algae won't go away

[pool fun]

The pool water is cloudy. I can't keep the algae from growing on the sides and ladder. I keep adding chlorine but every time I test it shows no chlorine in the water! This morning I shocked the water and added chlorine. Tested this afternoon shows no chlorine and add ph. Please help! Can the kids swim?

[muss08]

What are you testing your water with? If you are using strips it could be that your strips are being bleached by a high chlorine level. This can also happen with liquid tests. Try testing your tap water if you dont use a well. There should be some measurable chlorine in your tap water. If you cant get a reading there either it could be your test kit. It could also be that the chlorine is being used up almost immediately from killing algae or that you dont have any stabalizer in the pool and the sunlight is destroying the chlorine very quickly. The "shock" you are using is chlorine only in a granular form.

[virraszto]

We are having the same problem. We vacuum and scrub and the very next day, we have green crap on the bottom and sides of our pool. Hubby says he'll add chlorine and the next day it shows no chlorine. It's not the real slippery scum/algae. The water is a little cloudy, but not green. He's added algicide and chlorine, and ph plus but nothing is working.

[muss08]

virraszto- you need to get your pool to shock level and keep it there using either bleach or cal hypo granular chlorine. the chlorine level will drop almost immediately as it begins to kill the algae. it is necessary to test the pool a few times a day and add more chlorine as needed. it sounds like what is happening with your pool is that you are adding chlorine- it is killing all the algae it can until the chlorine is used up- then algae begins to grow back. pH up isnt going to help- chlorine is more effective at a lower pH such as 7.0-7.2. If your pH is 7.8 or higher the chlorine is only 20% effective or less. If you post your chemistry numbers (pH, TA, and CYA are the most important) and gallonage I can help figure out your shock level and how much chlorine to add.