Want To Switch To BBB; Shock Question

[Snowymoon]

I posted a thread in the TA/Calcium forum about my TA issues, but I would like to post here as well about my desire to eventually switch to BBB. This is my first time ever having a pool, and so far, the whole family loves it.

I have an 18 x 4 Intex Easy-Set pool that I filled with our well water; I guess it is around 5000 gallons (not precisely sure). We have no metals or calcium at all in our water, but the pH was well over 8.4 before doing anything to it (as high as the test strips would read) and the TA was really high too. I posted about my TA stuff in the TA/Calcium forum. I am still messing with that. Of note, I have not put any borax in the pool at all.

I wish I had found this site sooner, as I was "pool stored" right after putting the pool up last month. They had me add calcium and told me I needed to metal magnet next year. Again, I have no calcium or metals in my well water. My pool is vinyl.

I do want to switch to BBB eventually, but I have lots of pool store stuff to use up; Biogaurd Smart Sticks, Biogaurd Backup for algea prevention and HTH Vinyl Pool Shock. As I use up the stuff (will use the shock up first), I will begin going the BBB route starting with using bleach to shock and eventually also to chlorinate. I have not added any borax to my water. To shock weekly, I have been using 1/2 bag (1/2 pound) of the HTH Vinyl Pool Shock (not sure if this is the right amount for my pool based on my CYA level, but it seems to be doing okay). I still have some cloudiness to the water, but it is minimal, and I wonder if that is a TA thing or if I am not using enough shock. (???)

I plan on ordering the PS test kit for next season, but I have some testers at home to use up before then. I have the Wal-Mart 5-way test strips, AquaChem 6-way test strips and the Wal-Mart drops test kit.

Today's stats are as follows:

pH - 7 (WM drops)
Total Chlorine - 4 (WM drops)
FC - 3-4 (WM strip)
CC - 3 (AC strip)
CYA - 70 (WM drops with black-dot tube thingie)
TA - 270
CH - 200 (WM drops; I think this is wrong because my last CH at the store was around 100 or less after having added some, and there is no calcium in our water naturally; also, the WM drops took lots of drops before the water turned red--I think this test is inaccurate).

I used to have the SmartSticks in the skimmer basket, but that was raising the chlorine level to 7 or higher, even with the pump being shut off a few hours a day. so I have since just left the stick in the skimmer basket without it being hooked up (running the pump through the caps in the side wall) so that it works like a feeder and disolves more slowly. This has been working and keeping my chlorine around 3 to 4 or so. I have a bunch of sticks to use up yet.

However, upon reading about the Best Guess Chart, I should be keeping my chlorine level between 5 and 10? Should I just add some bleach using the bleach calc to make up the difference while using the sticks up, or should I go back to running the sticks in the basket? Also, if I am to shock up to 20 ppm (I guess I need to looking at my CC level), how much bag (powder) shock should I use for that? A full bag?

I only have a few bags of powder shock left (the HTH Vinyl Pool stuff), and then I guess I could just use bleach from there on out. Can I put the shock right into the skimmer, or is it best sprinkled over the pool water surface? What about the bleach? Can it go right into the skimmer too? I have a cartridge filter.

My last question is this: What do you do if you have to be away and cannot add bleach to your pool for a day or so? I think that is the only drawback I can foresee using bleach for chlorination.

Funny thing is, when we first got the pool, hubby told me to just use bleach. I thought he was crazy. ::giggles::