We have a Buster Crabbe pool (rectangle 16 x 32) and use all Bioguard products.

For several years we have not been registering any free chlorine. The water is clear as a bell. The pool is winterized with Bioguard Winter Kit. We use Smart Shock, Backup Algecide, Balance Pak 100, 200 and 300. Polysheen if water is cloudy.

Upon reading some writings about the above problem I came across contamination of high ammonia. Our test water at the pool place says CYA is 60. The phrase that caught my eye was: 'except inch-thick layers of algal slime'. Not that we had that problem but we found upon opening the pool that a webby, floating material on the pool bottom had to be removed. We figured that it was earthworm remains. Would this cause high ammonia and therefore the reason that we have Zero Free Chlorine?