Winter in the desert

[overwhelmedinAZ]

First, let me thank TFP for saving my pool, my bank account, and my sanity!
I started this season thinking I was going to have to fill in my pool. But, by reading the pool school and following the BBB method, I was able to take a green swamp and turn it into the pool I've always wanted. Once I got the water clear and stabilized, I haven't had to shock my pool at all, and all I ever have to add is bleach and muriatic acid.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

The swimming season isn't quite over here in Phoenix, but will be winding down probably within the next few weeks.
We don't ever "close" the pool. Should I be maintaining the CYA and chlorine at the same level that I keep them for the summer? I keep the CYA at around 65 and FC at 7-10 due to the direct sunlight that hits the pool pretty much all day long during the summer. During the winter the house shades the pool. Does the pump need to run as long? I currently run it 6 hours. Some people have told me that I still need to run the pump at least 6 hours, some people say 2-4 hours, and some say not at all, unless it gets below freezing (which happens very rarely). I'd like the pool to stay clear and blue, even through winter. It just seems to make more sense to me that it's easier to KEEP it clear, than to try to MAKE it clear again next April/May.

Thanks, again.

 

[tlhwxman]

I live here in Las Vegas. During the summer I run the pump about 7 hours. In the winter, I back that off to about 5-6 hours. Most folks here would say to run it long enough to turn over the water once. In general, I find you can back off a bit in the winter, but not too much. The main problem we have here in the desert is strong winds kicking up the dust and sand. So even though you back off on the pump time, you may need to turn it on every now and then to do some extra cleaning. Bottom line, run it long enough to keep it clean.

You will use less Chlorine in the winter to be sure. But we still get a lot of sun. Here in Vegas, I keep CYA at 80 in the summer. FC is about 9-10. I will typically back off on CYA in the winter because FC loss is not as high. Then I can drop my FC levels a bit as well.

I am certainly against the notion of turning to pump off. I keep my pool crystal clear all year long whether swimming in it or not. So my advise is to do the same.

Hope that helps.
Todd

 

[Smykowski]

The FC/CYA relationship stays unchanged. What you will find is the FC consumption goes down drastically as the temp cools. Pump time should come down as well. IIRC, there are some here that keep their pools open all year and only run the pump 2-4hrs per day during the winter.

 

[Shane1]

I back my pump time down to about 3 hours in the winter. Chlorine use goes way way way down for me.