No Chlorine In Pool

[Poolsean]

I need some ideas for problem pools. These are both salt chlorinated pools, and normal chlorine treated pools.

I have a few customers with pools that are not keeping a chlorine residual in the pool. Parameters are all in acceptable ranges (pH at 7.3 - 7.6, TA between 80 - 120, CH 150- 300, Cya 40 - 75).
One customer is opening pools in the Boise area (20,000 - 26,000 gallons), added 5 lbs of dichlor and no residual. 30 minutes later added another 5 lbs. Still no residual. Finally added another 10 lbs, and .... no residual.
He uses AquaCheck 6 in one test strips, and are fresh strips. He does the same process to the pools he's opening, but on some, there's no chlorine residual.

Water is crystal clear and no algae present. I thought maybe the chlorine is too high and may be bleaching the strips? It should show a redish, or purpleish/black color pad for the chlorine, even with high chlorine.

On another set of pools, in Southwest Florida, adding 5 lbs/day in 25,000 gallons for a week straight, and no chlorine residual. Yet another pool, 65,000 gallon commercial pool, no or very light bather loads, 10 lbs/day added for 4 days in a row, and no residual.

Also no algae, but water is cloudy.

Phosphates are on the low side.

I'm at a loss...so any advice or suggestions is appreciated.

[aylad]

You KNOW how we feel about "guess strips"...... I would think it's probably bleaching out the test strip. Has he tried plain OTO testing with a diluted sample to see?

[sunlove]

I used test strips the first year we had our pool and while they are easy and fast, I discovered they are useless for testing the chlorine after you shock.

[BigDave]

He uses AquaCheck 6 in one test strips...

Who are you and what did you do with Poolsean?

Like aylad said - OTO will tell if the *cough* test strip *cough* is getting bleached out.

Return Poolsean to us unharmed and we'll ask the DA to cut you a break.