Ok....Just began the BBB method about a month ago after having a cya count in the hundreds. We are loving the BBB method. Bleach and empty skimmers every day and brushing the walls every other day. All is trouble free and easy. However, we are leaving for the beach on a mini-vacation and will be away from the pool for 3 days. Needlesstosay, I am scared to death of using those dreaded pucks again. So, my question is, how many pucks do I use to cover me the three days. Do I put them in the chlorinator (which got in into trouble in the first place)? Or, just dump a bunch of bleach in prior to leaving and deal with shocking when we come back? Thanks for all the truly professional help.
How many pucks for vacation?
- Thread starter kwhyde
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For just 3 days you could just raise the FC in the pool, say to shock level, and I'm pretty sure you'll still have plenty of chlorine when you return. If you did want to use Trichlor pucks in a floating feeder, then two 8-ounce (3") pucks in 15,000 gallons would add 7.3 ppm FC and 4.4 ppm CYA but they usually take a while to dissolve (around 5 days in my experience) so either the feeder slots have to be all the way open or perhaps you'll need 3 pucks in the feeder to add chlorine more quickly (though they won't fully dissolve in 3 days).
I'd put the required amount for each day in some jugs, label them for each day, and have a neighbor or friend drop by to pour in each day with a promise of a swim/bbq party later.
I just went through this last week. I normally use about 1/2 gallon of 12% a day, to make life easier for my friend who took care of he pool while I was away I filled up gallon jugs for him and he added one every other day. It helped cut down on his trips abck and fourth. I tried it on my own before I went away and after 48 hours my FC levels were just getting to the minimum recommended number.
I face this situation frequently. The answer depends on where my current CYA is and where I want it to be. Any advice without this context is fine as almost anything will work for three days--but to be truly efficient we need to know where you are on CYA right now. Is it still high or did you start over with a fresh fill?