Like so many others I’m used Baquacil (for 2 seasons at our house here in middle TN) and I’m ready to switch to chlorine – as part of ‘pool start-up’ for this season. However, I do have a few questions in order to move forward in the process – and after reading several of the postings on this forum (and some others as well), all of which have been very informative to me personally (I’m not a long term pool owner)!

We have an in-ground pool of ~ 20,000 gallons in size (with the cover still on due to rainy & cold spring weather) and the test results from the local pool supply / builder (as of today May 20th) is as follows:
Baq. = 0, pH = 7.08, Alk = 1, Shock = 3, and a water temp. of 62 degrees.

Additionally, as of this p.m., I’ve purchased a Taylor 2006 tester in order to better monitor the change over to chlorine – and hopefully on to a chlorinator system at a later date. But…first things 1st, I’d like some recommendations with the steps in order to open / start-up the pool using chlorine – given that the cover is still on the pool, no pump / water circulation thus far, and looking kind of scummy on the bottom & sides?

With the current Baq. level at (or near) zero, and the pH at 7.08, my best guess is that 1st - I need to clean and vacuum the pool utilizing the sand filter, 2nd – change the sand within the filter, 3rd – add some amount of stabilizer, 4th - start adding chlorine (in the form of bleach) in order to obtain a FC level of ~ 1ppm, - all the while making checking / making sure the pH level is maintained ~7.0 (or slighter higher), followed by raising the Alk level (based on the type of chlorine to be used long term).

But, like I said prior, this is only my best guess – so any and all inputs would be welcomed!
Gene