Quote Originally Posted by mjsboone View Post
Yes. 1st time I testedi gor 100. Tested again and tried to be so careful with that litle black dot...then about 80. Not diluted. We have been adding bleach 2x's per day, morning and night in the amouts that will bring it up to 25ppm. My son took over the testing for me as I became frustrated not knowing if I was doing it correctly. Watermom said to get the FC to 25ppm and get it to hold overnight and then for good measure keep it at that level for another day and then start backing off with the goal of maintaining 8-15ppm. I hope I am understanding this correctly. I will say that my pool looks sparkling and clear but I also understand this will be short-lived if I do not stick with the program. It needs a good vac but these 101 degree days are miserable! Thank you for your continued advice and support!
1st... Congrats on seeing the pool sparkle!!! To me, it's like the pool is smiling back

Just a couple things to consider... You said, "I am smelling that chlorine smell for the first time in a very long time". That smell, if still there, may be an indication your shock time is not yet over. PoolDoc can correct me, but I believe that could mean there is something in your pool binding with free chlorine to make chloramine. It's the chloramine that is what you are actually smelling. Have you done the combined chlorine (CC) test after testing for the FC? Ideally, you want that reading to be zero and that will also confirm your shock treatment was successful. When your pool is clear and doesn't smell, you know your in cruise mode.

At 80 CYA, you're gonna need extra testing R-0871 reagent. Buy the 2oz bottles instead of the 0.75oz. Consider draining the pool a little at a time to get that number down. Then by next season opening, you'll wanna be back down to about 50.

Enjoy