No measurable chlorine. How is that possible?

[obxWaMi]

I left my daughter in charge of our pool while we were on vacation over the past week. My test results have been pretty much spot on, except having to add liquid chlorine every day for almost a month. I figured having her add a quart of chlorine every other day would hold things well enough until I returned. She confessed that she only added it the second day (of 6) that we were gone, but that since the pool water was so hot they had siphoned off some of the water and added cooler water several days in a row. When I returned home yesterday afternoon I tested and the chlorine level and CYA levels were nonexistent. pH was perfect at 7.4. I added 1.5 lbs of CYA (as per PoolMath recommendation) and two quarts of 10% chlorine. That was a bit more than recommended, but I wanted to make sure to kill off anything bad. I just now retested and the free chlorine level is still nonexistent. I didn’t retest any of the other chemicals yet. I wanted to post this first. Any suggestions?

 

[Mike1162]

The chlorine is being consumed by algae/organics. Keep adding chlorine or drain & refill. What condition is the water in?

 

[Richard320]

1) That CYA you just added hasn't had time to dissolve and start working
2) There may be a buildup of organics (sweat, sunscreen, dead skin) or algae consuming the bleach.

You can wait until tonight and run Overnight Chlorine Loss Test or just assume the worst and get a head start and start the SLAM Process now.

EDIT: How big was the party that splashed out all that water, and could the filter be full of soggy corn chip crumbs? And does the pool smell like beer? Just thinking back to my high school days....

 

[obxWaMi]

1) That CYA you just added hasn't had time to dissolve and start working
2) There may be a buildup of organics (sweat, sunscreen, dead skin) or algae consuming the bleach.

You can wait until tonight and run Overnight Chlorine Loss Test or just assume the worst and get a head start and start the SLAM Process now.

EDIT: How big was the party that splashed out all that water, and could the filter be full of soggy corn chip crumbs? And does the pool smell like beer? Just thinking back to my high school days....

LOL, No, there wasn’t a big party. My other two adult daughters, one is very pregnant, and my pre-teen granddaughters. I did notice a great deal of really small particles suspended in the water and it looks less than crystal clear. I think I’ll just get a head start and slam it. Thanks

 

[obxWaMi]

The chlorine is being consumed by algae/organics. Keep adding chlorine or drain & refill. What condition is the water in?

It’s definitely not crystal clear. Pretty hazy and noticed a good deal of very fine particulates suspended in the water and my skimmer net doesn‘t have a fine enough mesh. I’m going to put a pair of panty hose over it and hope that helps.