Pool opening time?

[awtrizzle]

I live in Chesapeake Virginia and hadn't planned on opening my pool until late April. Obviously the weather hasn't been as cold as normal. Anyone else in the region planning on opening their pool or already opened it ahead of schedule? Pros and cons? I feel like I just closed it.

 

[Texas Splash]

Obviously I'm not from your area, but generally speaking, the early you open the better. Start-up processes should be smoother and you have a better chance of avoiding a situation with algae. Certainly your water temp plays a major role in that equation, as does the amount of debris that may be in your pool (if uncovered). But if you feel as though you're at the tail-end of any freeze concerns, open anytime you're ready. Others have posted of early openings as well. So much for the break in water testing.

 

[awtrizzle]

What are the concerns of freezing temps? Yes so much for the break. I can already see algae growth in the pool but it has to be at a minimum 100% better than it was the first time I opened this pool. Just don't want to spend money on bleach if I can wait but I know the longer I wait the less effective the bleach is because of water temps. Darn catch 22.

 

[Texas Splash]

Oh, I only mentioned freezing temps in case you had your pool lowered, skimmer plugged (i.e. Gizmo) and equipment disconnected for protection. It would be a shame to start gearing-up for the season (early) and old-man winter decide to unleash one last round of below-freezing temps. But you're right, this has been an unusually warm winter for many. If you think you're past the worst of it (you can always trust your local weatherman), then the sooner you check FC and CYA and adjust the better. Hopefully FC loss won't be all that bad while the sun is still find of low and temps not that bad.

 

[cowboycasey]

same here, lower area but already opened.. water was at 62 degrees last night and 60 degrees when opened...

 

[Donldson]

Normally I would suggest giving it another couple of weeks to avoid freezing problems, but if you are already seeing algae growth then your water temperature must be well above freezing. Odds are at this point that you won't get a really deep freeze so even if you end up with a few nights or days below freezing keeping your pump running 24/7 during that time should prevent any freezing problems. The longer you wait the more algae there will be so might as well get it done with.

 

[awtrizzle]

I'm thinking the same. Thanks for the backup.

 

[jdrharrison]

I'm in the DC area, and opening tomorrow. It's my first year opening, so I can't tell you how good or bad of an idea it is!

 

[awtrizzle]

Well open early and close late is an unofficial motto of TFP so I guess this is early.

 

[dw9000]

I pulled the winter cover off my pool due to the high winds, this is my first opening. I noticed the vinyl liner floor in about the middle of the pool has a slight crease, w/o getting down in the water it looks like its about 10 feet long and about 1/2 wide,, It wasn't there in the fall I am hoping I can get in there and with with both feet and sort of 'flatten' it out.
Either way, I would love to get the water chemistry going, but I'd like to vacuum first and that would require opening up the pump and my concern would be a blast of cold air over the next few wks.

 

[AimeeH]

On the freezing temp possibility........we don't ever technically close our pool (don't draw water out of pipes) so our timer has a thermostat. When temps reach mid to low thirties pump kicks on to keep water from freezing in exposed pipes.

I'd say if you want to open then open. If very low overnight temps are forecast once or twice I'd think you'd be safe running your pump.

 

[awtrizzle]

Well the pool is not looking too different than it did when I opened it last year. Main difference this time is that I know what to do. On top of that I have new filter elements this time and cleaned out all leaves before putting the cover on during closing. It should go much quicker with less head ache than last time. I'll keep you posted for those who like to look at nasty pool SLAMs!!

 

[awtrizzle]

Oh forgot to add. Initial readings:
FC- 0
CYA-0
Ph- too high to read
TA- 60

 

[Texas Splash]

Hey, I saw your pool's counterpart yesterday somewhere else - dark green/black. I think you each have a Lockness monster in there. As you begin to treat with chemicals (specifically FC), let us know if anything seems odd - especially if FC disappears incredibly fast. As you probably know already, lower the pH in preparation for the SLAM, then start working on FC and CYA. We'll be around if anything looks odd or you have questions. Good luck!

 

[awtrizzle]

CYA sock has been added and also muriatic acid to lower Ph. Will take some readings in the morning for Ph to see the change. I'm sure you saw my previous slam right? It was way way worse than this.

 

[awtrizzle]

Quick question about bleach. I know there is no way to tell how much it will take but I am trying to see if I should buy the 8.25 % from SAMs at $10 a box of three. Or I can buy 11% from pool store for $20 a box of four. What do you think will be cheaper. I don't know how much more effective the 11% will be vs 8.25%. Will I save a significant amount of money or will I end up paying about the same? Any experience? Any other places to buy "liquid chlorine" that I haven't heard of?

 

[Texas Splash]

If they are fresh, the higher % may last longer since you won't need as much during each application. But one problem is that sometimes the big box stores have bleach stored in bulk for a long time and/or outdoors which will degrade its effectiveness. Still, if you can get 11% for close to the same price (per gallon) as 8.25%, give it a try. If you find that your FC gal did not increase as you expected per the poolmath calculator, then it may have been an old batch. Me personally, I used to get the pool store 12%, but then they decreased to 10%, so now I just go with the regular 8.25% at the grocery store. You may also want to check your local area for any refill or bleach distributors. Some folks have great deals in their area.

 

[Saturn94]

Greetings from Hampton.

What type of cover do you use...mesh, solid?

 

[awtrizzle]

Mesh. Thanks Texas. I am going to call some janitorial companies this week. They are closed today. Saturn do you close your pool?

 

[Saturn94]

Mesh. Thanks Texas. I am going to call some janitorial companies this week. They are closed today. Saturn do you close your pool?

With a mesh cover you need to close once the water temp stays below 60° and open before the water gets above 60°. That can be a challenge here since we can have long stretches of mild weather during the winter. This winter was really mild (this last week has been really warm!), so I'm not surprised your pool has already turned green.

Our pool, installed in 2004, came with a mesh cover. Usually, if I waited until late Nov to close (yes, I close our pool for the winter) and opened by the first of March there wouldn't be an algae problem. Also, mid winter I'd add another dose of polyquat algaecide. However, there were times, even with that open/close schedule, the water would be green at opening. Not only that, but I also noticed the mesh cover allows fine dirt through, making for a bigger mess to clean at opening.

After several seasons I decided to try to "convert" mine to a solid cover by covering the mesh cover with a solid tarp style cover. This has worked very well! Not only is spring cleanup much easier now, but I've not had a green pool at opening since doing this. I now close the first week of October and open the first week of May with no algae problems, even though the water temp is above 60°. As a matter of fact, a few seasons ago at opening the beginning of May I discovered our liner detached on one side and the foam behind the liner had bunched up all around the pool (probably floated when we got hit by two back to back Nor'easters with tons of rain while the pool was closed/covered). I called the installer (Aegean) to come fix it, but because they were so busy (apparently a lot of pools in the area were affected by the storms), they could come out until the 8th of June. I simply covered the pool back up and hoped for the best. When they came in June and we removed the cover, the water was still clear despite water temp around 80°! Needless to say I don't have plans to ever go back to just using a mesh cover.