Turn your SWCG off now. Below, after getting ready, I have noted when you can turn it on.
Being in new mexico, I would start with a CYA of 40. Add enough dry chlorine stabilizer to raise your CYA to 40. Use pool math. Link-->
PoolMath
Put CYA in a sock, tie it off, and hang it at least 6" out in front of a return, like a carrot on a stick. After about 30 minutes you can start squeezing it if you want. May take several sock fulls to get 40ppm. Just reload the sock(s). If you don't have CYA continue with the 1/2 gallon per day until you have some.
After the sock hits the pool, raise your FC to the top end of the target range for a CYA of 40. Use liquid chlorine. Use this to determine the FC range for a CYA of 40....Link-->
FC/CYA Levels
Test and add liquid chlorine daily to keep yourself in range. If you have to add more (above range) so you stay in range when you test, do that. It might be wise to check a few times a day and re-add chlorine until the CYA shows up on the test, just to give you practice and try to stave off any algae that may be lurking.
Test the CYA 24-48 hours after it is all dissolved. When it reads at least 30, do an OCLT. Link-->
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test If you fail OCLT, report back and we will take the right action.
Lower your pH in .4 increments with muriatic acid. Make the addition, test again in 30 minutes. Continue to lower in .4 increments until your pH gets to 7.6. Over time (may be days) it will rise. When it gets to 8.0, lower to 7.6 again. By doing this, TA will also come down. When your TA gets to about 80, stop lowering to 7.6. Only lower to 7.8 and let it be it should settle somewhere around 7.8-8...which is just fine.
Which salt generator do you have? Typical recommendation is 3000-4000ppm. Look up in the manual the salt level required for your SWCG. Use pool math to figure out how much to add to get to your target from 1400. Add 3/4th of the recommendation, keep the pump running, wait 24 hours, and retest. Creep up on your target with the last 1/4 of the recommendation. Leave the SWCG off until you get the salt level up.
You can do all these additions together. Put the CYA in, dose FC, wait about 15 minutes, then you can start the acid additions. Just always wait about 15 minutes between chlorine and acid, and you can add salt at the same time.
When your salt is in range, fire up the cell. You now about how much FC your pool has been using because you have been manually dosing. Set your pump run time and % output to be a bit higher output than you have been using with liquid chlorine. If you have been adding about 4FC daily in liquid, set it up to add 5FC daily with run time and % output. Then just adjust run times and output until your FC stays in range. Use pool math to help you with run times and % output to give you the right FC addition.
After all this is done, and your cell is making chlorine, AND you have passed an OCLT, then you can raise your CYA again. I would not go higher than 60 until you dial in your SWCG and can keep your FC in range. Same basic principle. Add 20ppm of CYA, raise your FC with liquid, and turn up your runtime or % output for the NEW FC range for CYA of 60. Again, this is your friend...Link-->
FC/CYA Levels
Only after you are comfortable with maintaining the pool, then you can raise your CYA to 70 or 80. If you go there too fast, can't maintain FC, and have to clear the pool of algae, it is much harder...that is why the recommendation to keep CYA a bit lower until you can manage your pool.
Make sense?
