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Have you noticed your pool water slowly turning cloudy? Or did you wake up to the change overnight? Either way, it’s not something you should ignore! Not only is it ugly to look at, it can also mean that your pool water is unsafe to swim in. And like clouds on a sunny day, a cloudy pool will put a dampener on your poolside fun!
Cloudy pool water can be the result of a variety of factors. So, before you waste any time and money on treating it, you need to determine the cause of your cloudy pool.
Organic things you can see, like leaves and dust, and things you can’t see, like minuscule organic matter, are constantly entering your pool water. These contaminants cause your sanitiser to work in overdrive to remove them. Your sanitiser’s primary role is to kill bacteria not remove organic matter, so it will be working inefficiently no matter how much you keep adding! If your sanitiser is spending more time attacking contaminants than killing bacteria, your pool can turn cloudy and be unsafe to swim in.
Equally, people who swim in your pool put a strain on your sanitiser. They add contaminants to your water such as natural oils, sunscreen and even makeup! Use BioGuard Pool Tonic to remove these kinds of unwanted pollutants and to help clarify your water. Likewise, if your water has an algae problem, it will chew through your sanitiser. A dose of BioGuard MSA Extreme will get an algae bloom under control and help to clear up your pool water. Finally, the sun is another sanitiser stealer! The sun’s UV rays cause chlorine to breakdown, affecting the sanitiser levels in your water, leading to bacteria growth. Use BioGuard Stabiliser to prevent chlorine loss due to sunlight and to maintain healthy water.
Your pool’s filtration system and sanitiser work together to remove contaminants from your water and keep it healthy. The filtration system works to remove the majority of small debris from your water, while your sanitiser works to kill any bacteria. A clogged filter, faulty pump, or not running your filtration system for at least eight hours a day, results in the small debris floating in the pool unable to be trapped by the filter. This then leads to cloudy pool water.
For this reason, you need to regularly service and maintain your filtration system to keep it in good working condition. As part of this routine, clean your filter. BioGuard Filter Brite will restore the efficiency of your filter by removing scale and rust deposits, greases, oils and organic wastes, while sanitising the filter media or cartridge, keeping your water crystal clear. Your filter should be cleaned every 6 months.
Like most things in life, the secret to success is balance – and this rings true for your pool water! If the chemical balance in your pool water has gone awry, then it will quickly become cloudy! It won’t stop there – imbalanced water can lead to corrosion of your pool equipment and staining on your pools walls and floor.
Testing your water will tell you if your water is healthy. You should aim to test your water once a week using an at-home kit to ensure your family is swimming in safe and healthy water. We also recommend getting your water tested professionally at least once a month by your local BioGuard Approved Retailer, who has the latest, state-of-the-art water testing equipment and software. They can then provide you with a step-by-step maintenance program to correct any imbalances.
Above all, you want to make sure your pH is sitting between 7.2 – 7.6, and the sanitiser level is between 1 – 3 ppm (parts per million). If not, you will need to adjust these levels. If the cloudy water is due to a chemical imbalance, doing this should help clear it up. A dose of BioGuard Lite will also help to boost the performance of your sanitiser and help remove any organic waste build-up.
By now you’ve probably narrowed down the cause of your cloudy pool water, but do you need to worry about treating it straight away?
The answer is yes!
As we’ve mentioned, cloudy water can be a sign of all sorts of things, such as high bacteria levels in your water, an underperforming filtration system, unbalanced water or the beginning of an algae bloom. Therefore, cloudy water speaks to bigger issues in your pool and not treating it, can put swimmers at risk. Cloudy water is also considered a drowning hazard because you can’t tell if someone has fallen in the water and is struggling. So, if your pool has turned cloudy, treat it ASAP!
Ultimately, the best advice we can give you when it comes to cloudy pool water is to prevent it before it starts. You can do this by following the BioGuard 3 Step Program. For all your 3 Step Program needs, visit your local BioGuard Approved Retailer.
If you do find yourself on the wrong end of a cloudy pool problem, there are many options to speed up your way to a solution. Super Clear Clarifying Tabs are an easy one tablet dose solution, while Polysheen Plus can be added directly to the water to help the filter remove all the unwanted debris. Pool Tonic is great when you think your cloudiness may be linked to phosphates as it clarifies AND removes phosphates. Pool Complete does this as well and adds a final polishing clarity to the water. So there are many options available to help recover from a cloudy pool, but prevention is always better than cure.
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