Hi, and welcome to the forum!
A few questions....first, what is your calcium hardness level? You mention that you had hardness buildup over time--do you mean that you have scaling problems? Second, why are you lowering your alkalinity? If you're using trichlor tabs for chlorination, then a TA of 110 is fine and doesn't need to be lowered. Third, and most importantly, what is your CYA (stabilizer) level? Your CYA level is what will determine how high you need to keep your chlorine.
You really do need one of the DPD-FAS test kits, especially if you do have a high stabilizer level, because you need to be able to accurately test your water in order to keep it clean. The K-2006 or K-2006C would be great--the two kits are the same, except that the C version has larger amounts of reagents in it than the other one. If your other kit is a Taylor kit, and has the CYA test in it already, then you can probably just get the K-1515 instead, which is the chlorine part of the kit.
I'm glad you decided to join us, and we'll be happy to answer any questions or try to help solve any problems that you have. It's GREAT to have your own pool, once you know how to take care of it
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