Pool Prep for 3-Week Vacation

KenKasza · Aug 3, 2023

Hello ya’ll
I have been TFP’d for just about 2 months now and my pool looks, feels, smells (lack of smell) beautiful.
My current test results as of Aug 2, 7:30PM Central
FC: 8.5
CC: 0.0
pH: 7.4
TA: 60
CH: 360
CYA: 60
SALT: 3400
BOR: 44
TEMP: 90F
CSI: -0.49

I’m planning to depart on a 3 week vacation and will not have anyone tending the pool while away. I was hoping folks with experience can chime in and let me know what to expect when I return.

CH, CYA, SALT, and Borate levels are stable and I do not expect any changes.

Concerning FC, pH, and TA: I plan to do the following before I depart:
1. Drop FC down to ~7ppm, knowing that my SWCG slowly increases my FC level by about 1ppm per week. Expect this to be ~10ppm, maybe a bit higher, upon return. I don’t see that being any issue.
2. Shut off my fountain and my 3 vertical bubblers to minimize aeration.
3. Drop pH to 7.2. The addition of MA will also lower my TA a bit as well.

My questions:
What should I expect my pH and TA to do during the 3-weeks I’m gone? Yes..Rise...but how much?
Is there anything else I should consider doing?
Will high pH (above 8.0) damage anything that quick (guessing above 8.0 and rising for 2-weeks). Or will the borate keep things under control.
Will TA remain within a satisfactory range. If not, will that be a major issue?

Thanks in advance for all your support.

jark87 · Aug 3, 2023

I’ve been gone for 3 weeks once and pH was over 8 upon return, but I don’t think it was there long enough to be concerned over it. Like you, I lowered it before leaving, so it had a couple of days to get back to normal and from there, at least a week to get up to 8. I don’t recall any real variance to TA.

As far as FC goes, I personally wouldn’t change anything. I actually bring my pool to SLAM level with bleach or LC before leaving as a precautionary measure. If I came home to FC at 15+, I’d be fine with that. FC loss is my primary worry, other than the pump failing. And I also cover my pool when gone for extended periods. Our pool is surrounded by trees, so there’s always stuff falling in and the skimmer baskets can fill up quickly. Last, I have a fill line that’s on my sprinkler system. Depending on the time of year, I’ll program it to fill once a week or so. I added a Rachio controller earlier this year, so that may help prevent filling if there’s rain. Haven’t tested that yet.

Enjoy your vacation!

KenKasza · Aug 3, 2023

@jark87
Thanks. Concerning evaporation, I have an auto fill valve that seems to work well. Allows water to seep in as needed. On the opposite spectrum, If we had a large rain storm my pool would over fill. I have no overfill port due to back washing issues.
I have no backup if the pump fails. I'll let that dog lye for now.
I do have a bubble wrap blue cover that covers about 80% of the pool surface. It blows around in the wind, bunches up, and even gets blown out of the pool on windy days. No good way to strap it in place at the moment. Kind of a safety hazard if someone were to fall in the pool on the cover and not be noticed. I think I'll forgo the cover until I can come up with a better one.

Maybe I'm just worrying about the small stuff. 3-weeks might not be an issue if chemistry is set properly before leaving.

BDY · Aug 3, 2023

Your pool can safely go to at least slam level, so it depends on your cya.

You could do as you said and start and target and let it raise 21 points, or you can start high and reduce your SWG somewhat to let it hover high or drift down. My vote would be the former. You can always turn off the cell for a day or two when you return and let the FC fall down.

My 2 cents

mknauss · Aug 3, 2023

When we leave for more than a week in the summer and have no one to add some acid, I float one or two tablets in a floating chlorinator. They are acidic, so that helps the pH and TA, they add some FC in case we have a pump or SWCG blip, and they add some CYA, which I slowly lose over the summer due to high UV.

Be careful of the skimmer basket getting full. You can adjust your water suction to pull mostly from the main drain, if possible. Will have to clean up the pool when you get home.

KenKasza · Aug 4, 2023

@BDY @mknauss
Thanks for the advise. Before I went the TFP method I would leave and just didn't think anything about it. Ignorance was bliss. Just cleaned the pool when I got home.
I like the tablets and floater idea. I have a bit of room to play with my CYA so no issues there. I wont lower my FC levels before departing, and will just let the FC drift up high with SWCG and the added tablets.

When I get home I'll clean the pool, test and adjust as required.

Thanks again. TFP is a great site for research, learning and advise.

KenKasza · Sep 6, 2023

Returned from our 3-week vacation to a blue pool, albeit a bit dirty.
pH was high off the scale (I made judgment call and logged it as 8.5), TA was at 100.
Added MA to lower pH to 7.2. Tested the next day: pH was 7.2 and TA was 60.
Cleaned the pool, and was swimming within 24 hours of returning home.

Thanks for all the advise.