Causes of Cloudy Swimming Pool Water

Filter

• The pool filter is responsible for circulating all the chlorine and pool chemicals you add to the water in hopes they will keep your pool crystal clear. The water can turn cloudy, however, if the filter is not kept clean. About once a month or so, after it has collected its limit of dirt and debris, the filter must be cleaned. A sand filter and diatomaceous earth filter are cleaned by way of backwashing. A cartridge filter is cleaned by removing the cartridge and hosing it off. A dirty filter can cause cloudy water because circulation suffers, and more dirt and debris are capable of passing through, back into your pool water.

Sanitizer

• Most pool systems use chlorine as a basis to kill germs and bacteria that can lead to algae growth and cloudy pool water. If there is not enough chlorine in the water, it can become cloudy and less sanitized. every pool owner should have either a water testing kit or testing strips that can help determine when the time comes to add chlorine to the swimming pool. In warm weather chlorine is not as effective, and pool owners should prepare in those cases.

External Factors

• The day after a heavy rainfall, with dirt and debris flying through the air at high winds, a pool can appear cloudy. The water also begins to look cloudy when many people use the pool during events such as a pool party. The more people who use the pool, the more dirt, body oils and lotions enter the pool water, which makes the chlorine work harder, and it becomes less effective. The water appears cloudy when it's not clean or balanced properly with the appropriate chemicals.

Alkalinity and pH

• The alkalinity and pH levels of a pool can contribute to cloudy pool water as well. Using the same testing kit or strips used to measure the chlorine, determine if the alkalinity and pH are not in their normal range. The alkalinity serves as a buffer to the pH and helps regulate the pH. Adjust the alkalinity levels first, wait 8 hours with the filter running and re-test. Once the alkalinity is balanced, the pH usually stabilizes without the need for chemicals.