Opened pool and problems...

[PoolDoc]

Just get into the "add bleach in the PM, test in the AM" routine, till your FC is nearly equal your TC (ie, your combined chlorine is less than 1 ppm, when your free chlorine is greater than 5 ppm).

Don't try to hurry things up with a 'super' dose of chlorine.

Don't start adding other stuff, unless the pH gets way off. You can probably test pH accurately in the evening BEFORE you add more chlorine -- but when the chlorine is more than 5 ppm, your pH test is not necessarily accurate.

Just take your time, and stay on course.

Good luck,

Ben

[chumpy36]

Just get into the "add bleach in the PM, test in the AM" routine, till your FC is nearly equal your TC (ie, your combined chlorine is less than 1 ppm, when your free chlorine is greater than 5 ppm).

Don't try to hurry things up with a 'super' dose of chlorine.

Don't start adding other stuff, unless the pH gets way off. You can probably test pH accurately in the evening BEFORE you add more chlorine -- but when the chlorine is more than 5 ppm, your pH test is not necessarily accurate.

Just take your time, and stay on course.

Good luck,

Ben

So practically speaking with my test kit (Taylor deluxe something or other) I need to test and get the FAC reading (This is a pinkish color) then add the 5 drops of the third chemical (the first test involves two chemicals) and look for only a change UP of only 1ppm as long as I'm above 5ppm?

Looks like I'm gonna be making alot of trips to walsmart. I've gone through 20 gals of bleach so far and there's only been a slight improvement but I'll keep at it.

Thanks for the help...

[Watermom]

It may take a ton of bleach, but it WILL work. Every year, we have people who open to this situation and they feel like they are never going to quit having such a high chlorine demand, but the cycle eventually ends, and it will for you, too. Hang in there and keep us posted!

[CarlD]

As Watermom puts it, you need to stick to the program. Chlorine WILL kill the algae. You just need enough of it.

Carl

[chumpy36]

Ok, I'm getting some conflicting info from the test kits I have (still waiting on the K-2006)...

First one is a Taylor deluxe that does Free and combined chlorine (3 chemical test). It gives me a very elevated free chlorine reading first (off the chart that ends at 5) but when I add the third chemical to give combined chlorine I don't see much (any) change. I would think this means good news and that the difference between free chlorine and total is not much.

However, when I do another test I have (yellow drops one chemical) the chlorine comes up to a level of about 5ppm (I'm guessing this is just free chlorine). And when I use a test strip I get a total chlorine level of zero. The strip does not react at all.

So not really sure what to do at this point. I guess I'll have more info when the K-2006 gets here.

Thanks

JAson

[PoolDoc]

Don't worry too much about your different test results.

=> DPD tablet testing is NOT reliable at all with the chlorine levels you are encountering. Don't use it.
=> Syringaldazine (test strips -- blue/purple color) are reliable, but not very precise.
=> OTO (yellow / orange / brown color) is reliable and slightly more informative than the strips: use that.

The ONLY tests you need worry about right now are your PM and AM tests. Until your post chlorine-dose PM test equals your AM test result -- keep chlorinating every evening. You don't even need to do more than that, once you receive the K2006, until your chlorine is stable overnight. OTO is cheap and gives you enough information to get you through this stage of the process.

Ben

[chumpy36]

Thanks Ben...

So using the yellow test... I'm just looking for no change between pm and am? Basically just the same reading?

Thanks

JAson