Cloudy blue, am I on the right track?

Hey howdy!

I've been doing a TON of reading over the past week or so, and I must say, this place rules!

Here is my issue. I am helping a friend and her mother get their pool straightened out. All last year, they were unable to get it clear. It was cloudy blue all summer... and they just decided to live with it. Now, they are dealing with the same cloudy blue problem this year, and I've decided to jump in and help them.

The pool is 44 x 20 IG, with a 300lb sand filter. The first thing I did was replace the sand in the filter. Murky water was blowing right back in thru the returns. Then I shocked the pool, and have been cleaning it daily. The owners also added clarifier, but I've told them that we need to worry about the chlorine levels first. So far I've only had the WalMart 5 way drop test kit, and some guess strips. Today I had the water tested by the pool store. Here are the results:

FC 5.5
TC 10 (This means CC=4.5, right?)
PH 7.3
ALK 160
CYA 35
TDS 550
Copper and Iron "very low"

Now lets see if I get this right... I definatly need to shock to get the CC out of there. To get to shock levels, I need to hit 15 PPM FC (per the "best guess CYA chart"), and 1 gallon of 5.25% bleach raises 10,000 gallons by 5.25 PPM. So if the pool is 40,000 gallons, I'll need 8 gallons pf bleach? Is my math right?

If I keep the FC up in the 15 PPM range, should the blue cloud clear out? Any ideas about how long before I should see a difference?

I've also been considering adding a bit of DE into the skimmer to increase the filtering. Should I do this now, or wait until the chemicals are better stabalized?

Wow!

I AM impressed! You have nailed EXACTLY what you need to do--and how much to add!

You can use the DE or not--you'll be backwashing alot and go through it, but you don't need much DE each time--I think it's a good idea.

But here's more: You need to keep adding the chlorine to maintain that 15ppm level. You need to check 2 to 3x each day--and right now I'd check 3x, adding more bleach as needed (you've got the amounts nailed!)

You need to run the filter 24/7, brush and vacuum (to waste) everyday.

If your test kit only goes to 5ppm, do a search on the entire forum for the CarlD Shot Glass method, or just shot glass method for how to read as high as 15 or 20 with your kit.

You need two more things: Patience and persistence.

First post and right on target! Congratulations and welcome!