Let’s see your water after removing winter cover!! **RESURRECTED FOR 2025!**

[thefloatqueen]

Taken just now while we have a lil break from this insane wind and rain storms and have some sunshine. It looks SO MUCH WORSE than yesterday haha! Which I expected. Still clear enough to see the specs of dirt up close in person if you look close. Not vacuuming til tomorrow when the winds will be calm and sunshine all day. Here it is in its current state:

 

[thefloatqueen]

You're sitting pretty.

Do recognize you'll lose some FC per day now that it's open, but the days are still short and the sun angle low, so it might only be something silly like 1/4 FC per day. Test it weekly and add/brush as necessary.

You'll have it fired up long before you need to anyway.

Oh I already know. But that cheap cover was NOT surviving the winds from yesterday and today. Opening will be completed this week some time, so I can actually run the pump and filter. For me, this is considered a TROUBLED pool lmao

 

[Newdude]

For me, this is considered a TROUBLED pool lmao

It'll be sparkle ready in no time. Its 98% there already.

 

[thefloatqueen]

popped the auto cover for a peek last week when it was 70F. Here in Indiana its 78F yesterday, but will be 45 tomorrow and probably snow in April. Water was crystal clear (sorry did not take a photo) with a few leaves. Water temp was 48F.

Plan on opening 1st or 2nd week of May

Can’t wait to see!

 

[thefloatqueen]

I did it both ways and it wasn't that bad. For refrence, my 80+ oaks were so bad that I invented the leafdozer9000 for moving piles once I blew them waist high. I really don't want to hear how 'bad' anyone else's is if they didn't need to invent a leaf dozer.

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When the pollen strings were falling, I needed to dump both skimmer baskets before and after work for 2 to 3 weeks. That's it. Mildly annoying at worst. The pool may have been a little cloudy for the time if it was a bad pollen year. The 500 carts handled it fine and didn't even need a cleaning after, but i cleaned them anyway so I slept better about it.

WHAT IS THIS INVENTION?! How can you see over the wooden cart? I would need a booster seat. I’d be blind as a bat and destroy everything in my path!

 

[Homebrewale]

Pollen season is BRUTAL!!!! I don’t know if you use skimmer socks or not, but they are a lifesaver! Yes, a lot of it will still get through the socks and the filter, but I am always amazed when I go outside daily to change the skimmer sock. It collects a huge amount of pollen and other junk that would otherwise make its way into the filter. I have a cartridge filter, though. My first filtration system was sand. Kept my pool beautiful but it wasn’t as good with pollen. Your answer totally makes sense!

I do use skimmer socks (actually hair nets) and need to change them daily.

 

[Homebrewale]

One advantage you have with your above ground pool is that worms don't crawl up the sides. When I do take my cover off, I know the bottom will be covered in worms.

 

[Mdragger88]

That’s how I see it. I stuck my arm in as deep as I could and got a sample. I was at about 3ppm chlorine and 7.2ph. Maybe not accurate but it tells me that there’s probably not much time before the chlorine runs out. That’s why as soon as I can, I’m going to get the pump running and feed it some chlorine. With a sheet of ice on top and the cover shading the water, I think I have a bit more time but I don’t want to push it. I had to slam last year at opening and would like to prevent that this year.

Do you close at slam level?

 

[Mdragger88]

Taken just now while we have a lil break from this insane wind and rain storms and have some sunshine. It looks SO MUCH WORSE than yesterday haha! Which I expected. Still clear enough to see the specs of dirt up close in person if you look close. Not vacuuming til tomorrow when the winds will be calm and sunshine all day. Here it is in its current state:

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It’s looking fabulous

 

[Poolnerdgrandma]

Immediately after pulling off solar bubble cover.

 

[Mdragger88]

I peeked under my cover a couple days ago when getting a sample and it looks pretty clean. Fc is chilling at 14ppm.
Down from 17ppm on Dec 31
Started at 24ppm Nov 4 (closing day)
Water temp was 56 so I have a little time but I went ahead and added a few hours of water. Got a few hours more to go to get her full. With all the water i have pumped out through the cover I am sure i will need alot of salt this year. My cya has dropped from 60 to approximately 30 (unmixed sample of course). Its the first time that’s ever happened.
I am contemplating coating my cover with flex seal (rolling it on) bad idea?

 

[Newdude]

I am contemplating coating my cover with flex seal (rolling it on) bad idea?

900 sq ft of coating would cost more than the cover.

Then you'd have to pray that when it eventually came off, it did so in easy to grab sheets.

 

[lmnconn]

We only cover with a leaf cover so we get a lot of dirt. Took leaf cover off last week water was clear, but dirt (and worms) on bottom. Then we had tornadoes and strong winds Friday night and got tons of leaves and more dirt. Luckily, tornado didn’t drop down in our valley and hit us. We just had high wind, hail and lots of rain. Dipped the leaves out which stirred up the dirt! Set up pump and filter yesterday and ran overnight. The stirred up dirt settled and filtered out. This is what I have today. Didn’t catch it with the sun shining, but I’m in pretty good shape. Didn’t test all the numbers, but happy with the ones I did test.
FC 2
CC 0
CYA 30
pH 7.5
Salt 2000

I added salt and stabilizer.
Water temp is 57° and SWG is actually working. Supposed to be around 80° here tomorrow and then up and down temps for the next two weeks. I’m usually the first to open around here every year, but would rather open early and keep clear water instead of waiting and having green!

 

[pb4uswim]

Do you close at slam level?

Yes. But, I have a safety cover that lets rain water through it so the dilutes the water. I’m not sure if there’s any other reason the chlorine would get used up.

 

[thefloatqueen]

Immediately after pulling off solar bubble cover.

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Beautiful!! And the ocean in the background? Can I come vacation at your house?

 

[thefloatqueen]

I peeked under my cover a couple days ago when getting a sample and it looks pretty clean. Fc is chilling at 14ppm.
Down from 17ppm on Dec 31
Started at 24ppm Nov 4 (closing day)
Water temp was 56 so I have a little time but I went ahead and added a few hours of water. Got a few hours more to go to get her full. With all the water i have pumped out through the cover I am sure i will need alot of salt this year. My cya has dropped from 60 to approximately 30 (unmixed sample of course). Its the first time that’s ever happened.
I am contemplating coating my cover with flex seal (rolling it on) bad idea?

 

[Newdude]

Just do it

I just, a moment ago, pulled the 1st tick of the season crawling up my leg.

 

[thefloatqueen]

^^^^^ My GIF above is referring to taking the cover off, not the flex seal. I don’t know anything about all that haha

 

[thefloatqueen]

I just, a moment ago, pulled the 1st tick of the season crawling up my leg.

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Dang it. I have 3 dogs and woods behind my house. I thought we had a lil more time. If I could start a tick genocide, I would. Hate those lil buggers!

 

[Poolnerdgrandma]

Beautiful!! And the ocean in the background? Can I come vacation at your house?

It pays to have a good friend who is an artist when you build a ridonculous garage-mahal right next to your pool!