Closed pool maintenance

[e2015]

We enjoyed our first summer with our pool and had it closed 6 weeks ago. The PB included the first year closing in the contract which was fine since they also had to install the cover. I was even pleased to see the service company guy using what appeared to be a Taylor-style kit to test the water (although he was dropping in the reagents way too fast for anybody to count accurately). He came back with wildly different numbers than I had been getting all summer (CH 250 vs 500 by my testing, TA 30 vs 50). Before I could stop them, they added some proprietary sauce to raise the alkalinity.

I tested the water today (6 weeks after closing) and got:
FC 2.5 (maintained between 6.5-8.0 all summer via SWG with CYA 60-70)
CC 0.0
pH 8.2+++ (off the charts)
TA 110
CH 550
CYA did not test but was 60-70 at closing

I was hoping for some help with a few questions:

1. How often should I be testing the water while the pool is closed?
2. How does one add chemicals (especially MA) without the benefit of the pool pump to circulate the water?
3. We had been adding acid all summer as the new plaster kept the pH rising. Do I need to worry about the pH continuing to rise and damaging the pool/plaster?
4. Am I correct in ignoring the FC since the water is <60 degrees F?

Thanks!

 

[duraleigh]

Get your pH down now. Get it in the 7's and keep it there. Is there a cover on the pool?

 

[e2015]

Yes, we have a solid cover strapped down to anchors in the ground. I assume I can just peel back a corner, pour in the acid, and brush it around a bit?

 

[Casey]

You covered the pool. Leave it covered. It's in sleep mode. I would not mess with it at all. If you are concerned about numbers, then close the pool yourself next year as a pool store will not do it the way a TFP'er would.

I'd get the pool open ASAP next year n get it balanced. Just my opinion on an already closed pool in Pennsylvania.

 

[duraleigh]

Well, the issue here is your unknown (but very high.....way too high) pH. Combine that with your CH test of 550 and you might develop calcium scale. You DO NOT want calcium scale.

No, you cannot just peel back the cover and pour acid in........it's too concentrated for that.

You could do this. Buy a small submersible pump (maybe around $70 or so at Lowes/HD. Lower it into your pool and start running it 24/7 to get some circulation. Next, dilute 1/2 gallon of muriatic into a 5 gallon bucket of pool water (always add the acid to the water....not reverse).

Slowly pour that diluted mixture of muriatic into a peeled back corner of your pool and I think the dilution of the acid and the circulation of the pump will take care of it.

If you are not comfortable working with acid, ask your pool company to do it. I think they closed with the pH too high anyway.

 

[Pooldoctor]

Great analogy is an open pool is a flowing river, a closed one is a pond. Anything can mix in a river, not so much in a pond lol

 

[ping]

What is the water temperature? The colder it gets the lower the CSI gets and pH will rise. Usually once the pool is closed and not running it is not necessary to adjust the pH unless the pool has new plaster.

 

[e2015]

You could do this. Buy a small submersible pump (maybe around $70 or so at Lowes/HD. Lower it into your pool and start running it 24/7 to get some circulation. Next, dilute 1/2 gallon of muriatic into a 5 gallon bucket of pool water (always add the acid to the water....not reverse).

Slowly pour that diluted mixture of muriatic into a peeled back corner of your pool and I think the dilution of the acid and the circulation of the pump will take care of it.

While looking for a submersible pump online, I came across the pump we were given for the pool cover. Will try to circulate the water with that pump (Little Giant APCP-1700 1/3-HP Automatic Pool Cover Submersible Pump) before doing anything else.

What is the water temperature? The colder it gets the lower the CSI gets and pH will rise. Usually once the pool is closed and not running it is not necessary to adjust the pH unless the pool has new plaster.

The water is cold (<60 degrees F), but I did not get a measurement. Cannot get an accurate CSI anyway as the actual pH is unknown.

The plaster is new (July 2015), and the pool had been requiring 1-2 gallons of 31% MA every week during the summer.

Thanks!

 

[ping]

Follow Duraleigh's advice and drop the pH back into the 7's with the plaster being only several months old. You do not want to risk getting scale on the new plaster.

 

[e2015]

Just a quick follow-up:

Placed our pool cover pump about one foot deep in the water and let it run. Added diluted MA as described above. It took 2 gallons of MA to get the pH down to 7.5. Although pH calculation are not exact, PoolMath estimates that 2 gallons of MA should lower pH by 2 units and shows how bad the pH was.

Checked the other end of the pool 24 hours later, and the water there also came down to pH 7.5. Took the pump out of the water and back on the cover (it is going to rain here for the next 7-10 days). Will check the pool water pH in a week or so and keep it in check until the Spring.

Thanks for all of your help!