Ok, the water is looking better every day, but I'm wondering...is it normal for the pool to still be slightly cloudy, but the chlorine to be seemingly holding steady?
Yes, this is tooootally normal for an Intex cartridge filter, as the cartridge is horribly undersized in relation to the amount of water the pump moves through it. IE. The cartridge needs to be about 5x larger for it to work properly. It'll still clear the pool, it just takes much, much longer. Give it a few more days of constant run time, keep SLAMMING with your FC levels maintained at shock level for your CYA, as I see you have been doing to the best of what you have available to you for testing. If it still isn't improving in clarity, you can always add cellulose fiber to your skimmer in a slurry, this helps your cartridge filter trap smaller particles, thus filtering more efficiently. For my size cart, yours is a little bigger IIRC, I use about 1/3 of a cup, 1/4" less than full.
This is what you want, any brand will do. This is quite a bit for a small cartridge, but will last you many seasons if used only as needed and not daily.
http://www.amazon.com/Purifiber-Cel...5976&sr=1-3&keywords=de+alternative+cellulose
No, it won't hurt your cartridge, simply hose it out when it gets all brown and ugly, which you'll know by the CRAZY flow reduction in your skimmer basket. I'd also suggest some nylons over your cartridge. I do 2x of them, which I buy for like 33cents at Walmart in a little plastic egg in a bin. Make sure to cut the toes off so they don't get sucked into the impeller. Keep the nylons away from the center hole at the bottom, but over the blue edge of the filter enough to hold them. I re-use these again.. and again.... I maybe replace them 2x/season, or possibly 3x. I just leave them on when I hose it off, then spread them evenly back over the cartridge. Getting it perfectly clean isn't necessary, just like 80-90% of the way there. I am still using the original cartridge from 3 seasons back, I just keep blasting it clean with the hose.
As with any filter, don't clean it too frequently, or it doesn't filter as well.
Just measure out the cellulose powder, put it in a cup /w a lid or place your hand over it and shake it up REALLY good to make a slurry, then pour that in to the skimmer /w the pump running, and the basket removed, but the ring still floating in it.... slowly, letting it all suck into the filter. When the skimmer is clear again, once again, shake the cup of cellulose fiber+water, then pour it in. Add more water to keep it diluted for proper distribution in the filter. Don't pour in too much at once, lest it overflow into the pool. I use a pint mason jar to do this, I dump maybe about 1/2"-1" of the cup at a time. Takes several minutes or so.
PS. Be careful with glass containers around the pool.
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I know it would be better to have the kit, but we are on the tightest budget ever right now. I've already dipped into grocery money to get the better test kit. Being self employed has it's ups and downs, and when accounts are slow to pay it can make for lean times. That's where we are right now, but hopefully within a month, we'll be in a place where I can get that kit and I'll have it on hand if I ever need it again (hopefully not!!) :0). So, unfortunately, for now I'm having to choose either chlorine to clear the pool or the test kit. I hate it, but that's where we are....for now.
I know how this is, ran my own IT business for over 10 yrs, and some months I had no idea where the rent and bill money was going to come from. But we got through it.
Hang in there, you have got this!!!
I'll be praying for you. ^-^