Leaving for four days. What to do?

[BowserB]

Pool filled October 2018. For various reasons this is the first time we're going to be away. Four days. I maintain water chemistry and use a SWCG. Pump on Intelliconnect for two run times a day. Normally I have skimmer socks on the two skimmer baskets. With recent pollen storms and my ongoing Wax Myrtles from Heck, I can't leave the skimmer socks more than a day, or a day and a half at most. Four days will be completely full and no water flowing through the socks. I can remove the socks and leave the bottom drain fully open to be sure the pump doesn't run dry. I know I'm a freak here, but does anyone else have this kind of problem? I contacted the pool service that takes care of my next door neighbor's pool on Fridays and asked for just empty the skimmer baskets and skim leaves off the surface of the pool this Friday only. He replied $110 for one time pool cleaning including chemicals (which of course being a TFP person I don't need.) What do you do when you're leaving for a few days?

Thanks. BTW, if you live in Katy, TX, I'll give you $50 to empty my skimmers and skim leaves off my pool surface on Friday!

 

[Texas Splash]

Any trusty neighbor kid that you know who could use a few bucks for just this kind of task? If not, then I'd leave the socks off, keep most water pull from the drain, and go enjoy your time away.

 

[Lineman7]

Personally, I'd throw it over to bottom drain and go have fun. It's just 4 days. Ignore your OCD, lol.

Also, that way you know your covered. Heaven forbid you have someone lined up, something happens and they no show. Now your on vacation flipping out. It's not worth it.

 

[BowserB]

Thanks, guys. The kids in this neighborhood? You're talking a place where the kids have $60k pickup trucks or BMWs and wouldn't consider working for even an hour. I should call the landscape architect who put in Wax Myrtles knowing there would be a pool, and get him to come clean the skimmers. However, relying on the bottom drain does make sense.

News: I texted the pool guy that my chemicals are under control--sent my latest test results and that my SWCG will take care of chlorine. [And, remember he will be here already cleaning my next door neighbor's pool, so I wouldn't even be another stop.] He replied with "OK, I can do it for $40. Does that work for you?" I want him to really do it, though, so I replied to him, "How about $50?" He came back with "LOL, yes sir that will work. Thank you."

Oh, and Lineman7, as soon as I can figure out how to get around OCD, I'll give it a try. My pool is so clean, you could swim in it.

 

[Homebrewale]

While I'm at home, I keep the bottom returns closed so the skimmers do better at skimming. If I go out of town, I open up the bottom returns in case the skimmers get full, especially if it's pollen in a skimmer sock.

 

[Lineman7]

Oh, and Lineman7, as soon as I can figure out how to get around OCD, I'll give it a try. My pool is so clean, you could swim in it.

Luckily I married a very practical, non-ocd woman. I will squirrel out on a project and be spinning wheels, focused on the smallest minute details. She'll come out and just look at it from a simple perspective and say "babe, your stressing out over things nobody is going to realize." It helps me move on and go forward.

 

[BowserB]

While I'm at home, I keep the bottom returns closed so the skimmers do better at skimming. If I go out of town, I open up the bottom returns in case the skimmers get full, especially if it's pollen in a skimmer sock.

Yes. I keep the bottom barely open--just enough to avoid stagnant water in the line. Skimmer socks to a great job of protection the filter from monthly clogging, but I can't go more than a day between cleanings this time of year. Taking the socks off while I'm gone I know is going to let all that little stuff go right to the filter.

 

[Homebrewale]

Yes. I keep the bottom barely open--just enough to avoid stagnant water in the line. Skimmer socks to a great job of protection the filter from monthly clogging, but I can't go more than a day between cleanings this time of year. Taking the socks off while I'm gone I know is going to let all that little stuff go right to the filter.

I can understand pollen season. On a windy day, there are clouds of yellow pollen. You can wash your car and it's covered an hour later. I still put in the skimmer socks because even if they become clogged in one day, it's one extra day that the filter isn't getting clogged. I have a sand filter. During some bad pollen seasons, it can need backwashing itself on a weekly basis.

 

[BowserB]

Luckily I married a very practical, no ocd woman. I will squirrel out on a project and be spinning wheels, focused on the smallest minute details. She'll come out and just look at it from a simple perspective and say "babe, your stressing out over things nobody is going to realize." It helps me move on and go forward.

In my house, believe it or not, I'm the pragmatist. My wife is indecisive and a perfectionist (I'm pretty sure those two conditions are common together). She wants it perfect and often can't decide if it's perfect...yet. I want it done. OTOH, I believe in clean water, minimum major maintenance, and not damaging our unbelievably expensive pool equipment. That's why I use skimmer socks. Clean water but less frequent filter cleaning--since that is major maintenance to me. It's why I keep the CSI below zero for the sake of the SWCG not getting calcium buildup, but above -.6 for the sake of not dissolving the pool walls! I'm pretty sure I work to hard at it, and I know I work harder at it than any of my neighbors with pools!

 

[BowserB]

I can understand pollen season. On a windy day, there are clouds of yellow pollen. You can wash your car and it's covered an hour later. I still put in the skimmer socks because even if they become clogged in one day, it's one extra day that the filter isn't getting clogged. I have a sand filter. During some bad pollen seasons, it can need backwashing itself on a weekly basis.

Exactly. Have to rinse out that gunk every day, but I know that gunk would be on the filter cartridges otherwise. I don't really mind cleaning the cartridges, but it is a pain disassembling and especially reassembling that Pentair filter tank. Really, to avoid shouting words that would get me kicked off Twitter (if I were still on it), it takes two people to conveniently get that clamp back in place. And sometimes even with two people, the language reaches PG-13!

However, we're retired, so our cars when not in use are in the garage, but the yellow dust is on everything else. Patio furniture, patio, front porch and back porch lights, even people if they stand still too long.

 

[Lineman7]

In my house, believe it or not, I'm the pragmatist. My wife is indecisive and a perfectionist (I'm pretty sure those two conditions are common together). She wants it perfect and often can't decide if it's perfect...yet. I want it done. OTOH, I believe in clean water, minimum major maintenance, and not damaging our unbelievably expensive pool equipment. That's why I use skimmer socks. Clean water but less frequent filter cleaning--since that is major maintenance to me. It's why I keep the CSI below zero for the sake of the SWCG not getting calcium buildup, but above -.6 for the sake of not dissolving the pool walls! I'm pretty sure I work to hard at it, and I know I work harder at it than any of my neighbors with pools!

I understand all the above