Still have green, cloudy water after following pool store advice

[PoolDoc]

But my question is.. When do I start putting the bleach in it?

This evening.

Glad you can still laugh about it!

Good luck!

[Jess09]

You were right. I got one of those testing kit things and when I got home I tested it. No chlorine at all. Thank you for your help.

[PoolDoc]

You're welcome.

Keep at it -- learning to do pools well does take some time and effort. We can make it easier, and help you cut through all the pool chemical company BS and deception. But we can't make it effortless. It is worth it though, if you or your family enjoys the pool!

[Jess09]

So I've been adding bleach every night like you said and testing it daily. During the day, the chlorine is high, which from what I understand, is expected. The Ph is low today and the water is cloudy. Is there something else I should be adding or is that expected as well?

[PoolDoc]

=> Has the pool been cloudy since June, or did it clear and then get cloudy again?

=> Do you have a K2006? What are your test readings?

=> What sort of filter do you have (type / mfg / model)?

=> Is the pool cloudy green, or cloudy blue/gray?

=> Are the side walls slippery?

[Jess09]

Ok.. It cleared up really well, water was actually sparkling. I haven't ordered the test kit that I recommend yet, I just bought one from Walmart to make due for now. The chlorine and Ph are both in the ok zone at this minute. I have a sand filter and walls are not slippery at all. You can see through to the bottom, just not clearly. It just looks a little cloudy but still blue.

[PoolDoc]

You can't manage a pool well, unless you know what your CYA (stabilizer) level is. Test strips don't tell you; they are too inaccurate. There are three kits, all made by Taylor, that will give you fairly accurate CYA readings for less than $150:

Taylor K2006A (3/4 oz bottles) @ Amazon (recommended)]
Taylor K2006C (2 oz bottles) @ Amazon (recommended)

HTH 6-Way Test Kit @ Walmart - made by Taylor [ workable ]

Taylor K2005A (3/4 oz bottles) @ Amazon (NOT recommended)

The K2006 is the only one that will ALSO let you measure chlorine levels above 5 ppm accurately. The HTH has an OTO tester that will indicate -- not really measure -- higher levels. The DPD test in the K2005 is inaccurate and may read false zeros at high chlorine levels.

With any other commonly available kit, you are just hoping you'll get lucky. Some do. Most don't. Many spend more than the cost of a K2006 cleaning up a single algae episode.