Help with evaluating SWG usage...

If the amount of time, and the setting of the SWG is keeping your FC where you want it - I'm not sure what the question is ?

Based on some quick googling - a Jandy Truclear should produce 0.93lbs of chlorine at 100% for 24hours. Using PoolMath - at 50% for 10hours, that should result in about 2.9-3.0ppm per day in 8000 gallons, so well within the normal daily losses people generally encounter (although every pool is different).

Welcome to TFP.

That is 3ppm per day. Sounds right for TX.

The Truclear at 0.93 per day is small compared to a 3.0 chlorine output cell.

You are fine for the cell you have and your location.

Usage is such a subjective thing, and affected by so many variables, it's hard to say anything with any certainty.
My pool, in mid-Michigan, generally runs 4ppm a day in the summer. Some days more, some days less. I generally run my RJ-60+ at 25-30%, 24 hours a day, and that calculates out to about 4-4.5ppm. If I notice the FC creeping up, I turn the SWG down a notch. If it's declining, up a notch. If we get a run of really hot, sunny days...I'll maybe have to punch it up to 35 or even 40% (shock-horror!!) or it rains for a week and my FC is tickling the 12-13ppm level...

Ultimately, just getting to know YOUR pool, and how your usage patterns affect your pool's chemistry is the key. Accurate, frequent testing lets you get a handle on that unique pool personality, and once you have a goo sense of how your pool 'behaves', you'll find you can probably predict what the chemistry should be on any given day, and with the methods and knowledge learnt here, know how to deal with anything that isn't where it should be.

I don't know much about plaster pools, but I would guess your PH rise is related to the new plaster - I'll let some of the more experienced 'plaster guys' comment on that side of things

Another data point as I am just outside Houston. I bumped my output up to 3.5ppm/day a couple weeks ago and we're looking at 90 degree weather already next week so it may go higher soon.

At 5ppm you are running at the low end of target and close to minimum. Staying at the higher end of target range makes things much easier this time of year so you have more warning that you need to increase the output as your FC starts to go lower.

The K1005 test kit listed in your signature is missing the FAS/DPD test for more accurate and higher chlorine levels. The K1515 is the stand alone FAS/DPD kit that you can get for that.

For ph, I think I've seen 6 months to a year as a common time frame to stop rising from new plaster. I feel like mine was at the higher end of that range and maybe a bit over a year before I would comfortably say it settled down.

Fill water Alkalinity is highish in this area as well so you are probably just starting to get that into the reasonable range. At the rate you are adding acid, it should get to 50-60 area soon and that will help ph stay lower too.