Good job. I understand what you are going thru. We built our pool in March 2005 and I got consumed with taking care of it to the point of spending money on chemicals I never needed. I have a SWG as well and am outside Fort Worth, TX...so a similar environment (except we are in a drought which you are not). Just test your water 2-3 times a week and most of the time you may just need a little acid or baking soda to take care of your pH and Alk. One thing I did do a month or so ago was I was low on CYA so I added to appropriate amount (in between 50-60 right now). Since I was low on CYA, my pool was not holding the Chlorine. I was about to go on vacation for a week as well. So I thru in some shock to raise my Chlorine high (over 10) while I was gone. I have kept my Chlorine around 5 ever since and am running my pump only 8-9 hours a day (100-106 degrees everyday last 2 weeks) and the chlorine is staying at 5. Pool never looked clearer. So, if you want to cut your pump time a little and save on electricity add a little shock and make sure your CYA is at a good level. Just a little tip.