Free and total Chlorine very high after shock

[lightingguy]

The problem with the strips is they are not very accurate - so you end up using more chems especially when shocking. You are going to spend WAY more money using Biogaurd products and strips than if you just take the plunge and invest $70 in a good test kit and learn your pool chemistry in and out.

We were once in your exact position - new house, tons of expenses, and after the pool store would rape us for $100 bucks a pop a real test kit felt like just another expensive pool toy.

These days I spend less than $20 a month on chems and about $30/Year in replacement test reagents. We couldn't be happier.

Good luck

 

[supertune]

Hi and welcome to TFP!
Not having my TF-100 kit would be like having just a crescent wrench as my only tool to put on a set of brake pads on my van, can be done but not easy or fun...and probably way more $$ after a visit to the doctor for a broken finger because the tool I was using didn't quite work right!

Dollar foolish and penny wise is NOT what you want to do.

Anyone with a pool should at least have a OTO drop kit (only $10-15/ just about from any big store)
TFTestkits has smaller and cheaper kits too! Like the TF-50

Look here: http://tftestkits.net/Test-Kits-c4/
Without a proper test results, this is a lot harder to do, as time is $$ too, traveling, gas to a store will cost you.

I'm on a record month, this month with my pool! Only $8.41 total for chemicals and care (bought my muriatic acid last month at Home Depot)

Chuck

 

[DebbieO]

Before I joined TFP, I too was a sinner. I went to the pool store faithfully once a week. Because of my sinful ways I dumped various Bioguard shock treatments into my poor unsuspecting pool. Anyhoo, some of the shocks contained little chrystals which I was told was some kind of helpful algicide. (I vac'd 'em up and brought them in.) Could this be your "green substance?" Oh, and thanks all you TFPer's for my pool salvation!

 

[anonapersona]

Green in the seams of the Polaris bag means that you are on the verge of an algae breakout. You need more chlorine. Sounds like you have addressed that now. With the CYA higher you will be losing less chlorine to the sun and so you may find that you can turn the SWG down a bit, maybe 10% at a time. Just need to keep testing the chlorine levels.
I priced those strips at about 30cents each when I used them. You will get way more tests out of the TF100 test kit, then you can save the strips for when someone else takes care of the pool when you are on vacation.