess your pool and continue with any of the following methods depending on your pool's chemistry. It is one year old. I am a new pool owner with a SWCG. If you use our referring links, it costs you nothing extra. This could be the issue with your chlorine level. Finally, if you have done all Chemicals balancing and the pool still appears cloudy after 24 hours, your salt water cell may be faulty and not producing sufficient free chlorine to maintain your pool and you may need to clean your salt cell and make sure you adjust salinity level that is recommended for your SWCG so that enough chlorine is produced to keep cloudiness away and avoid algae growth. Be sure you run your filter for at least 8 hours per day. How can I safely remove them? What about foam? Plumbing is damaged, blocked, too narrow or a valve is closed off. Both of these issues can stop the chlorine generator from generating sufficient chlorine to sanitize the pool. DE Filters can have broken grids. Barack James (author) from Green City in the Sun on June 02, 2019: Dwight, are you sure the colour is blue and not green? The following tips will help you prevent a case of cloudy saltwater pool: Overall, to prevent your saltwater pool from turning cloudy, regular basic pool maintenance is essential. Every two weeks is fine. Answer: Super Chlorinating is necessary only when free or total chlorine is less than 3 ppm. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Question: My grandchild pooped bubbles in our pool. In most cases, balancing pH and TA in both saltwater and chlorine-based pools is tricky and the only way is by first reducing both chemicals using muriatic acid and then raising pH through aeration to get the correct balance. The only way to reduce excess TDS is to drain and replace the water. Is this going to damage the equipment? For spa Calcium Hardness(CH) should be between 100 to 150ppm, start by measuring and balancing your calcium levels. This will cause cloudy pool water or algae in your saltwater pool. You don't need to add chlorine manually unless your chlorine generator cannot produce enough chlorine to maintain the recommended free chlorine level. Very low salinity levels may bring down your available free chlorine to 0 ppm, which will almost certainly encourage algae to thrive. You must either test the salinity level before adjusting it or use a chlorine generator that monitors and displays the salinity reading. You can use liquid chlorine, chlorine tablets or powdered chlorine. Barack James (author) from Green City in the Sun on July 23, 2020: Clorox Pool Salt is one of the best out there just to assure you that it's not causing bleach smell and bleaching out your garments. What can we do? What do I have to do to raise my Free Chlorine and total alkalinity levels as well as raisie my pH levels? Borax is the best option if you need to raise pH level without affecting TA levels. To trap all the contaminants in the pool, the pool filters have to be left running for at least 8 hours. Alternatively, you can increase the frequency of backwashing and cleaning your pool filter. You are going to add chlorine to raise your FCL to higher shock level and maintain the shock level until you get rid of all algae. Firstly, test for the pH, Alkalinity, and Calcium and note that they are all balanced, then add your chlorine shock, and let your salt chlorine generator maintain the shock level. Just like a chlorine-based pool, saltwater pools turn cloudy when chemicals are not balanced. Chlorine might be reading low even though salinity is high because of a faulty or dirty salt cell that needs some repair or cleaning respectively. It is very common for test strips and even local pool stores to give unreliable test results so it's a good idea to double check. This will lead to low chlorine levels, and in turn, also cause cloudy and murky pool water. This will kill off any algae and organic matter in the pool and rapidly increase the chlorine levels. Another reason for a cloudy saltwater pool is algae infestation. Any ideas why I'm generating so much free chlorine? Thirdly, you might be having excess or less chlorine stabilizer (cyanuric acid) in your water, which is always one of the major reasons free chlorine does not hold longer in any pool, the ideal range for Cyanuric acid in order for your FC to hold in saltwater pool is between 60 and 80 ppm but this also depends on the temperature around where you stay, very low temperatures like in Canada needs Cyanuric acid to be around 60 ppm. Yes, it's safe to safe to swim since 25k ppm salinity level is still within the recommended range and on the lowest side, unless it reads above 35,000 ppm. Water can be discolored. Its when you add high doses of chlorine (pool shock) that the metals can oxidize and cloud up the pool. About clothes bleaching out could be caused by chlorine in your pool but it should be gradual. Salt water pools constantly get rid of nasty chloramines and reduce the need for