Season nearing an end...next steps for 1st timer?

[jcrew6311]

Well, we got our Costco pool back in March, learned some great lessons from here after struggling to maintain it into June. Ever since I began understanding balancing levels, it has truly been a "TFP" since June! Every night I just go out and toss some liquid chlorine in, vacuum and scrub once a week, backwash once a week or 2, and add muriatic acid every few weeks and it's been perfect.

We have about 1 month left and I've got some decisions to make. The pool itself is a bit unlevel and has had some wrinkles from the beginning that I'd like to straighten out. With chlorine prices rapidly rising, I'm considering my options over winter...

Do I drain completely, get it more level, fix the wrinkles the best I can, then fill up, cover with a cover and not look at it again until next March?

Do I leave it the way it is and just maintain chlorine levels through winter with cover off?

Do I leave it the way it is, put cover on it and not look until March?

Do I drain completely to level and remove wrinkles, fill back up and then continue to maintain over Winter?

I guess my biggest issue with refilling and not maintaining it over winter is I'd hate to see brand new water just go green. However, chlorine around here is like $6/gallon and I burn through a gallon in like 2-3 days. That's a lot of money to spend from November-March for something I won't even be using (However, a slam in March won't be cheap either...)

I trust you all though so just tell me and I'll go with it.

 

[ajw22]

Your chlorine demand will drop a lot as the water temperature drops. I think you will use less than a gallon of chlorine every 2 weeks or so. Especially if you put a cover on the pool and keep the sun off of it.

My vote is to fix the problems with the pool and refill it when water is available in your area. Maintain the FC which will be less over the winter.

@mknauss will have a better sense of what your FC demand will be in the winter.

 

[mknauss]

Arizona has quite a few climate zones. Which one are you in? A city really helps.

 

[jcrew6311]

Arizona has quite a few climate zones. Which one are you in? A city really helps.

Basically Phoenix.

 

[mknauss]

OK -- so no winter. If you leave the pool up, you will need to maintain it through out the winter. It will get down to adding a few ppm of FC a week. Maybe some acid. You can cover it if you want, but really does little good. Run the pump a couple hours a day. That will start in mid to late November and by late February you need to start maintaining it more often.

 

[HeidiP]

What is your stabilizer (CYA) at if you're using that much chlorine? We are under oaks so I get caterpillars, pollen, acorns, then leaves, which makes my chlorine needs go up - but if you don't have constant incursions of stuff... you may need to vacuum better / more often.

 

[jcrew6311]

What is your stabilizer (CYA) at if you're using that much chlorine? We are under oaks so I get caterpillars, pollen, acorns, then leaves, which makes my chlorine needs go up - but if you don't have constant incursions of stuff... you may need to vacuum better / more often.

I actually did just up it some. It was at 30 and I added about 20 more ppm. Maybe that will allow it to hold longer.

 

[mknauss]

In Arizona, in the summer months, a minimum CYA of 50, even 60, ppm is necessary. Under that level you will have large FC daily losses.

As we enter fall/winter, a lower CYA of 40 or 50 ppm will be OK until April.