My water is green and cloudy after shocking – what can I do?

Q:

I put all the proper chemicals in the pool I vacuum the shallow part but not the deep end and the water is still cloudy after 2 days of the filter running and now the chlorine is a little high what should I do now?

InstaTest Test Strip Bottle 13334301_1124642360892627_1450380239_o Green Murky Water Insta Test Bottle

A:

With a dirty pool, typically you want to shock it and keep your chlorine high while you clean the debris. So, I would recommend vacuuming the rest of the pool, even though you can’t see the bottom. Then, clean the filter again and see how it looks.

With algae, typically it’ll start green and when it starts die or get killed by the chlorine, the water starts to turn a grey is color. So if it turns grey, then you’re on the right track. Have you had your water tested for metals at all?

Your alkalinity looks like it is on the high side – though high chlorine sometimes causes the ph and alk to test off if it is too high. I encountered a pool like this last week – to treat we filtered nonstop, added muriatic acid and ph minus to drop the alkalinity and shocked the pool again. Those are the steps I would take in your situation as well. A water clarifier may help as well – if it is algae you will most likely notice foam as the organic debris are being treated.