Ignoring Pool When it's Closed

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PoolGate

PoolGate

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TFP Guide
Jun 7, 2017
9,121
Damascus, MD
Pool Size
29000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Jandy Aquapure 1400
Does anyone just totally ignore their pool when it's closed? I have so far this year I usually check on it but just been too busy. I went and looked today and the water level is almost up to the top of the coping. My neighbor 100% ignores his pool while closed has never once done a single thing to it in the off season. But I just cannot bring myself to leave this and was going to go and put the sump on it and drain 2k gallons or so out.
 
I regularly pump my cover off & scoop the leaves from it. Takes about 10 minutes a month. About 1/2 way thru the winter i do a fc check- which i did day before yesterday. I don’t like to open to surprises.
 
I have ignored my pool most years. But as we have had climate change in the Northeast with more rain then snow I check the water level and pump some out if it gets close to the tile line. I had to do it last year and it looks like it will be needed this year.

In years past when it would snow and freeze by mid-December and any precipitation would be snow until late February the frozen pool could be ignored. Once the cover is under snow it is ignored. We have not had a winter like that in the Northeast in a few years.
 
"What were you doing when a leak developed in your pool and it drained to the ground?"

Oh, I was ignoring it

"What were you doing when little Fluffy did a header into your pool and couldn't get out for 3 hours?"

Oh, I was ignoring it.

I know that IS NOT EXACTLY what you mean but I would suggest you never ignore your pool......never know what you might see with just a walk-around.
 
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duraleigh said:
"What were you doing when little Fluffy did a header into your pool and couldn't get out for 3 hours?"

Oh, I was ignoring it.
Click to expand...
Wow, that is a great point Dave. A drowned raccoon or something else could really mess things up with 3/4 of the winter to fester. For anybody without a safety cover at least. And there was that foreclosure house pool that they found a deer in however many years later.
 
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I am currently completely ignoring my pool. :LOL:
full


On a more serious note, it’s been less than a year and yes, I started ignoring it (not testing/adding chlorine) once I thought the temps where low enough. I still had the pump running, and would scoop leaves once in a while. We had a warmer spell and the pool started getting a faint but definite green tint. Took it to SLAM for a couple days and it cleared up, then I ignored it again (this is all in my viewable logs if anyone is curious). Temps dropped and water stayed clear. I continued studiously ignoring it to the point I switched the pump to 24/7 running so that on nights it dipped below freezing it wouldn’t freeze the pump. I was then able to keep ignoring it until I woke up one morning when it was like 25 out and noticed the pool surface had a thin layer of ice. The intakes were freezing (skimmer not in use) and when broke the thin surface ice and froze my hand removing ice from the intakes it started immediately freezing at the intakes again. The forecast didn’t go above 30 that day or any of the next few days, and nights dipped down almost to 10. I had successfully ignored till I could no longer ignore it any additional length of time. I delayed going to work for an hour while I froze my hands draining the pump/filter and dragging them inside and getting a submersible utility pump and hose set up to drain the water. My wife, who was home that day, watched the water and pulled the pump out when drained enough.

Good news is after that event I have been able to ignore the pool entirely, with zero concern of any algae or other growth at the moment. :rolleyes: :LOL:
 
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I monitor my pool daily from a window. I check the water level after a couple
rains. If the water has no ice, I drain it if needed. I can use just a siphon to drain
which is a plus.

-Bigpaws
 
I drained some out today. It’s winter, but it’s been warm enough in Michigan that its not frozen and the level was getting too high. While doing the pumping, I also checked the chlorine. It’s still plenty so that’s good. First winter for me and the pool. Wanted to ignore it but I just can’t seem to do that.
 
New (to me) pool, and it's SE Texas, so I'm out there every couple days playing around pretending I know everything there is to know about maintaining a pool. ;) Honestly it's just a nice break from being indoors at work all day, so when I pull in the garage I'll greet the family and head out the back door for a bit until dinner time. I'm just not an indoors kinda guy.
 
superuser said:
New (to me) pool, and it's SE Texas
Click to expand...
Get all your practice and questions out of the way in the easy, less maintenance season and you’ll long be a pro by the time it matters and gets a little more difficult. Smart. (y)
 
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Here in Northern California, SF Bay Area, temperatures rarely go below freezing, little or no rain until it finally starts. Mostly light rain for a day or more, then we had a couple of storms dropping lots of rain (ok nothing compared to East or midwest) which did add 2 " to the pool. Stopped adding chlorine around December. Watched it weekly.
Covered by a bubble wrap, leaves still managed to get under it. Water temp holding at 53 deg. Washed off the cover and rolled it back. After checking, added some chlorine and muriatic to lower Ph before letting Dolphin clean up debris.
More algea than expected so dumped in chlorine to SLAM. Brushed and vacuumed again today, keeping the SLAM going as it is still a bit cloudy.
Have it covered to reduce water loss from evaporation.
Glad I checked to avoid the green swamp of previous year.
 
I just do a quick look to make sure everything looks normal and pump excess water off the cover when needed. I don’t check the water at all.
 
Last edited:
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This might be me in the next few days 🥶🥶 if we get the ice storm/ polar vortex whatever they’re talking about. I hope not though ...
 

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