BBB Method during week vacation, I have ??

thepiratemorgan · Jun 21, 2011

My family will be going on vacation from a Friday (7am) until the following Saturday (4pm) , essentially almost 9 days. My neighbor, who usually looks after my house / pool, is going with us. I may have an option for someone to add bleach at some point during week, maybe. Here are my questions / numbers:

1) Current CYA is 65, I have been keeping FC at 7ppm, letting it drift down to 5ppm and adding bleach around 7pm to get it back up. Consumption has been around 15 - 30 ounces daily depending on weather and swimming activity, sometimes 45 oz.

2) Suggestions on how to keep this pool sanitized enough to last this vacation WITHOUT adding any bleach. My thought was, at the very least, to get this pool to shock level just before we leave, and leaving the solar cover on the entire time (both obvious). I do have some 3" pucks to use if I need them, but I wonder how much CYA they'll add if I float two during that week. With CYA at 65 already would like not to get too much higher, but I was at 70 at start of season (added water, kids splashing, initial backwashing, etc.). How many pucks should I float? or should I "skimmer" them?

3) Should I just find a life form that can simply add a Full (128oz.) gallon of bleach the middle of the week without mucking up my liner/ solar cover / themselves?

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions ...

257WbyMag · Jun 21, 2011

I think that you will probably need to find a trusted soul to add FC for you in your absence. I wouldn't use trichlor since your CYA is already high. Short of getting a SWCG installed in the next day or so, I think that having someone add for you is the best option.

anonapersona · Jun 21, 2011

see the Pool Calculator, at the bottom in that box that tell the effect of adding chemicals. Weigh a puck, it may be 7 oz perhaps.

In my 23k gallons, each one adds 1.4 ppm CYA as I recall.

RobbieH · Jun 21, 2011

I apologize if I missed it. I guess you don't have a salt water pool, correct?

ROB N · Jun 21, 2011

Hope you can find someone to add chlorine. If yu add pucks to the skimmer I think you are supposed to run your pump the whole time, if I am not mistaken.

thepiratemorgan · Jun 22, 2011

I do not run an SWG. I think I will have to have my father-in-law add some bleach come midweek. I don't think "floating" a couple pucks will keep the FC up enough, because if they are 7oz., as someone thinks they are, then once one puck is fully dissolved it only adds 3.3 ppm according to pool calculator. And that is only after they dissolve fully. The FC will burn off before the pucks even finish releasing they're full potential. And then they will add CYA by 4ppm which would get me back to 70ppm again, not totally worth it IMO. Will have to "owe him one" on this vacation!! And boy does he keep score :lol:

What about "floating" cal-hypo shock in say, an old sock (another posters method for CYA additions)?? Would it dissolve too fast? Harmful to liner since I do not run my pump at night?

Was just hoping that someone would come up with a better scenario that what I have been puttering with

BadOleRoss · Jun 23, 2011

I am new to the BBB method but something I use to do when I was maintaining a saltwater aquarium was a kalkwasser drip. You were basically adding chemicals into your aquarium over a long period of time by dripping the chemicals into the tank. Can this be done for adding chlorine into a pool? Can you set up a container that will hold the amount of chlorine you would normally add to your pool over that period of time and have it slowly drip into the pool adding the chlorine slowly? I have no idea if something like this is possible for a pool. I have no idea how dangerous it can be.....I'm just thinking outside the box.

thepiratemorgan · Jun 25, 2011

BadOleRoss said:
I am new to the BBB method but something I use to do when I was maintaining a saltwater aquarium was a kalkwasser drip. You were basically adding chemicals into your aquarium over a long period of time by dripping the chemicals into the tank. Can this be done for adding chlorine into a pool? Can you set up a container that will hold the amount of chlorine you would normally add to your pool over that period of time and have it slowly drip into the pool adding the chlorine slowly? I have no idea if something like this is possible for a pool. I have no idea how dangerous it can be.....I'm just thinking outside the box.

Definite "outside the box" thinking, and I appreciate it. But I don't run my filter 24 / 7 so I can't have chlorine dripping into my pool during the off hours. Then there is risks to animals (birds), humans, and possible system failure dumping an exorbitant amount of chlorine into pool. I know when there is a will, there is a way, but just too risky. I also know there is a liquid chlorine automatic chlorinator but I am happy (other than vacations) to just add my 15-45oz. of chlorine daily or every other day.

Thanks for your input though, as I was reading this I was thinking of those commercial toilet bowl "drippers" ... slowly dripping sanitizers into the "bowl" :lol: