How much chlorine are you using to open your pool, and what average temp do you normally do it?

[caliskier]

I live in Oklahoma City and opened my pool April 1st and it was not pea green, but you could only see about 6 feet down in an 8 foot deep pool and it was a light shade of green. I have gone through 16 jugs of 10% chlorine aI am going to buy 24 more tomorrow in hopes I dont need all of them and will use them off and on throughout the next 6 months.

1. Is this normal? To use this much?
2. Should I be opening the pool earlier?

 

[Mdragger88]

1. It is normal to go through ALOT of liquid chlorine during a
SLAM Process to eradicate algae if that’s what you’re doing.
2. If the water temp is below 60 degrees when you opened you’re likely not opening too late. Rather If the water temp is 60 degrees or above when you closed you’re closing too soon.
Be sure to follow the closing guide to ensure you’re closing algae free by doing an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to confirm
& that your fc level remains above minimum for your cya until you open to prevent algae from occurring.
If you have intermittent spells of warm weather throughout the off season its a good idea to grab a sample occasionally & add fc if necessary to get you through.
Algae growth is slowed at temps below 60 but not completely eradicated so you must shore your bets with sufficient fc levels.
I am in the south & close around Halloween @ slam level
FC/CYA Levels with the water temp 60 & falling
& open in the beginning of April before water temp rises above 60 just as outlined in the guide. I always open to target fc levels or above with clear water. I check my fc level around Christmas before the pool freezes & then again in February after things thaw out since we have wild temperature swings around here.

Closing an In Ground Pool

Winterizing a pool is essential for keeping your in-ground pool protected during cold-weather months. This Pool Repair guide will show you how to do it.

www.google.com

Liquid chlorine does degrade over time so ensure you purchased fresh stuff via the date code & confirm that it’s actually reaching your target with testing.

 

[Mdragger88]

Can you share your latest test results or your
PoolMath logs?

 

[caliskier]

1. It is normal to go through ALOT of liquid chlorine during a
SLAM Process to eradicate algae if that’s what you’re doing.
2. If the water temp is below 60 degrees when you opened you’re likely not opening too late. Rather If the water temp is 60 degrees or above when you closed you’re closing too soon.
Be sure to follow the closing guide to ensure you’re closing algae free by doing an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to confirm
& that your fc level remains above minimum for your cya until you open to prevent algae from occurring.
If you have intermittent spells of warm weather throughout the off season its a good idea to grab a sample occasionally & add fc if necessary to get you through.
Algae growth is slowed at temps below 60 but not completely eradicated so you must shore your bets with sufficient fc levels.
I am in the south & close around Halloween @ slam level
FC/CYA Levels with the water temp 60 & falling
& open in the beginning of April before water temp rises above 60 just as outlined in the guide. I always open to target fc levels or above with clear water. I check my fc level around Christmas before the pool freezes & then again in February after things thaw out since we have wild temperature swings around here.

Closing an In Ground Pool

Winterizing a pool is essential for keeping your in-ground pool protected during cold-weather months. This Pool Repair guide will show you how to do it.

www.google.com

Liquid chlorine does degrade over time so ensure you purchased fresh stuff via the date code & confirm that it’s actually reaching your target with testing.

Thanks 88!

Ok, I am so dumb! I just finished writing this whole post and then went out to check the chlorine level one last time... i have been doing it wrong for 2 days! Was not dividing by 2 with my ppm count, so i had half the required chlorine in there. My wife took over today while I was a work and no wonder we have it leveled off now... Anyway, below is what I said before i realized this, and I am curious about your closing procedures.

1. Yes that is what I am doing
2. The temp according to the chlorine generator when we opened the pool was 57, now 62, 2 days later with the cover off and warm days
2. Closing.... That may be where my trouble is... How do you keep your FC above minimum until opening when the pool is covered and the pump is off? You always open to target FC level or above? How are you doing that? How often do you add chlorine to the pool when its closed up and how do you mix it?

Here are my numbers..

I think we have it laying flat.
Temp = 62
Salt = 3100
CH = 300
TA = 120
PH = 7.3
Chlorine = 24 Combined Chlorine = 2 Total Chlorine = 26
CYA 40

 

[Mdragger88]

To confirm-
Slam level fc for a cya of 40 is 16ppm
FC/CYA Levels
Going higher than that just wastes chlorine & risks damage to people, equipment & surfaces.

For closing you want the water temp to be 60 degrees & falling. For me this usually happens around Halloween, sometimes a tad later.
Since I have a swg my cya level is generally around 70 or 80 so my slam level is either 28 or 31 at closing.
I clean the pool (the robot does), raise to slam level, do an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to ensure I am algae free, then close it up, I have a solid tarp style cover. I also keep my cover pumped off so I can easily peel it back a little if I need to peek.
I check fc throughout the off season (usually around Christmas & again in February) but I have never had to add fc. This year @ my February check I had 19ppm fc. We have had a warm March my fc is now down to 10ppm. So it’s time to get going!
With the cover on blocking the light & the water temp well below 60 degrees fc lasts a long time if you have no algae to begin with.
Most of my fc is usually lost between closing & the Christmas check likely due to the fact that higher fc levels deplete faster and more temp fluctuations during that time in my area. We’ve had 80 degree Christmas in the past- you just never know!
The later you can close the better.
The earlier you can open the better.
I personally like to do what I call “soft” closing & opening where I put the cover on before the leaves really start dropping & it’s too cold to swim but I am still running the pool as the water temp is right at 60 but the ambient temp is still fluctuating a bit. I can easily peel back the cover & add liquid chlorine/run my swg or throw my robot in etc. then a week or two later I fully raise to slam, lower the water & button every thing up before the risk of freezing.
At opening I repeat the process in reverse, I hook up the plumbing, raise the water, & get everything going, add salt to get the swg going etc (i am doing this now). Then in a week or so I will remove the cover after the majority of the dangly things & pods have fallen. I hate fighting with the debris daily when it’s too cold to enjoy the pool!

