calcium?

[train460]

Hello friends.
have spend a few days reading everything I can on this awesome site.
here is what's going on.
20000 gal in ground with new plaster first of 2015
we have been having fits with some staining at various places so have been wire brushing the you know what.
we constantly seem to have an algae problem and we have went thru several boxes of your standard leslies pool shock.
anyway the pool looks pretty good but I think it is on the edge of ruin.
here is what I got this afternoon using the Taylor Technologies K-1004 - DPD Deluxe Test Kit
here is the results today.
total chl 1
ph 8.5+
total alk 110.
I am not exacts on these results as I have a tough time with this kit and the colors.
The kit is old, say at least 10 years old so I probably need to order a different kit.
thoughts?

 

[needsajet]

Welcome! Good to have you here

If you adopt Trouble Free Pool Care, you'll be most able to fix the problems you describe. The more reading you can do in Pool School, the easier it will be to understand what's going on. It will all come together with your own effort and a bit of help from some new friends here at TFP. This is a good article (just the first post and description of TFPC).
TFPC for Beginners

To do this, you'll need a recommended test kit, as you already mentioned. I'll save the sales pitch, haha! Order this kit, along with the XL option and if you can swing it, the speed stirrer. TFTestkits.net

You'll pay for the kit with savings by using commonly available and lower priced pool chemicals, and avoiding expensive pool $tore potions.

In the meantime, keep chlorine in the pool by adding a jug of bleach each day until you get the test kit. Buy 8.25% plain unscented (not splashless) bleach with a recent manufacture code such as 16150 (16 means 2016 and 150 means 150th day of the year or May 29th

Ask any question, make any comment, that comes to mind. Lots of people here that will be happy to help out.

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

+1 to buying a TF-100xl from TFTestkits.net and taking control of your pool.

Do some reading here ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
And be ready to SLAM Process the pool to kill the algae.