Cara's Pool School

It's recommended to test your water poolside at least once a week -- although 2 - 3 times per week is preferred -- and have a professional sample test performed once a month with your local and trusted pool professional. You should always test the water's chemistry prior to use, to ensure that Free Chlorine and pH levels are agreeable for swimmers. Also, since exceptional events (pool parties, storms, rain, heavy debris, etc.) will have expected impacts on your water balance, you should always test after these instances and adjust or treat accordingly. If any treatments are necessary, be sure...

Although salt-water pools are designed to produce most of the chlorine needed for proper pool maintenance, they only produce chlorine when the pump and filter are in operation and are designed with "normal" swimmer/bather loads in mind. If you're swimming frequently, have a pool party, or if a storm rolls through, then it's usually a good idea to manually add an oxidizer or shock treatment to ensure that the chlorine being produced doesn't get over-loaded. Supplemental chlorine can be added (usually tabs) to ensure sanitation levels are maintained in heated applications (which causes higher chlorine consumption), or in the event...

If it's a cartridge filter, remove the cartridge and chemically clean it after a good hose-down, thoroughly rinse it to remove any foaming from the treatment, and then put the filter back into operation. If it's a sand or D.E. filter, start with backwashing and then confirm that the pressure has adjusted back to normal operation parameters. If the cloudy problem persists, D.E. filters may need to be disassembled and cleaned; while sand filters may need a chemical cleansing of the sand media, or even replacement. If you're not comfortable with performing such maintenance or making related repairs, consult with...

There are several common causes of cloudy water. Although proper water balance can be an obvious culprit (lack of chlorine, inadequate pH and/or Total Alkalinity levels, low calcium levels to name a few), most cloudy issues stem from poor or improper circulation and/or filtration. You should always start with adjusting the run-time for your filter when addressing a cloudy condition, and confirm that the filter is clean and operating at optimal capacity and efficiency. In some instances, cloudy water could be the first indicators of a looming algae outbreak; so applying an effective shock treatment could be a good first-step...

Scale (usually seen as white, crusty deposits) can form because of high pH and/or Total Alkalinity levels combined with calcium in the water. Although most noticeable on or at the waterline, scale deposits can also form inside plumbing lines and potentially cause issues with water flow; which may lead to premature wear and failure of equipment. Routine use of an effective scale control product -- sometimes referred to as a sequestrant or chelant -- can make a notable difference and impact on the frequency of cleaning due to deposits and build-up, while also protecting your investment in your pool surface...