Need help making pool "swimmable" please

[Watermom]

FYI -- In your pool, each quart of 6% bleach will raise your cl by about 3.3ppm.

[CarlD]

Yup, it sounds crazy until you realize that the smell comes from chlorine being eaten up by something! Those combined chloramines are to blame for the smell and (in part) for eye irritation that gets blamed on "Too much chlorine!" Nope, not enough.

[blessedbeingmom]

FYI -- In your pool, each quart of 6% bleach will raise your cl by about 3.3ppm.

Okay, we just tried to check it again via the dilution method. Those shades of yellow are really hard for us to distinguish. We are guessing maybe it is 3, which would put it about 15, but I have to be honest and say it is a guess. It's still very hard to tell. It is definitely more than 5 or 10 overall, as it is a much darker shade of yellow than the 5 when we put it in full strength or diluted by half.
DH is really wanting to swim soon after all the hard work he has put into this pool. We are unsure what is really a safe chlorine level for swimming for ourselves and for our children (ages 6, 8 & 10). Any ideas?
We still can't quite figure out how much chlorine we should add tonight. Maybe we'll just add a quart and check again in the morning? We are pretty sure it is over 10. Also, previously when I said the test strip was showing as low, I forgot it was because I used the test strip on the solution that had already been diluted 1:3. When I tested the sample this evening straight from the pool, it tested to be at least 10. It does appear that we probably still have about 50 ppm CYA, but again, a guesstimate based on the strip.
Also, we did brush the pool bottom this evening to get up any algae remnants on the floor of the pool so they can be filtered out overnight.
Thanks again for all the help!
Tricia

[CarlD]

Ultimately, all decisions about your pool are your own--we can only suggest.

However, if your pool is still green and cloudy, it means your chlorine is being "eaten" killing it. If when you test you see chlorine levels have dropped a lot from the last test, your chlorine is being consumed.

If, however, your water is clear, and despite the difficulty with the dilution test (Hold a white card behind the cell--it may help), you don't see much change in the test, it means your chlorine is holding and it's probably safe to swim in it.

But, if the chlorine is high, wear last year's bathing suits. You'll be ok but the suits may fade.

But the ultimate decision and responsibility is yours. It's your pool and we aren't there to see it.

[Watermom]

Hint, hint ---- Buy a K-2006 --- hint, hint. (Was that subtle enough? )

Really, it will make this whole pool care thing SO much easier for you. Then, you won't have to be diluting and trying to decipher how high the cl is. The good kit will tell you precisely how high it is.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=10006

[blessedbeingmom]

Hint, hint ---- Buy a K-2006 --- hint, hint. (Was that subtle enough? )

Really, it will make this whole pool care thing SO much easier for you. Then, you won't have to be diluting and trying to decipher how high the cl is. The good kit will tell you precisely how high it is.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=10006

I'm sure you read so many posts here (and are very helpful, thanks so much!) that it's hard to remember what you read by whom, but I did mention in my initial post that I've already purchased the Taylor K-2006 earlier this week, just waiting on it (not so patiently I suppose) to arrive, and doing the best I can in the meantime to guesstimate the chlorine levels to see if we need to add more.

Then I started reading more posts here and ordered the Taylor K-2006 test kit this past Monday (June 28). It was late Monday, so we probably won't get it until at least next week. Not sure how long it will really take. We ordered it from SPS Swimming Pool Supply company.

I try to be a quick learner!

Thanks again!

[Watermom]

I'm sure you read so many posts here (and are very helpful, thanks so much!) that it's hard to remember what you read by whom

You got that right! But, sorry I missed (or had forgotten) that you had already purchased. Sorry, sorry! (Sometimes, especially on some of these threads that get pretty long, it is time-consuming to have to go back and reread the whole thread each time a new post is added. Especially at times when there are lots of posts waiting to be answered. Sometimes we miss things, but really do try and do our best!)

Hope your kit will arrive soon!

[blessedbeingmom]

Sometimes we miss things, but really do try and do our best!)

Absolutely! I am very appreciative!

[blessedbeingmom]

Ultimately, all decisions about your pool are your own--we can only suggest.

However, if your pool is still green and cloudy, it means your chlorine is being "eaten" killing it. If when you test you see chlorine levels have dropped a lot from the last test, your chlorine is being consumed.

Of course, I realize you can't tell me what to do. Thanks for the help though. The pool is only cloudy, not the least bit green at all. After we rinsed the filter thoroughly last night, we checked it again this morning, and again, there was a light brown algae coating the filter. We replaced the filter this morning. Our chlorine level (via dilution method) was probably over 20. It was definitely over 10 last night, and we added about 2 quarts of bleach before going to bed. I'm pretty sure the algae is dead, just needs to be cleaned out thoroughly. I'm thinking about buying a bunch of replacement filters and just replacing them daily for a few days or something to help it clear up faster. Not sure about that though.