My pool did OK last year, even with the pump going out in July and having to fight an algae bloom after the two weeks it took to get a replacement. The SWCG got the water clear after about 4 days of running just about constantly.

This year, I ran across this site and started applying the principals here, testing more often and using borax and bleach to augment the saltwater generator and get my numbers right, and the pool snapped into summer shape quick and has been much less of a hassle, with sparkling clear water.

We went out of town for a week and when we got back I found the pump had tripped its GFCI (probably a power surge, not uncommon during T-storms or hot Texas summers here), so I don't know how long the pool sat unfiltered. The water was a little cloudy, but no visible algae, and I figured it would be no big deal to get it back in line.

Here are the numbers I found:

Free Cl = 0.4
Combined Cl = 1.4
Total Cl (OTO) = 2.0
pH = 7.4
Alkalinity = 90
Cya = < 30 (no reading)
NaCl = 2600

So I added 2 pints of bleach and ran the pump and SWCG (8 hrs pump, 7 hrs SWCG) and checked the following morning, finding the numbers virtually unchanged. The combined Cl really concerned me, because I thought the SWCG would break that down, even if the free Cl wasn't keeping up with demand. So I nuked the pool with an entire bottle of bleach (121 oz of 8.25% hypochlorite), cleaned the SWCG cell with diluted (1:5) muriatic acid, put 20 oz of Cya in a sock in the skimmer, and ran the pump/SWCG for another 8/7 cycle overnight, and the numbers were still virtually unchanged the next morning.

The water is a little clearer, but I really thought all the bleach I added would jack the Cl way up to shock levels, and also I'm still puzzled why the SWCG (which appears to be working fine, producing bubbles at the plates) isn't breaking down the combined Cl.