Charlotte NC - Pool Closing Options

[UnderWaterVanya]

The FC is pretty high for Polyquat - they recommend 5-10ppm shock and then let it drop a few days before adding it and letting it circulate for a day to mix fully.

My options as I see them:

1) Cover, without closing, keep running the pump and checking/adjusting chemistry. Wait until water temp drops to 60, run it up to shock and close.

2) As #1 but let the FC drop and when low enough add polyquat, wait a day, then close.

3) Don't cover, fight the leaves for another month, get frustrated - shoot pool with one of many firearms around the house.

4) Cover and Close and deal with it next year.

I'm leaning towards #1 or #2 depending on how quickly FC falls while covered and how quickly the temp falls while covered.

Update - I covered it early and did not fully winterize yet. I did add polyquat.

I had an out of town guest who volunteered to help me with the pool cover - it was a mess the guy who pulled it off the pool wadded it up and never cleaned it and we didn't realize - we had it in the shed and not bagged - when we pulled it out - ants went everywhere. There was dirt all over the top side as well. We ended up spending an hour or two scrubbing it with a hose and the pool brush!

The water was measuring as follows the day we covered the pool:
FC:12
CC: 0
pH: 7.6 or lower at first
TA: 70
CH: 260
Temp: 68
CYA: Warmed and checked with limited sun as 35 (seemed low)

Water Clear, some leaves in the pool due to wind during covering. Polaris 380 was left in the pool with an empty bag. Ran it 4 hours after cover went on.

Today I measured (1 week later) could not get deep sample - need to get PVC sample pipe over there from my house:

FC: 6
CC: 0.5
pH: 7.6
TA: DID NOT MEASURE assumed 70
CH: DID NOT MEASURE assumed 260
Temp: 62 (closer!)
CYA: 45 (however I forgot to warm the sample)

Water is still too warm to close - Polaris was set loose to hunt leaves and help stir the water. I also added 41 oz of 8.25% bleach in the area near the ladder (no return there) VERY slowly. I'm hoping the polaris will help stir things. In the future - is adding it diluted to the skimmer a better idea - pump running. I just don't want to hurt the liner any more than it was by the previous owners poor chemical use (bleached in the deep end and one other place).

 

[SebringDon]

#1 sounds the smartest, but #3 would definitely be the most entertaining. Please post video if you choose number 3.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

#1 sounds the smartest, but #3 would definitely be the most entertaining. Please post video if you choose number 3.

Actually after remembering a mythbusters episode - I would likely just end up even more frustrated. If you shoot into water the bullet fragments and sheds velocity very quickly. It is unlikely that I could harm even the shallow end unless I shot something barely below the waterline.

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[NicInNC]

I live right outside of Winston-Salem and we still haven't covered ours. We've been vacuuming all of the leaves out once every 2 weeks. That's also the only time we've turned on the filter. I haven't added any chemicals since early September and our water is still clear. How? I have no clue because we had some warm days! I'm seriously thinking about not even putting on the cover. The only tree that gets leaves in it is our one gigantic weeping willow that is about 20 feet from the pool and the leaves are almost completely off it.

 

[kwhyde]

We don't close either in SC. Just keep the few leaves out and test water once a month to keep very low chlorine and ph in range

 

[NicInNC]

We ended up not covering our pool this winter. DH did blow out the lines and all since we get below freezing temps. We have a thin layer of algae on the bottom and sides of the pool, but NOTHING like we've experience years past when we've covered it. The only thing I wish I had done was maintain the chemicals. If I had done that, then maybe we wouldn't even have had the algae. So next winter, there will be no covering and I will maintain the chemicals. I think that will make opening a breeze!