Hi guys, I have a 21 ft round that I just installed a month and a half a ago. I used a solar cover in the beginning of July and I started to to get a bit of a algae problem so I took it off and have not used it since. I was not filtering the pool enough. I think I was filtering about 4 hours a day. But I have since learned that you need to filter at least 10 hrs a day. My question being it is starting to get chilly here, I wanted to put the cover on again, the pool water is dipping and is about 78, down from 86. Is it ok to use it??. Will I get a algae break out again??. Can you filter with the cover on and should I take it off everyday??. I would appreciate any help with a solar cover tips, since I am new to owning a pool. I use the synergy pool chemical chlorine system..Thanks to all..
Solar cover
- Thread starter NJpoolguy
- Start date
As long as you're maintaining the proper FC level, you shouldn't have any problems with using your solar cover (mine's on my pool as I type, and has been for a couple of days). I'm not familiar with the synergy chlorination system, but if you're getting algae, it's not sanitizing the pool as it should.
A cover can somewhat encourage algae. Sometimes algae gets started in puddles on top of the cover and then the water flows into the pool. If you are properly maintaing your FC level this is not normally a problem.
It is good to remove the cover for at least a few hours a week sometime during the day. Usually having it off when you are swimming is plenty. Some people like to remove it during the day every day, but that is not really important.
It is good to remove the cover for at least a few hours a week sometime during the day. Usually having it off when you are swimming is plenty. Some people like to remove it during the day every day, but that is not really important.
I keep my cover on for days at a time. I've always shocked with my cover on (tho I rarely have to shock these days) because I think it helps kill any algae growing on the cover. Anyway, it's been 4 days since we were in our pool, cover has been on the entire time, no algae. I keep my FC in range and I have no issues. I would put your cover on, bump up your chlorine a bit higher for a few days, that should take care of anything growing on it, and keep your filter times up, I think you already figured out what was contributing to your algae issues.
Is your chlorine sytem a puck feeder? Never heard of it.
Is your chlorine sytem a puck feeder? Never heard of it.
I have a Lomart pool with a auto chlorinator. I use the Synergy system which is very easy to use. You put in about 11 tabs in the chlorinator and a bottle of synergy clear once a week. I have also added 1 cap of Calcium Hypochlorite( diluted ) once a week during the extreme heat and humidity. I have been running the chlorinator wide open the last few weeks, as per the pool store recommendations.. I do have to ask though, what are FC levels?? Is this chlorine? I am a noob to pool care and the forum so please excuse my ignorancefrustratedpoolmom said:
Synergy system.
http://www.1abovegroundpoolsdirect.com/ ... ls/syn.htm
I am very impressed with this system. It has no chlorine smell, no red eys, green hair or burning skin. You just add as I mentioned above and you chems stay in perfect check. Like I said I have had algea twice. Once with the pool cover and once when I ran out of tabs..
FC is free chlorine. You are using chlorine, just not sodium hypochlorite (bleach or liquid chlorine).
Unbalanced pool water causes the unwanted symptoms you described, not to be blamed on "chlorine" specifically....and green hair is caused by copper, not chlorine at all.
Does your system list the ingredients on the package? I can only assume what the "clear" stuff is, either dichlor or cal-hypo....
Unbalanced pool water causes the unwanted symptoms you described, not to be blamed on "chlorine" specifically....and green hair is caused by copper, not chlorine at all.
Does your system list the ingredients on the package? I can only assume what the "clear" stuff is, either dichlor or cal-hypo....
Sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione.frustratedpoolmom said:
I realized later that FC was free chlorine, I blanked out for a moment. Thanks
Synergy
http://www.omnipool.com/mp/v/index.jsp? ... mt=default
Clear
http://www.omnipool.com/mp/v/index.jsp? ... mt=default
It's di-chlor. It will lower your PH and TA... It will add CYA, and rather rapidly. So get yourself a good test kit, and read all the articles in Pool School. I would recommend that when this box of chems is done, you switch to BBB and don't look back, not worth the hassles or the price, in the long run, IMHO.....
The Synergy system uses dichlor, trichlor, and borates. Both dichlor and trichlor contain CYA, so you need to keep an eye on your CYA levels.