clarifying chemicals. In bad cases of algae, you may need to maintain that chlorine level for several days. Smell is slight; no burning sensations but some clothes are bleached out. Every brand of salt cell chlorinator makes it possible for the user to set the salt cell chlorine output. Pool guy says all the chemical level are correct, but the problem has been going on for over a month! My above ground Saltwater pool (Kayak Pool) is turning green. We changed pool companies and they dont put as much salt in as the former pool company. This is helpful.The levels were way off when we checked with Clorox strips and we've tried everything to balance them out and nothing is working. Doing all of this will mean your saltwater pool is free from cloudy or milky water. Simply run the saltwater generator and pool pump longer. The second issue is Calcium buildup on the salt cell, make sure that your salt cell has no calcium building completely because this will impede the functioning of your cell in producing enough chlorine. Question: I am using the Color Q Pro 11 tester in my pool. And as you know by now, not enough chlorine in your saltwater pool means? Also, make sure your chemicals in the pool are all balanced, especially pH, TA, and calcium hardness as these may affect salinity and free chlorine production levels. An overdoes of stain and scale inhibitors, flocculant or foamy algaecide. Barack James (author) from Green City in the Sun on April 02, 2019: Cloudiness in any pool be it salt water or chlorine based pool is associated with low chlorine level. The ideal total alkalinity for saltwater pools is between 80 and 120 ppm for plaster or concrete pools and 100-140 ppm for vinyl and fiberglass pools. An incorrect stabilizer level will affect the effectiveness of chlorine. I use Clorox Pool Salt from Sam's. This can also cause a cloudy saltwater pool. I suspect this could be metal stain probably copper stain from Well water, the mineral cartridge, precipitated copper pool parts, or sources like copper algaecide. If this doesnt fix the issue, you can replace the cartridges. Another parent told me that her child was similarly ill, recently. I just opened my pool and added the recommended salt and it turned cloudy and my sand filter has been running and is still cloudy do I need to check chemical balances or should I shock it sand filter hasnt been running for 24 hours yet before I start up the salt system. All projects are attempted at the reader's own risk. It's time to look at the results of the test and adjust levels as needed. Low chlorine will cause chloramine which gives out a light bleach smell, test your Combined Chlorine level and make sure it's not higher than 0.5 ppm. Finally check with your filter cartridges if they need backwashing or replacement because poor circulation will cause lots of chloramine in your water. Every pool is different and it would be impossible and impractical to go over every possible cause of cloudy pool water. We may earn a small commission. Barack James (author) from Green City in the Sun on July 20, 2019: Turning down the nano CG is enough and should work in stabilizing your chlorine without having to shut it. Any recommendations? My FCL reading is 4.74 and TCL reading is 5.8. In addition to cloudy water, high levels of metals cause stains on the pool walls and surfaces. Question: Do you know why a saltwater pool would cause skin and eye irritation and coughing in several different people? A high level of metals in the saltwater pool could make saltwater pools look cloudy. This is the most ignored aspect pool water chemistry: The TDS in your pool should not exceed 1500 ppm. Answer: Unfortunately, there is no alternative to Cyanuric acid. You need to add salt slowly by slowly while measuring your salinity level not to exceed the maximum level. To get rid of cloudiness, you will have to do a liquid chlorine shock to raise the level of free chlorine (since the chlorine produced by the generator is not enough; a chlorine generator just assists you in maintaining the level of free chlorine). Please help!!! Then kill the algae by maintaining shock level chlorine levels. In most cases, it takes at least 6-8 hours for a complete turnover of the pool water. Which means less chlorine. And sand filters can have damaged laterals. When do I add the chlorine to my pool? Any ideas? Question: The salt level on my display says my pool is at 3900 ppm, and the stick is reading low free chlorine and total chlorine, as well as pH. With Cya level at 70ppm, add enough liquid chlorine to raise your FC level to 28ppm. Total alkalinity (TA) is as important as any other chemical reading in your water. As well, all chemical levels are good except chlorine is not staying. Stabilizer (mainly cyanuric acid) is mainly used to help keep free chlorine stable by protecting it from exhaustion by sunlight and high water temperatures. Also, the amount of cyanuric acid you need will depend on the amount of free