3 week vacation - can I use a puck or will it be a disaster?

[Bender]

Been doing BBB for several years, zero problems, no SLAM since the first one when we bought the house. Never used a puck. CYA is a little below 30 right now. Family member comes over to check the pool when we go on vacation.

We're going on a longer vacation than usual (3 weeks) and I'd like to tell the family member that they can just come every few days to handle things. No clue what to do on pucks - if that's even a viable option. Should I buy a floater and...trichlor? It looks like trichlor might help keep the pH a little lower vs. using dichlor? I figure in 3 weeks it can't cause any sort of CYA disaster (maybe I'm wrong?) and I'm happy to work with the CYA higher when we get back if needs be (e.g. 50-60 wouldn't be a disaster). Will this reduce testing and adding liquid chlorine from daily to once every few days? Am I making a huge mistake to use a puck for a few weeks?

 

[woodyp]

No, you're not. Best case scenario use for them. I'd have that family member just put in a whole bottle of bleach once every few days they come over and skip the testing. 50-60 CYA is where you should be any way based on location. Fill that floater up!

 

[DeanP66]

Luckily for you, you kept the CYA on the low side (30), so you have plenty of room to go up. And being that you're in AZ, woodyp is right, your CYA should really be at least 50 to save some of that chlorine from the hot sun.

 

[JoeSelf]

I'm with these guys. Just took my daughter back to school and had floater with two pucks in and had wife/kids add 60 oz of 12.5 each day (pre-measured doses in half gallon bleach bottles). Still below SLAM but if something happens I'd have room for FC to drop. I got home last night and we went out to dinner. Did a quick OTO test was darker than 5, knew I was fine and added my pre-measured dose for that day.

Its been raining, dumping water and my CYA was 30 or a tad below so I know I had room. When i started after draining half, I was CYA 70, so no worries.