New pool owner - chlorine/alkalinity help needed

Welcome to TFP.
TA is secondary. Always ensure your pH is in range - anywhere in the 7's is fine.
Focus on CYA and FC. Lack of chlorine will allow algae to grow.
Do you have a proper test kit?
Test Kits Compared

Purchase liquid chlorine now to raise FC quickly. Use Pool Math app to select proper amount to raise FC to 5ppm ASAP.

Post the results
FC
CC
pH
CYA

Welcome to TFP!

In addition to the above, do an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
If you fail the OCLT, you need to complete the SLAM Process

Hi and welcome. Leave the TA at what it is and just bring the PH to 7.2 before you slam.
But, before we get ahead of ourselves I need to ask how you're testing. Without a proper kit there's no way to follow through.
Test Kits Compared
Your losing chlorine due to the sun getting the best of it without CYA, that's if "0" is accurate and algae as you say the SWCG can't keep up. But that can be a algae problem and or CYA. For now till you get the proper kit just add 5ppm of chlorine daily mixed into the water.
Pool Care Basics
PoolMath
FC/CYA Levels
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
SLAM Process

MichelleBarnett said:

I don’t understand why my SWG isn’t keeping my FC in range. I’m SO confused and I just want to swim! So, if I understand you, I need to Chlorine first and CYA to lock it in then pH and then TA?

Click to expand...

@wireform has you on the right track.

To emphasize, your SWCG makes a little chlorine at a time while the pump is running. If there is no CYA in the pool then the UV (Sun) burns it off very quickly. That is why CYA and Chlorine are important.

But you have algae and that is a different issue that must be dealt with first. Only use liquid chlorine and turn off the SWCG.
Remove the ladder, clean it and keep it out of the pool for now.
Lower pH to 7.2 (does not have to be exact)
Raise CYA to 30ppm using granular stabilizer - you need 1.5 lbs for 5500 gal pool - can be purchased at Home Depot
Start a SLAM - have at least 5 gals of liquid chlorine on hand to start. This is based on Pool Math App calculation. Every quart (32 oz) of 10% Liquid chlorine (can be purchased at Home Depot, Walmart, etc) will raise the FC level by 4.5ppm in the 5500 gal pool.
Raise FC to 12ppm - that will take about 2.5 quarts of LC (assume your starting FC is zero). You need to maintain the FC at 12ppm which is why you need a good test kit as mentioned earlier.

Keep us posted as and ask questions. We can help you as you do the SLAM

For the future - after the SLAM
A SWCG is great at maintaining a FC level but it needs help to significantly increase FC levels. So if you are at zero FC, then use liquid chlorine to raise FC to a level such as 5ppm then have the SWCG maintain that level.

Others have advised very well. To summarize for "normal" maintenance:

FC must always be in the right range, to prevent algae. That range is directly dependent on how much CYA you have. Low or no CYA, and the Cl burns off fast, and you have to add much more frequently. FC is the first thing to maintain and constantly keep maintaining. Your salt generator will maintain FC - BUT it doesn't make large quantities, so needs the help of CYA and an initial "bump" of liquid to get to the desired level, which it then will maintain.

Add CYA as needed, to minimize the amount of frequent adds of Cl you would otherwise have to do.

For pH, anything in the "7's" is fine. It has a direct relationship with TA. If TA is high, your pH will gradually increase, so acid will be needed to get the pH in range. Acid also reduces TA - but slowly. Over time, your pH adjustments will also drop the TA. Eventually you get to a level where the pH increase becomes very slow. Some accelerate this with larger/more frequent acid adds - but it is an intensive game of balancing to make sure your pH doesn't also crash.

Neither of the above is a strict sequence, but should be worked on together. When adding either, it is best to only add chems for one - then wait a bit (1/2 hr or so) for everything to well mix, before adding to adjust for the other. But you don't have to get one to be perfect before starting on the next. Note that CYA after adding may take a day or more to fully show up in the testing, so take a slow approach when building up to a new level. If you added enough to increase it to say 40, just use that as your new level for FC, even though the tests may not show that level correctly initially.

BUT - as @HermanTX posted - you have algae. So that means performing a SLAM. That is time consuming, and will take longer than you would like. It is never an instant solution. But it is the solution to prevent repeated outbreaks that will prevent you from ever calling your pool "Trouble Free". So re-read @wireform and @HermanTX posts and all the links a few times. Buy lots of liquid Cl. Steal yourself for lots of testing, brushing, vacuuming and filter cleaning.