available chlorine. It stopped randomly and red light on aqua rite illuminated on "no flow" last night performed our first backwash and rinse cycle and was well. Could it be the pump or filtration causing the issue? Cloudy pool water can happen overnight and when it does it can be difficult and time consuming to diagnose and remedy, but it doesn't need to be. This explains why a saltwater pool in Canada will need between 40 and 60 ppm and one in the USA may need up to 80 ppm of cyanuric acid during the summer. And as you now know, if the chlorine isnt working, youll get cloudy water or even algae. Refill with fresh water and test for salinity, repeat the process once or twice till you get your salinity within the range and balance your chemicals starting with pH and TA, then FC and Cyanuric acid then all other chemicals in your water. Question: My saltwater pool is not holding chlorine, what can we do? There will be a lot of water wasted so you will need to add water to your pool before, during or after the process. Here we give the common reasons for cloudy saltwater pool water and how to clear the water. The correct salinity level needed varies from brand to brand. Whats wrong or what do I need to do? Saltwater cells can be cleaned but not be repaired. It was clear when we removes the cover to raise water levels, however after our pool guy came over to officially "open" the pool and add the proper chemicals (along with salt for the 1st time since we got the pool only 6 months ago), its now super cloudy. Question: Besides draining the pool what can be used to reduce high levels of cyanuric acid? The pool seems to be "eating" the salt. Pump is creating too much pressure for an undersized filter, usually a sand filter. To lower it, dilute the pool water by topping up the water or by partially draining then topping up. Its another reason why your salt pool is cloudy. If the percentage setting is not abnormally high, check that the pump run-time is not set too high as this also affects the level of chlorine production. In cartridge filters, the filter pleats can get torn or blocked up. Most salt chlorinator users, including myself, use zinc anode as part of the pool system to form stainless metal parts. AJH Trade Group also participate in other affiliate programs. The recommended free chlorine levels should always be between 2-5 ppm, depending on the level of cyanuric acid in the pool as indicated in this chlorine/CYA chart. Note: An expired salt cell might be the problem. Run without? All will be fine. To lower the alkalinity level, use an alkaline down/decreaser product in the pool. Answer: Backwashing should fix the problem, if it does not work there could be a problem with your filter and it may need replacement. Clean the pool filter regularly. The pH level in your saltwater pool should be between 7.2 and 7.6 on the pH range with the optimum value being 7.4. Salt Water Pool and Spa participates in various affiliate programs, including Amazon Services LLC Associate Program, as an Amazon Associate we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Question: The filtration system is not circulating water in our pool. Working without any chlorine stabilizer in a saltwater pool will overwork your salt generator since it will be working at a high percentage and pressure to keep correct levels of free chlorine in your pool water. The average temperature outside: 90 degrees. Get liquid chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) if you don't have one. Another very common reason for a cloudy saltwater pool is a damaged filter. Question: My salt cell is producing a very low chlorine free level. If it drifts to the higher side, TDS significantly affects free chlorine levels and other chemicals and may cause cloudiness in the water. The levels of TDS increases as chemicals are added and as organic matter dissolves in the water. Increase the time again if they are not. There are several reasons for not enough chlorine in a saltwater pool: Low chlorine levels lead to cloudy water through contaminants or algae. Will we be able to run the system - I know it will reduce chlorinator's cell life? In high amounts, these deposits can clog up the salt cell. Is the Clorox pool salt bad or am I missing something. Question: How do I increase the stabilizer level in a salt water pool? I added salt and brought the salt number within the specs. Answer: Low free chlorine (FC) levels in a saltwater pool is caused by 4 main issues; the first one is low salinity levels, check again that Salinity level is between 2500 and 3500ppm depending on SWG recommendation all the time. If it's chlorine pool avoid calcium hypochlorite shocks and use Sodium Hypochlorite(liquid chlorine) to sanitize your pool. Always scoop debris out of the water with a, Run the pool filters for at least 8 hours daily, Maintain salt levels at the specified level usually about 3500 ppm, Replace damaged and worn-out parts of the pool. Question: Our pool