First test readings of season

[BigDave]

I'd let the pucks dissolve then switch to unsabilized chlorine, Bleach or Cal-Hypo. CYA of 60 should be plenty.
Did you get a pH today? High FC can artificially raise pH reading but I'm concerned that the last report pH was 6.8.
You are on the right track to clean the pool.
Keep the FC above 20
Run the filter 24/7, backwashing as necessary (when pressure goes up 6-10 psi)
Test and adjust FC at least twice a day
Brush the walls and floor daily
Continue this regimen until one day after all these conditions are met:
The pool is clear.
It loses less than 1 ppm FC from sunset to sunrise.
There is 0 or nearly 0 CC (less than one drop)

The BBB method of clearing a swamp: Bleach Bleach Bleach, Brush Brush Brush

Sorry, Charlie_R and I were posting at the same time - similar advice though.

[michael3]

Thanks BigDave, yes ph is still showing 6.8, and I read a post earlier where Ben had said when you use alot of trichlor that the ph could actually be much lower than the 6.8 the test is showing, basically the test is showing atleast 6.8 I had put probably about 12 of the 1 lb shock granual bags in the pool over the past 3 weeks. I found some liquid chlorine at Home Depot says it is 10% bleach its called liqui-shock. SO should I continue adding borax till I get that ph test up or will it test correctly with FC so high? Whats so bad is that I knew better than to add all that granual shock, but I assumed my cya was much lower. How long should I wait before I test the cya again to see if it has climbed any from the pucks, and I did remove them.

[BigDave]

What's in the granular shock?
Borax is a good way to raise pH and I would most certainly raise the pH of this pool. Do you have a K-2006? You can get a good idea how much Borax you'll need using the Base demand test. It'll take more Borax than Soda Ash. Start with half the calculated amount, let it dissolve / mix for a few hours then test again. You do, however want to get the pH into the readable range of the test as soon as you can.

[michael3]

The granular shock was the aqua chem shock xtra blue, says 63% dichlor, .26% copper, 36% other. the test kit I have is an old PS233 from Ben years ago, I have new reagents and it has always worked well for me

[BigDave]

I would avoid using any more of that shock. Copper is not a good thing to have in a pool. Dichlor is fine when the pool needs more CYA and lower pH - this is not really the case here.
I don't think the PS-233 had Acid / Base demand test (pretty sure Ben felt these tests encourage "one huge dose" adjustments). So... Add some Borax, let it dissolve / mix, test again.

[michael3]

Got some more borax in the water, going to test later this evening, Just a couple questions, at lunch time I tested chlorine level and it is holding and my CC was 0 down from 1.5 yesterday, but still no change in the water color. if the water is holding chlorine and CC is 0 shouldnt it begin to improve? I realize it will take some time I just want to see some change. At what point would I consider maybe doing a large water dump and refill

[michael3]

Just came in from brushing the walls and floor, tested also. FC was at 22.5, going off the cya test yesterday of 55-60 shouldnt 22.5 be ok as a shock number? CC at 1.0 PH up to 7.2 and tested calcium and it was 30? water remains the same, you can see probably about 8 inches down. it might be a tad lighter green but looks very cloudy as well. Ive noticed no huge difference on my filter pressure either, staying about the same as it always does, I know the gauge works, it drops to 0 when off and I get different pressures at backwash and rinse