To open or not to open?

Northern cannonball · Mar 22, 2023

Hi TFP folks,

I'm looking forward to another pool season!

My dilemma however is when to open my pool this year. We are planning a week long family vacation towards the end of May. If I open the pool before that then the pool would be unattended for one week. I'd need to bring the pool to slam levels and shut down the equipment while we are gone.

Alternatively I hold off on opening the pool until May 29th, but of course that means missing out on some early May swimming should the good weather come early this year. Also opening around this time may be risky if it is warm and algae starts to develop. I am located in southern Ontario (Canada), so perhaps the water temperature won't hit 60 degrees or so before I open.

Thoughts or suggestions?

thanks!

proavia · Mar 22, 2023

Why do you need to shut the equipment off in your absence?
You have a SWG that will keep the pool chlorinated (as long as the equipment is running).

Any chance a friend or neighbor can swing by half way thru your absence to empty the skimmer basket?

Northern cannonball · Mar 22, 2023

proavia said:
Why do you need to shut the equipment off in your absence?
You have a SWG that will keep the pool chlorinated (as long as the equipment is running).

Any chance a friend or neighbor can swing by half way thru your absence to empty the skimmer basket?

We have a few pine trees that drop needles non-stop it would seem

They clog up the skimmer real quick.
No neighbors or friends in the area that could help out.

mknauss · Mar 22, 2023

Do you have a main drain?

Northern cannonball · Mar 22, 2023

mknauss said:
Do you have a main drain?

No I do not.

Newdude · Mar 23, 2023

Welcome back NC !!!!

There are a couple styles of skimmer guards that will protect against clogging while you're away.

One of em
Another one

The SWG will do the rest because they're thoughtful little buggars like that. Set it a bit higher than you need when you leave in case the daily demand increases while you're away. You have leeway for it to over produce up to SLAM and you'll come home to clear water.

mgtfp · Mar 23, 2023

There are also DIY options for skimmer guards, as described in the TFP wiki:

Skimmer Guards - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

I built one of them to prevent ducklings getting sucked into the skimmer when we had a duck nesting next to the pool:

Skimmer Leaf Trap

Skimmer Leaf Trap: The Problem: Leaves floating on the surface of the pool will clog your skimmers. The tannins in the leaves turn your skimmer basket and piping brown. And then, when you clean out the skimmer, stray leaves get sucked down the pipe. The Solution: I us…

www.instructables.com

Using it now when away from home for longer than just a weekend to stop the skimmer basket from filling.

I used a plastic gutter guard cable-tied to the PVC pipe frame that is fine enough to keep most leaves/needles out.

Use the skimmer guard for a while before your holidays to learn how reliable it works under your circumstances.

Northern cannonball · Mar 23, 2023

Newdude said:
Welcome back NC !!!!

There are a couple styles of skimmer guards that will protect against clogging while you're away.

One of em
Another one

The SWG will do the rest because they're thoughtful little buggars like that. Set it a bit higher than you need when you leave in case the daily demand increases while you're away. You have leeway for it to over produce up to SLAM and you'll come home to clear water.

Thanks Newdude! Good to be back. Our winters are too long