I swim at a local YMCA where a lot of the users don’t shower before entering. The pool is always cloudy; you can’t see half the length of the pool usually, and sometimes only 1/3. They tell me the chemicals are at the right levels, so the question is can a pool be ‘clean’ (safe to swim in) if it’s this cloudy? Bill Fitzhugh bfitzhugh@socal.rr.com

Question:

I swim at a local YMCA where a lot of the users don’t shower before entering. The pool is always cloudy; you can’t see half the length of the pool usually, and sometimes only 1/3. They tell me the chemicals are at the right levels, so the question is can a pool be ‘clean’ (safe to swim in) if it’s this cloudy?
Bill Fitzhugh
bfitzhugh@socal.rr.com

Answer:

Cloudy water does indicate that there is some issue with water balance or the filtration is not sufficient. Either is a problem, but not necissarily unsafe to swim. The cloudy water can be caused by a number of factors. Some common factors - the hardness may be too high, the total dissolved solids may be too high or the pH can be outside the ideal range. The first two can only be addressed by draining and refilling with fresh water (partial drain may be acceptable) to lower the levels. The pH can be adjusted more easily. Low or high pH can also cause swimmer discomfort and make the chlorine less effective. Test the chlorine and pH before you swim to make sure it is acceptable and safe.