OK, I should have mentioned that I needed a new test kit. I have a PS 232 and a PS 233 and the DPD powder is questionable at best.

It seems "Ben" has disappeared, but I found another site with a test kit, but I won't have it for a few more days.

I could tell I was losing chlorine fast just by the occasional spot of green.

So is half gallon/day a typical chlorination method?

I'm also relatively low on CYA (it's still not all dissolved after almost a week, but I tested and it read 30, but I thought I could still barely see the dot).

I have this HTH cal hypo (shock and swim) that says it "won't overstabilize your pool". Could I use a bag of that every three days as a chlorinator when I don't have bleach? I don't have the room to store a lot of bleach.

So IF I need more CYA, do I put it in a sock in the skimmer, and how much at a time?