What to do while away for several months?

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O

olevelo

Well-known member
Jul 1, 2023
79
Niceville, FL
I'm going on a military deployment for 6 months, from April to October, and I live alone so no one will be using or taking care of the pool. Florida Panhandle (so hot!), gunite, salt, enclosed screen (so no leaves and reduced dirt). I had considered draining it, but everything says not to leave it empty more than a couple weeks especially in the summer. But I was also looking at potentially getting it resurfaced, because it's 20 years old and as far as I know it never has been (I've owned it for about 2 years), and I've got a lot of calcium deposits that I haven't been able to remove (did a no drain acid wash that didn't do much).

In general it requires very little maintenance and the wandering vacuum does a good job of keeping it clean (except the steps), so in theory if I just have my neighbor who is taking care of my house throw a bag of salt in every couple months (I have remote monitoring to know when it needs it), it would get out of balance but probably not green up or anything. But I'd be spending a lot of money with the pumps running for no reason. Obviously if I didn't run it but left the water in, I'd have a huge mess when I return. And of course when I return it won't really be used for another 6 months either!

I haven't been able to get any quotes yet for resurfacing, and now I have to replace my AC before I leave, so not sure I really want to deal wifh that expense now...just seems like a potentially good time to deal with it.

So what would any of you do?
 
O,

Since you have a neighbor that can check on things, and you have a SWCG, I just don't see the issue.

Just let the SWCG run and let your neighbor check on the chemicals a couple of times a month.

Worst case it will turn into a swamp, but I doubt it..

What kind of pump and automation system do you have..??

Since you are in the land of the dinky pool filters, you might need someone to clean it on a schedule. How often do you clean the filter now?

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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Jimrahbe said:
Josh,

Since you have a neighbor that can check on things, and you have a SWCG, I just don't see the issue.

Just let the SWCG run and let your neighbor check on the chemicals a couple of times a month.

Worst case it will turn into a swamp, but I doubt it..

What kind of pump and automation system do you have..??

Since you are in the land of the dinky pool filters, you might need someone to clean it on a schedule. How often do you clean the filter now?

Thanks,

Jim R.
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The issue is all the wasted electricity running the pumps, not to mention the potential for an actuator or pump to fail (I actually probably need to swap my actuators for new ones I have because they've been known to stick and my spa has been drained more than once).

I have an OmniLogic I installed last year, so pretty good automation and remote monitoring.

Which filter? The skimmer and pump baskets? Those rarely have anything due to the pool screen. The sand filter? I backwash occasionally but that's it.
 
O,

I take it you have a single speed pump... :(

I assumed you have a small cartridge filter.. A sand filter would not be an issue..

As a side note... I used to live in Niceville, when I was stationed at Eglin AFB, along with the Wright Brothers... :mrgreen:

Jim R.
 
olevelo said:
The issue is all the wasted electricity running the pumps, not to mention the potential for an actuator or pump to fail (I actually probably need to swap my actuators for new ones I have because they've been known to stick and my spa has been drained more than once).

I have an OmniLogic I installed last year, so pretty good automation and remote monitoring.

Which filter? The skimmer and pump baskets? Those rarely have anything due to the pool screen. The sand filter? I backwash occasionally but that's it.
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A variable speed pump running low speed 24x7 while you are gone would use less electricity running a single speed pump at full speed during the daytime. Something to consider.
 
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Jimrahbe said:
O,

I take it you have a single speed pump... :(

I assumed you have a small cartridge filter.. A sand filter would not be an issue..

As a side note... I used to live in Niceville, when I was stationed at Eglin AFB, along with the Wright Brothers... :mrgreen:

Jim R.
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Yeah, single speed unfortunately. Also unknown how old it is, so never know when it may kick it! Similarly, don't know how much life the salt cell has.

Ha, what a coincidence! It's obviously the best place to live when stationed here. My second time in the area, but lived in Navarre the first time since I was at Hurlburt...but got moved to Eglin for the last year and that commute about killed me!
Bperry said:
A variable speed pump running low speed 24x7 while you are gone would use less electricity running a single speed pump at full speed during the daytime. Something to consider.
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Yeah, but then I'd have to spend $1500 or whatever replacing the current pump that might last another 5 years for all I know!
 
I think this is a proper time to hire a pool service to control acid and salt, along with just keeping an eye on everything.
With a SWCG, not nearly as much they can get you in trouble with...
The idea of letting it completely go is certainly an option, but I think the expense of a weekly pool service is likely the best bet.
 
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reggiehammond said:
I think this is a proper time to hire a pool service to control acid and salt, along with just keeping an eye on everything.
With a SWCG, not nearly as much they can get you in trouble with...
The idea of letting it completely go is certainly an option, but I think the expense of a weekly pool service is likely the best bet.
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I have a hard time having any desire to pay someone to keep it up while it's not even being used when I don't even want to do that when it is!
 

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So I had someone out to get a quote on resurfacing and he said it's in great shape and will probably last another 8-10 years! He thinks it was resurfaced not long ago (pool is 20 years old and I didn't think it had been at all). My main concerns were because of some thick calcium deposits I haven't been able to get off (got most off the walls with a pumice stone but it takes forever and it doesn't work well on the floor, plus there's some nasty ones) and some staining that didn't come off during a no drain acid wash I did. He suggested some kind of diamond scrubber for around $150 but I can't find any info on such a thing.

