balanced.

We opened the pool last weekend ago. The guy that we had do it added algaecide and maybe 8 gallons of liquid shock.

In the week since, the water is still cloudy and has some foamy something or other on top, but only when the filter is running. Pool guy says the foamy stuff is the algaecide and it will subside. The cloudy I'll deal with eventually....but it's the chlorine that's the big issue.

A few days after opening I did my first test strip. All chemicals, except chlorine, were hitting in the right range. Total chlorine was HIGH, while free chlorine was non existent.

Added 12 pounds of non chlorine oxidizing shock. A day later, no real impact, total chlorine still very high, free chlorine close to nil.

We got the water tested at a pool store. They confirm that all the other things are good, but that the total chlorine is high and free chlorine very low (but yes, there is SOME). We add 12 gallons of liquid shock.

Next day. Total chlorine seems to actually be down, while free chlorine is still almost un-detectable on a test strip. Yesterday, add 8 more gallons of liquid shock, after the sun went behind the trees, and covered it with the solar cover.

I just tested the water, and total chlorine is down even more, while free chlorine remains very low on the test strip. So the good news is that it's coming more 'in balance', but.....how the heck is the total chlorine DOWN when we've put 20 gallons of liquid shock in over a 2 day period?

And is the solution "more chlorine" until I finally get some free chlorine reading?