No, you should not swim in a cloudy pool as it indicates water chemistry issues and potential harmful bacteria. The cloudiness prevents you from seeing the bottom, creating safety hazards, and suggests inadequate sanitization.
Find on Amazon: Taylor K-2006C Pool Test Kit , Liquid Chlorine Pool Shock , Muriatic Acid pH Reducer
Do not swim in a cloudy pool. While it might be tempting to take a quick dip, cloudy water indicates serious water chemistry problems that can pose health and safety risks. The cloudiness means your sanitizer isn't working effectively, potentially allowing harmful bacteria and algae to thrive. Additionally, you can't see the bottom clearly, creating drowning hazards especially for children.
Cloudy water typically indicates one of several problems: inadequate chlorination, pH imbalance, or early-stage algae growth. When your free chlorine (FC) levels are too low relative to your cyanuric acid (CYA) levels, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens can multiply rapidly. Swimming in undertreated water exposes you to:
Beyond health concerns, cloudy water creates serious safety risks. When you can't see the bottom of your pool clearly, you can't spot potential drowning situations quickly. This is especially critical if children are around the pool area. You also can't see if someone has dropped something sharp or dangerous on the pool floor.
To get your pool swim-ready again, you'll need to use the SLAM method (Shock Level And Maintain) developed by Trouble Free Pool. This proven approach will eliminate the cloudiness and make your pool safe for swimming.
Using a reliable test kit like the Taylor K-2006C, test your current levels:
The most critical measurement is your CYA level, as this determines how much chlorine you'll need to achieve shock level.
Your shock level depends on your CYA reading. Here's the FC/CYA relationship for shock level:
Before adding chlorine, adjust your pH to 7.2-7.4. High pH reduces chlorine effectiveness, so this step is crucial. If pH is above 7.6, add muriatic acid. For a 20,000-gallon pool, typically 1 quart of muriatic acid will lower pH by 0.2 points, but always test first on your specific pool.
Use liquid chlorine (sodium hypochlorite), not granular shock from pool stores. Liquid chlorine is more effective and won't add unwanted chemicals like calcium or cyanuric acid. For a 20,000-gallon pool, each gallon of 12.5% liquid chlorine raises FC by approximately 6 ppm.
Calculate how much you need: If your current FC is 2 ppm and you need to reach 20 ppm (CYA of 50), you need to add 18 ppm of chlorine. That's 3 gallons of liquid chlorine for a 20,000-gallon pool.
Keep your pump and filter running 24/7 during the SLAM process. This ensures proper circulation and helps your filter trap the dead contaminants that the chlorine is killing. Clean or backwash your filter more frequently during this process.
Test your FC every 8-12 hours and add more liquid chlorine to maintain shock level. The process is complete when:
Most cloudy pools clear within 24-48 hours using the SLAM method, but don't rush the process. Your pool is safe to swim in when:
For pools with CYA levels of 30-50 ppm, maintain FC at 3-6 ppm for daily swimming. For salt water chlorine generators, target CYA of 70-80 ppm with FC of 7-9 ppm.
Once your pool is clear, prevent future cloudiness by:
Remember: A cloudy pool is never safe for swimming. Take the time to properly treat your water chemistry, and you'll have a safe, crystal-clear pool that everyone can enjoy without health risks.
Was this guide helpful?
Try our free pool calculators and tools to help diagnose and fix your pool problems.
Browse Pool ToolsSLAM calculator, pH calculator, salt dosing & more
Pool Repair Question