New BBB user here. First, let me say that I am not a chemist and I have a full time job with 3 children, a husband, and a dog and a cat so as much as I have learned over at TFP, I just can't get all the frequent testing and adding stuff every hour etc., etc., etc. I have come here to see if I can "get it". The instructions I saw on your website were simplified and I had no trouble understanding them. So, I say all that to say......
I have a cloudy pool and I just can't get it clear. I have poured tons of bleach in, a little boric acid, and at the very first, 5 bags of shock and half a bottle of algecide from the pool shop. One week later, I added 4 bags of shock from Wal-Mart and the other half of the bottle of algecide. (In a side note, I read on the box at WM yesterday that the shock I had, had copper in it) Then I added a bout half a box of Borax, a bag of Baking Soda, and half a box of Washing Soda. I didn't add it all at one time but I'm guessing something (perhaps the algecide and copper laced shock) in all that chemistry soup, has not reacted as I hoped. All I have put in over this last week is bleach and boric acid. DUDE! How many bottles of bleach can you buy before homeland security starts looking at you as suspicious?! I did buy some of the WM shock that doesn't have the copper in it. It says it is 58% chlorine. I almost saw the bottom on two different occasions but then I vacuumed and it got milky blue again. It has cleared up enough to see the bottom much quicker this time so am I on the right track? My simple cheap dip sticks show I have 0 stabilizer and I just can't get it to show anything. Honestly, the boric acid seems to have done more than anything but at $2.00 for a 16oz bottle, the pool calculator is not in agreement with the amount I am able to add. (4 bottles so far). I was trying to find a way to not have to have the MA on hand and storing all the large amounts required isn't really feasible for me with all those kids and animals around.

All that confusion to ask this....

Should I use the WM shock with out copper to help bring up the stabilizer some? and
Is there something else I should do?

STATS: AG vinyl liner
27' round
54" deep
ecokleer sand filter 26" tank 200# sand 2.0 hp motor

This morning, with my test strips and my small drop test, my results are

TH-100
TC-3
FC/B-10
PH-6.8
TA-40
S-0

PH-5.0
CL/BR-between 7.2 & 7.6

It rained a bit last night


What do I need to do? I know I need to get the PH up. Should I add the two boxes of Borax that I have or is it pointless to do that if 2 boxes are all I have? I am tired of lugging heavy boxes and bottles from the store. They are looking at me like I am building a bomb or something. How can I do this without all that heavy hauling?

Is there any help?