Too much Chlorine

[Barry J]

My reading today were:
Chlorine: orange...out of range
ph: 6.8
Alk: 50,
So my questions..is it save to go in with the chlorine that high???
And how much baking soda and borax to put in to raise my alk and Ph,
Thanks
Barry

[BigDave]

I'd need to know the CYA level and a more accurate chlorine level. Do you have a K-2006? You need one.

[singingpond]

Also, your pH is quite likely less than 6.8 (that's just the lowest reading on the color comparison bar). The fact that you had 6.8 in your first post, reported adding borax, and still have pH 6.8 currently, adds to the suspicion that the actual pH is lower.

Are you still trying to swim in the pool before closing, or just trying to get it into decent shape to close at this point?

[CarlD]

Try diluting your pool water with distilled water. First try 1:1, then try 1:2, 1:3, until you get a reading on your OTO cell. If it's 1:1, double the reading. 1:2, triple it. 1:3, quadruple it (so if it reads "5" it's really 20ppm). That will give us a ball park on the true total chlorine level.