Cloudy, Cloudy, Cloudy

I'm new to this forum and am looking forward to switching how I maintain my pool.
We purchased a 4,000 15' above ground with a cartridge filter. I'm gonna believe we will get this thing up and running. A little history:
We have a private well, so we took 8 days to fill it.
During that time, what I thought was just iron in the water was algae growth.
We finally got it filled enough to begin filtering - but things were a mess. So here is the route the pool companies took me on:
Added "Metal Free" to bind up the iron.
Began adding every kind of algaecide that has ever been manufactured!
Pool store said to add 4 gallons of liquid pool chorine - did that.
Our TA was about 300, so added 1/4 gallon of muratic acid.
Have been bouncing around with PH up and down.
I now have the TA pretty good, and close to getting the chlorine and ph balanced - really close.
I have added "Phos Free" product to "keep the phosphates down" to control further algae growth.
So, with my number looking almost balanced, the water is a very pale green cloud.
We change our cartridge filter every hour to help it work more efficiently. After the algae killer it was filtering very gross green like crazy (I assume that was the dead algae). That has tapered off and the filter can be changed every couple of hours now before needing it.

Long story short, I would just like to clear up the cloudiness and would like to know if we can swim while cloudy?

So, can anybody help me get out of chemical-land and into the BBB formula! :o)
Thanks so much for any help!
Marianne

Hi Marianne and welcome to the forum! We need some actual testing numbers taken with a drops-based kit to be able to help you. Then, somebody here can take a look and try and help!

You'll need a good test kit if you don't already have one. The one we recommend is the Taylor K-2006 or 2006C (same kit, larger bottle of some reagents). If you buy it through the Amazon link in my signature, the Pool Forum makes a little money on the sale which helps us keep this form online. Only buy if the seller is Amato Industries, however. Some other sellers are substituting the K-2005 which you do NOT want.

I would also encourage you to read a lot of the posts here on the forum and also read on our sister website www.poolsolutions.com.

Thanks Watermom for your reply! Here are the numbers. I did a drop test for the Chlorine and PH: CL is 1, and PH is a low 7.2 (but not as low as 6.8), Bromine is 2.
I did a stick test for these others, until I can get a drop test for everything.
The stick test revealed: Total Hardness is a low 400ppm, FC is 1, Bromine is 2, PH measured the same as the drop test at low 7.2, TA is 240 ppm, and CYA is about 30ppm.
Hope that helps.
I am trying to get the chlorine up a little. I added 2 cups of regular chlorine bleach this morning, so it is getting up there. I also have the tablet form floating in floater thingy and also in my cartridge as there is a place for it. I added the liquid this morning because it seemed like the tablets (6 - 1" tablets) were not cutting it.
I am learning a lot by reading your website, it is great. I can't get into much of the forum since I am a new member - I seemed to be blocked from most of the posts.
Thank you so much for your help! This is our first pool and it has been quite a journey. Here I thought that only 4,000 gallons would be a snap to control! ha-ha!
I sure am learning so much. Glad my friend told me about your website - I am thrilled with the thought of not using more chemicals!!!
Thanks again, I am very grateful for the help.
Marianne

Your pH is actually just fine at 7.2--with metals in the water, you need to keep the pH on the low end in order to help keep it from precipitating out and staining your pool. Total hardness is not low at 400 ppm. Actually, that's pretty high, but if it's that high in your fill water, then there's not much you'll be able to do about it except keep the pH and TA low. You do need to try to keep your chlorine in the 3-6 ppm range, and I don't think you'll be able to do that with just the pucks. Besides, the pucks are going to continue to raise your stabilizer, which in turn raises the amount of chlorine you have to keep in the pool--and high chlorine is going to be a problem with iron in the water. You'd be better off to stop using the pucks and just use bleach or liquid chlorine (same thing, different strength).

Until your membership is upgraded, you can still see most of the other parts of the forum by logging out and viewing it--you'll just have to log back in and continue this thread, for now, to ask any questions.

Welcome to the forum!!

Janet

Hi Marianne;

When you get the kit, test BOTH the pool water AND your fill water. Don't drain and refill, till you've done that. If you do refill, it would be best to start off right, but that would mean knowing what you are filling with.

Good luck!

Ben

Thanks for your help Ben, I sure do appreciate it. I don't think we will refill. We will just keep plugging along and see what we can do. Marie had some good ideas on the one of the metal threads. Now, I am thinking it might be metals still in the water. That might explain the bluish tint we are seeing.
We are going to let the chlorine drop significantly to almost nothing, treat it once more with Metal Free tonight, and then SLOWLY add back chlorine bleach and see if that does it. Keeping my fingers crossed.
The forum has had some really good information and I am hoping that is the right direction to go.
Thanks again,
Marianne