Basic Guide to Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Discolored Water
- Copper
- Equipment corrosion
- Outside contamination
- Fill water
- Use of copper algaecide
- Metal Out
- Algaecide
- Manganese
- Equipment corrosion.
- Outside contamination
- Fill water
- Super Floc
- Vacuum out to waste
- Add Metal Out
- Iron
- Outside contamination
- Fill water
- Super Floc
- Vacuum out to waste
- Add Metal Out
- Clogging filter or short filter runs
- Dirty filter
- Media not cleaned
- Improper amount of filter media
- Water Balance
- Replace filter media
- Clean with filter cleaner
- Pool has a sharp, irritating odor
- Chloramines
- Swimmer waste, oils and organic waste
- Shock Treatment
Algae and Other Growths
- Murky
- Green water
- Possibly some growth
- Low sanitizer
- Poor maintenance
- Improper Water Balance
- Poor circulation
- Shock Treatment
- Algaecide
- Clean the Filter
- Check the System
- Rough Black spots on the bottom of the pool that brushes off with effort
- Low sanitizer
- Poor maintenance
- Improper Water Balance
- Poor circulation
- Algaecide
- Brushing
- Clean the filter
- Check the system
- Yellowish-gold growth that easily brushes away
- Yellowish-green water
- Low sanitizer
- Poor maintenance
- Improper Water Balance
- Poor circulation
- Brush
- Algaecide
- Pink, slimy bacterial growth that brushes off easily
- Low sanitizer
- Poor maintenance
- Improper Water Balance
- Poor circulation
- Brushing
- Algaecide
- Clean the filter
- Check the system
- White mucous or tissue paper-like substance
- Low sanitizer
- Poor maintenance
- Improper Water Balance
- Poor circulation
- Shock Treatment and Algaecide
- Clean the filter
- Check the system
- Unable to maintain the free chlorine level or cannot break the high combined chlorine
- Foreign environmental contaminants
- Poor maintenance
- Shock Treatment
- Hazy or extremely cloudy water
- Difficulty seeing the pool bottom
- Poor filtration and circulation
- Chloramines or low sanitizer
- Poor water balance
- Particulate matter
- Check the pump and filter
- Clean and run the pump continuously
- Shock treatment.
Surface Problems
- Sandpaper-like buildup on the surface
- Grayish or tan coloration that is difficult to brush away
- Improper water balance – high TA (total alkalinity)pH and/or CH (calcium hardness)
- Metal Out or Stain Out
- Balance water
- Acid wash
- Pitting of plaster surfaces
- Improper water balance – low TA (total alkalinity)pH and/or CH (calcium hardness)
- Balance water
- Replace the plaster surface
- Wrinkles in a vinyl liner
- Improper water balance – low TA (total alkalinity)pH and/or CH (calcium hardness)
- Balance water
- Replace the liner if necessary
- Pale to white, spotty discoloration on the surface
- Improper chemical addition
- Replace the liner if necessary
- Repaint the surface
- Predissolve dry substances before addition
- Black, green, turquoise or brown spots on the bottom that do not brush up
- Metal stains
- Fungus under the liner.
- Tannic acid
- Stains (leaves and debris)
- Metal Out or Stain Out
- Pull up the liner and clean from the underside
- Shock the pool
Testing Problems
- Color of test fades to clear
- High chlorine or bromine levels
- Add up to 5 drops of a chlorine neutralizer
- Reagent color is different than it should be – for example, the pH test turns purple or the DPD turns brown.
- High chlorine or bromine levels
- Old reagents
- Let the chlorine levels come down, then retest
- Replace reagents
Other Problems
- Bubbles on the pool surface
- Excessive algaecide
- Foreign substance
- Defoamer
- Determine the source and partially drain if necessary
- Use Algaecide
- Blonde hair turns green after swimming
- Copper
- Metal Out
- Lemon juice or vinegar in the hair to remove the color
- Rain washes debris into the pool and raises the water level, increasing the sanitizer demand
- Environmental
- Shock the pool
- Rebalance the water after circulating for 24 hours
- Noticeable difference in water level
- Less than1/2” daily – evaporation.
- 1/2” to 1” daily – active bather load
- Over 1” daily – possible leak.
- Solar cover for the first two levels of water loss
- Professional assistance for anything over 1” daily