I’m getting ready to close my pool soon and I’m wondering if I should increase CH since it is only 200 and increase CYA since it is only 30 since these values will likely go down over the winter because of the rain addition. I normally have to drain water out every month or two to keep the water level below the tiles all winter. Water temperature is already down to 65 degrees so I wasn’t sure if CH increaser and stabilizer would dissolve very well in cold water. I can’t run the pump at night after adding these powdered chemicals because so many leaves are blowing into the pool right now. I’m particularly worried about closing with such a low CH level since I’ve read that low CH can cause staining and I get a lot of leaves in my pool over the winter which could potentially stain the pool. Since CH and CYA will likely go down more because of the water addition, should I increase CH and CYA levels before closing or should I go ahead and close since these chemicals might not dissolve very well in cold water?
Low CH and CYA before closing
- Thread starter poolnewbie4
- Start date
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,992
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
CH - no. 200 is plenty for fiberglass, and if drops more that's no problem either. CYA is likely to go down over the winter, so I would be more inclined to close with a CYA of 40-50.
Will stabilizer dissolve slowly in 60 degree water if I decide to increase CYA before closing to compensate for the CYA drop over the winter? If so, would it be worth the added cost to buy a gallon of liquid conditioner which should get CYA close to 50? I can’t run the pump at night right now or dissolve the CYA in the skimmer because my skimmer fills up with leaves quickly so I will need to dissolve the CYA in the daytime. I also need to know if I should close with a higher PH than normal because of the low CH level. I plugged my numbers into the pool calculator, and it says that CSI will be more favorable when PH is higher and I assume that PH will go down over the winter since mesh covers let rain into the pool. I’ve got tile to protect but I try to keep the water level below the tiles by pumping water out periodically. PH is 7.8-8.0 now and I normally lower it to 7.4-7.6 at closing before adding polyquat but I wondered if I should be doing this year since my calcium level is lower than usual and PH will likely go down over the winter.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,992
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Unless you have a waterline tile, CSI really doesn't apply to our FG pools, so don't worry about that. I would lower the pH as recommended to help prevent scale, As for the CYA, granular or liquid, either will work based on product availability, time, etc.
If it was my pool in TN, I would leave CYA alone for the winter. You will be consuming FAR LESS chlorine over the winter. Then, start to bring it up to around 50-60 in the Spring.
So, maybe a dumb question, but is CYA even needed after closing if the pool is covered?
Generally, yes. CYA is an excellent buffer to chlorine's harshness. You certainly don't need much of it in a winterized, covered pool just like you need very little chlorine in there, either. I would suggest a minimum of 20-30 ppm to treat your pool water over the winter.