How to Clear Up Hazy Pool Water

Turbid water in your pool can start out hazy and end up an unpleasant milky white. It is more than just an eyesore: Cloudy water hides the bottom of the pool making it dangerous for diving, and it affects the filter so your pool may become unsanitary. There are simple steps you can take to clear the tiny particles that cause the haze, leaving your pool water healthy and sparkling clean once again.

Things You'll Need

  • Hose
  • Water clarifying agent
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Instructions

  1. Filter Cleaning

    • 1

      Turn off the pump motor in preparation for cleaning your pool filter that uses a diatomaceous earth or D.E. filter, a sand filter or a cartridge filter, which may be enough to get rid of the cloudiness in the water.

    • 2

      Clean a D.E. or sand filter by reversing the flow of water to flush out the dirt. Turn the valve control to the position labeled "backwash," or if your filter does not have a "backwash" label, pull the plunger up to position "2-to-3" instead.

    • 3

      Attach the backwash hose if there is one or open any ports labeled "waste line." Turn on the pump so the dirty water issues from the hose or waste line ports to a drain.

    • 4

      Pump until the water runs clear. Turn off the pump, set the valve control to "rinse" and run the pump run for 30 seconds. Turn off the pump once again and return the valve control to its original "filter" position.

    • 5

      Clean a cartridge filter by lifting the lid and removing the cartridge inside. Wash the cartridge thoroughly from top to bottom, using a powerful jet of water from a hose. Reinstall the cartridge once it is clean.

    • 6

      Run the pool pump again. Add a water-clarifying agent if the water remains cloudy after you filter the pool water once.

    Water Clarifying Agent

    • 7

      Turn off the pump and let the pool water settle.

    • 8

      Add a water-clarifying agent to the pool, following the manufacturer's instructions, then wait as the fine particles still suspended in the water clump together into larger solids. Leave the pool water undisturbed for a day, to let the heaviest of these solids sink to the bottom.

    • 9

      Immerse both ends of a hose in the pool. Keep the hose immersed until it is full of water and no bubbles of air come from either end.

    • 10

      Pull one end of the hose out of the water. Place it at a lower level to the pool, near a drain that can take the dirty water that will start to be siphoned off. You may need to prime this end of the hose to get the water to start flowing.

    • 11

      Use the end of the hose still immersed as a vacuum cleaner, to suck up the debris from the bottom of the pool. Remove the hose when no more debris is visible.

    • 12

      Run the pump again. Clumps of particles still suspended in the water will now be too large to pass through the filter and will be caught by it instead, removing the cloudy haze from the pool. Clean the filter again as needed to rinse away excess particles.