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At the risk of stating the obvious, the mesh cover (which I also have), since allowing water to pass through it, will have an impact on water chemistry. With my newly replastered pool last winter, I had to adjust the pH probably 7-8 times and would have continued but of course at some point the...

Hi, Thanks again for your comments. I really appreciate it. I'm so conditioned by the pool people over the years, although since coming here at least I learned the value of doing all my own testing, and when I look back at the pool store results I can see where they sold me lots of stuff that I...

Re: Closed with pink slime in the lines...probably not a great idea but little ch... Hi Matt, Yeah...I guess it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, but if you had the season I did...water looked clear initially, then turned a lovely clear green, then really cloudy, then cleared up, then...

Wish I had the problems that you guys down south do!! LOL Here in PA we lock up tight and hope for the best. There are times during the winter when I cannot even SEE my pool since it is literally buried under tons of snow and ice during a really bad winter! As to what happens during the...

I am always paranoid about leaking return line plugs. I had the same problem this year and then initially took out the leaking plug, turned the compressor back on and tried to put the plug back in. Bad idea. With the drain line already plugged, there was no way I could deal with all that...

Hi, I noticed I've been battling pink slime (biguanide pool) for the past few weeks. It always collected at the same place on the deep end wall and in and around the seat. I'd brush it but it always came back again within days. I know I should have addressed the problem further before closing...

No air bubbles come up out of the drain even though plenty of air pressure is being directed down into the line. I have the return lines plugged, and now am ready to blow out the skimmer and drain. The air directs down into the skimmer from the tank. (I use an air compressor attached to the top...

OK...thanks so much. The water is now 61 degrees, and it is definitely later in the season than usual for when I typically close, but I read here that it's good to wait until the water is around 60 since there is less chance of algae developing. I do plan to open earlier next spring as you...

So you don't think I have to worry about etching by closing with a pH of 7.4? I can't imagine that the pH will stay down there for very long.

Hi, I have the following - TA - 85 CH - 220 pH - 7.4 SI - -0.40 The plaster is only a few months old, and so the pattern has been that the pH continues to go up. From frequent additions of dry acid over the past few months, the TA was knocked down to around 60, a bit low, and so I brought...

I can't quite picture your set-up. I just blow air from a compressor through the top of the filter tank, which then sends the air pressure through both the return lines and the skimmer /drain lines. Blow 'em out till there are lots of bubbles coming up in the water, plug 'em and done. Then as an...

I can't understand why you would want to lower the water level that far as suggested in the article (below the return lines). That is aLOT of water. If you blow out the lines and plug them properly there is certainly no need to drain below the return lines. That water level will come up anyway...

I would not recommend leaving the water level up on the tiles. Expansion and contraction during freezing weather could result in tile damage. I try to keep the water level below the tiles until, of course, at some point it becomes impossible to work with the level once things freeze up and / or...

Hope you're right! I'd hate to open up to scale next spring!.

onBalance, Sorry but I don't understand why you feel the SI will move closer towards zero as the pH rises. Every scenario I've run on the SI calculator shows that the SI runs into the scaling zone as the pH increases above 8.5. Below that level, the SI should be ok. Certainly the colder the...

Hi Sandra, You don't need to add any antifreeze to the filter. I always put a little in the pump strainer, although it probably isn't really necessary. The major thing you want to do is to lower the water level below the skimmer, blow the water out of the lines and plug them while the air...

Never heard of this...so it sounds like you have a solid cover?

Hi, Lucky you!! I live in PA and so the idea of leaving the pool open is not an option unfortunately. I would say that if you get very little freezing temps you don't need to totally close the pool. I'd do as you are thinking, to keep running the pump and filter. I can't imagine that your...

Tim, I lower the water a few inches below the skimmer. The thing is, unless you have a solid cover, the water level will come back up into the skimmer anyway with fall and winter precipitation, so I always keep an eye on it it and use a small pump to drain the water level back down below the...

Hi, I was playing around with the SI index calculator and discovered that as the water temperature drops significantly (like down into the 40s or lower) the SI goes into the corrosive zone - around -0.42. I did these calculations with a CH of between 180-200. However, if the CH is boosted up...

With my heater, I just drain the water out of it, then disconnect the two plumbing lines, let that drain, then reconnect them but loosely. As to return line plugs, mine are not threaded - it is simply the end of the pipe that is cut off on an angle slightly in from the edge of the plaster, so I...

I just use an air compressor. Once you see bubbles coming through the lines, then give it a minute or so until you plug them. The water will be pushed out of the lines before you see alot of air bubbles, so once you have alot of bubbles coming through, I believe most of the water is gone. As to...

I have never removed the weir during the winter...it shouldn't be a problem to leave it on.

I use the rubber plugs and have never had a problem. The trick is to really watch them close while you are blowing the lines out (BTW - 10 lbs. on the compressor is fine) and make sure that there are no bubbles coming out. I find the best way to get them in, since you will be putting them in...

Hi, My pool store has often indicated to me that the balancing is slightly different for winter balancing. Basically what they have always had me do is to boost the calcium hardness up to a range between 200-275. I've gotten to the point recently (as is indicated in many of my recent threads)...