So I guess that brings me back to keeping the pool maintained while I'm gone since it would likely cost a lot to bring it back up later. But sucks because it means maintaining it for essentially another year without using it!
 
olevelo said:
So I had someone out to get a quote on resurfacing and he said it's in great shape and will probably last another 8-10 years! He thinks it was resurfaced not long ago (pool is 20 years old and I didn't think it had been at all). My main concerns were because of some thick calcium deposits I haven't been able to get off (got most off the walls with a pumice stone but it takes forever and it doesn't work well on the floor, plus there's some nasty ones) and some staining that didn't come off during a no drain acid wash I did. He suggested some kind of diamond scrubber for around $150 but I can't find any info on such a thing.

So I guess that brings me back to keeping the pool maintained while I'm gone since it would likely cost a lot to bring it back up later. But sucks because it means maintaining it for essentially another year without using it!
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I’d say that’s great news that you don’t have to spend $15,000 resurfacing something that didn’t need it. That’s great! Owning a pool is like owning a pet. It needs food and shelter all year long whether you’re there or not. Is selling the house and finding one without a pool an option if you’re going to be away for a long period of time?
 
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Bperry said:
I’d say that’s great news that you don’t have to spend $15,000 resurfacing something that didn’t need it. That’s great! Owning a pool is like owning a pet. It needs food and shelter all year long whether you’re there or not. Is selling the house and finding one without a pool an option if you’re going to be away for a long period of time?
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I'm only gone 6 months. And I just bought this house a couple years ago, near the top of the market, and did a massive remodel. So no, that's not an option haha!
 
duraleigh said:
Sounds to me like your budget and expectations are not in alignment
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It's not about "budget". It's about throwing money away if it's not necessary ("necessary" is part of the question and why I asked here). And wear and tear on components. And if something goes wrong while gone, where normally I could take care of it myself, or at least oversee the issue.
 
Sounds like your pool is low maintenance. If you were my neighbor I'd be happy to help out for the 6 months. Maybe you can find one who knows what they're doing to take over for some beer money or equivalent. Ideal would be to find a willing TFPer.
 
generessler said:
Sounds like your pool is low maintenance. If you were my neighbor I'd be happy to help out for the 6 months. Maybe you can find one who knows what they're doing to take over for some beer money or equivalent. Ideal would be to find a willing TFPer.
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My neighbor is going to take care of my house, and he has a pool...but he uses a pool company instead of doing it himself. :/ I don't know how bad it would be to just let the pH go for that long but if I just had the steps sweeper every few weeks and a bag of salt thrown in maybe every 2-3 months, that would be all it normally needs other than battling the pH.
 
olevelo said:
My neighbor is going to take care of my house, and he has a pool...but he uses a pool company instead of doing it himself. :/ I don't know how bad it would be to just let the pH go for that long but if I just had the steps sweeper every few weeks and a bag of salt thrown in maybe every 2-3 months, that would be all it normally needs other than battling the pH.
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Yeah, I meant find someone who's into pool maintenance, not handling muriatic acid for the first time on your pool. ;) That doesn't seem like a good idea.
 
olevelo said:
It's not about "budget". It's about throwing money away if it's not necessary ("necessary" is part of the question and why I asked here). And wear and tear on components. And if something goes wrong while gone, where normally I could take care of it myself, or at least oversee the issue.
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A pool and its related components are just one additional system in the overall home. If your toilet was spewing water just prior to your deployment you’d fix it even though you’re not using it for six months. If your electrical panel was arcing and tripping breakers risking a fire prior to your deployment you’d fix it. However you’re looking at your pool as an expendable system due to your lack of use while deployed. Letting it go to a swamp or deploying and using hope as a strategy could cost you more money in the long run due to damage caused by intentional neglect because you perceive the system as expendable. IMO the right thing to do is work towards maintaining it in proper condition while deployed through the mechanical components you already have and the assistance of others (neighbor) you can enlist.
 
Lake Placid said:
A pool and its related components are just one additional system in the overall home. If your toilet was spewing water just prior to your deployment you’d fix it even though you’re not using it for six months. If your electrical panel was arcing and tripping breakers risking a fire prior to your deployment you’d fix it. However you’re looking at your pool as an expendable system due to your lack of use while deployed. Letting it go to a swamp or deploying and using hope as a strategy could cost you more money in the long run due to damage caused by intentional neglect because you perceive the system as expendable. IMO the right thing to do is work towards maintaining it in proper condition while deployed through the mechanical components you already have and the assistance of others (neighbor) you can enlist.
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Those aren't comparable things at all. Your examples are fixing things that are broken that need to be fixed one way or another, and they won't cost anything during the time away, nor have any wear and tear while not in use. I actually do have a broken AC that I have to fix before I leave (though in that case, there will be wear and tear, but it's also needed to maintain the entire integrity of the house). While the more sensible thing may be to keep it maintained (which I'm now leaning toward...the main reason I was considering it as I said in the original post was because I thought it needed a resurfacing which would require draining it anyway, but now it turns out that's not the case so it changes the calculus), the comparison to leaking toilet isn't close. Also, people up north drain their pools for the winter all the time. So it shouldn't be crazy to wonder if there's a similar thing that could be done for a similar time period of non-use.
 

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