Swimming Pool Water Problem Solving Guide

If you’re experiencing issues with your pool water like green or cloudy water, excessive eye or skin irritation while swimming, or unusually high chemical usage, our problem solving guide might be able to provide you the solution!

Always ensure you’ve accurately tested your pool water before removing pool water or adding chemicals according to our guides below. Accurate water testing can help you diagnose common water chemistry problems faster and counteract them with the correct quantities of a given treatment or chemical.

Cloudy Pool Water

Possible causes of cloudy pool water include:

• High levels of combined chlorine in the water
• pH levels that are too high
• Total Alkalinity levels that are too high
• Calcium Hardness levels that are too high
• High particle count in the water (Total Dissolved Solids)
• Poor water circulation

Depending on your specific issue, one of the following treatments may resolve your cloudy pool water:

• Shocking daily until any combined chlorine has been broken down and removed
• Adding pH Minus or muriatic acid to lower your pH levels to the optimal level of 7.2 – 7.8
• Adding a sequestering agent like a Stain and Scale product
• Checking for and resolving issues with your pump and filter system to correct poor water circulation
• Backwashing / draining and replacing pool water until levels are within the correct range

Scaling

Possible causes of scaling on your pool can include:

• pH levels that are too high
• Total Alkalinity levels that are too high
• Calcium levels that are too high

Depending on your specific issue, one of the following treatments may resolve your scaling:

• Adding pH Minus or muriatic acid to lower your pH levels to the optimal level of 7.2 – 7.8
• Adding a sequestering agent like a Stain and Scale product

High Chlorine Usage

Possible causes of high chlorine usage in your pool can include:

• Unstabilized pool water
• High levels of debris in your skimmer basket
• High phosphate levels
• pH levels that are out of balance (too low or too high)

Depending on your specific issue, one of the following treatments may help resolve excessive chlorine usage:

• Adding stabilizer accordingly (or replacing your existing chlorine regiment with one that includes a stabilized chlorine product)
• Cleaning your skimmer basket and/or filter as needed
• Adding a phosphate remover
• Testing and balancing your alkalinity and pH levels accordingly

Eye or Skin Irritation

If your pool water is causing your eyes or skin to be irritated, there are a couple possible causes:

• pH levels that are out of balance (too low or too high)
• High levels of combined chlorine in the water

Depending on your specific issue, one of the following treatments may help prevent eye and skin irritation while swimming:

• Ensure your pH levels are balanced between 7.2 – 7.8
• Shock your pool using a chlorine shock treatment, or chlorine-free oxidizer

Metal Corrosion

If metal components of your pool are corroding, your pH levels are likely too low. Use a pH up product to balance your pH levels to the desired range of 7.2 – 7.8, and these issues should cease.

Erratic pH Levels

If your pH levels are erratically jumping from low to high or viceversa, your total alkalinity levels are likely too low. Testing and adding an Alkajuster product as required should resolve erratic pH levels in your pool water.

Staining or Coloured Water

If your pool is experiencing staining or off-coloured water is present, you likely have a high concentration of metal particles in the water. Adding a sequestering agent like a Stain and Scale product can help remove these concentrations and restore clear pool water.

Visible Algae Growth

If your pool water has visible algae growths present, your chlorine level is likely too low. Should this be the case, superchlorinate with a shock product and add an algaecide as required to remove and kill the visible algae.

Black Algae Spots

Black algae spots often occurred when chlorine levels are too low. To remove them, you can do one of the following:

• 1) Place a chlorine puck in a soft cloth bag or sock. Tie the bag or sock to a string and lower it to the algae spot in your pool. Allow the chlorine to dissolve and coat the affected area, then brush every so often until the spot has been lifted and removed.
• 2) Increase your pools chlorine levels and lightly brush the affected areas on a regular basis until the spots have been removed

Cloudy Pool Water even with High Chlorine Readings

If your water test or testing strips are showing a high chlorine level, but cloudy water is present in the pool, there are a couple possible causes:

• Your water test may be reading and showing your total chlorine levels
• Your water test and/or water testing equipment may be faulty

Depending on your specific issue, one of the following may help correct this issue:

• Ensure that your water test strips are not expired (they should be replaced every 2 years)
• Ensure that your water testing solutions (if being used) are not expired (they should be replaced once a year)
• Ensure that you are testing for the amount of “free” chlorine, rather then total chlorine, as the results are likely to vary