Holes
I would get a pic of the mentioned holes and post in the above ground topic and let the pros there give there more knowledgeable advice.
Testing
You will find a consensus here that test strips are not very accurate. I know your funds are limited (I can relate) but I would recommend going and getting a liquid based test kit. It will be very hard to balance your pool using test strips. Walmart has a 6 way kit for around $15. The Walmart kit does OTO for the total chlorine only but you might want to check the pool stores in the area and see if you can find a DPD test that does both free and total chlorine. I found a kit here that has free and total chlorine by DPD as well as other chems for around $35. I am not sure where you are located at so prices may vary. I feel its best to spend little more on testing and less on chemicals.
Chem in the pool
Like I said I am not a pro here.
Bleach Calc
http://home.earthlink.net/%7Emwsmith...achCalc262.exe
Later
Steve