My Pool Store is Stumped

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dgstevenson

New member
May 19, 2025
4
Chester, NY
Opened my pool by vacuuming minor debris to waste. Added startup kit that included 2 lbs of 68% cal hypo shock. Pool looks good, is now clear and free of debris but it won't hold chlorine. I added about 4 lbs more of cal hypo shock. Still no chlorine reading. Puzzled.
My first full test readings were: 7.2 pH, 136 Calcium hardness, 86 Total alkalinity, 50 CYA, no metals, 753 phosphates, 0.16 FC / 0.49 TC / 0.33 combined chlorine.
Pool store said to add 16 lbs of Calcium hardness, then 3 lbs of Turboshock (78% Cal hypo), and 1 bottle of Phos-Free. Did all that.
Next day readings: 7.0 pH, 179 Calcium hardness, 81 Total alkalinity, 45 CYA, no metals, 835 phosphates, 0.11 FC / 0.43 TC / 0.32 combined chlorine.
Still no chlorine reading after the 3 lbs of shock, and the phosphate reading went up? My pool store is completely stumped and said, since the pool is clear, fix the calcium hardness and run the pump but don't do anything else for a few days to see if it corrects itself, which seems unlikely. I know I need to get the pH and Calcium up but is that what's causing the no chlorine reading? Do I have to keep dumping shock in until break point? And is there a sequence of things to correct to foster an environment that will accept chlorine/shock? Very frustrated. Thank you.
 
My current readings as of yesterday were:
7.0 pH, 179 Calcium hardness, 81 Total alkalinity, 45 CYA, no metals, 835 phosphates, 0.11 FC / 0.43 TC / 0.32 combined chlorine. These came from my pool store's water analysis department but my personal test kit yielded very similar results (but not to the exact digit).
 
You need to add a FAS-DPD test so you can accurately measure FC.

Also, please run and post your own test results. TFPC will not provide guidance based on pool store testing.
 
dgstevenson said:
I know I need to get the pH and Calcium up but is that what's causing the no chlorine reading? Do I have to keep dumping shock in until break point?
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If we believe the pool store test, the pH and calcium are fine. Using calhypo in large quantities can cause problems with cloudiness and so it’s not recommended. You can safely add 5ppm of liquid chlorine/shock each day until you can get the FAS-DPD chlorine test to add to your 2005kit. The pool store test is too unreliable to make recommendations from.
 
dgstevenson said:
These came from my pool store's water analysis department but my personal test kit yielded very similar results (but not to the exact digit).
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Please dont confuse precision with accuracy. Your own test kit is much more accurate than your pool store. If you take the same water to 3 different pool stores, you will get precise numbers in all 3 but wildly different and each coming with different recommendations on how to spend your $ in their store.

I do have to give them credit with their marketing... "water analysis department". They make it sound like they sent the water off to the FBI labs in Quantico. :laughblue:
 
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Start using liquid chlorine rather than "shock". You have much better control and knowledge about adding chlorine to the pool.

Add liquid chlorine then test 15 minutes after adding to know what the actual results were.

Log all tests from YOUR test kits and chemicals added in PoolMath so we can provide advice.
 
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