ok I tested again. my FC test tube only goes up to 3. so I added 3 parts untreaded water to 1 part pool water and figured the level was 5 and then multiplied that by 4 to give an approx FC of 20ppm
It will be tough to know the actual level of Free Chlorine with an OTO kit that only reads 3 ppm, but if this is your only option I suppose killing algae is possible using a skanty knowledge of chlorine levels and has been done.
so chlorine level is high. can I add some bleach to really kill the rest of the alae? like 2 gals will bring it up to 30ppm. I'm betting my CYA is high but have not tested it yet. my brother has a strip test kit and I will borrow it tomorrow to get an idea of CYA.
You'll be relying on assumptions and very rough estimates of available chlorine, but if you know the % chlorine in the product you're using and use the Pool Calculator, at least you'll have some knowledge working forward. FPM may be right about the CYA test strips; I haven't been able to test them against the turbidity test except at 30-50 ppm range, so heed her warning that the CYA just might be higher than the strips suggest. Nevertheless, in your situation, lacking good testing options, having a bit of knowledge is better than having none.
pH was 7.6
I know that shocking is somewhat more effective at lower pH, say 7.2-7.3, but I can't give you the reason for why that is true at the moment. If you add muriatic acid to reduce it, use the pool calculator and correct acid strength to estimate the outcome.
and TA i think 80 but was hard to see any color even after adding 4 drops to neutralize the chlorine.
