Testimonial to POP...numbers better everyday but still need help with cloudy water

[Watermom]

You can find the Best Guess Chlorine Chart that PoolDoc referred to in my signature line below.

[poolprobe]

OK so being new to this and trying to make my best guess on how to use the Best Guess chlorine chart to deal with my cloudy water...
Today's numbers:
FC= 8.0 (after swimming last night and today), CC=1, Ph=7.6, ALK=200, HDNS=280 and CYA=54
Hope I remember correctly...
Added 1/2 bottle muratic acid to begin to try to get Ph to 7.2 at which point I'll shock to 15 ppm using the CYA range of 30-50 since 54 is closer to 50 than 60 (or should it be the 60-90 range shocking to 20?)

For our pools 26,696 gallons of water in order to raise the FC 7ppm , I would add approx. 420 oz of bleach to raise to 15 ppm??

Once the pool is at 15ppm I know I need to keep it there but for how long?
I'm only to worry about getting the CC to 0 and don't need to worry about the other numbers until then?
In the Best Guess chart 15 ppm when the CYA is in the 40-50 range is in the lt. green section and should be safe to swim? If I'm to adjust frim the 50-60 range to 20 then 20 is in the orange so no swimming until it comes down to at least 15? This is where it gets fuzzy for me and want the kids to be safe swimming.

This is the plan but please let me know if I'm off base....desperately don't want a set back.

Thanks a bunch!

[PoolDoc]

I think part of your problem is that you think this is an EXACT science. But, it's not. There are no magic chemical levels, where at pH 7.3421 exactly, the calcium starts to precipitate, or at FC=15.03ppm the algae will start to die.

Pool chemistry is approximate, not exact! There are no 'perfect' levels; there's only 'good enough', or 'not good enough' . . . and where those levels are varies from pool to pool.

So, for example, you need to think of your pool as "27,000 gallons" (or more likely, 26,000 -- values by liner companies and builders are almost always inflated!), NOT 26,696 gallons.

Here's a general chemical rule that will help you avoid problems: "When treating your pool, if you are unsure, over-dose with chlorine but under-dose with everything else!"

[PBLsQuad450]

Probie, don't sweat 7.6 so much as focusing on getting CC to 0 like you said. I run my pool at 7.8 because my source water and natural tendency is there and I would rather adapt to it's inclination than fight it if the fight isn't worth starting. bring up the Cl. You must have read it here somewhere, "shock" is a verb. So get to action. stop playing "touch and go" and kill the stuff living in your pool. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense.