Hi -

I'm new to the forum, but I've been reading a lot to get myself educated. This is our 4th season with our 18x39 inground vinyl pool, and this year I decided to invest in an Autopilot SWG. When I opened the pool over the memorial day weekend, I (mistakenly) used the cheap HTH algaecide (1 gallon jug), and added shock like I usually have done each year. The next day, I added about 500lbs of salt, and I'm around 2500ppm. I am going to add more salt, but I had a couple of questions:

1) My chlorine level is still above 3ppm (from the initial shock! ) - is this normal? I've never seen chlorine levels hang around for so long from an initial shock.

2) Myself and my kids all have noticed that our eyes are irritated after swimming. I'm assuming this is due to the high chlorine levels?

3) Should I turn on the SWG (after getting my salt readings correct), and will this help bring the chlorine levels down to the proper levels?

I should add that I've ordered Ben's test kit, but in the meantime, I've bought a 4 test drop kit just to get some basic readings. My chlorine is definitely over 3ppm, my pH is around 7.2, and my alkaline is about 120. I have no idea about the CYA of CH, so bear with me until my kit arrives. Can anyone shed some light regarding my questions?

Thanks - Eric (re-educated pool noob)