Cloudy, Cloudy, Cloudy. I'm going insane.

[techguy]

When you are running the pump, you are stirring up the white debris off the floor and making the pool cloudy.

That you have white debris is good.. It means the algae is dead.

I would vacuum to waste,
fill the pool,
run the pumps for an hour,
while pumping go buy bleach/chlorine (20 bottles?)
run a full set of tests
Adjust your CL to the SHOCK level based on the current CYA (using only liquid bleach/sanitizer)
Run the pumps 24/7 until you can pass the OCLT
Stop listening to the pool store
Read the Pool School some more
Research getting a good bleach/sanitizer injection system

Post your full test results here for help in making next decision
Stop listening to the pool store

 

[Butterfly]

If you're concerned about the sand you could check to see if the sand is channeled or caked and you can give it a good stirring/washing with a hose while you're in there. After you get it all back together adding some DE will help filtration.

Here's the link to deep cleaning the sand filter:
my-sand-is-channeled-how-to-fix-it-t7626.html

And the link to adding DE to a sand filter (gotta be around and monitor psi ):
pool-school/add_de_to_a_sand_filter

All the junk settled to the bottom when you turned the system off, so it simply 'appeared' to be better. Good time to vac to waste.

 

[H.M. Murdock]

I don't have anything particularly helpful to say other than...
Either that swimming pool is shaped like a light bulb or your yard has a really great idea.

No, seriously. That's a pretty awesome pool. Best of luck with it!

 

[Bluechip]

Just for curiosities sake, what are the dimensions of that pool? And how deep is it?

 

[bigfunky]

I'd like to know, too. Pool does not look like its close to 62,000 gallons

 

[tltmom]

looks like a tennis racket to me!
good luck, these folks will get you all fixed up.