Pool Will Be Unattended for 19 Days

[CraigSm208]

My pool will be unattended for 19 days in September. I live in Central Illinois.

What should I do with the pool while I’m gone?

1. Should I bring it up to shock level the day before I leave and let the circulation system run as usual? It is on a timer. It would run about 7 hours per day. I have an opaque, automatic cover. So I would probably lose at most 1 ppm of chlorine per day.

2. Should I bring it up to shock level the day before I leave, then shut off the circulation system and let it sit for 19 days? If so, should I drain and clean my DE filter after I shut the circulation system off? Again, the opaque, automatic cover would ensure that I lose at most 1 ppm per day.

3. Other suggestions?

After I return I would get everything up to snuff and then close the pool down for the season.

 

[Bama Rambler]

I'd raise it to shock level and cover it. Let the pump run normally.

It would be nice if you could have a friend or neighbor go buy once a week and check things and add a little FC.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

Do you have a puck feeder? You could do both - raise it to shock and set the puck feeder on a very low flow to add just a touch of FC each day. Your CYA levels will rise but you can deal with that when you are back.