Chlorine lock?

Question

I don't get a chlorine reading when I test my pool. The pool store said I have chlorine lock. Do I need to drain the pool? They gave me a non chlorine oxidizer to break the lock. I tried it . It did not work. I was told to try it again and use more.Anyone havce any suggestins . I've alreadiy spent a fortune in chemicals and many trips to the pool store.

Answer 1

Their suggestion was actually the best option. Right now, the last thing you want to do is add any product with chlorine in it. That'll just raise your total chlorine and may not break the lock. Adding a non chlorine oxidizer doesn't bring your total chlorine up but can break some of the already present chlorine loose. It probably won't break the lock completely, but it WILL lessen the amount of chlorine shock you'll probably need to completely break out. These guys are actually saving you a little money since a non chlorine shock is generally cheaper than a chlorine based one. Sounds like a good shop. Many would suggest you do it the other way around to sell you more chems or their staff wouldn't know about this short cut.

Answer 2

Unfortunatly I have had the same problem in the past & the only way to fix it was to do a heavy dose of shock & sometimes it did take more than once to clear it up.