There are many reasons why vinyl pool water turns cloudy. But keeping vinyl pool water clear is really not all that hard. Just follow some simple rules.

Many times a vinyl pool can turn cloudy from lack of proper sanitizer level, or free chlorine level; which means chlorine shock is now needed. However, there can be other reasons.

Here are some things to consider.

TYPE OF FILTER:

There are several types of filters used on vinyl liner pools, and they perform differently. Some types of pool water filters, filter finer particles out of the pool water than others; as seen below.

*SAND FILTERS with sand as the media inside: 25 to 50 microns (High rate sand filters work the best)

A micron-sized particle is equal to one millionth of a meter. To visualize this consider that a grain of salt is 100 microns; a strand of human hair is 70 microns; a red blood cell is 8 microns; and a bacterium is 1 micron.

*SAND FILTERS WITH GLASS MEDIA INSIDE INSTEAD OF SAND: They will filter down to 2 to 5 microns vs. 25 to 50 for sand media!

*DIATOMACEOUS EARTH (D.E.): 4-6 microns

*CARTRIDGE FILTERS: 15 microns

There is dust in the air of our backyards that measures from 90 microns down to 0.1 micron. On windy days, all of this dust can get in our pool.

Most times the properly working filter will trap most of this. But some problems could arise with a worn-out cartridge, dirty sand bed, or worn-out sand bed (usually over 3 to 5 year old sand media inside); or an insufficient amount of sand; or worn-out D.E. powder inside.

A  D.E. filter, can have broken, torn, pin-holed, or defective D.E. grids inside, or can have scaled grids, which would require removal and severe cleaning with a special solution by a professional service tech .

Cartridge filters could also be, torn, pin-holed, dirty, clogged from oils, or just old.

Sometimes the problem is with the pool pump. It might not be working to ensure proper flow, or could have a defective impeller.

If the filter and pump are working properly, but the pool stays cloudy, it’s time for chemical treatment and/or heavy chlorine shocking!

Stay tuned for Part Two…Questions Call Rich at: 609-313-0300…www.paradisepoolandspa,com