Help on Above Ground Pools Concerning Looking Cloudy or Dirty

Insufficient and Inconsistent Chlorination

• For chlorine-sanitized pools, cloudy water can be an indication of low levels of sanitizer. Particularly after a party or some other kind of heavy pool traffic, water can go cloudy because it needs a good cleaning. If owners don't use enough chlorine -- ask your local pool supplier or consult the instructions on your sanitizer -- or chlorinate often enough, they may find themselves with a chronically cloudy swimming pool.

Improper Use of Dry Pool Shock

• The most basic form of granulated swimming pool shock is calcium chloride. The proper way to administer this kind of shock is to mix it in a large bucket with water, and then pour in the liquid solution. A muddy residue of calcium will remain in the bottom of the bucket, and it can be thrown away. Calcium doesn't dissolve in water, so adding it to your pool is pretty counterproductive. The granules will gather on the pool floor and float through the water, making it cloudy.

Dead Algae

• If your pool water was green, or if you had copious amounts of algae on your pool walls before adding chlorine, your cloudiness might be due to dead algae. When it's alive, it's green -- or black, or many other colors, but usually green -- but when you kill it with chlorine (liquid chlorine is best in this case) it turns white or gray and often disintegrates. These bits of dead plant are too small to pick up with a net, and sometimes they're too small to get caught in the pool's filtering system. A clarifying chemical, available at your local pool store, might be your best bet.

Full Filters

• Regardless of the type of filter your pool uses, it needs maintenance. Sand gets both full and old, so there are limits to its dirt-catching abilities. Backwashing and changing your sand (although it lasts for several years) is the way to keep a clear pool. Cartridge filters can be hosed off or, if they haven't been cleaned in a long time, soaked in cleaning chemicals. Other types of filters, such as diatomaceous earth, can be cleaned and maintained properly to keep them in working order.