First year pool high stabilizer and algae

[ksherman]

We just purchased a house in the fall with an inground pool, and finished up the season ok. This is our first summer on our own and we were doing fine until a few days ago.

We have a 25,000 gallon inground pool, vinyl liner, sand filter, automatic chlorinator, safety pool cover. We run the filter 24/7, and keep the safety cover on most of the time, but try to get the pool 6+ hrs of sunlight if we can each day that it's not raining. I currently have a Taylor Troubleshooting test kit (but have ordered the Taylor 2006 today after reading your website and several forum posts) and test daily.

Generally our ph is 7.2 and Chlorine has been running high, in the 5-10 range because once we turn the chlorinator on for 6-8 hrs, it shoots way up to the 5-10 range on my test kit, and then I shut it off and it takes a week to come back down. Alkalinity around 180. There's only 3 of us swimming it it, but we try to get in every day if we can...but we're probably averaging every other day for an hour or two.

We noticed some "gunk"/algae starting to build up around our light so I thought, Oh we probably need a dose of Algicide since we haven't put any in since we opened. That turned the water completely cloudy. So I thought, OK, well probably dead algae, we will let it filter for a day. Didn't clear up.

Took a sample in to our local Ace Hardware that does the computer water testing -- said everything was in a good range (I don't have the numbers in front of me) except the CYA (stabilizer) was 170+ WAY too high and we needed to drain 60% the pool and replace the water. Well, I know not to do that, but I am hoping that I can do some vacuuming, backwashing, and other to get us cleared up and the stabilizer will eventually go down as we lose water and top off with the hose?

I am currently using "In The Swim" chemicals, 3" Trichlor tablets, that have stabilizer in them, so I know I'm just continuing to add more cyanuric acid, but I am scared to just add bleach to my pool with a vinyl liner.

Advice to get my wonderful clear pool back?

Is it safe to swim in with cloudy water as long as the PH and Chlorine are Ok?