09 Dec How to Treat Cloudy Water in Pools

Imagine waking up to a milky pool you’ve never chanced upon in your backyard! And yes, the situation could occur overnight. If you have seen cloudy pool water, you can probably imagine how unpleasant it would be to swim in it. 

Cloudy or milky pool water is a common issue faced by many pool owners. The phenomenon is caused by various issues, namely: imbalanced pH levels, high calcium hardness, clogged or faulty pool filter, pool debris, imbalanced chlorine levels. Not only will this be uninviting, it could breed harmful bacteria or damage your pool filtration system if left untreated. 

Causes of cloudy water

Before we fix the issue, let us examine the problems that are causing your pool to look like a huge bathtub of milk. 

Unwanted substances  

Natural debris, such as leaves and algae, can attack your pool chemicals and deplete them drastically. These debris inevitably fall or grow in the swimming pool. Humans also leave their own debris, such as sweat, tanning lotion, beauty products or urine. Yes, you’re right, they deplete the chlorine level of the pool. When these are not physically eliminated from your pool – either by yourself or the filtration system – the pool disinfectants gradually disappear. 

Other natural factors include high temperatures, which we cannot escape from, especially here in sunny Singapore. The strong ultraviolet rays of the sun can break down the sanitising hypochlorite ions that are essential to the pool. This causes them to evaporate, consequently making the constant addition of chlorine an obsolete task. 

Because contaminating substances are always present in the pool, adding chlorine constantly is insufficient in keeping your pool clean. After some time, the disinfectants lose their effectiveness, creating fertile ground for bacteria to breed, hence clouding the pool water.

Faulty pool circulation and filtration system 

Another reason why your pool water is turning opaque can be attributed to dysfunctional pool equipment. This is the mildest factor, since all you have to do is conduct regular checks on the pool’s circulation and filtration system. 

If the equipment is operating normally, there should be minimal debris and unwanted substances in the water. That being said, things age with time, so if the system has been in place for a while, don’t forget to replace it or call a pool servicing company to get it checked.

Un-clouding cloudy water

Now that you know what causes your pool to lose its crystal clear glory, let us work to retain it! Here are some methods you can follow to reduce the cloudiness of your pool water. 

Spring clean your swimming pool

Before you embark on this mission, take the basic steps to declutter your pool. Use a pool brush to scrub the interior (pool tiles) of the pool, take out your pool net to remove debris, and use the vacuum to clean the floors. If you have an algae bloom growing in your pool, we would suggest to immediately call for help!

Turn on your filters and bottom drain(s)

We suggest that you keep the filtration system running for a minimum of 8 hours a day. By doing this regularly, you can help to eliminate unwanted substances from your pool.

On the same note, the pool skimmer helps to clean the top surface of the pool, but is unable to reach the bottom to reduce the cloudy particles. This is where the bottom drain comes in handy! You can turn the drains on to allow the filter to suck water off the pool floors where the cloudy particles remain, and then circulate clean water to the top of the pool. If you are using a pool that is above ground, consider leaving the pool vacuum at the bottom of the floor to eat all the particles up instead! 

Use Pool Flocculant 

Not enough time? You can try using a pool flocculant, a chemical that works to clear your cloudy pool overnight! While it is an effective method, the process can be a little tedious and challenging. 

Pool flocculants help to gather all the particles that are clouding your water. The chemical sends them to the bottom of your pool, which then draws a huge cloud on the pool floor. Without a pool clarifier, the chemical will not activate our filter to remove those particles.

Hence, if you choose to adopt this method, just bear in mind that manually vacuuming the pool using the pool pump is an unavoidable step. When you are vacuuming, keep the filter setting to be on ‘waste’ or ‘backwash’, so that the dirty water immediately goes out of the pool.

While doing this, keep your hose on so that a steady stream of fresh, clean water goes right back into the pool. Take note that this process also requires a manual vacuum. Automatic pool cleaners are not suitable and will not remove the cloudiness from your pool water. 

Pool clarifiers are your best bet

Regularly cleaning is the best medicine for healthy pool waters, hence we always recommend that pool clarifiers be used weekly. These clarifiers also gather the unwanted particles, but instead of bringing them to the pool floor, they create larger particles so that the filter can pick them up and remove them from the water. This process is otherwise known as coagulation. By coagulating the particles, your filter is more likely to be able to trap the unwanted particles. 

The only clouds you should be seeing are the ones in the sky. Clearing your pool is not a big issue, but it is definitely one that you should not neglect! Weekly chemical balancing, pool vacuuming and filter maintenance can go a long way in keeping your waters sparkling clean. 

The safest option, of course, is to rely on professional servicing to give you a full picture of the overall health of your pool. Contact the FPNP team today to book an appointment for us to treat your pool well and treat it right!