Total chlorine higher than free

[Ifish]

Can someone educate me if I need to take any action if my total chlorine reading is 10 and my free is 5. I’m using aqua check spa strips and the aqua check phone app tells me to super chlorinate or shock my tube. I have 450 gallon tub and usually add about a tablespoon of spa 56 when the chlorine gets low and 2 oz of MPs a week. I am to keep things balanced but do not know if my chlorine routine is right.

Thanks for any input
 

[Sam]

That means that you have 5ppm of combined chlorine which is not good and probably causing a "chlorine smell".  You need to shock it.  It seems odd that you have that much chlorine free and still have such a high combined reading.  How old is the water?

[Ifish]

Water is two months old and doesn’t really smell. By shock, do you mean add 2 oz of MPs or add more spa 56?

[Sam]

I don't know if the MPS will do it.  I would add the chlorine.