Why is your pool water cloudy?

Maintaining your pool’s hygiene may seem like a daunting task, especially when you are unsure where to begin and how to go about cleaning your pool. One of the most common complaints amongst pool owners is cloudy water. Cloudy pool water can be unpleasant, uninviting and also pose a serious health risk. Pool water can turn cloudy for a variety of reasons. Finding and pinpointing the cause can often force you into playing the role of a chemist, whether you like it or not. Let’s take a look at a few of the common reasons why pool water may turn cloudy.

1. Chlorine Balance may be off.
   Chlorine balance may have a lot to do with your pool water turning cloudy. A low free chlorine level indicates that your pool water has a lot of chloramine (combined chlorine).  Chloramine may be responsible for turning your pool water cloudy and leaving it with an unpleasant smell. Chlorine levels of your pool may shift depending on how many people swim in it as well as the amount of rainfall and sunshine it has received. Shocking your pool water can be a simple solution to this problem.

2. Faulty Pool Filter
   Your pool filter ideally needs to run at least 8 hours a day to ensure that doesn’t become stagnant. If your pool filter is faulty, it can cause bits of debris and other tiny particles to build up that can ruin your pool’s hygiene and lead to a cloudy buildup. Depending on the size of your pool and the type of filter (cartridge or DE) or pump, there will be a certain number of hours that the filter should run for each day. If you frequently find your pool water turn cloudy, a poor filter may be one of the likely reasons.

3. pH Levels are out of range
   Messed up water pH levels of your pool may also be causing the water to turn milky. pH levels indicate how acidic or basic the water is and maintaining suitable levels is an essential part of marinating good pool hygiene. Extremely low pH levels can cause the pool lining to erode and the particles from that erosion can lead to the build of cloudiness

4. Excessive Rain Water
   Rain water may seem harmless to your pool’s hygiene but it can seriously damage and alter a healthy chemical balance of the pool water. While it can be impractical to cover up the pool every time it rains, a habit of monitoring the pool water every time is does could save you the trouble of dealing with cloudy pool water later on.

5. Fluctuating Calcium Levels
   Calcium levels of your pool water need to be in balance to ensure that the water remains clean and clear. High calcium levels cannot only lead to cloudy pool water, but also damage your pool’s filtration system. Ensuring balanced calcium levels can solve the problem of cloudy pool water effectively. 

   If your pool water is cloudy, be sure to perform an analysis yourself and try to find out what the likely cause may be. Getting in touch with a pool service expert can also help you approach the problem more professionally and get tips and advice on how to maintain your pool hygiene.