You added flocculant to your cloudy pool. Waited hours. But nothing sank to the bottom.

The floc is just floating there. Mocking you.

Frustrating, right?

Pool flocculant is supposed to clump tiny particles together and send them sinking to the bottom. Then you vacuum them out. Simple process. But sometimes it just doesn’t work.

Here’s why: you didn’t wait long enough, your pump ran too long after adding floc, or you didn’t use enough product. Floc needs still water and patience to work properly.

The fix? Turn off your pump after circulating for 2 hours and wait 8-16 hours for everything to settle.

This guide explains exactly why your pool floc isn’t sinking and how to use flocculant the right way.

What is pool floc?

Pool Flocculant is a material that works to clump together the tiny particles floating in the water. People like to use this chemical when they find other methods are not effective.

This chemical clumps together the particles that are floating in the water and are tiny. A vacuum cannot remove those small particles. But it is essential to remove the particles because they contain bacteria, algae spores, and other debris. 

So to clean microscopic elements from cloudy water, a pool flocculant is used. When you pour some floc in your pool water, it clamps together all the tiny particles and makes them big chunks. Then the particles become heavier and sink to the pool.

When they go to the bottom, you can vacuum them with a pool cleaner. 

Pool floc not sinking?

Several reasons are responsible for it. Let’s see them.

You may not wait for enough time after adding floc. For example, you can wait up to 2 days to sink it properly to the bottom.

Besides, if you let your pump for a long time circulate water, the flocs cannot get still to go to the bottom of the pool. So, keep the pump off after circulating the water. And wait enough time to sink the floc.

Floc cannot kill algae. So, use algae killer before using floc. Besides, if you do not use sufficient flocculant in the water, it will not sink properly.

How to use flocculants in the right way?

When you find that the pool floc is not sinking, you should follow our tips and steps to solve the problem. Besides, it is essential to learn the correct use of flocculant. First, however, let’s see the process.

Balance the water

First, you should balance pool water. You should keep the pH level from 7.4 to 7.6. Then, check other necessary levels such as bromine and chlorine levels that are right. that they are right. For this, you need a test kit. Various types of water test kits are available in the market.

Add flocculant

Now is the time to add flocculant. First, please read the directions that come with it carefully. Then, calculate the measurement and the volume of pool water. Now follow the general guide and dilute the floc into a specific amount of water. Then, pour the water into the pool around the edge.  

It would help if you were careful about the amount of floc because it is powerful. So, do not use too much of this material.

Turn on the pump

Now you should recirculate the pool water. For this reason, turn on the pump. And keep running it for several hours. Thus, the flocculant will be distributed throughout the water. But of course, do not add it to the pool filter.

Turn off the pool pump

Now turn off the pump. But wait for 6-8 hours. But to get the best result, you can keep it running for up to 16 hours. Then turn off the pump to get the water still.

Vacuum the pool

See the water. You may notice that the flocs are now settled at the pool bottom. Now is the right time to vacuum them to remove the dirt manually.

It is not possible with an automatic cleaner. Before starting your vacuum, set a filter to the place where debris gathers. Then, if you think, you can take a break and allow the dirt to set to the bottom again.

You should be careful and do not stir the debris too much. Besides, you can use a garden hose to maintain the water level. You may need to vacuum the water several times and take some breaks.

Rebalance the water

When you feel happy after getting all the debris out of the water, you can now rebalance the water. Run the filter for 24 hours. Enjoy a clean pool!

Advantages of pool flocculant

Now see why you use pool flocculant to make pool water clean.

Works quickly

Though you give a lot of time to work the floc to clump together the debris and then set them to the bottom of the pool, you only need several hours.

Effective

Pool floc effectively removes the smallest particles from the pool by clumping them together. So, it is an excellent option for cleaning the water for a cloudy pool.

It is better for the sand filter

Sand filters and DE filters have multipart valves. So, you can easily bypass the debris and flocculants with these filters.

Disadvantages of using pool flocculant

When you use floc rather than clarifier, you should also learn the demerits. Let’s see them.

Needs more effort

You need to use a manual vacuum to clean the debris after going to the bottom; you also require more effort than using a pool clarifier. Besides, it is not possible to clean the trash at once. You should take some breaks to clean them properly.

Pool water losing

When you use a manual vacuum cleaner to clean the debris from swimming pool water to the bypass filter, the water level will decrease. It is not possible to replace it. So, you lose pool water if you follow the process.

It is not possible to use a cartridge filter.

It is not suitable to use a cartridge filter if you do not add a custom plumbing setup so that you can bypass the filter.

Conclusion

Now you know why pool floc is not sinking and how to use it properly. Use pool floc to clean the water quickly. But you should not swim in the water after using flocculant. 

Let the water get still and check that there is no floc. If any debris is available to the bottom, again vacuum it.