So far looks like the patch has held up! Starting filling the pool with the ole' garden hose last night. Also got the pool kit last night.

I have read in other post that maintaining on BBB can cost around $50 a season. What about CYA? When I went to the pool store yesterday, the pool stabilizer or conditioner was about 9 bucks for a 2 pound bottle. Our pool is 22,500 gallons. Is it going to take a lot and how often would you add this?

Assuming you have 0 CYA now and want to get to 40, the Pool Calculator sez you need around 120 oz by weight or 125 oz by volume. by weight, that would be 7 1/2 pounds. I would put in about 2/3 of that amount , give it a day or three to dissolve, test, then add more if needed.

Normally, you don't have to add any more CYA during the season, unless you're having to backwash quite a bit or have a lot of splashout or overflow by rain.

I had to add CYA at opening this year (I always lose CYA over the winter - some do, some don't), so I bought two bottles at Lowes, which was $14 per bottle (3 or 4 lb bottle, I think). I bought a couple jugs of bleach to supplement my FC until I could get my SWG going, and used maybe 1/2 of one of the jugs. So, I'm a month into the season, and so far I've spent maybe $35. I won't need any more bleach since I have a SWG, I have borax and acid left over from last year, so I'm pretty much set for the summer. $35 in chemicals for the year. That saves a lot of money for beer!

I tested the water and am ready to the conv. tonight. However, I need to start the filter and pump forgot how the handle show go on the valve leading into pump from ground. Should it go into the center? I believe one side is skim and the other side is drain.

Started added conversion last night! Finally! Tested pH: 7.2, T/A: between 80-90.
Added 384 oz of 12.5% at 7 p.m. checked the FC an hour later was at 6. Added another 384 plus another 128 oz in a span of an hour and a half.

Checked FC at 10 last night it was at 25!!!! A little too high!

Got up at 6 this morning:
FC:8

Added another 128 oz.

Water wasn't that bad since we had to fill it mostly are selves. Did some vacuuming last night. Was greenish in the deepend last night but can see the bottom this morning. Just have to keep vacuuming out the dirt.

Check Lowe's too. We got 50lb bags of pool filter sand there for around $6 a bag.

I checked the FC at 5:30 this morning it held at 16!

I checked it again at again at 9:30 and it was at 6.5.

I checked the CC and it was at 1.

Should I continue adding bleach to the pool or am I ready to change the sand and add CYA?

The pool is the most crystal clear it has been in the 2 years we have owned the house!

Great!

Do both. You can go ahead and change the sand, and then add CYA. You should also continue keeping the FC level at 15 until your CC level is 0.5 or lower on two consecutive days.