New pool owner, BBB Opening, cloudy water.

[AnnaK]

Hi Jesse,

Welcome to PF! It sounds like you've already done a lot of research and reading and are well on your way to a 5-minutes-a-day swim season.

I would do two things:
1. Get a FAS-DPD test kit like the Taylor K2006 (.75 oz reagent bottles) or the K2006C (2 oz. reagents). Water testing is far more accurate with these kits than with test strips.
2. Keep the pump/filter running 24/7. If you have a 2-speed pump you can run it on 'low'. Put it through a backwash/rinse cycle if the pressure rises to 5 PSI above normal 'clean' pressure.

If you have visible collections of debris on the bottom, vacuum. In my area I'm getting a lot of tree bracts from the birches right now. Soggy pollen which sinks to the bottom can look like dust as well.

Do you have a Leslie's pool store in the vicinity? They do their water tests with the Taylor kits and I've found their results reasonably reliable with regard to pH, FC, and TC. Having the water tested at a pool store using manual techniques rather than a colorimeter would give us a better starting point with regard to current balance. I'm really hesitant to give any chemical advice based on the test strip results—can you tell?