My Green Pool Saga - Help!

[Pamsel]

Ah, Sherra, now it's starting to make sense. Thank you!

I just checked my levels, the chlorine is at 3ppm 2 hrs after putting in 2.8 gal chlorox. My PH is still at 8.4 - has not come down at all - put in 12 oz muriataic acid 2 hrs ago.

What about the fact that I'm putting the chlorox in during the middle of the day? Doesn't the sun leach it right out of the water?

Another crisis, when I walked out to re-test just now, I discovered that my pump had stopped running. I checked the breaker and it was not tripped, but my pump in completely dead. Now what? How do I determine if I need a new pump? I've just called the pool store and they think the motor is old and probably needs a new motor. They think it is overheating or has low voltage, etc. Is this probable? I don't know the age of the pump because it was here when we bought the house 5 years ago.

Edit - Ok, the pump is running again, must have overheated. We draped a tarp over the area to try to cut down on heat from the sun...don't know how much good that will do, but it's running again.

If I don't use the pucks in the chlorinator, then how do I maintain the chlorine level all summer long? Just by using the chlorox whenever the level drops? Also, I read somewhere on the sister site that I should not use the oxygen based shock as it can cause algae growth. I've always used the pucks, the oxygen shock and algaecide weekly to maintain the pool during the summer. If not these, then how do I go it. I also have always had an algae problem in the spring and usually by August, I have yellow algae growing, so maybe it is from that oxygen shock product.