became cloudy. The recommended levels of a stabilizer is between 40 and 80 ppm for saltwater pools. So there you have it. Saltwater often leads to faded surface and metal stains or corroded steel hardware parts. Copper can get into your pool if you use a Well fill water or tap water with copper for your pool, or using hair products with copper. No one likes a cloudy saltwater pool. In addition, its important to regularly brush the walls of your pool and to scoop out leaves. Soon, it may develop low chlorine problem is salt cell is not working efficiently. The ideal range of cya is between 70 to 80ppm, but to avoid using a lot of chlorine, the idea level is 70ppm. Secondly, your filter could be done and allows particles to pass through and needs a replacement if you have not done so in 3-5 years. Start by making sure your pH and TA are within the recommended range all the time. Metals in the water dont pose a risk to swimmers. Also, this may result in more dissolved substances in the water and that may be very costly to correct. What should I do? The most common reasons your swimming pool water is cloudy can be categorized into two main categories; chemistry and sanitationorfiltration and circulation. Since pool water can become cloudy for many reasons you may need to spend a bit of time up front figuring out what exactly is causing the problem. Heres how:How to Clean a Pool Saltwater Cell Like a Pro! (and when). To avoid escalating Cyanuric acid levels in your pool, avoid using stabilized chlorine-like dichlor and tablet chlorine to sanitize your pool, but use liquid chlorine(Sodium Hypochlorite). Any ideas? Make sure your calcium hardness is between 200 and 400ppm and run your pump and foam should clear up. On the other hand, high TA will cause cloudy or murky pool water since the pH will also scale high as the Alkalinity rises, affecting free chlorine performance. Do you have Saltwater pool? Not running saltwater generator long enough, Use a pool scoop net to remove floating particles in the pool water, Add muriatic acid to decrease the pH level and soda ash to increase it, Test the stabilizer or CYA levels in the pool, Calculate the volume of water in the pool, Calculate by how much you need to raise or lower the stabilizer level. In some cases, youll need to replace the cartridges. All work fine. I have not yet tried hydrogen peroxide, chlorine neutralizer, or sodium thiosulfate. I use Hayward's AQR15 AquaRite Salt Chlorinator, which has a self-cleaning feature that makes it easy to clean any time. You need to check on the anode at least once a year to ensure that it has not fully degraded. Remember to keep your salinity between 2500 - 3500 ppm all the time to avoid Calcium scales. It's a great product if you want to clear your pool fast but it will require some time and effort on your part. You can do this by increasing the output power level of your saltwater chlorine generator (aka SWG or chlorinator). If you need more information, Hayward Chlorinators have a very thorough guide on how to clean salt chlorinator turbo cell. If its still cloudy, try increasing the run time by another hour or 2. If sure your free chlorine level has been balanced and algae breakout is not possible, you may have copper metal in your pool and is being oxidized by Chlorine to produce green solution. Also known as a sacrificial zinc anode, it protects metals that come in contact with saltwater. High pH levels in a saltwater pool lead to the formation of calcium buildups, and you need to measure your pH regularly to avoid white flakes or calcium scaling. Answer: Add Cyanuric acid in the water to increase stabiliser level to around 80ppm. The problem seems to be with the circulation system. If your pool sanitization includes a salt water chlorine generator you shouldn't have any different issues than regular chemical chlorine pools and you will most likely experience less chemistry related problems in general. Your fill water is probably having metal in it and apart from clearing the stain, you need to prevent further staining. The only way to correct high calcium hardness is to drain part of your pool water and then adding fresh water. In case you dont know, saltwater pools are actually chlorine pools. Question: My husband uses bath soap in the pool after working in the yard. If you still aren't sure what is causing the cloudy pool water you can contact one of our experts that will get back to you within 2-3 business days. The following steps will take you through the next process if you believe your cloudy pool water is related to chemistry or filtration. Do I need to drain and add water or is this ok? You shouldnt need to run your filter longer than 12-14 hours a day in most cases. A lack of free available chlorine could be causing the cloudy water, if there is more than 0.3 ppm difference between total available chlorine and free available chlorine it means that you have high chloramines and a shock will be beneficial.