We have an Intex 16'x42" metal frame pool. Due to an inappropriate sized winter cover our pool was a mess this spring. My husband completely drained it, scrubbed it and even shop vaced the waste. It has since been refilled. We have an old Muskin sand filter and pump running on the pool. The water was beginning to cloud up and my DH shocked the pool. Ever since the water has remained cloudy, the bottom can be seen, but it isn't clear. We have a simple drop test kit and the chlorine level is still above the capable limit of the test kit and the pH is reading in the "ideal" area. My dad seems to think it is our Muskin filter causing the problem or he suggested putting baking soda in to clear the water. Problem is that I'm worried about dumping more powders into the pool if our filter isn't working properly. The filter was completely taken apart before installation and cleaned. The distributor/diffuser looked fine. Could there be a problem in the valve area causing the water to not circulate correctly? Is there a way to diagnose this?

What other water qualities should we be testing for? Seems we had more success running the crappy little paper filter that came with the pool, but due to there being several trees near by we were always cleaning like crazy so we opted for a sand filter.

I'm ready to take the whole darn thing down.

Any suggestions?