Cloudy pool water is often caused by faulty filters, imbalance chemicals, or contaminants. Luckily, it usually can be fixed within 24-48 hours. In this article, we’ll dive into what other things cause cloudy pool water, how to fix it, how to prevent it, and when to call a pro in
What Causes Cloudy Pool Water?
If you’re wondering why your pool water is cloudy, there may be a few answers for you. Sometimes, it’s just caused by the rain bringing in dirt or debris. Or it may be a warning sign that something is off with your 3 Cs: circulation, chemistry, or cleanliness. However, this varies according to the region and the type of your pool.
Dirty and Cloudy Water in Your Pool
Photo Credit: Craig Manners | Unsplash
1. Issues with Filtration or Circulation
If your filter isn’t running long enough or is dirty and faulty, particles like dust and pollen can stay suspended in your pool water without getting filtered out. Ideally, your filter should be running for at least 8-12 hours a day to keep up with heavy use. This is especially important in regions like Southern California, where temperatures tend to be really high.
Aside from insufficient runtime, there’s also a chance that your filter might be dirty. This is why it’s important to regularly backwash or rinse your filter, regardless of its type.
2. Chemical Imbalances
Low chlorine, improper pH, or imbalance alkalinity can prevent the effective sanitation of your pool. That means that bacteria, algae and organic debris can build up and cloud your water. According to the CDC, maintaining the proper balance of pool chemical levels, especially chlorine, helps kill most bacteria, including E Coli.
3. Possible Contaminants
Organic contaminants can come from every swimmer. It may be in the form of sunscreen, lotions, and body oils. When the usage spikes, especially during the Summer or the holidays, you may find your water getting more cloudy due to increased contamination. The best way to get ahead of this is to increase your chlorine levels before a day of heavy use.
4. Environmental and Regional Factors
Aside from users, outdoor factors matter too. In coastal areas like South California, pollen, ash, and even salt can get into your pool. Whereas in dusty regions like West Texas, fine particles of dust are your biggest problem. Local conditionals matter a lot and that is why it’s important that your pool treatments are tailored according to your region, because what works in San Diego may not always work in Austin. Furthermore, the location of your pool—whether outdoor or indoor–matters too. While outdoor pools are more prone to cloudiness-causing debris, indoor pools may be more protected.
Comparison of an Outdoor and Indoor Pool
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Whether it’s your pool filter, your chemicals, or just heavy usage, cloudy pool water is always a sign that something may be wrong with your pool. During heavy use days in South California, it’s important to stay ahead.
Check out our Essential Pool Filter Cleaning Tips for High-Use Periods in San Diego to keep your water sparkling.
How To Clear Up Cloudy Pool Water
Cloudy water ruins the aesthetic and the overall enjoyability of your pool. Luckily, it’s a quick fix with a little bit of effort and the right steps. Most of the time, it comes down to the 3 Cs. Here are the important steps on how to clear your pool water fast.
1. Rinse and Run Your Filter
Most of the time, your filter may be the issue. So if your water starts getting cloudy, you should check if your filter needs a quick rinse or a backwash, this means that it may be clogged or dirty. Once you have that settled and you’ve made sure that your filter is clean, run your filter. If possible, you may want to run your pump for 12-48 hours until your pool water is clear just to make sure that your circulation is sorted out. After that, you can get back to running it for 8-12 hours daily when being used.
A Running Pump To Help Keep Your Water Circulating
Photo Credit: Santi Wiwatchaikul | Getty image via Canva
2. Brush and Vacuum Your Pool
In coastal areas like San Diego, pollen and fine dust usually cause cloudy water. And even in other regions, cloudiness is often caused by contaminants and debris built up on the sides or floors of your pool. Grab your brush and vacuum and start cleaning around and in your pool, go over your steps, walls, and floors.
3. Test and Balance Your Water
With your water moving and your surfaces cleaned, it’s high time to check your chemical levels. Keep an eye on everything, this includes chlorine, pH, and alkalinity levels. Use a test kit or strip to make sure of the following levels:
How to balance your pool chemicals
4. Use a Clarifier of Flocculant (Optional)
If your pool water is still cloudy after addressing the 3 Cs, a pool clarifier can give you an extra hand with clearing up your water. It’s a gentle option that works well with most systems, especially cartridge filters, which are the most commonly found in SoCal pools. At Cabana Pools, we usually use pool clarifiers when your water is mostly clear but still a little bit hazy.
However, a flocculant is a harsher option, although it is most ideally used for sand or DE filters. Using this would require you to vacuum the bottom of your pool again. So, if you have time and the right setup this may be your ideal option, otherwise, you may want to go for a clarifier instead.
The Ideal Crystal Clear Water You Could Achieve From Pool Clarifiers
Photo Credit: gbeaty | Pixabay
Clearing up cloudy water is just a matter of the 3Cs, but staying on top of it requires regular care. If you’re looking for more tips on circulation maintenance, chemical balancing, and contaminant prevention, or if you have any more questions, you may want to check out What You Need To Know About Professional Pool Cleaning
How to Prevent Cloudy Pool Water
Once your water is clear again, it’s ideal to keep it that way. Not just that, ensuring the cleanliness of your pool helps you prevent injury. According to the CDC, aside from drowning, pool chemicals and germs are the primary causes of pool-related injuries. So, it’s important to keep track of what you’re doing to keep your pool clean. With just a bit of weekly upkeep, you can stay ahead of cloudy water.
