how often chlorine?

I have no idea how to maintain chlorine. I was originally going with a SWG but since I'm having issues with my pool I don't want to add 125lbs. of salt into the pool if I eventually decide to drain. So my question is how often should I be adding bleach? I have a 5000 gallon pool with a CYA of about 40. I know I should keep the FC around 3-5ppm but I don't know if bleach is something I add daily or more often, I haven't been keeping a steady FC reading right now because of metal remover in the water (which was ineffective, you said so Pool Doc, I know now I should always listen to you. lol)

How long after I add bleach should I test for FC? I know I'm supposed to test at night and then again in the morning.

Have you found the Pool Calculator yet?

It won't tell you how often to add but it will help you determine how much to add. The frequency of bleach additions depends on many things: UV exposure on any given day, bather load, organic debris and so on.

Most of us add bleach once a day, in the evening after sunset. You'll lose 1 or 2 ppm during any given 24 hour period and, if you test daily at about the same time of day, you'll soon learn the FC loss specific to your pool's environment and use.

Unless you have an algae problem you really don't need to test twice a day. Pick a time of day that's convenient for you and test then. Many people do this after the sun is off the pool. I test in the mornings because it works out better with my schedule. Add what you need to add to meet the target FC after testing, if necessary.