Pool is chlorine locked. What to do?

[SabreKiller]

I have an above ground pool and I cannot get the chlorine to read. Everything else, PH, cyanuric acid, all of it is fine. Chlorine does not read on the strips. I've cleaned the pool, scrubbed the side walls, vacuumed, etc. I have no idea how much shock and chlorine I've added.

Do I need to partially drain the pool? I hate to do that because filling it back up would suck a lot of water out of my well.

I'm open for suggestions.

[Razorback01]

Are you close enough to a Leslie's to get a water test? They can probably help, BTW I only use Leslie's as a last resort.

[tfrye]

So when you use the strips to check the chlorine level they are not detecting any chlorine? When was the last time you added shock/chlorine to the pool? If you got a lot of rain it can really wipe out your chlorine quick. I would recommend putting chlorine and water in a 5 gallon bucket and make sure the strips are reading correctly. Once that is checked I would add shock (correct amount for size of pool) and check. My guess is if you got a lot of rain and haven't shocked it or added chlorine there may not be much in your pool.

Good luck!

[AZST_bowhunter]

So when you use the strips to check the chlorine level they are not detecting any chlorine? When was the last time you added shock/chlorine to the pool? If you got a lot of rain it can really wipe out your chlorine quick. I would recommend putting chlorine and water in a 5 gallon bucket and make sure the strips are reading correctly. Once that is checked I would add shock (correct amount for size of pool) and check. My guess is if you got a lot of rain and haven't shocked it or added chlorine there may not be much in your pool.

Good luck!

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[SabreKiller]

So when you use the strips to check the chlorine level they are not detecting any chlorine? When was the last time you added shock/chlorine to the pool? If you got a lot of rain it can really wipe out your chlorine quick. I would recommend putting chlorine and water in a 5 gallon bucket and make sure the strips are reading correctly. Once that is checked I would add shock (correct amount for size of pool) and check. My guess is if you got a lot of rain and haven't shocked it or added chlorine there may not be much in your pool.

Good luck!

Correct. The strips show no chlorine. We've shocked it, several times and still no chlorine showing on the strip. I got 1.4 inches of rain this past Friday, but it wasn't reading any chlorine before that. Pool is clear after pool guy came out twice to check it out. I've got two more gallons of shock/chlorinator I can add, but I'm not sure that's going to work. I've dumped a bunch of money into chemicals so far.

[Cajun Blake]

It’s been my experience that strips are to inconsistent. Spend $20 on a pool testing kit like this one https://www.poolweb.com/basic-5-test-kit

I’ve had mine for over 5 years and it’s very reliable

[STGS]

Have you tried new strips or an actual water test kit?

[JayB]

your pool guy could not check the water better than your test strips?
If you have dumped that much chlorine in, you have something not right. Be sure the PH is correct, first. Get that straight then you can balance out the chlorine. PH will lock up chlorine real quick. But you may need to go to tests other than the strips.
I like the idea of testing the strip in a 5 gallon bucket first...at least it would prove your strips are still viable and working.

[tfrye]

Correct. The strips show no chlorine. We've shocked it, several times and still no chlorine showing on the strip. I got 1.4 inches of rain this past Friday, but it wasn't reading any chlorine before that. Pool is clear after pool guy came out twice to check it out. I've got two more gallons of shock/chlorinator I can add, but I'm not sure that's going to work. I've dumped a bunch of money into chemicals so far.

Sounds like the strips are not trust worthy, I would highly recommend a test kit as they work 100% of the time when done correctly. I would not add any more shock/chlorine until you check the pool as you can throw off the total alkalinity with too much shock. Grab that test kit and check chlorine level then decide what to add or not add.

[Mike]

I would first test your test strips in a known solution. They may be bad. Secondly, a cheap test kit is far better, add the water, add the drops, shake and read.

Also remember that shock has no conditioner and does not provide residual free chlorine to pool. Try to get your tablet dosage correct and use those for your chlorine supply. Rain water and sunlight will eat up your shock quick.

I see a scenario quote often here in SE Texas of people not getting caught up and over the hump to having free chlorine. I think you are adding just enough shock to get some results but you need to maintain it over a few days. If you really have no Free Chlorine, you need to get ahead of the curve. You need to use the SLAM method and check your chlorine first thing each morning. Spend some time on trouble free pool site, it breaks it down really well.

I will add this, I have been doing my pool for 10 years, did many in HS and College. I only put tablets, liquid bleach and No Mor Problems in my pool, no other chemicals. It's pretty simple. Leslie's makes a fortune selling chemicals by micro analyzing water samples.

[SabreKiller]

your pool guy could not check the water better than your test strips?
If you have dumped that much chlorine in, you have something not right. Be sure the PH is correct, first. Get that straight then you can balance out the chlorine. PH will lock up chlorine real quick. But you may need to go to tests other than the strips.
I like the idea of testing the strip in a 5 gallon bucket first...at least it would prove your strips are still viable and working.

Yeah, he came out and checked it when the pool was a little green colored. He put some floculant (?) in it and thought it would be clear in a day or two. It wasn't. He came back out and shocked the snot out of it and finally got it clear.
But, it still doesn't read on the strips.

I'll get one of the test kits and try the bucket thingy and see what happens. It should read chlorine because I can smell it. We haven't had any issues with the strips in the past, but there's always a firs time.

[UncleBubba]

It’s been my experience that strips are to inconsistent. Spend $20 on a pool testing kit like this one https://www.poolweb.com/basic-5-test-kit

I’ve had mine for over 5 years and it’s very reliable

Ha! I can't tell you how many times I used this kit in the past as a kid. It's that simple.

[Mike D]

It’s been my experience that strips are to inconsistent. Spend $20 on a pool testing kit like this one https://www.poolweb.com/basic-5-test-kit

I’ve had mine for over 5 years and it’s very reliable

I believe the test strips have an expiration date as well.


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[JTCowpoke]

Either you don't have free chlorine in your pool or the test strips are bad. In general the test strips aren't reliable. You need the test kit mentioned above to test with.

If you want to learn how to take care of your pool without relying on the pool store to test and sell you a bunch of stuff you don't need go to troublefreepool.com. Learn about the BBB method.

[CaptainDave]

I agree with the comments above on purchasing a test kit and double checking PH level.

I would also recommend purchasing one of those floating chlorine dispensers. Throw a few tablets in there every couple weeks as they dissolve. This actually helps more than you would think.