Cloudy water has two fixes: a clarifier that bundles fine particles for your filter to catch, or a flocculant that drops everything to the floor for vacuuming. Here's when each is the right call.
A clarifier coagulates particles too fine for the filter into clumps the filter can catch — the pool stays open and clears over a day or two. A flocculant settles everything to the pool floor overnight for vacuuming to waste — faster, but the pool closes and you lose some water. And before dosing either: test the water, because cloudiness is often a chemistry or filtration problem that a clarifier only hides.
Both products do the same first job — they neutralise the tiny electrical charges that keep fine particles repelling each other and suspended, so the particles clump together. A clarifier (typically a polymer coagulant) does this gently: the clumps stay in the water, grow big enough for the filter to trap, and the pool clears through normal filtration while it stays open. A flocculant (typically an aluminium-salt coagulant, sometimes blended with polymer) is the heavy version: it binds everything into flocs dense enough to sink, carpeting the floor within hours so the sediment can be vacuumed straight to waste.
The trade-off is simple. Clarifier is slower but non-disruptive. Flocculant is fast and thorough — the right call after an algae kill or a storm — but the pool closes while it settles, vacuuming to waste sends water down the drain, and it needs a pool that can bypass or backwash its filter properly.
| Form | Liquid concentrate — filter-aid clarifier and settling flocculant |
| Chemistry | Polymer coagulants and aluminium-salt flocculants — matched to the pool and its filter, confirmed on quotation |
| Formats | Pack sizes confirmed on enquiry |
| Best for | Cloudy water after heavy bather load, storms or algae treatment — and filters that pass fine particles |
| Price | Quoted on enquiry — we reply within one working day |
First, find out why the pool is cloudy — because a clarifier dosed over a chemistry problem hides it, not fixes it. The usual suspects:
Once chemistry and filtration check out: dose clarifier to pool volume with the pump running and let filtration do the work over a day or two, backwashing when the filter pressure rises. For a flocculant, raise the water level, dose, circulate briefly, then shut the pump down and let the pool stand overnight before vacuuming the sediment to waste. The dosing calculator gives your pool volume; small doses win — more is not better with polymers.
Safety. Clarifier and flocculant concentrates are irritants — avoid skin and eye contact. Never mix them with chlorine or any other pool chemical, and never pre-mix products in the same bucket: dose each chemical to the pool separately. Store cool, dry and sealed, away from other chemicals and out of reach of children. Safety data sheets are available on request: see the SDS library.
Prices are quoted on enquiry — we reply within one working day. Tell us whether you want a filter-aid clarifier or a settling flocculant — or describe the cloudiness and we'll recommend. Delivery across Hong Kong.
A clarifier clears the water over a day or two of normal filtration with the pool open — backwash when the filter pressure rises. A flocculant is faster: dose, circulate briefly, shut the pump down and let the pool stand overnight, then vacuum the settled sediment to waste. If the water has not cleared after a full filtration cycle, check chemistry and filtration before adding more — overdosing a polymer clarifier can leave the water hazier.
Clarifier for mild, hazy cloudiness when the pool must stay open: it bundles fine particles into clumps the filter can catch, and the water clears over a day or two of normal filtration. Flocculant for severe cloudiness — after an algae kill, a storm or a long shutdown — when you can close the pool: everything settles to the floor overnight and is vacuumed to waste. If you're not sure, send us a photo and the pool size.
Because chlorine is only one cause. High pH or alkalinity pushes the water scale-forming and hazy, a filter running too few hours a day never catches up, worn or channelled filter media passes fine particles straight through, and an early algae bloom clouds water before it ever turns green. Test and correct the chemistry first — a clarifier dosed over an unbalanced pool hides the problem rather than fixing it.
Yes. Polymer clarifiers work in small doses — overdosing can reverse the effect, coating the filter media and leaving the water hazier than before. Dose to your actual pool volume, allow a full filtration cycle before judging the result, and resist the urge to double up.
Send us the pool size and a photo — we'll tell you whether it's chemistry, filtration or a job for a clarifier, and what to order. No obligation.