Fighting Algae for months

[PoolDoc]

Usually, the dead algae will settle to the bottom and need to be vacuumed by hand.

This isn't necessarily so. It depends on circulation patterns, pump run times, and more. What often happens on AG pools is that the water goes from green cloudy to gray cloudy.

What would be an ideal amount of CYA to hold the Cl levels relatively stable considering the fact that we live in Phoenix where its 100+ almost everyday throughout the summer?

As jwhouse notes below, you need to get the algae resolved first. You may not have a lot of choice about CYA levels, unless you drain and refill. 1. Test the water. 2. Kill the algae. 3. Fix any other URGENT chemistry issues. 4. THEN worry about ideal CYA levels.

You have to add chlorine as often as it takes throughout the day to hold your pool at shock level. For my algae battle, it was every couple of hours on the first day.

This isn't completely necessary. Not everyone is at home during the day. Very large chlorine doses added each evening will do the trick, once you get the doses high enough.

You have to be very persistent.

But this IS completely necessary.

BUT... Get your algae under control before you do anything else. Any effort and money spent otherwise right now would be a waste.

Absolutely correct -- unless you have very low pH that could damage your pool, or very high pH that could interfere with killing algae. Then you need to do both at the same time.