Green pool clearing, just a couple of questions

[Maria]

Hello everyone,
First, thank you so much for all the information and help on this site. Thanks to you all we've cleared our green pool to a cloudy blue. I just ordered a TF100 kit and donated to become a member. :-D

Pool: IG 27,000 gal plaster, 48 sq ft DE filter, we live in PA and the water temp is now about 60 degrees.

I have some test results from yesterday at the pool store. Here they are:
FAC 3
TAC 3
PH 7.8
TA 120
Calcium Hardness 120
CYA 40
Total Dissolved Solids 450

We opened to a green pool and added 11 gallons of bleach on Saturday late afternoon and started the DE pump. We put 4 chlorine tabs in a floater and two in the skimmer basket.
By Sunday mid day the pool was blue and very, very cloudy with a layer of dead algae on the bottom, so we backwashed, vacuumed to waste, and checked the PH with our (inadequate) drop test--it was at least 8.2! The (useless) test strip we had indicated that our CYA was around 400. (this turned out to be crazy wrong) We added 3.5 pounds of acid.

Yesterday we got the water tested at the store (above numbers) and added about a pound more acid, and backwashed again. We brushed the entire pool and scrubbed off the scum line on the tiles and got out all bits of leaves.

Today, the water is a bit cloudy and there is still a layer to be vacuumed off the bottom which I will do this evening after backwashing again (pressure is up again).

So, finally, here are my questions:
Is my chlorine too low? My husband bought a box of Power Powder Plus Shock bags--should use those or more liquid bleach?
Should I keep the chlorine tabs in the floater/skimmer?
Should I go to the pool store again and get the water re-tested, or can I wait until my kit arrives?
Thanks so much! You all are awesome.

 

[JohnT]

I have some test results from yesterday at the pool store. Here they are:
FAC 3
TAC 3
PH 7.8
TA 120
Calcium Hardness 120
CYA 40
Total Dissolved Solids 450

So, finally, here are my questions:
Is my chlorine too low? My husband bought a box of Power Powder Plus Shock bags--should use those or more liquid bleach?
Should I keep the chlorine tabs in the floater/skimmer?
Should I go to the pool store again and get the water re-tested, or can I wait until my kit arrives?
Thanks so much! You all are awesome.

Your chlorine is marginally okay now, but you need it higher to withstand swimmers or sunlight consuming chlorine. The tabs or the shock will add CYA, and yours is already at the optimum level, so you really don't want to use it. You need to start nudging your pH down with acid towards 7.5.

 

[JasonLion]

Power Powder Plus is cal-hypo, which adds chlorine and calcium. Your CH level is reasonably low so it is alright to use that for now. You don't want to keep using it long term however.