Correct order to backwash sand filter and empty that basket? ( + green taking over!)

Don’t back off now- the oclt a great sign but it’s not the only end of slam criteria for a reason.
Until the water is crystal clear (no algae, dead or alive) maintain slam level fc,
Keep filtering 24/7,
Backwash/clean the filter when pressure rises 25% over clean pressure,
Keep running the bot.
If fc is holding better then it shouldn’t be too hard to maintain slam level.
Put on your patience pants & carry on
You mentioned the inline chlorinator that should only be used for vacations really.
Using pucks for daily chlorination continuously increases your cya which in turn raises the bar for minimum, target, & slam fc levels which will put you back in this situation in short order.
To prevent this, keep your pool on the liquid chlorine diet even after slam is complete unless you need a little cya boost or need to travel & your cya can stand the increase.

Glad to hear an update!
Did you pass All 3 end of slam criteria before allowing the fc to come down?
If so - great
If not - carry on with SLAM Process

To answer your questions-
1. The OTO test (yellow drops) is not very accurate - it’s more of a “do I have chlorine or not?” Test -
real yellow is good, no yellow is bad.
It is really only included because of the comparator block & as a backup.
Use your fas dpd results - they are accurate down to .5 ppm & up to 50ppm if using a 10ml sample
P.S. - 5ppm is good but aim for the high target so you don’t accidentally play kissy face with the minimum of 3ppm FC/CYA Levels
2. For the cya test the ratio is 50% reagent & 50% pool water - being a dab off is probably ok but you want to be as accurate as possible.
since you have the tfpro without the flip lid on the cya reagents you may want to get a syringe, pipette, or medicine dropper to keep in your kit, it comes in handy for many of the tests & getting the exact right amounts for samples too. If you have kids that take meds there’s probably one in the kitchen drawer.
3. The average algae free residential pool uses about 2-4 ppm fc/day give or take. Closer to 4 or so in the dog days of summer, closer to 2 or even less in the low uv/temps of the shoulder seasons or winter. Your testing should show you your average fc consumption for this time of year. Dose to the high target or a scootch above, test after 30 min- then test tomorrow at the same time —> then you will have your results. High bather loads will increase consumption as well.
PoolMath will show you how much liquid chlorine it will take to replace the loss based on your bleach strength% & pool volume.

VinylDelight said:

I feel like the pool is swimmable but it's Dang cold lol.

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The testing needs to be performed after the water reaches room temperature.

Especially the cya test.