1. Rinse or Backwash Your Filter
Your filter works hard to keep all the dirt and debris that clouds your water but cloudy pool water thrives with dirty pool filters. So it’s important to regularly clean your filter. If you have a sand or DE filter, it’s best to regularly backwash it whereas a weekly rinse is sufficient to keep a cartridge filter clean.
2. Test Your Water
Whether or not your cloudy water was caused by a chemical imbalance, keeping healthy pool chemistry is important in keeping your swimmers healthy as well. Each week check your chlorine, pH, and alkalinity levels. Ideally, it’s best to also check your calcium hardness and ensure that it stays within the range of 200-400 ppm. If any of your chemical levels are off, it’s best to adjust and balance them right away.
Here’s a quick guide to pH strips colors and how to tell the pH level of your pool water.
Photo Credit: Matt Cole | Vecteezy
In South California, the heat can often cause chlorine to heat up and break down faster. This means that in warmer areas, you may find yourself shocking or acid washing your pool more often.
3. Skim and Clean Your Surfaces
Even if you don’t see any debris in your pool surfaces, it’s best to still skim your water surface and brush around your pool. This makes sure that you prevent algae growth and clean up the debris that may build up around your pool area. A soft sponge can help you with wiping down some of your water lines.
4. Brush and Vacuum Your Pool
Aside from the surfaces, you may find algae or debris build up in the tiles at the bottom or steps of your pool. Thus, regularly brushing the crevices of your pool and vacuuming allows you to ensure that everything is squeaky clean. If you’re not fond of mechanical work, there are now available automated pool cleaners that can help you make this task less of a chore. Regular vacuuming and brushing is one of the best habits to keep your pool squeaky clean
An Automated Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner Available in the Market
Photo Credit: Airper Pool Cleaner | Unsplash
While this may seem like a lot, regularly keeping up with your checklist will help you maintain crystal celar water conditions. Check out The Pool Cleaning Handbook: All The Tips You Need to Know to get you started. However, if life gets busy, a professional pool cleaning service can help you take the pressure off. Whether you choose to do it yourself or have a pro do it, always remember that the most important thing is routine.
When to Call In a Professional
There’s a lot you can do if you find your pool water cloudy. But sometimes it’s easier to bring in a pro to save you time and stress in the long run. Here’s when it may be best to call in an expert.
1. When Nothing is Working
If you’ve already looked after the 3Cs and used a clarifier or flocculant, it might mean that there’s something deeper wrong with your equipment. To avoid future stress, at this point, you may want to call in a technician for a diagnosis and to help tell you what to do to regain the clarity of your water.
2. When the Cloudiness Keeps Returning
If the cloudiness of your pool water is starting to seem cyclical, that may be a sign of a recurring problem that you’re not seeing. Whether it’s something affecting the algae growth, chemical levels, or an overlooked cleaning step, if it’s causing your water to fluctuate from clear to cloudy, it may be best to have it checked out by a professional and end the cycle.
3. When You Want a Fresh Start
Sometimes, it’s just best to get your pool deep cleaned. This may be when it’s been unused for a while so the water is dirty or when you’re moving into a new home. Either way a professional will know what to do to ensure you get your new start, with thorough check-ups on equipment and necessary details.
Whatever the reason may be, sometimes it’s best to call for a professional Pool Care Service. At Cabana Pools, we have you covered. But if you’re still unsure, a quick read of Why You Should Get Professional Pool Cleaning Services may convince you to hire an expert now.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is it safe to swim in cloudy pool water?
It is not advisable to swim in cloudy water as it may be a sign of poor sanitation, low chlorine levels, or poor water circulation. According to the CDC, swimming in unsanitary water may pose a risk of diseases including E-coli.
2. Does shock clear a cloudy pool?
Yes, if the cloudiness is caused by contaminants or low chlorine levels, shocking your pool can bring back its clarity. Following up with brushing, filtering, and chemical balancing can also help your pool water.
3. Will chlorine/chlorine tablets clear a cloudy pool?
While chlorine and chlorine tablets can help with maintaining good chlorine levels, it may be best to shock your pool instead if your pool water is cloudy. This is because cloudiness is often caused by extremely low chlorine levels that are not easily fixed by regular amounts of chlorine alone.
4. How much chlorine to shock a pool?
Depending on the size and condition of your pool, shocking your pool usually requires at least 1 pound of chlorine for every 10,000 gallons of water.
5. Does baking soda clear a cloudy pool?
No. Although you can use baking soda to raise alkalinity, it will not clear up your pool water.
6. Why is my pool still cloudy after adding a clarifier?
Your pool may have problems that the clarifier is not strong enough to solve on its own. Your filter may be dirty or your chemical balancing may be off. So, it’s best to give the clarifier time to work on its own and still keep up with regular maintenance.
7. How long does it take for chlorine to clear a pool?
Most pools clear up within 24-48 hours of shocking, assuming that circulation is continuous. To speed up the process, it’s best to keep your pump running.
Final Thoughts
Cloudy pool water doesn’t have to ruin your plans of pool enjoyment and fun. From the 3Cs to the additional clarifier or flocculant, we’ve covered everything you need to look for when your water turns hazy to get it back to the ideal clarity. However, if you’re ready to skip the stress, and let the pros handle it, Cabana Pools has you covered. Our 5 minute setup process allows you to get in touch with technicians in no time and get your pool cleaned quickly.
Crystal clear water is just a click away with Cabana Pools. Contact us today and book your pool cleaning appointment. Let us take care of you while you kick back and enjoy the sunshine on your skin in your clear and clean pool.
