I went to Leslie's on Saturday to replace my vac hose (warranty claim - I still had the box stating "3 year warranty" that was dated 11/09 - sweet!).

I forgot to get DE powder to check the filter while I was there.

I vacuumed the dead algae to waste, probably dropping my water level by 12 inches or so. I refilled and put in 2 lbs of Power Powder Pro to try to keep it sanitized. That chlorine is now gone.

My K2006 test kit was delivered today. I've got pretty much 0 FC & CC; I added probably 15 little scoops of that powder and it barely gave the water a faint tinge of color.

My PH is 7.4.

Alakanity is 110.

CH is ~700. Yes, really. I followed the instructions in the Taylor testing instructional video about avoiding interference in a CH test. A few weeks ago, Leslie's told me they couldn't accurately read my CH and sent me home with a bottle of "Metal Free." After doing some reading around here, I wonder if it's because of the insane amount of Power Powder Pro (calcium hypochlorite) I've put in my pool this year (not exactly sure how much, but it's been over 100 lbs). Trichlor skimmer tabs don't seem to be cutting it, either, so I guess it's time to switch to bleach.

CYA was less than 30. Of course, it's hard to tell when it's outside of the range of your testing equipment, but if I had to guess based on level of opacity, I'd guess ~10. Maybe the trichlor tabs would be sufficient if my CYA were better??

Currently, the water looks clear, with a few spots of dead algae (pale sand-colored silt) on the bottom. I've got an idea of where I need to go from here, but I'll leave it to the experts to guide me. I will go ahead and ask a question, though - does it make a difference whether I use liquid or granulated CYA? Liquid has been MUCH more user-friendly in the past for me.

My wife is having folks over this Saturday (5 days from now), so it's imperative that I keep it swimmable until then, or return it to swimmability by then.

Thanks for the help and advice.