I visited my local pool store today for some skimmer socks, and while chatting, the tech said that one should eliminate algae before adding CYA, and strongly urged adding the CYA to the skimmer.

I've always filled a stocking with the CYA, and suspended it/them in front of the filter return jets. This way if I have to backwash before the CYA is dissolved I don't lose much.

What's with the caution against raising CYA in the midst of algae battle? Keeping high chlorine levels to kill the algae without CYA would be difficult. I don't recall entering battle in the past without a proper a CYA level.