R&R Pools top question of the year about swimming pools
The swimming pool season is in full swing now. Everyone survived Tropical storm Arthur without too much damage I hope. Seems everyone had a chance to read R&R Pools information about preparing for a storm. The most important thing we say during any kind of wind storm or hurricane is PLEASE TURN YOUR POOL OFF! No one wants to have to buy a new pump. The last thing you should do after a storm is a heavy shock. Your pool takes a serious beating in the bad weather and it needs a little help after that.
So my number one question so far this year is:
Why is my pool looking milky cloudy?
This isn’t a one answer question. This is one of the questions that gets a few questions asked before you get an answer. I know, your mom always told you to never answer a question with a question, but in this business its unavoidable. Sorry mom.
So here are the questions we would typically ask you to determine if there is something preventing your swimming pool from clearing on its own:
- Is your skimmer door on?
- Is your return facing the right direction? 45 Degrees angled downwards and pointing away from your skimmer.
- Are you backwashing to much? Only backwash when your pressure is 8-10 above your normal PSI.
- Do you have iron or copper in your water? Any staining in the stairs or skimmer area?
- How is your chlorine/bromine levels? Is it holding a good read?
- Is your water balanced?
- Is your equipment hooked up properly?
- Is your filter on the right setting?
Just one of these things can cause your pool to not look as sparkling as it usually does. Can you imagine if you had a few of them at once how cloudy that pool would look. Just having your return facing the wrong direction can be a huge one. Only circulating the top half of your water will only clear the top.
When was your last sand change? Sand should be changed every 3-5 years and cleaned at closing every season end.
Does your sand need a filter aid? Sometimes either new sand or really old sand needs help to make the pool filter the small fine particles we can barely see, but are making our pools cloudy.
As you can see there are many hints, tricks and participants that will contribute to cloudy water. The most important thing is to always have chlorine in the pool during this time of trying to clear it. The one other thing we strongly recommend to all our customers is to open your pool early and close it late. The early you get that pool up and running and circulating the less chance of it causing you problems.
So remember you may find it to chilly to swim in but algae can grow in colder water, and we don’t want to open our pools to a green swamp.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at any time. We will gladly help answer any of your questions.