We'll be leaving for about 4 or 5 days. Our pool is 18' and is an above ground one and I have purposely not raised the CYA much because I knew we'd have to use pucks. I'm guessing it's 35 or so. It's a hard test to do. We won't be keeping the filter running while we're gone-we've had some trouble with it so I don't want to run it when no one is here. Should I leave the solar cover on or take it off? If I leave it on, is it ok to put the pucks in the floater and leave it toward the middle of the pool? How many pucks should I put in the floater? I have the 3" ones from Walmart. Or would it be better to shock it before leaving instead? Temps have been in the high 80's and low 90's here lately. The pool is very full-the water is overflowing the skimmer because of so much rain lately. Hopefully the kids can get in tomorrow and splash some of that extra water out.
Leaving for a few days-how many pucks?
- Thread starter gale
- Start date
If you won't be running the pump while you are gone then the pucks will not help. They need the circulation to distribute the chlorine and the floater will not stay in the middle of the pool. It will move with the wind and likely end up under the ladder. My top rails have some corrosion under the ladder where my floater used to get stuck all the time.
I have raised my pool to shock level and left it without the pump running for 4 days/3 nights. I still had enough chlorine left to keep it in the recommended range when we returned. I added enough chlorine to shock the pool in the evening and let the pump run all night and shut it off as we were leaving. I did not cover my pool, but you can if you want. Covering the pool will slow down the chlorine loss. The afternoon I got home I turned on the pump and all was good! As long as your pool is clear you should have no algae outbreaks with this method.
I have raised my pool to shock level and left it without the pump running for 4 days/3 nights. I still had enough chlorine left to keep it in the recommended range when we returned. I added enough chlorine to shock the pool in the evening and let the pump run all night and shut it off as we were leaving. I did not cover my pool, but you can if you want. Covering the pool will slow down the chlorine loss. The afternoon I got home I turned on the pump and all was good! As long as your pool is clear you should have no algae outbreaks with this method.
Since you won't be able to leave the pump running you will probably come home to a green pool. The pucks in a floater won't do much good without water circulation.
We went on a 10 day vacation a couple years ago and left the pump off. I shocked the pool to 20 ppm FC the night before we left, covered it with the solar cover, turned the pump off in the morning, drove away. Yes, the water was green when we came back but we do know how to fix a green pool, right?
Ideally, you would have someone come over on Day 2 of your absence to pour in an amount of bleach and push the brush around for five minutes to mix it in. If that isn't an option, I'd shock it, cover it, and clean it up when you get home.
We went on a 10 day vacation a couple years ago and left the pump off. I shocked the pool to 20 ppm FC the night before we left, covered it with the solar cover, turned the pump off in the morning, drove away. Yes, the water was green when we came back but we do know how to fix a green pool, right?
Ideally, you would have someone come over on Day 2 of your absence to pour in an amount of bleach and push the brush around for five minutes to mix it in. If that isn't an option, I'd shock it, cover it, and clean it up when you get home.
Ok thanks. I'll talk to my husband-his brother is coming every day to check on our cattle and hogs so maybe he can have him turn it on when he gets here and off when he leaves. I can leave a gallon or partial gallon of bleach near the pool and he can pour that in halfway through our trip. Frankly I don't trust him to remember but if dh calls him on that day maybe he will. Our plan is to leave on Thursday and come home on Sunday so the full 24 hour days we'll be gone will only be Friday and Saturday.
If your brother-in-law tends to be forgetful you might want to reconsider asking him to turn the pump on and off. You mentioned you were having trouble with it and probably don't want him to forget to turn it off when he leaves.
I'd leave him a gallon of regular bleach, ask him to pour it in slowly around the perimeter on Saturday, then swish the brush around for a few minutes to mix it in. Remind him to please remove the cover before he adds the bleach. If he forgets to put it back on that won't be a big deal since you'll be back the next day.
Your pool will be fine, even if you don't have him add the bleach. You're not gone that long, and if you shock and cover it I bet it'll stay clean. Have fun on your vacation!
I'd leave him a gallon of regular bleach, ask him to pour it in slowly around the perimeter on Saturday, then swish the brush around for a few minutes to mix it in. Remind him to please remove the cover before he adds the bleach. If he forgets to put it back on that won't be a big deal since you'll be back the next day.
Your pool will be fine, even if you don't have him add the bleach. You're not gone that long, and if you shock and cover it I bet it'll stay clean. Have fun on your vacation!