Downside to using Bleach...

[SLS]

There isn't a chance that you are bleaching out your test stripes due to much chlorine in the pool? I have never used test strips before, and don't know how they work, but I have a friend that did that once and just kept adding chlorine because she couldn't get a reading. It's probably not the case if your cya is actually 0 and you have algae but thought I better bring it up.

[mbar]

I don't understand why you are working on your pool with the cover on - are you swimming in it at all now? I live in northeast pa and don't do anything until I take the cover off. It usually only takes a day or two for the water to clear up. It's just that I am wondering if it's worth worrying about it now, unless you are using it.

[leejp]

I don't understand why you are working on your pool with the cover on - are you swimming in it at all now? I live in northeast pa and don't do anything until I take the cover off. It usually only takes a day or two for the water to clear up. It's just that I am wondering if it's worth worrying about it now, unless you are using it.

With the water temperature in the mid 50s I won't be swimming in the pool for some time yet...

Last year I pulled the cover off when I opened the pool in mid april and had to clean the skimmer 10x/day and backwash 2x before the water warmed up enough to swim in the pool. So this year... I am following the procedure the previous owner of the house left me (start the pump/filter by early May at the latest with the cover on). He put the pool in and operated it ~20 years with little fuss so I figured I'd do the same (I didn't read the binder he left me till too late last year).

The only change I'm making is that I'm going with the 3Bs vs pool store chemicals. I have a lot to learn about water chemistry but I think I'm consuming so much bleach because something ate my CYA. It's been gorgeous sunny since I opened the pool with highs in the mid 60s low 70s. I've been adding bleach in the late evening and early AM to avoid losing too much to the sun until my CYA dissolves.