Maintaining chlorine while away for two weeks?

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D

denhajm

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Apr 4, 2015
73
Western, WA
Hello,

We have really been enjoying our AG Intex pool so far this summer (18'x48"). With the TF100 test kit, maintaining proper chemistry has been easy. However, we will soon be away from the pool for about 2 weeks and won't be able to feed my pool chlorine daily like I do now.

What can I do to prep the water so that I won't come home to algae? Can increase my chlorine level substansially, put my solar cover on, and my pool cover on and let the sand filter run on its daily timer? What else can/should I do?

Thank you,

Jason
 
What is your current CYA at? If you have room to breathe on the CYA, like if it's at 30 ppm, you could use a combo of bringing up the pool to SLAM level FC, normal filter timer and put some trichlor pucks in a floater. This would keep things at bay for at least a week if well covered with an opaque cover, but will raise your CYA if you use the tabs. Otherwise, you could bring to SLAM level and after several days have a neighbor test the FC with your K-1000 color match and instruct them how to dose when needed. I'd make sure to bring your pH to 7.2, 7.4 before going. Posting your current levels would help with the advice.
 
Take out the sock and use the pucks when it is vacation time.

I keep my CYA in the 35 ppm range. When I go on vacation I leave the filter on its timer, I run the pool up to shock levels, I put the solar cover on, and a throw a floater with a trichlor tab in it in the pool.

I forget the exact number (its written on a cork board in the pool shed) but I think one tab raises my CYA 1.8 ppm - not a big deal. For the two tabs a season that I use (for two weeks vacation) it rains enough to dilute that out.

I if my CC is 0 when I get back, I just raise the FC to where it should be. If for some reason I have any CCs, then I SLAM (I cant remember the last time I had any sort of real level of CC)

-dave
 
Alternatively to the pucks, could I use bleach to get up to the 40 -50 ppm range (or higher) on FC and let it slowly drift down? With light-proof cover on I would think the chlorine would not break down as quickly. Would that level of chlorine damage the vinyl pool, sand filter?
 
50 ppm is Very high. I would worry about my liner fading.

As others said, loss is a percentage of the total. My opinion is that if you clean your pool well, run the FC up to 20 ppm or so, and then cover the pool, you may have to SLAM when you get home, but nothing like a green monster.

Be aware that having a FC about 2 or 3 ppm will void the warranty on many solar covers (Mine has been voided since day 1)

-dave
 
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