New Lap Pool on the Hill

[jerryk1234]

Hello All!

After a year of struggle and strife, we filled our 60-foot lap pool the other day. Just in time for winter . With 4 garden hoses, it took about 24 hours. No pool cover till next week, so we aren't swimming yet - it's just too cold, and we're too cheap to run the heater and have it all cool back down during the night. We've been running the solar ( 10 Gull Industries Sun Coils ), but it doesn't do much this time of year.

We have a salt system, but don't get to use that for 30 days. So - liquid chlorine till then.

The pool startup guy was here yesterday morning; the CH was 100 so he threw in some calcium chloride. The PH was over 8, so he added a quart of
muriatic acid.

He says we don't have to worry about chlorine until we start swimming. That will be the day they install the cover. So I stopped by the pool store today and stocked up on liquid chlorine and CYA.

This afternoon I tested the pool and it was: TA - 100, CH - 175, PH 8.2. Pool math said to add 19 pounds of calcium carbonate and a quart of Muriatic acid. I added 8 pounds of CC ( all I had ) and a quart of acid. Will be testing again tomorrow morning.

I wonder if I can start building up the CYA in the pool before adding any chlorine? That way, when Cover Day dawns, we'll be ready.

Pool school says that with a salt generator, you should be running fairly high CYA - I really don't understand why. Also, I'm told that CYA can be lower for an indoor pool. Does a covered pool - that's kept covered most of the time - count as "indoor"?

I feel a need to be very careful about CYA ( & also calcium ), because you can put them in, but you can't get them out.

- - - Updated - - -

Am using the TF-100 test kit. What a lot of dropping and mixing! I keep expecting Professor Snape to criticize me because I didn't turn three times widdershins before dropping the R-0008 .

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I saw the pics....looks great filled up! I really like the artisan handrails.

As to the CYA- when using a SWG the chlorine is added in smaller yet more frequent bursts unlike using bleach where you're dumping in a large bolus of FC but it then dwindles down. The SWG keeps the FC going slow and *steady* and lower levels overall hence you want to protect it from degradation by the sun. You know the large bolus of liquid chlorine/bleach will depart faster as higher FC levels lose more faster.

I also use an autocover and keep my CYA a *skosh* lower than recommended for SWG pools, but not so much that it is like a liquid bleach treated pool. More in the 50-70 range of CYA.

Remember it is important to open a cover every few days to allow any trapped gasses or CCs to be burned off by the sun too. Your water is not an inanimate thing..it needs fresh air and light too.

As for calcium- you're in CA where calcium tends to build up pretty fast. Be judicious in adding. I'd take it up to about 200-250 and monitor. Your evaporation rates and usually hard water will take it up further in fairly short order. You can always add more, as you say, but it takes draining and refills to delete some.

Maddie

 

[mknauss]

I am not sure I would wait on the chlorine 'until you start swimming'. Maintaining your FC based on the [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA] is a wise thing to do all year around.

You can start with relatively lower CYA (30-40 ppm) for the winter as the pool will have limited UV exposure.

Are you planning to keep the pool heated throughout the winter? If so, do monitor your CYA monthly as it degrades faster than normal in warm water temperatures.

 

[jerryk1234]

I am not sure I would wait on the chlorine 'until you start swimming'. Maintaining your FC based on the [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA] is a wise thing to do all year around.

You can start with relatively lower CYA (30-40 ppm) for the winter as the pool will have limited UV exposure.

I indulged in three gallons of expensive liquid CYA at the pool store yesterday. Right now, I also have four gallons of 10% liquid bleach. Should
be enough to get started. It's cold out, and the sun is low in the sky. No cover until next week. If I go for 30ppm CYA, will that preserve the FC
for a few days?

Are you planning to keep the pool heated throughout the winter? If so, do monitor your CYA monthly as it degrades faster than normal in warm water temperatures.

*** Planning to keep it heated. My wife has dreamed of her own lap pool for 30 years, and she's finally getting it.

 

[mknauss]

30 ppm is good until spring.

Will be interesting how your chemistry reacts. Be prepared to run the SWCG at very low levels if you plan to keep it covered most of the time. But as Maddie said, the pool needs to breathe several times a week or your CC will build up and cause problems.