pool closing in California, pump run time? Leslies polyquat?

[Mike in CA]

Hello,

I have had a great summer using the BBB method, SLAM, and testing free chlorine. I bought the test kit recommended and it was great, so was the stir thing for the water tests.

Now it is time to shut things down. The trees still have all their leaves but that will change in the next 30 days.

Can I use the leslie brand of polyquat?
http://www.lesliespool.com/Home/Pool-Ch ... 14025.html

Do I need some sort of minimal pump run time?
What about Chlorine? do I maintain some level all winter? even after water temp is below 60 degrees?

Nightime temps will get to freezing but not much below, and my pump has a freeze feature, and I may use some old bubbly cover to wrap the filter, pump and exposed pipes.

Thanks in advance, !

Mike

 

[chem geek]

Re: pool closing in California, pump run time? Leslies polyq

You don't need to use Polyquat if you keep your pool pump running over the winter and add chlorine periodically to maintain the FC level. You should find a much lower daily chlorine loss rate especially if you cover the pool so that it is not exposed to sunlight. I find that when the water gets colder at 50ºF that with no sunlight exposure the chlorine loss rate drops to 1 ppm FC every 2 weeks. So it becomes very easy to maintain the pool with infrequent dosing. Even without a cover, the amount of sunlight is significantly less this time of year.

 

[mas985]

Re: pool closing in California, pump run time? Leslies polyq

"Northern California" constitutes an extremely wide range of climates so it is difficult to advise you with just that information. But I can tell you what Pleasanton, CA is like during the winter.

During the winter, I usually reduce run time to about 2 hours per day (1 hour full speed, 1 hour low speed).

When water temps drop below 50 degrees and the SWG shuts off, I will sometimes shut off the pump until air/water temps warm up a bit. Chlorine usually carries over during that period and algae doesn't grow very fast so it isn't much of an issue.

We get freezing temps below 32F but only for a few hours per night and no more than 8 hours per night which I found is not enough time to freeze the water in the pipes or equipment so I don't bother with freeze protection. However, your climate may be different.

 

[Richard320]

Re: pool closing in California, pump run time? Leslies polyq

If you choose to use polyquat, that Leslie's stuff will work.

I don't have to worry about freezing where I live - we might see frost a couple times a year, but that's it --so I don't actually close my pool. It just gets too cold to use and too expensive to heat. I end up running the pump only about two hours a day, plus whatever it gets when I vacuum. Chlorine usage goes waaaay down, even without a cover. I found the bubble cover to be more work than it was worth; it didn't really keep much debris out, it just held it there until the cover needed removing, and then it all went in at once. Without a cover, I can vacuum whenever I think the pool needs it without wrestling with the darn thing. And if something needs attention, I'm more likely to see it if there's no cover on the pool.