Need a second set of eyes on my plan

FIRST DAY:
Opening the pool, water was more green than ever. I netted off the heaviest from the surface, and vacuumed the dirty bottom to waste. Still very cloudy. Filtering/backwashing 24/7.

SECOND DAY:
Brought the PH down to 7.3. It had risen to 8.0+ over winter. Total alk is about 160. Shocked to pool up to 10 ppm. Brushed pool walls. Filtering/bw 24/7.

THIRD DAY:
Rain overnight. PH still 7.3. Chlorine 7 ppm. Cloudiness not improving. Added a little more chlorine before leaving for work. Backwash was pretty brown this morning. Filtering/bw 24/7.


Is the cloudiness *for sure* an algae problem? Am I on the right track? I'm resisting the urge to drain and refill, but the amount of chlorine and testing materials I'm consuming will equal the cost of new water pretty soon. (Cost isn't really my motive, mostly I'm just being impatient.)

Opinions please.

Is it cloudy but not green anymore? Can you see to the bottom? I would say you are on the right track. Have you done the overnight test?

It's cloudy and no, I can't see the bottom.
Second round of tornados tonight, so that's not helping.

It's sort of blue-ish green.
Very slight improvement in clarity today.

Mainly I just want to know if I'm fighting algae or something else.

What is your CYA level? Please check that against the best guess chart to make sure you are targeting the correct "shock level".

Agreed with FBU. If its green, its algae, and if you are not getting you chlorine up high enough according to the best guess chart, you'll be spinning your wheels.

DAY FOUR:
Significant improvement in clarity. pH = 7.4 Chlorine = 7.0 ppm Backwashing twice a day, less brown each time.

Definitely going the right direction.
I havent tested cya because I ran out of testing fluid and forgot over the winter.
I did treat for 12k gallons so it's gotta be in the ballpark.
I'll let you know when I can test it.

I nailed it: 5.5 ppm vs 6.5 ppm last night, 7 hours ago.

Another big scoop of chlorine, on the way...