You can buy a kit for about 15 dollars at Walmart that will get you going, but you need to know what kind of metals you might have in your well water. I would take a sample in to a pool store for their results AND get your own. You will need to test chlorine and pH daily for a while. Ben's kit is great, but you won't be able to get one quickly enough to get you started.

Don't put the copper in the water. It works, but can cause problems. Most people think chlorine is the source of green hair, but it is the copper. It can also stain your liner.

Well water tends to be a little harder to get right, but it just takes patience. The key to pool maintenance is patience, and it's not found in a bucket at the pool store.

Most people who work in pool stores at the counter have never taken care of a pool. Virtually everybody here has taken care of at least one. I know where I go for advice.

A tablet chlorinator will be fine at first, but the tablets contain CYA (stabilizer) which can cause problems at higher levels.