How much chlorine should my pool be using?

[DistantHorizon]

Ok, well, I ordered the FAS-DPD test kit ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003V54GUG ), but it won't be here until Wednesday. Also ordered more CYA test ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002IXIZE ).

In the meantime, with the expectation that I'll have to add CYA, and knowing that the pool uses chlorine, I put a dozen 3" tabs in the skimmer basket (knowing they take several days to disolve). Ran the pump continuously with tabs in for about a day, with the plan to remove the tabs when pump was off.

Was time to backflush last night (my spider gasket was still jacked, and pool guy hadn't dropped by yet), backflushed and rinsed. Took apart the multiport, tried to reseat gasket, got things working though backflush hose was still trickling.

Checked chlorine and CYA last night (diluting 50% with distilled water), read 2-4 on the scale, so figured it was 5 or 6. Knew that tends to drop, so took out tabs, disolved a pound of dichlor in a bucket and put it in (for target of 8, and to add a little CYA). Hooked automatic pool cleaner to the skimmer and let it run overnight.

This morning I went to get a spider gasket, and took a sample to a pool store who I at least think knows how to test properly. Chlorine was 8 (which was what I'd targeted), but they said CYA is over 100!





She let me see the test for myself (they had the more expensive dipstick-in-tube test).

In the past, one pool store has tested it at 100+ 3 times, 30 once, and 40 once. When I tested last night, I read about 42, which corresponds with the 40 I read a couple weeks ago (I have the Taylor K-2005 CYA test), but as with all the color-match tests, I wasn't completely confident I was reading it right. The previous pool owner appears to have used 3" tabs and dichlor exclusively, which would point to high CYA.

I just did my own test again, and got a little higher reading, 45, than I did before I added dichlor and tabs, so if I'm misreading, I'm doing so consistently.

Question one: Did CYA test high because I've been adding it recently (added dichlor the night before, and ran 12 3" tabs for a day before that)? Or is my CYA really that high???

Question two: Edit - researched on this forum, indeed I did get pool-stored. Going to try to return this stuff, no need to answer this question. The pool store said my phosphates are 300, and that could be eating my chlorine. Is that true? I didn't think fast enough, and got pool-stored into a $40 jug of phos-free, but I haven't added it yet. Don't know if I can return it or not...

Right now it looks like you have to add a gallon of 6% Bleach a day or 2 gallon every other day. Don't do like I did last year. Get the FAS/DPD kit to test chlorine. Believe me, it will pay for itself and save you from a lot of headaches.

Gah, all that bleach sounds like a lot of $, but if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes. We'll have to see how my CYA issue turns out. As for the kit, yeah, went ahead and ordered.... wish I'd ordered a better CYA test rig too.