I tested my pool this morning and the FC was zero. I used the pool calculator and added the appropriate amount of bleach. I waited 4 hours and tested again it's still at zero. The TA is also very low. Everything else was at the appropriate level. I did recently add DE to my paper filter after reading that several people had positive results clearing up a murky pool this way. The pool is looking much clearer than it was but I'm puzzled as to why the FC fell to nothing. We have one of those floating chlorine things in the pool. Any help is much appreciated!
What now?
- Thread starter mrsjackson
- Start date
If your pool is murky the chlorine you added was probably used up almost immediately. How long have you been using chlorine tabs? What kind of test kit are you using? Do you know how much CYA is in your pool? If you can answer these questions, post a full set of test results and tell us a little more about your pool I'm sure we can give you some answers and help get your water cleared up.
I see that your pool was just installed on May 31. That answers my question about how long you have been using chlorine tabs.
I'm using HTH 6 way test strips. The readings are
FC 0
PH 7.5
TA 60
TH 400
CYA 30-50
Sorry I didn't post all of that before.
FC 0
PH 7.5
TA 60
TH 400
CYA 30-50
Sorry I didn't post all of that before.
Your test strips will not yield reliable results, especially for chlorine and CYA. It sounds like you may have the beginnings of an algae bloom. The FC is being consumed by organics in your pool and you need to complete the shock process to clear up the water. I would recommend that you get a high quality test kit such as the TF100. The TF 100 will enable you to test higher levels of chlorine needed to complete the shock process, and contains enough testing materials to last a couple of pool seasons. The TF 50 is a smaller version of the TF 100 if you are looking for a more economical kit.
Read shocking your pool and defeating algae for more information on the shock process.
Read shocking your pool and defeating algae for more information on the shock process.
Thank you so much for those links and the helpful advice. I think part of the problem was that we had a storm yesterday and I wasn't putting in enough bleach to bring the pool up to shock levels. I just added a large amount and will wait and see what happens. Luckily the water looks so much clearer since I started adding the DE to my filter yesterday. I'm hopeful this gets under control soon as I'd really like to swim in my pool instead of just caring for it! 
Thanks again!
Thanks again!