Winter storage: how long to do; drying liner; chemistry

[nina_online]

Hi folks,

This is our first rodeo.

When we decided to get the pool, we put it where the trampoline was and thought we would take the pool down in winter and put the trampoline back up there. (It is the only flat place.)

I'd love to learn from your experience:

1) How long does it take to disassemble the pool (Intex Ultra Frame)? Not just in hours, but in days, if multi-phase (see drying time, next item).

2) What's the best way to make sure the liner is dry before it gets folded and stored? Maybe drain the pool, but leave it up for a certain amount of time before disassembling it? If so, would draining it Sat then disassembling it Sunday work?

3) My pool chemistry was off and I was attempting a SLAM but just stopped since the family said they were done with swimming for the season. What do you do with chemistry if there is a gap in time between when people stop using the pool and when you take it down (we have a lot going on this weekend)? It seemed to me that there was no reason to dump high-chlorine water into the scrubland outside our fence. Or is it a bad idea to allow algae to form during this "down-time"?

4) Any other tips on taking the pool down?

Thanks so much,
Nina

 

[kimkats]

I don't really know but think you are on the right track...........empty pool, wipe it clean (I would think about spraying a light bleach/water solution on the walls and floor and rinsing it off), then allow it to dry. You can speed the drying up by wiping it down good and putting a fan inside it to help blow it dry.

Do you have a critter free place you can put the pool until you are ready to put it back up?

I have heard several people say to use baby powder to help keep the vinyl from sticking. I would roll it up instead of folding it to avoid heavy creases.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Kim

 

[Swampwoman]

Hi Nina. I just store a vinyl dome for the summer that's a lot like a liner. When you clean it, use a 20% solution of chlorine to water.

If you really want to make sure it stays dry, I used baking soda, which worked well.

I also, at Kim's suggestion, used desiccant pouches that hang - they were full of water when I opened the storage box and the vinyl was perfectly dry, so it was a great suggestion. We had stored it in an outdoor Kettering shed with a top lid and front doors sealed against rodents. The plan worked very well

 

[kimkats]

Thanks Swampy! I had forgotten about that step! The desiccant pouches are called Damp Rid. They are cheap and work oh so well!

Kim

 

[nina_online]

Thanks to both of you.

The biggest problem we had was getting the water below the drain hole out. Everyone says you lift the other sides of the pool up, but that water is heavy and that was hard to do. Any tips?

Right now it’s rolled up on the back porch. Not sure what kind of container to put it in.

I did research that you should use talc or talcum powder*, fragrance-free (Chemicals in fragrance can break down liner), so you can’t just buy the “personal hygiene” talcum powder. This is because baby powder nowadays is corn starch based (+ moisture = goo).

I’ve used Damp Rid before,** like in a closet, but it was a small tub/bucket. Great to learn about the hanging ones. I see them on Amazon. Are they readily available, e.g. Target or Walmart?


————

* Available at Amazon or dive shops, tire centers (“tire talc”), billiards shops

** Damp Rid is also GREAT for saving a phone that had gotten wet, even submerged. We keep a small zip lock bag filled and ready to go and stuff any wet phone in it right away. (I find the zip lock works great. You can massage it around to make sure the whole phone is completely covered in Damp Rid without using up the whole tub of Damp Rid). But you have to do it ASAP, like literally run to the Damp Rid bag (my husband’s an IT guy, this is what he told me). It has worked for us many times over the years (4 people), all except once (when my daughter hadn’t told us right away that the phone had gotten wet.) We used to use rice, but it’s not nearly as effective.

 

[kimkats]

I will have to remember to say Baking Soda instead of baby powder. It would be cheaper and does not have the extra stuff in it. You can buy the big bags at Sams and Walmart.

You can find the hanging bags of Damp Rid just about any where. I get mine a Lowes, Publix, Target, etc. Most of the time they come three to a box. I hang them in all of my closets.

A shop vac would work to get the last of the water out. I love my shop vac. I have not even killed it yet despite many attempts and much to my husbands surprise LOL

Kim

 

[Swampwoman]

Have you considered whether it will fit in a tall garbage can on wheels, eg 75 gal?
My dome is 11' tall and almost 50x35 so it wouldn't fit, but a liner might

This was what we used but you'll have to seal up the doors and lid with it...for us, it worked well because the dome was too heavy to lift into something, so we dollied it in strapped to an appliance dolly.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CA36ZKY/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_buE7r_c_x_1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=CGQ62NRC7DT1830R67M3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=0a724928-61ad-528f-b6b9-e3b8a0996a59&pf_rd_i=13400671