Use this
Dull, gray-white, or hazy water with good circulation and no obvious green growth belongs here first.
Use your pool
Use saved test results
Save test results so Poolometer can use your FC and CYA here.
Clear Cloudy Water Playbook
Quick clarity recovery for dull or hazy water without jumping straight to a full SLAM.
Use this when
- Quick clarity recovery for dull or hazy water without jumping straight to a full SLAM.
You'll need
- FC
- CC
- CYA
- pH
Stop and escalate if
- Do not add clarifier or floc without knowing why the water is cloudy
- Do not assume it is always algae
DO THIS FIRST
Separate filtration from chemistry. Cloudy water can be a filter problem, a sanitizer problem, or both.
Do not
- ✕Do not add clarifier or floc without knowing why the water is cloudy
- ✕Do not assume it is always algae
Have ready
FC / CC / CYA / pH
0%0/25 done
1
Check Filter & Flow
Rule out mechanical issues before adding chemistry.
2
Test & Raise FC
Use a measured, temporary elevated-FC target while you verify this is not a full algae event.
3
Brush & Circulate
Dislodge suspended material and keep water moving so the filter can actually capture it.
4
Wait & Monitor
Let the chlorine and filter work before you introduce more products.
5
Evaluate & Decide
Use the result to decide whether to return to normal care, repeat the lighter workflow, or escalate.
Questions? (4)
How do I tell haze from algae?
Mild haze is usually gray or white and fairly uniform. Green, yellow, or clinging growth points to algae and usually requires SLAM.
Can I swim during this process?
Only if FC remains in a safe range for your pool and pH is in line. Recovery works best when circulation is uninterrupted, so plan around that.
Should I add clarifier right away?
Usually no. Give measured chlorine and proper filtration time to work before layering on products that can complicate the diagnosis.
What if the water is still cloudy after 48 hours?
Treat that as a sign the problem is bigger than a light haze event. Escalate to SLAM or a broader troubleshooting path.
Water clarity reference
Water Clarity Reference
What does your water look like?
Clear
Bottom details visible, water sparkles in sunlight
Hazy/Dull
Bottom visible but not sharp, water lacks sparkle
Cloudy/Milky
Cannot see bottom clearly, white/gray tint, may be dead algae or fine particles
Green
Visible green color, algae present, may still see bottom or steps
Dark Green
Cannot see bottom, heavy algae bloom, urgent SLAM needed
Use this when, and only when
Keep the light clarity workflow separate from algae and from poor-test or poor-flow problems.
Do not use this
Visible algae, CC above 0.5 ppm, or a failing overnight loss test means this is the wrong path.
Photo scale
Barely hazy, gray and dull, milky or opaque, or green and clinging are the four visual checkpoints.
Escalate
If the water worsens or the demand stays high after one day, move to SLAM instead of repeating a weak pass.
How cloudy is it?
Use the haze panels to decide whether this is a light recovery job or a bigger algae problem.
Barely hazy
You can still see the floor and fittings. Check flow, clean the baskets, and give filtration time to work.
Gray and dull
The water is losing clarity but not turning green. Raise FC to the temporary clarity target and keep the pump running.
Milky or opaque
Suspension is heavy enough that the filter and brushing need to do real work. Reassess after 24 hours.
Green or clinging
This is not the light clarity workflow. Move to the algae or SLAM path instead.
Educational guidance only. Verify labels, manuals, local code, and site conditions before acting. Stop for electrical, gas, structural, drain, drowning, injury, emergency, or chemical-mixing risk.