Hi!!

First off, I'm sorry to hear that you're having problems with SPS--I've ordered from them lots of times and have never had any issues with them. Hopefully they can get your problem resolved and some reagents to you quick.

Here's a link for how to force your test kit to measure higher chlorine levels through dilution: http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=10073
It isn't strictly accurate, but it will give you a pretty good ballpark range, and it's much better than guessing. You're right to maintain your chlorine in the 10-12 rainge, but it's not just for the rest of the swim season--you're going to have to maintain it that high until you drop your CYA levels if you want to stay algae-free. Unfortunately, there are only two ways I know to drop the CYA--one is drain and refill water, and the other is to let the pool go into a green swampy mess during the winter, and the bacteria will dissolve the CYA into byproducts such as ammonia, that take HUGE amounts of chlorine to overcome once you open the pool again. (I obviously don't recommend that route! ).

Since you are in south Texas, I'm assuming that you won't close your pool this winter? If not, if you were to frequently backwash and refill gradually over the wintertime, coupled with rainwater, etc, you might be able to lower the CYA gradually enough so that it would be more manageable by next winter. You absolutely do NOT want to add pucks back to the chlorinator, because they drive your CYA upward, and yours is on the verge of being so high that even elevated chlorine levels can't compensate. You'll do better to stick with plain, unscented bleach or liquid chlorine for your chlorine source. Or--for more effortless maintenance, you might want to consider adding a salt water chlorine generator!!

Janet