OTF said:
Is this the strips or did you get the HTH 6-way kit?
Lets assume your pool is 21 ft , 4ft deep the pool calc says it is 10,400 gallons. So Update your signature again....making those changes.
I entered in the pool calc your gallons and it says to add approx 2 lbs of stabilizer to bring your CYA up to 30. I would target that amount for now, you can always raise it later, you don't want to overshoot. Pour the CYA into your skimmer and it will dissolve in your filter for the next week. Don't hose of your filter for at least 4 or 5 days, it will dissolve there slowly and won't fully register on tests for up to a week. Next Monday or so you can test the CYA again to see where you're at.
Because you have no CYA, your current FC reading of 10 is fine for shock level. Until you get CYA, just keep 10 as your shock number. 3 gallons may be a bit much at this point....I would start now calculating carefully your dosages so you don't overchlorinate the pool.
Test your FC before adding chlorine, take that result enter it in the pool calc in the "now" column, then enter 10 in the "goal" column and it will tell you how much bleach to add each time. Once you get CYA you will need to raise your chlorine according to the CYA chlorine chart, see the link in my sig. Those are your targets for minimum, target and shock levels.
You need to keep shocking your pool until
Your water is sparkly clear
your FC holds overnight, losing 1ppm or less
your CC is .5 or less.
Once you are done shocking you will be able to let the FC drop to your "target" for CYA level, don't ever let it go below the "minimum" or algae will take hold again.
Keep brushing daily and running the filter 24/7 until it clears. After you have cleared it, it may be a good idea to give that cartridge a good soaking.
I'd keep an eye on your PH. When your FC is lower than 5 can you restest it before adding bleach? High FC levels can raise the ph and make test results inaccurate. I'm wondering if your PH is still low and you'll need to add Borax to raise it up some more.
Once your water is clear and your CYA is in the 30-50 range, you can begin tackling your TA, which is too high. But that's not critical right now so one thing at a time right?!
I hope this made sense?
