Lot of bleach lately- should I smell chlorine?

[CarlD]

Looks like you are testing with strips. It's very hard to get a read on what is happening.

You need to get a good test kit--preferably one with the FAS-DPD test for chlorine. Ben's PS-234 is the best, but you can also get the Taylor 2006 kit or online from Leslies the Chlorine FAS-DPD Service Kit.

In the meantime, get to a pool store and have them test the water for you and post the results.

Test strips are notorious difficult to get a good reading from, especially for anything but free chlorine.

CC IS chlorine. It's the part that smells like chlorine. My pool can have VERY high clorine levels and smell like nothing. You may have a faint chlorine smell when you leave a pool but that's because your body has things that have been metabolized--leaving CC on your skin. If you are in the water long enough they vanish too.

I would normally think a blue cloud is one thing, but the chlorine smell and the patch growing makes it sound like an algae bloom barely in check.

[Madty]

CarlD-

No test strips- Test w/ 5 drops OTO- It turns almost oragne so I dilute 3:1.

So again, would I smell chlorine if I've been adding bleach to shock? I can smell it standing around the pool.
Thanks

[aylad]

If you can smell it standing around the pool, it's chloramines. More bleach!

Janet

[matt4x4]

yes, pools really only ever smell like chlorine when the stuff is off gassing due to eating up organics (yummy)

[Madty]

OK I put 5 gals of bleach in today to shock. I also added CYA- 3 lbs. Water is beginning to clear, but mustard algae remains.

If I understand correctly, you can't overshock a pool due to the chlorine will dissipate (sp) If I was at 5, now I should be around 15. That's a little high based on a CYA of 12 (pool store told me that-I thought it measured 30 4 days ago per a pool store) Anyway added 3 lbs to help keep my chlorine up longer. i also added an algae, not poly 60, but one designed for yellow algae. Forgot the name. It said to have a ph of 7.8- 8.0 and shock the pool. I have both. I vacummed to waste the yellow mustard algae that comes back daily in the exact same places. I said in 24 hrs shock the pool again. Then the next day vacuum to waste and backwash again. I hope this stuff works. I googled mustard algae and this stuff is supposed to be very effective. It also helps to clear the dirty algae. Anyway I hope I'm doing all this correctly. High bleach has not worked thus far.