how my pool service closed the pool....

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GuinnessPhish

0
Jul 10, 2012
438
Herndon, VA
They drained the water to the appropriate level, blew out the lines, added antifreeze to the lines....

then they added about 2 pounds of dichlor and a bottle of algaecide, and stirred it up a bit with the leaf rake.


Shouldn't they have added the chemicals while the pump was running, before they drained it to the right level? Is it possible for the dichlor to bleach the bottom of the pool?
 
I would have thought adding the chemicals first would have been a good idea to make sure they mix, although then you would be dumping some of it. It is certainly possible for the pool to get faded/stained if the dichlor did not quickly fully dissolve.

Why 2 pounds? What algaecide ... did they now put copper in your pool?

Any reason you did not close yourself following the articles in Pool School?
 
jblizzle said:
I would have thought adding the chemicals first would have been a good idea to make sure they mix, although then you would be dumping some of it. It is certainly possible for the pool to get faded/stained if the dichlor did not quickly fully dissolve.

Why 2 pounds? What algaecide ... did they now put copper in your pool?

Any reason you did not close yourself following the articles in Pool School?
Click to expand...

Not sure why 2 pounds. Not sure what algaecide. I asked if it was polyquat and he said no. I briefly saw the bottle, and all I could see that it said was "algaecide". They added 1 quart of it.

I didn't close the pool myself for a few reasons:

I'm afraid of screwing it up and causing thousands of dollars of damage with a cracked return line or something. I have two small children, so finding the time to close the pool is hard. I like the peace of mind that having a "professional" do it provides....however I definitely want to learn how to do it someday, and have been reading about it. Also, I don't currently own a shop vac or something similar to blow out the lines.


Regardless, at $325 to open and $325 to close, I definitely would like to eliminate that expense ASAP.

So, if it wasn't polyquat algaecide, does than mean it was copper algaecide?
 
GuinnessPhish said:
Not sure why 2 pounds.
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What was your CYA level before this? That 2 pounds may have only added about 13ppm or FC and 12ppm of CYA if there was about 10k gallons. That is not likely shock level FC which is where we recommend to start.

GuinnessPhish said:
So, if it wasn't polyquat algaecide, does than mean it was copper algaecide?
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. Could just have been a linear quat which is not as good as the poly.

If you are going to trust the "professionals" to close and open, then why question their methods?

I am not sure why you would pay someone to open a pool. There is no risk. Hook things back up, remove any plugs, and turn on the pump. Done. Then balance the chemistry.
 
I just edited my signature. Pool is actually 8,000 gallons, not 12,000.

FC before they added dichlor was 6. CYA was 50.


The reason I'm questioning their methods is because I'm trying to learn the right way to do things. I've owned this pool, my first, for a little over two years now, and have been using the BBB method since shortly after I moved in. I didn't know anything about opening or closing a pool, so that's why I continued to use the pool service that the previous owners used.

I also lack the tool to put spring loaded loops on the grommets in the concrete. Any idea where I can get one of those tools?

Once I get that tool, I will definitely try opening the pool up myself next year.
 
So if after draining the pool was 6k, then the 2 pounds of dichlor added 22ppm of FC making it 28ppm. Shock level for a CYA of 50ppm is only 20ppm. BUT, that dichlor also added 20ppm of CYA making it now 70ppm and that FC is right at shock level.

BUT, now your CYA is higher that ideal ... maybe it will lower some over the winter, just do not be surprised when you test in the spring. And certainly do not use more dichlor to open.

I have no idea what tool you are talking about, but I am sure you can buy them. Ask the makers of the cover.
 
Admittedly, if I had to winterize, I would be a bit nervous about doing it as well ... having never done it. But after watching how it is done once, I think I would be ok doing it myself. There are some members that spend $300 on the appropriate blower to clear the lines, which is the cost of 1 closing.

I think opening is less concerning because there is not much potential to damage anything.
 
Hi Guiness. Just so you know, if you don't mind paying for the labor (I personally don't as my skedder versus the autumnal dump of leaves make self-closure problematic not to mention back issues and an older, heavy winter cover) you can just tell the pool techs NO CHEMS, NO ADDITIONS on closing. They knock about $45 off my closing cost ths way and I don't get unintended consequences ;)

At the same time, they warrant the mechanical work, which also suits me fine. And I've had the opportunity to hold them to it on opening (pressure switch on heater).

So, being TFP ones not mean you can't get labor help as needed/desired. It just means you maintain control of th chem/balance/process :)
 
Thanks for all the replies.

Regarding the algaecide, I emailed my service and he said it's regal brand algaecide. I emailed him back asking if he knew if it contained copper or not. In regard to that, is that a big concern? It was only one quart.

I have noticed a slight discoloration at the deep end of the pool over the two+ years I've owned it. It's nothing very visible, but I notice it, and I assume it's probably from the way they close it with the algaecide and dichlor put in the pool without the pump running.
 

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I sell Regal products, it's either a polyquat 30 50 or 60. They do have just a linear one, it's just not as strong as the polyquat. I prefer a non chlorine shock MPS when closing over a dichlor. I drain water just above the returns, then add my polyquat and MPS, circulate it while I blow out an close the skimmer. Then drain below and complete closing process.

As you have taken ownership of your chemistry, why not learn to close it as well. There is no secret about it, it's quite easy. Highly recommend getting a cyclone blower. One opening or closing will cover its cost. Just do yourself up a check list for the order of doing things.
 
GuinnessPhish said:
I also lack the tool to put spring loaded loops on the grommets in the concrete. Any idea where I can get one of those tools?

Once I get that tool, I will definitely try opening the pool up myself next year.
Click to expand...

I picked one up on Amazon (actually sold by third party sellers)

I had my PB close the pool last year. In previous years they had guys that I knew, and the knew my pool do the work. Seems like last year the PB started to hire out the work to other contractors. The guys who ended up doing the work took my Loop Loc tool. I am going to be closing myself this year.
 
I definitely want to try my hand at closing (and opening) the pool...as $650 a year right off the bat is a lot of $.

In regard to closing, I've read the posts on how to do it, and am in the process of reading the entire thread....

I've got a gas heater for the pool...not sure exactly what to do to winterize that as well.

Thanks for the recommendation on the cyclone blower. It looks just like the blower my pool service uses. Looks like you need to purchase some additional accessories with it so it can blow out the lines....
 
I had my local pool company close my pool this year. With the deep freezes we get here, I like the idea that if something MAJOR goes wrong and is broken due to closing, I can point my finger at them. They charge $165, plus an extra 50 if they put on the cover. I specifically instructed them, no chems unless it was Poly 60 and Poly 60 only. The did not however, put any anti-freeze on top of the plugged skimmer. I added almost a gallon to each of them on my own and put the cover on myself. Bicycle seat/post does work as long as the pipe OD and ID work with your anchors.
 
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