Quote Originally Posted by CarlD View Post
Hi Ross, and welcome!

It's hard to tell what's going on without any real information on your pool and your water condition. All I can tell is you have a vinyl pool and cloudy water.

It will be helpful if you can tell us:
In-ground or Above Ground
Gallons.
Pump size
Filter type and size (if possible)
and
....
Actual readings of the water.
Chlorine levels (preferably divided into FC--Free Chlorine and CC--Combined Chloramines)
pH
Total Alkalinity
Calcium Hardness (for reference--not important in vinyl pools unless it's too high)
CYA/Cyanuric Acid/Stabilizer/Conditioner.

Our first recommendation is always a good test kit, not guess strips.
We recommend the Taylor Technologies K-2006 or K-2006C kit, available via the link on PoolDoc's signature.
The Leslie's FAS-DPD Chlorine Service Test Kit available on-line is the same as the Taylor, but re-badged with Leslie's name and quite a bit more expensive.

In the interim, there's an inexpensive Wal-Mart kit that will do most of what you need:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HTH-6-Way-Test-Kit/17043668

I'd get a gallon of Steam-Distilled water as well so you can use the "CarlD Patented Shot Glass Method" (a joke name for a valid method) for doubling, tripling, or quadrupling the range of the OTO chlorine test.

Run the tests with the Wal-Mart kit for now and post the results. Alternatively, take a water sample to a pool store and post THEIR results, but don't let them talk you into buying anything just yet.

Good luck!

Thanks Carl! I'll get the numbers and post them on here. This is an awesome forum!

Ross