Getting ready to open 40k gal pool AKA "the Swamp"

[KJohnston]

After doing a lot of reading here I'm worried about how much bleach I will need to clean my swamp and all of that dirt and stuff going through the filter. I'm afraid we'll be cleaning the filter every 30 minutes! My husband says lets drain it and start over. Which would be more cost effective? Are we in an area where draining is a possibility? And of course, I just filled it full today! Have not turned it on yet, I am still waiting for the test kit. Can you tell I have read too much and scared myself? Should I just wait to decide anything until I can test? I am just thinking about last season and how I couldn't keep chlorine in the pool and what if the cya has turned to ammonia, the what ifs are getting to me!

[KJohnston]

Alright, I cleaned out as much as I could without being able to see. I turned everything on and discovered that my pressure gauge is busted, so I will get one tomorrow. I tested the water and heres what I got:
TC: 0
pH: more than 8, color was a very bright pink/fuschia
TA: 70
CH: 230
CYA: 0, black dot never disappeared, the water was just a tiny bit cloudy

So, I am going to add 12 gal. of 10% bleach, then I will check it in 4-6 hours? add more if its below what? 30 ppm is what I will go by until I hear from you but maybe I don't need it so high since I have no CYA? Well, I'll try to keep it at 30 for now only because its a bad looking swamp out there. The frogs are wondering whats going on. Should I plan on cleaning the filters tomorrow or get the gauge first so I can see the psi? I know they will be bad!

[KJohnston]

4 hours later test shows
FC: 21
CC: 1.5
I will add 4 more jugs of 10% bleach now, it will probably go down quick when the sun comes up since it went down a lot in the dark! But I am going to bed and will check it when I get up. Should I get some dichlor to use instead of bleach to raise my CYA? My bleach is 128 oz jugs. In the dark with a flash light shining in the pool, I can tell the water has changed already. Its not so dark green! I can't wait to see it later today! Just let me know what ppm I want to hold the chlorine. Thank you!!

[Watermom]

Take a look at the Best Guess Chlorine Chart in my signature below. It gives the correlation between CYA and needed chlorine levels. With a concrete pool, it isn't so critical that you don't take the chlorine level too high as it is with a vinyl pool. Bleach or dichlor is up to you. Both will clean up the pool. With dichlor, you'll have to keep an eye on your CYA after a bit so it doesn't get too high. If you do decide to use dichlor, you have to be careful what you buy. If you have access to a Sams Club, you can get some there that is ok to use. You have to be wary of most other local sources of dichlor, since it's become common to sell 'diluted dichlor' at 1/2 strength but full price. Links below.

PoolBrand granular dichlor 50lbs @ Sams Club => ~$2.20/lb (May 2014 in Chattanooga)
PoolBrand dichlor bagged shock 24lbs @ Sams Club => ~$2.50/lb (May 2014 in Chattanooga)

Kem-Tek dichlor 22 lbs @ Amazon => ~$3.50/lb (May 2014)
Kem-Tek dichlor 12 lbs @ Amazon => ~$4.10/lb (May 2014)
Kem-Tek dichlor 5 lbs @ Amazon => ~$5.00/lb (May 2014)
Kem-Tek dichlor 2 lbs @ Amazon => ~$9.00/lb (May 2014)

Keep in mind that Amazon products normally ship free; and that in many parts of the country, you will not have to pay sales tax. Shipping + tax can increase the cost from other suppliers by 15 - 40%, so compare delivered cost, not nominal price.

[KJohnston]

Its blue! Super cloudy but blue! So should I keep it at 30 ppm? Today its down to 2.5 so I think I will clean the filters and then add 10 more jugs. I will order some dichlor from amazon. Thanks so much!
Edited to add: I just bought the 12 lb dichlor from amazon. I should get it Saturday, If I just add all 12 lbs at once then that should raise the cya a little. Then just keep using bleach after that. Does that sound ok?
Also, do I need to lower ph now, or will the dichlor help with that? I have some muriatic acid if I need to use that. Or do I just work on getting the pool clear, then worry about the ph?

[Watermom]

Dichlor will push your pH down but you need to test the pH when the chlorine level is not high to get an accurate reading. High chlorine levels cause the pH test to read falsely high.

[KJohnston]

I checked the pH when the chlorine was zero. It was always high last year too. I am going to Walmart to get more bleach tonight. I added 11 more jugs this afternoon. I've been shooting for the 30 ppm because it is so gross but do you think I can go lower until I add the CYA anyway? I am almost afraid to see what the bottom looks like because we brush, then use the leaf rake to collect the slimy mess that comes up and I just know there is probably a lot of algae under that stuff.