New AG owner - added bleach but still shows 0 FC

[liltater512]

After reading the Pool School information and playing with the pool math calculator I determined that my new 5300ish gal Intex metal-frame pool needed about a quart of bleach to bring the FC from 0 (fresh fill) to 4. My husband ended up adding a whole bottle of bleach (121 oz) to the pool over the course of the day and the test strips (brand new) still register at "0" FC. We have even tried a different box of test strips (but all the other chemistries are reading so I'm sure it is not that).

Am I missing a step here? We used shock last summer on our 1700 gal Intex but we would really like to use the TFP method if possible for our new pool.

Thanks,
Sheena

Intex 15x48 metal-frame, 1000 GPH pump

 

[jeffchap]

Test strips (aka guess strips) are nearly useless for true water quality testing. You would be much better off at least getting one of the OTO drop tests, although even that is not generally endorsed here. You can get by with one in a pinch, but you should really invest in one of the recommended test kits here: Pool School - Test Kits Compared

 

[TrevNJPool]

Well if you added a whole 121 oz of bleach into 5300 gal of fresh fill water your FC should be around 15. You definitely need a good test kit which the TF100 sold at TFTESTKITS.NET definitely fits the bill. You can test all aspects of your water and really understand what is going on with your water chemistry.

 

[pabeader]

With a FC over 10 the strips usually bleach out and start to show as if there is no CL.