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Rob - There have been seasons when I kept exercising in the pool until the temperature dropped to 55, but this year I stopped when it got down to 60 about 10 days ago. One winter when I left the pool uncovered, we had a warm stretch in January with air temps in the 70's for several days. Pool...

I'm in Charlotte - pretty similar winters to yours. I kept my pool open one winter, and decided not to do it again. There were times when I had to keep the pump running 24 hours a day, and I worried about the possibility of losing electricity and then having to go out and deal with the pool in...

Another potential downside: If you're at all like me, there is a not-insignificant possibility that you will fall into your pool while cleaning out gunk in mid-winter . . . The one winter I didn't close our pool, I fell into 42 degree water - in Illinois, the water will probably be about 33...

Jason: You say in your opening post in this thread that you have the pool cover rest on the water. I've always tried to keep the cover off the water - mainly because that's what the pool store folks did when they closed it our first year. We've used the large, inflatable "balloons" to help in...

Also, you might want to check the accuracy of your thermometer. It's not unusual for pool thermometers to be off by 2 to 3 degrees. Perhaps your pool is really 86 but the thermometer reads 83. (BYW, my pool thermometer is off the other direction, reading about 2 degrees high).

For about the first year after I purchased Ben's test kit, before I tested with the FAS/DPD, I conducted the OTO test and estimated the total chlorine level. By the end of that time, my reading of the OTO test was as accurate as the FAS/DPD test when TC was at 4 or below, and within 0.5 up to 5...

Radne: On this forum, most tend to disregard pool store tests, based on bad experience. Your FC pool store tests, however, are very consistent with what you're getting yourself with the test kit. This should give a bit more credence that we normally would give to the pool store CC test. Try...

If you have an extra piece of vinyl, you can put it over the main drain and weight it down to hold it in place. If you don't have vinyl, any waterproof substance will do - even a raincoat. Coty

Re: CHEAP Taylor tests - Leslie's - UNRELIABLE As a follow-up to my last post in this thread: This morning I compared results of the new, cheap DPD test kit that arrived this week from Leslie's with my quick OTO kit (new reagents this summer) and the FAS/DPD test (from Ben's 233 test kit, with...

Dave, since it is only leaking when the pump is off, it sounds like the leak is not in the liner, but in his plumbing below the level of the skimmer, no? Coty

I received my cheap Spanish DPD kit today - and my first test for Cl was quite inconsistent with my other test kits. Makes me wonder about the age of the reagents. Ph was fine - haven't tried the alkalinity test yet. I will do a more thorough test when I have time, but meanwhile, as others of...

Yes, go ahead and test TA and Ph when your kit arrives. Let us know what you find out. Coty

No, there's no overhang. They're just all around. I often see them crawling around on the bricks near the pool. If anyone leaves a wet towel overnight near the pool, in the morning there will be many roly-polys underneath. Coty

[Moved by SeanB - you are correct. This is clearly not an advanced topic. The bird thread will also be moved.] Ok, this isn't exactly an advanced topic, but if dead birds belong in this forum then maybe roly- polys do too . . . My pool is surrounded by woods, so bugs come with the territory...

I haven't used algaecides since my conversion from baquacil several year ago. Stay on top of your chemistry, and they are unnecessary unless special circumstances call for them. Coty

Your chlorine can definitely go down quickly, between the algae you have in the pool and the remaining baquacil. You can effectively use your present test kit to check for higher levels of Chlorine. Dilute the pool water half and half with water that you know contains no chlorine (you may have...

Sean: Are you referring to my picture? I sure don't see a date and time stamp on it. Coty

Finally getting around to posting a picture of our pool . . . this one in the early morning light - Coty

Years ago I learned how to manage my pool through the PoolForum site. I am delighted that Trouble Free Pool is continuing that tradition, with numerous knowledgeable pool owners sharing helpful information and answering a wide range of questions. I learn something new on every visit. Coty...

A couple of questions: First: If you just converted, how did you get so much CYA in your water? Usually it takes a while to dissolve. Could it be that the cloudiness of your water is affecting your CYA test? Second: With a vinyl liner, your FC seems high. When I did my conversion, I shocked to...

There are other parameters in addition to the filter medium that have a large impact on filter effectiveness. Last year, I switched from an older DE filter rated as just adequate for my sized pool to an oversized sand filter. I noticed no difference in water clarity, not even at night with the...

Greetings! I bought my present residence in 2002 which, somewhat to my dismay at the time, came with a pool. But my 5 boys were delighted. After most of a season pouring in a fortune of baquacil products and still rarely being able to see the bottom drain, I found poolforum.com and braved the...