My pool the money pit!!!!

[DaveWiz]

Sick of dumping money in this thing. 27' above ground pool, sand filter, with what I think is mustard algae in it. I just purchased my own test kit because the pool store readings seem strange. Two days ago I went to the pool store and had 0 chlorine reading but everything else was in good ranges. I bought and used 8 gallons of shock and two 3" tabs of chlorine. This was because I believe I have a mustard algae problem. Vacuumed to waste, brushed floor where "algae" is and added products, all of it. After a day and a half mustard algae is in the center of pool still. Off to the pool store I went again. Pool store readings now are: total chlorine 0.2, free chlorine 0.0, pH 8.2, alk 170, calcium 250, stabilizer 30.
Not sure what I hate more, spending all this money or wasting all this time. I live in buffalo, ny for crying out loud. I can only swim for two months and I'm stuck dealing with this.
Help please.

 

[woodyp]

Which "test kit" did you just purchase? Welcome to the forum.

 

[DaveWiz]

Taylor k-2006

 

[duraleigh]

Post your K-2006 test results. You already know how bad pool store results are so they are equally worthless to us.

If you would like to maintain your pool in a most sensible way and get some use from it, I would suggest you read "The ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry" up in Pool School. That'll give you a good start into what we teach.

You will have to spend some more time and some more money learning to manage your pool as we do ours. You'll have to decide if it is worth it.