A. There are quite a few reasons a pool or spa could turn cloudy, or it could be a combination of factors. A few of the most common reasons are as follows: (Please use this as a guide on how to proceed.)
Poor filtration / Inadequate filtration time. The filter needs to be cleaned at least twice annually, if the filter has not been cleaned in the last ninety days, we recommend chemically cleaning the filter. We recommend Strip-Kwik for pools and Filter Cleaner Degreaser for spas. If you have a sand filter and the sand is more than 2-3 years old and you are experiencing cloudy water it is best to change the sand. When you experience cloudy water make sure your filter is running 24 hours a day until it clears.
Poor water balance/Low sanitizer level. The best way to tell if your water is out of balance is a professional water test. Here are the suggested chemical maintenance levels for Pools and Spas.
Chemical
Minimum
Ideal
Maximum
Free Chlorine (Pool)
1.0 ppm
2.0 - 3.0 ppm
3.0 ppm
Free Chlorine (Spa)
2.0 ppm
3.0 - 5.0 ppm
8.0 ppm
Combined Chlorine
None
None
0.5 ppm
Bromine (Pool)
2.0 ppm
2.0-4.0 ppm
4.0 ppm
Bromine (Spa)
2.0 ppm
3.0 - 5.0 ppm
6.0 ppm
pH
7.4
7.5
7.6
Total Alkalinity:
----Vinyl
80 ppm
100 ppm
125 ppm
----Plaster
125 ppm
140 ppm
150 ppm
Calcium Hardness
160 ppm
200 ppm
300 ppm
Cyanuric Acid
20 ppm
30 - 50 ppm
65 ppm
Q. My pool has turned green! What do I do now?
A. A lot of factors can cause a pool to turn green but the most common one is algae. Don't panic. Your solution could be as simple as just shocking the pool. You need to super chlorinate to 10 ppm, and add an algaecide to kill the algae (always follow label instructions on all chemicals.) Brush the whole pool the next day. Make sure you are filtering 24hrs a day. Backwash as needed and allow 2 days. If you have no improvement, repeat treatment. If your filtration system is working as it should, you should see an improvement in water quality in just a few days. You should maintain 3ppm chlorine to prevent any recurrence and use a good quality algae preventer as a backup!
Q. How do I prime my pump? It is running but there is no water coming out.
A. If your pump sucks air for any reason it can lose prime. To prime your pump try this procedure.
Make sure the pump is off.
Close the drain and skimmer valves.
Remove the pump lid.
If there is debris in the pump basket, remove, clean, and replace the basket.
Fill the pump with water if it is close to empty.
Replace the pump lid.
Open either the drain or skimmer valve partially and immediately turn on the pump.
Slowly open the valve the rest of the way.
When the pressure has built up, open the other valve.
Bleed the air out of the filter by opening the air relief valve on top of the filter.
Some other reasons that you could have no flow or low flow is a broken impeller, plugged impeller blades or a dirty filter. If you feel uncomfortable taking apart your equipment yourself, we offer a complete service department. Please see our services page.
Q. My heater is not heating. What do I do?
A. Try the following trouble shooting tips:
By far the most common reason for a heater not to work is a low flow filter or pump. The first thing to do is to clean your filter using a filter degreaser. The procedure is different for every type of filter. Follow the directions on your bottle of filter cleaner/degreaser. We recommend Strip-Kwik for pools and Filter Cleaner Degreaser for spas.
If your pool pump has a hair and lint strainer, clean it to increase water flow.
For a gas fired heater, make sure that the pilot light is lit unless it is an electronic ignition heater. Call us with the make and model number and we can tell you which it is.
This sounds obvious but make sure the heater, the pool/spa pump or the spa is turned on and the thermostat is turned up.
Check to see if there is pressure on your filter pressure gauge. If not, see the pump priming procedure above. If there is pressure, try cleaning your filter. This is the problem in 9 out of 10 cases. Save yourself a service call (see #1 above.)
If the heater still does not fire, a call to our service department is the next step; we may have some additional suggestions on what you should try. We will be glad to schedule an appointment to have your heater repaired.
