Cloudy Pool Water? How To Fix It

Is your pool water cloudy or milky? There are several things to check when this happens, and it will determine how you fix the issue.

First, it's important to know the difference between cloudy water and green water. We have had a handful of calls just this summer for green water, when in fact after view the pool, it was cloudy water. Here's how to tell the difference...

Cloudy Water vs Green Water

Cloudy water is a filtration issue. If you do a chemical test on the pool water, you will see a high/normal amount of chlorine, yet still have cloudy water.

Green water is a chemical issue or algae in the water. Improper chemical balance, or lack of chemicals can cause algae to grow. A chemical test on the water will show zero or near zero chlorine.

How To Fix Cloudy Water

1. How Long Is The Filter Running Each Day?

If the pool pump is not on long enough each day, you could have the problem of not enough filtration. Every pool needs to turn over the pool water 2x per day in the summer. Make sure your pool filter is running long enough to push every gallon of pool water through the filter 2x each day.

2. Check The Filter

You pool filter could be bad. Most commonly this problem is caused by a sand filter that has something wrong with the media. In this case, you will need to call a professional to assess what needs to be done. It could be replacing the sand, replacing sand with better media like activated glass, or replacing the filter system completely with DE Filter or Cartridge Filter.

3. Check The Equipment

Is there a crack/hole/break inside the filter or filter tank? Is everything as it should be?

Last summer we helped a pool owner with cloudy water - when inspecting the pool, it became apparent that after the new pool owners had cleaned their cartridge filters, they didn't put them back in entirely correctly. The pump was running, but the water was going into the filter tank and back out again without running through the filters. After a small adjustment, the filters and filter tank was back together and running properly. But by the time they called, they had also added too much salt (trying to solve the cloudy water problem in their salt water pool) and we had additional issues to resolve.

If you need help assessing the problem with your pool's cloudy water, give us a call: 480-682-7986