Cloudy water after a shock means the cause is not chloramines. Here are the four common alternatives and how to tell them apart.
Shock is great at clearing cloudy water caused by oxidisable organic matter. If the cloudiness persists after a strong shock dose and good circulation, you are looking at one of four other causes: high pH or alkalinity, calcium scaling, suspended fines that need a clarifier, or a failing filter.
Test pH and alkalinity. If pH is above 8.0 or alkalinity is above 180 ppm, you have classic high-pH cloudiness. Calcium and metals fall out of solution and look like a milky haze.
The fix is a careful dose of pH decreaser, retest after an hour, repeat as needed. The cloudiness usually clears within four to six hours of pH coming back into band.
Take the filter out and inspect it. If the pleats are compressed, discoloured, or carry a sticky film, it is the filter that is failing rather than the chemistry.
A proper overnight soak in a dedicated filter cleaner often brings a tired filter back. A filter older than 18 months should just be replaced.
A new or cleaned filter combined with a clarifier (which clumps tiny particles together so the filter can catch them) clears most stubborn haze within 24 hours.
If you are past the 12-week refill mark and the water has gone through several heavy sessions, TDS could be high enough that the water simply cannot hold any more dissolved load.
There is no chemical fix for high TDS. A 30 to 50% partial drain and refill is the answer.
While you are at it, run a pipe purge product the night before draining. Biofilm in the lines is often the unseen contributor to persistent cloudiness.
No. If the first heavy shock did not clear it within 12 hours, more shock will not help. Diagnose the cause first.
Yes. Shock first, run jets for 30 minutes, then add clarifier. The shock oxidises organics so the clarifier can clump the inorganic fines without competing.