My family is taking a trip for 5 days to Pittsburgh and we leave next Thursday Morning. I've searched for other "Vacation" threads and attached a similar post to an older thread, but realizing that is not exactly good TFP forum etiquette on a couple of fronts, I thought I'd start a new thread.
Let me start by saying I am a Baquacil convert and it went so well that I have bought 100% into the TFP methods, so now I'm looking for a little guidance for next weekend.
Here's where I stand:
I had hoped to use the July 4th weekend as a stress test, so I bought a floater and a 7lb bucket of pucks. I put 3 pucks in the floater and bumped my FC to the high end of the normal range. I had a CYA of around 30 so I thought I would use the pucks to raise it to around 40 and use the chlorination to maintain my FC(I'm not to worried about the CYA getting super high. I have been only using Liquid chlorine since the conversion and I do a partial drain to end the season, regardless of chemical system. I also pump out water that gets through the Loop-Loc at least twice in the Autumn and Spring).
I tethered the floater in the middle of the pool and didn't touch it until Saturday morning, when I only had 1ppm of FC. So I moved the tether to in front of my deep-end return, added a 1/2 gallon of LC and left town again. Chlorine was back down to 1 FC on Sunday Afternoon. I untethered the floater, which now hangs out at the skimmer when the pump is on and at the stairs when it is off (I think I'm going to re-tether in front of a return.).
I know the pucks are at least partially working because my pH is lower. My questions are:
1) Without an opaque tarp, opportunity to put on or remove my winter cover, or have a neighbor add LC for me, how do I keep my chlorine in range and not risk an algae bloom when we return?
2) Am I overthinking this since we will be gone for only parts of 5 days?
Let me start by saying I am a Baquacil convert and it went so well that I have bought 100% into the TFP methods, so now I'm looking for a little guidance for next weekend.
Here's where I stand:
I had hoped to use the July 4th weekend as a stress test, so I bought a floater and a 7lb bucket of pucks. I put 3 pucks in the floater and bumped my FC to the high end of the normal range. I had a CYA of around 30 so I thought I would use the pucks to raise it to around 40 and use the chlorination to maintain my FC(I'm not to worried about the CYA getting super high. I have been only using Liquid chlorine since the conversion and I do a partial drain to end the season, regardless of chemical system. I also pump out water that gets through the Loop-Loc at least twice in the Autumn and Spring).
I tethered the floater in the middle of the pool and didn't touch it until Saturday morning, when I only had 1ppm of FC. So I moved the tether to in front of my deep-end return, added a 1/2 gallon of LC and left town again. Chlorine was back down to 1 FC on Sunday Afternoon. I untethered the floater, which now hangs out at the skimmer when the pump is on and at the stairs when it is off (I think I'm going to re-tether in front of a return.).
I know the pucks are at least partially working because my pH is lower. My questions are:
1) Without an opaque tarp, opportunity to put on or remove my winter cover, or have a neighbor add LC for me, how do I keep my chlorine in range and not risk an algae bloom when we return?
2) Am I overthinking this since we will be gone for only parts of 5 days?
