First Time Opening - FC still at 9?? and a lot of water loss

[CeltiaK]

Hi all,

We're on our third season now, both with an AG pool and with TFP - love them both!. Last year, we left the pool up for the winter, so this is my first time opening. I followed the TFP closing method, brought the FC up to 24 (CYA was 80 at closing - we have a SWG), and kept it there for 24 hours before partial drain and cover.

On opening yesterday, FC was 9.5, CC was 0, water was clear and beautiful with a slight fresh chlorine aroma and no CC stink. My first question is, do I need to boost the chlorine to SLAM level or not?? By standard TPF guidelines, I'm inclined to just refill, do my normal full testing, and adjust to normal targets. If my FC was below 4, I would certainly do a SLAM and OCLT, but at 9.5... this water is swimmable right now, right? During refilling, I can easily keep FC at and above 3-4.

My other question is about water loss. When we drained last season, we brought the water line just below the jets. We could see the cover lowering during the winter, but I never found any leak when I checked. On removing the cover, we could see the water had fallen 12-14". The cover was just a "cheap" tarp pool cover with a barely functional coated wire strap. It flapped considerably and we eventually had to tie down with tent stakes. Is it possible to lose that much water through evaporation? Or should I stock up on vinyl patch supplies? We had a pretty mild and dry winter (western Mass.).

Thanks for any insight and advice.

 

[duraleigh]

My first question is, do I need to boost the chlorine to SLAM level or not??

Absolutely not! Your only mandatory action is to pop a cold one as you pat yourself on the back for managing your pool so darn well,,,,kudos!

I think vinyl patch supplies are in order. Have you let it leak down until it stops? That will often point out the location of the leak.

 

[CeltiaK]

Thanks Dave! I can't get over how good the water looks and smells. This pool has been a delight from the moment we bought it - all thanks to TFP!

Beer was purchased with this year's supply of salt and CYA. I'll be sure to follow your instructions, as they've never let me down.

It sounds like evaporation isn't the only culprit. In my standard maintenance audits, I've never found any indication of a wall or port leak. I'll have to be extra vigilant in monitoring the wall/floor seam and checking for ground moisture too.

If it doesn't get any bigger, it's probably not a big deal. Usually we have to drain water, not add it! A slow leak seems like a minor inconvenience for a $500 pool. But I'll measure the water level for the next weeks while no one is using it - that should tell me if it's a stable leak or getting worse.

Thanks again for your help and have a great weekend!