I'm looking for advice on the proper way to close for the winter using a loop-loc mesh safety cover.
Closing with a loop loc safety cover
- Thread starter Irishterrier74
- Start date
Well, the past two summers I had a swamp when I opened the pool. I'm guessing It's because of the extra water I took on from snow and rain. I'm just wondering what other people with safety covers do, and if they're left with clear water when they open.
There are a few factors that effect how the pool looks when it's opened. Weather. How much sunlight naturally reaches the pool ( typically more sunlight is better for algae to grow). The majority factor is the actual cover itself. The original safety covers had a mesh that was much less dense than the ones being sold today. They basically found out that if you stop the sun from going through the cover the algae really can't grow (it's a plant) So over the years the covers have been getting more dense or solid even (sometimes with drain panels or sold with a cover pump)
When I close a regular mesh pool I vacuum, shock it on the closing and add a bottle of polyquat 60% This helps but doesn't guarantee no algae in the spring. It's been a while since I've seen it but I know there was some kind of a "black solar cover" that was meant to be put on the pool before you install the mesh cover. The "black solar cover" would block out the sun an your pool would be left algae free.
When I close a regular mesh pool I vacuum, shock it on the closing and add a bottle of polyquat 60% This helps but doesn't guarantee no algae in the spring. It's been a while since I've seen it but I know there was some kind of a "black solar cover" that was meant to be put on the pool before you install the mesh cover. The "black solar cover" would block out the sun an your pool would be left algae free.
I open my pool in the spring before algae starts growing. Water temperature is also a factor. This year I opened early in May even though we didn't swim until the end of the month. Last year we had a heat wave early and I actually opened in April. It's much easier to maintain a clean pool than it is to fix a green pool. Plus maintainance is pretty easy early in the year when the sun is low in the sky and the pool doesn't use up FC quickly. My pool gets a lot of shade as well, especially early in the season.
It surprises me how many posts I see here in mid-June from people saying they just opened, their pool is a green swamp, and they have a pool party scheduled in two days. Proper maintenance is what keeps a pool from turning green, and you have to do that maintenance when the pool demands it. Ignore the pool and you get a swamp.
It surprises me how many posts I see here in mid-June from people saying they just opened, their pool is a green swamp, and they have a pool party scheduled in two days. Proper maintenance is what keeps a pool from turning green, and you have to do that maintenance when the pool demands it. Ignore the pool and you get a swamp.
I have a loop lock cover. It lets sun in.
For me opening before the water gets to where algae can grow effectively helped tremendously. That and polyquat 60 when closing. You want to open before algae can take hold. That depends on your water temp.
For me opening before the water gets to where algae can grow effectively helped tremendously. That and polyquat 60 when closing. You want to open before algae can take hold. That depends on your water temp.
laprjns
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- Aug 14, 2012
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Yes, do what Soupy suggest and open your pool in late April / early May before the algae starts to grow.
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