Pool Open - No Chlorine Level Despite Adding Gallons and Gallons

[mampool]

Opened pool on 5/9/24. 33k gallons in ground, with mesh cover. Pool looked good and full on opening.

8 gallons liquid shock added at open by pool company. I added more as follows:

Day 3 - 4 Gallons.
Day 4 - 4 Gallons.
Day 5 - 4 Gallons.
Day 6 - 8 Gallons.
Day 7 - 12 Gallons...per Pool Company.
Day 8 - Still no chlorine reading today and ph and alkalinity good.

Still no free or total chlorine reading. Owned pool 17 years and never had this much trouble getting chlorine level up. Getting expensive!. Probably should have added more at once, rather than 4 gallons each time.

Now what. Add 16 gallons? Frustrated because nice weekend coming up.

Any help greatly appreciated. First time poster.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
Post a full set of test results from your Taylor kit. Which kit do you have?
I suggest you read through Pool Care Basics - Trouble Free Pool and even look at a few of our videos TFP-TV - Trouble Free Pool

 

[borjis]

Gosh, that almost sounds like you've got ammonia. Sometimes the conditions are just right and the stabilizer breaks down to ammonia before it becomes harmless.

An aquarium test will show it if that's the case.

 

[mknauss]

A full set of pool water chemistry test results will give us some clues.

 

[mampool]

I use a Taylor K-1004 Test Kit. I only test for free and total chlorine [no reading]. PH is 7.4, Alkalinity is 100 [my understanding is 80 to 120 is ok].

I added five bags of powdered shock mixed in a bucket and dumped in deep end last night at 9 pm. No reading for chlorine this morning at 6 am, but I do see more of the bottom of the pool and dead algae. I tried powdered shock which I normally don't just because the liquid shock wasn't working. I bought 20 more gallons of liquid shock 12.5% last night in case that is best. Maybe I need to give the pool more time. I'm going to have the water tested at a pool store today just in case I'm doing something wrong. Our pool company [reputable] said they had lots of trouble this year on openings because it was such a warm spring, and suggested just to keep on adding shock in heavy doses, if my PH and alkalinity or balanced, which they seem to be.

I'm not an expert but trying my best to get my chlorine level to register at all. Still zero. Thanks for your help.

 

[mknauss]

Add enough 'shock' to raise the FC to 10 ppm. Circulate the pool with the pump and give it a quick brushing. Test the FC after 15 minutes. Report back what you find.

 

[mknauss]

One issue with your test kit, if the FC is very high, it will be washed out and indicate 0 chlorine.

Test your tap water with your kit.

 

[mknauss]

CYA level? Any added since opening?

 

[mampool]

Had my water tested at pool store. My PH level from Taylor kit looked like 7.2 or so, Here is what they report:

Metals = OK.
Low PH = 6.8 - add sodium carbonate or BioGuard Balance Pak 200 of 3.75 lbs.
CYA 21 vs. 30 - 200 recommended. Add Stabilizer
High Phosphate of 1581 vs. 0-125 recommended. Add Zero Phos.
Free chlorine .3 and total chlorine 1.7 [I was showing zero of both on my Taylor test kit].
Alkalinity of 125 vs. 125 to 150 recommended.

The pool store guy recommended letting chlorine burn off on a hot day then shock it after increasing ph. So I put in Sodium Carbonate yesterday and this morning and PH now 7.2 or 7.3. Alkalinity still good at 120.

Planning on 10 gallons of shock tonight but don't know how much to do. Just a guess. Is there a calculation for how much shock. I'll read up on this unless someone has a quick answer or other suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[mknauss]

I take it you decided not to follow my posts above.
We do not provide guidance based on pool store data.

Good luck.

 

[mampool]

Oh..Didn't see your posts. I'm new at the site. Will do.