Cloudy pools could be caused by several factors, such as the addition of excess pool chemicals, algae growth, particles, and debris, etc. But for your pool to be cloudy after shock treatment is normal.
Generally, with a functional pump and filter, it can take hours or even more than a day for the pool to clear completely. But it could mean a different thing if your filter fails to clear the pool after 24 hours.
Remember that pool shock is not all you need to clear your pool water. Adding shock alone will not make it clear. The shock will help you kill bacteria and organic matter in the pool.
Destroying the organic matter and algae will make your pool cloudy, especially in green pools. You need a properly working pool pump and filter to remove the dead organic particles.
So, after shocking a green pool, you need to be patient for the filter to do its work. Sometimes, it may take days before it clears the pool completely, depending on the number of algae present in the pool.
But if the cloudiness persists after 24 hours or a few days of filtration, it shows that there is something wrong. Either the shock treatment was not enough or there are dissolved metals in the pool water.
If you use algaecides in your pool, there is a high probability that there are dissolved metals in the water. Most algaecides contain traces of metals like copper.
When copper reacts with chlorine, it forms a cloud of copper (II) chloride. This could be the cause. If not, it could be a result of the reaction between chlorine and iron. These are the most common metals that lead to cloudy pools after shock treatment.
Test the pool water to confirm if these metals are present. If they are present in the water, they are probably the cause. But if the metals are not present in the pool, it shows that the shock treatment was not enough.
How do you clear up a cloudy pool after shocking it?
Once you shock your pool, you need to make sure that the pool pump and filter are running properly. The pump helps with proper circulation while the filter clears the pool.
Before you use the pool, make sure that the water is clear. The filter needs to run for at least 8 hours to help clear the water. However, it can take more than 8 hours.
After clearing the pool, you would need to test the pool again to ensure that the water chemistry is balanced.
Free chlorine shouldn’t be more than 4 ppm or less than 1 ppm. We recommend a 2-4 ppm range. Anything above 5 is high, so you need to wait for it to drop. Furthermore, the combined chlorine must not be higher than 0.5 ppm.
Can too much shock make a pool cloudy?
Yes, too much shock can make your pool cloudy, but it is usually temporary. It is usually like that because of the sudden change in pool chemical balance.
Moreover, the organic particles killed by the shock are enough to make a pool cloudy.
So, if you notice a cloudy pool immediately after adding shock, don’t panic. Just give it a few hours and the whole thing will clear up. However, you need to make sure that the pump and filter are running properly.
How long is the pool cloudy after shock?
We mentioned 8 hours earlier, but it could be more or less. It all depends on the level of cloudiness. But it is advisable to wait for about 24 hours to ensure proper circulation and filtration.
For your pool to clear after shock, you need to make sure that the pump and filter are running continuously. Without them functioning properly, your pool will not clear up very well.
Will a cloudy pool clear on its own?
No, a cloudy pool does not clear on its own, unless you have shocked the pool already.
Even though you have shocked the pool, you still need to turn on your pool pump and filter.
If your pool becomes cloudy, it means there are a lot of dissolved particles and organic matter in the water. Also, it means that the chlorine sanitizer is no longer active and needs to be replaced.
The dead organic particles from algae and other microbes will remain in the water. Some will float, while others will settle at the bottom. Without the application of shock treatment and filtration, they will remain in the water.
To remove them, you need to add shock and run your pump and filter for several hours.
Will rain water make my pool cloudy?
Yes, rain can make your pool water cloudy. If you allow runoff water to enter your pool, it can introduce things like debris, dust, sand, pollen, dead leaves, dead insects, etc. into the pool.
Moreover, runoff water from rain can carry with it chemicals like phosphates and dump them into the pool. Even acid rain is enough to make your pool cloudy.
Therefore, it’s not only the inground pool that gets affected by rain. Above-ground pools can also be made cloudy by acid rain, and dissolved chemicals.
So, you need to prevent rainwater from entering your pool. For runoff water, find out how you can channel it away from your pool. If you can achieve that, you don’t need to bother yourself about the rain.
But if you can’t prevent rainwater from entering your pool, you need to act fast once the rain stops. Test the water and make any necessary adjustments to the pool water.
Shock the pool after a heavy storm if it becomes cloudy. Skim the water first to remove large debris to make the process easier.
How can I clear up my pool water fast?
After shocking your pool, it may take a long time to clean it up completely. Sometimes you may run out of patience and may want to use the pool like that. Doing so is highly not advisable.
As long as your filtration system is running properly, the pool will eventually clear up. But you must be patient enough to wait for a long time.
Nonetheless, some particles will end up settling at the bottom of the pool. So the filter may not be able to remove every particle from the water.
To ensure that you remove almost all the dust particles, you can use a clarifier. A clarifier helps to regulate the tiny particles into bigger clogs.
The coagulation process makes it easier for the filter system to remove the dust particles that could have settled at the bottom.
Moreover, using a vacuum cleaner makes it way easier and faster. If you can first remove the larger debris with a vacuum cleaner, the workload for the filter will be drastically reduced.
Since the particles to filter out are not many again, the process will not take much longer to complete.
How many times a week should you shock your pool?
Shock treatment is very important for your pool and you should do it as often as possible. There is no specific number of times a pool should be shocked. It all depends on the frequency of use and maintenance schedule.
If you use your pool more frequently, you need to shock it more frequently. However, your pool needs to be shocked once every week, or at least every two weeks if you don’t use it often.
But if you use your pool heavily each day, you need to shock it 2 to 3 times a week. In fact, test the pool after each use to know whether it needs a shock. Do everything possible to prevent algae invasion.
Should I shock my pool even if chlorine is high?
If the total chlorine in your pool is high but the free chlorine is low, then the chlorine sanitizer is not active. It means that you have too much combined chlorine in the pool.
Combined chlorine is the reacted chlorine that is no longer active to disinfect. You need to test the pool water to confirm that the combined chlorine is not more than 0.5 ppm.
If it’s more than that, the pool should be shocked. Preferably, use a non-chlorine shock since the total chlorine is high already. The aim is to have enough free chlorine in the pool.
The recommended range of free chlorine in the pool is 1-4 ppm. We prefer to keep it between 2 ppm and 3 ppm.
Will low pH make my pool cloudy?
Yes, low pH levels in your pool can make the pool water cloudy. Chlorine is more reactive when the pH of a medium is low. So, if the pH becomes too low, it will make the chlorine react faster.
Rapid reaction means that the chlorine sanitizer will deplete faster. If the pool owner fails to notice the rapid depletion, it could result in poor disinfection and a possible invasion of algae and other microbes.
The microbes that enter the pool could make it cloudy.