How ever you choose do it all the bases need to be covered:
*Water Temp 60 or below & falling
*Raise to Slam level for your cya
FC/CYA Levels
*ensure you’re clean & algae free with
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
* check fc levels periodically during the offseason & replenish if necessary especially if the ambient temp has fluctuated a bit (it’s worth 5 minutes of your time in the off season to ensure you don’t open to a swamp)

 

[caliskier]

To confirm-
Slam level fc for a cya of 40 is 16ppm
FC/CYA Levels
Going higher than that just wastes chlorine & risks damage to people, equipment & surfaces.

For closing you want the water temp to be 60 degrees & falling. For me this usually happens around Halloween, sometimes a tad later.
Since I have a swg my cya level is generally around 70 or 80 so my slam level is either 28 or 31 at closing.
I clean the pool (the robot does), raise to slam level, do an
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test to ensure I am algae free, then close it up, I have a solid tarp style cover. I also keep my cover pumped off so I can easily peel it back a little if I need to peek.
I check fc throughout the off season (usually around Christmas & again in February) but I have never had to add fc. This year @ my February check I had 19ppm fc. We have had a warm March my fc is now down to 10ppm. So it’s time to get going!
With the cover on blocking the light & the water temp well below 60 degrees fc lasts a long time if you have no algae to begin with.
Most of my fc is usually lost between closing & the Christmas check likely due to the fact that higher fc levels deplete faster and more temp fluctuations during that time in my area. We’ve had 80 degree Christmas in the past- you just never know!
The later you can close the better.
The earlier you can open the better.
I personally like to do what I call “soft” closing & opening where I put the cover on before the leaves really start dropping & it’s too cold to swim but I am still running the pool as the water temp is right at 60 but the ambient temp is still fluctuating a bit. I can easily peel back the cover & add liquid chlorine/run my swg or throw my robot in etc. then a week or two later I fully raise to slam, lower the water & button every thing up before the risk of freezing.
At opening I repeat the process in reverse, I hook up the plumbing, raise the water, & get everything going, add salt to get the swg going etc (i am doing this now). Then in a week or so I will remove the cover after the majority of the dangly things & pods have fallen. I hate fighting with the debris daily when it’s too cold to enjoy the pool!

How ever you choose do it all the bases need to be covered:
*Water Temp 60 or below & falling
*Raise to Slam level for your cya
FC/CYA Levels
*ensure you’re clean & algae free with
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
* check fc levels periodically during the offseason & replenish if necessary especially if the ambient temp has fluctuated a bit (it’s worth 5 minutes of your time in the off season to ensure you don’t open to a swamp)

88!
Thanks on the confirmation, noted brother!
Ok your cover... is it a black tarp style that completely blocks out all the light or is it a fabric cover with the springs to hold it down? Mine is the later. If it is a black tarp cover, does the sunlight not heat up the pool?

 

[Mdragger88]

Mine is blue on the top (they come in various colors) but it’s basically a big round tarp. I don’t guess it heats the water up anymore than any other - i have nothing to compare it to as that is always the type I have used.
I have not ever needed to add fc during the offseason (although I do still check it) but I do add sometimes when doing my “soft opening/closing” & i just loosen my rope & peel the cover back a little, pour slowly away from the cover & pool wall & mix it well with a brush. You can also throw a submersible pump in to circulate a bit. You would need to undo a corner in the shallow end.
If your cover (i am assuming its a safety type cover) allows light & water/debris in you may want to shore your bets with polyquat at closing & also do periodic checks throughout the off season. Some people choose to add a tarp cover over the top of those or under to help prevent the swampy swamp. This will require you to keep the water pumped off the cover. The colder it is when closing & opening the less chance you have of opening to a swamp & more chance of opening to an oasis

 

[caliskier]

Mine is blue on the top (they come in various colors) but it’s basically a big round tarp. I don’t guess it heats the water up anymore than any other - i have nothing to compare it to as that is always the type I have used.
I have not ever needed to add fc during the offseason (although I do still check it) but I do add sometimes when doing my “soft opening/closing” & i just loosen my rope & peel the cover back a little, pour slowly away from the cover & pool wall & mix it well with a brush. You can also throw a submersible pump in to circulate a bit. You would need to undo a corner in the shallow end.
If your cover (i am assuming its a safety type cover) allows light & water/debris in you may want to shore your bets with polyquat at closing & also do periodic checks throughout the off season. Some people choose to add a tarp cover over the top of those or under to help prevent the swampy swamp. This will require you to keep the water pumped off the cover. The colder it is when closing & opening the less chance you have of opening to a swamp & more chance of opening to an oasis

88 you have taught me today. Thanks for your time to explain this to me.

 

[Mdragger88]

88 you have taught me today. Thanks for your time to explain this to me.

No problem- the only silly questions are the ones you don’t ask! Hopefully with a few tweaks you can open TFP clear from now on
How Clear is TFP Clear?