If your water is that hard to keep 'balanced', drain it and start over so you know you have a good starting base.When you say you spent another hundred on clorox tablets, are you referring to chlorine tablets?

I guess I just thought those things were like pools, no matter what happens in them, chlorine takes care of it all!

Some of their parts aren't cheap but they last and are trouble free as long as you don't put the chlorine tablets in the tanks.

Actually bleach is called sodiumhydrochlorite , from the store it is a 6% concentration , the highest you can buy is 15% which is basically pool chlorine .  

I worry about the chlorine smell, maintenance, and liability.

Technically, if you add enough chlorine/Bromine, the water will be sufficiently sanitized, I.e., germs are dead.

The urine went through all the carpets and the place smelled bad even after we mopped all the concrete floors with a garden hose and chlorine.

Chlorine dissipates faster in hot water than cold water, and if you lose residual you've got the temperature set to a point where bacteria can still reproduce.

If it has bacteria in it then a chlorine treatment can fix that.

Do NOT use Chlorine bleach to kill mold or disinfect moldy areas.