Bromine Chemistry Question

[FormerBromineUser]

Thanks, guys, so, SO much. I was really hoping to have a sanitized pool by my party on Sunday but I'm sol on that.... I can still see the main drain clearly but the intervening water is getting grayer and grayer. Less than 48 hours to go and counting!

Based on Ben's suggestion early on, I have added nine 3.78 quart bottles of Clorox (8.25%) at night. In the morning, my strips are off the chart (>20 dark green) for chlorine but by afternoon, zero. That's why I don't understand this: "What Chem Geek was suggesting and I was seconding was that you might have extremely high chlorine level. So high that the chlorine / bromine tests are getting bleached out." Why would I get readings after adding beach? I am so confused. Also, after I add chlorine, I can smell it. When I can't, the strips read zero. I think the sunlight is stealing everything I pour in. In the past when I accidentally let my tabs get low, I super-chlorinated and the pool bounced back so that I only used bromine tabs and oxy-sheen oxidizer; no straight chlorine. The bromine tabs seemed to survive the sun but then again, the auto-cover worked and I closed it when the pool was not in use.

You all know so much more than I do. To me, the following is incomprehensible: " If the CYA wasn't greater than 100 then there wasn't enough to become the chlorine demand you're seeing through conversion to ammonia." My mind keeps saying that I don't have ammonia so what the heck are they talking about. Btw, I checked my local HomeDepot, Walmart, Target.... Not one had OTO kits, just refills. It's just as well as now I will just get the Taylor K2006.

Ben, I wanted to let you know that years ago I realized that my son's doctor was wrong. I had only mentioned the issue in order to accept responsibility for the bromine vs. chlorine decision when we built our pool back in '05. My pool guys are not perfect but the bromine call was mine, not theirs... Also, I read how you receive a commission from amazon by folks linking through you. I have already bookmarked your link as my way onto amazon's site. I only spend about a thou at amazon each year but I hope my part helps. I appreciate all you have done for me and all the many, many people on poolforum. What a great service you all provide.