JasonLion said:
Good to know, so the Borates give the PH and TA some protection.... 8)
Yeah the BBB sounds good and price efficent, but I am very impressed with the Synergy system. I never have to do anything, there are no hassles. Once a week I add 11 tabs in the chorlinator and a bottle of clear and a half a cap full of Calcium Hypochlorite( diluted ) I test once or twice a week and the numbers are dead on. I am serious nothing else and it is crystal clear and algea free. I occasionaly add one or two ouces of power 60 algaecide when I think about.frustratedpoolmom said:
I just had my Jaczzi hooked up today and I was talking with the installer and we got on the subject of my pool and chemicals. We went over and did a test strip and he said wow that is perfect and he also said that the water smelled great aswell as crystal clear. So I am sticking with the Synergy, I mean a kit for the season in two hundred and some change and I am going to have some left over for next season, so inlight it is pretty efficent. I am thinking it is $10-$15 a week in chemicals?? That is not too bad. The only thing is a PH balace in the inital opening and that cost about $ 70 bucks.
NJpoolguy said:
I spend less than $2.50 a week. I use about one large jug of 6% bleach per week. In the year since I switched to BBB, I have added nothing but bleach a.k.a. liquid chlorine. My ph has been perfect, upon Spring opening, I had to make no adjustments to my water, everything was fine, except my CYA was still running at 70 from the summer before where I lowered it from 100. This past May I lowered it to 40. My PH has been stable at 7.5 and my TA about 110. Have not had to adjust anything. Only adding chlorine, every day or two. Like a said, about a large jug a week, for $2.54 at Wal-mart. It's BBB for me.....
frustratedpoolmom said:
Heh heh heh....I spend $0.00 a week. SWCG's are a beautiful thing. 8) Since I got my TA down to 80 and my CYA up to 70, my pH is holding perfectly at 7.6, and my FC is staying right around 4.2 - 4.4. Gotta love a trouble free pool...
MikeInTN said:frustratedpoolmom said:
Heh heh heh....I spend $0.00 a week. SWCG's are a beautiful thing. 8) Since I got my TA down to 80 and my CYA up to 70, my pH is holding perfectly at 7.6, and my FC is staying right around 4.2 - 4.4. Gotta love a trouble free pool...
Show off...
Okay, lets see, based on a minimum of $600 (how much are SWCG's?) if I were to uprgrade, it should pay for itself in about 8 years....
(5 months, 4 weeks a month, so $600 divided by 20.....)For now I'll stick with bleach, I don't mind the 5 minute hassle. Jeeze you guys with your SWCGs are such show offs and sooooo lazy
.....LOLWhile there's nothing wrong with anything the synergy system uses; the pool needs some CYA and the borates are good; like Jason said, you really do have to keep an eye on your CYA. The higher the CYA is, the more chlorine you need in order to kill the algae, and bacteria, and stuff. And if you're running a CYA of, say 70, and a free chlorine level of, say 2, your water is not being sanitized properly; you have bacteria, and you're in danger of getting algae.
The reason why a lot of people in this forum use BBB is because it works, it's economical, and it is easy. I think most people here spend about $20.00 or less a month on chemicals. Liquid chlorine, either the 10 or 12 percent from the poolstore, or regular 6% from the grocery store, is sodium hypochlorite. It adds nothing to your water but salt. The "dry chlorine", either the puck or granular, add other stuff to your water. Cal-hypo adds calcium. Dichlor and trichlor both add stabilizer, or as it is also known, CYA. I myself run somewhat of a "modified bbb." I use 10 percent liquid chlorine most of the time, but I have occasionally used something different for chlorination. The calcium level in my water was low, so I use cal-hypo to shock. I wanted my CYA up a little, so I used trichlor for chlorination for a few weeks, testing my CYA a couple of times so I knew it wasn't getting high. And as far as BBB working, well, ask yourself, how hard can it be to pour bleach in a pool? Right, a couple of seconds. This site says 5 minutes a day to a sparkling pool, and that's what a lot of people who use BBB spend!
I also run my pump with my solar cover on. Only occasionally have had the skimmer get a hold of it, and then not so much as to hurt anything.
And I've never had a chlorine smell, red eyes, green hair, or burning or dry skin from my pool, either. As long as your pool stays in balance...
The reason why a lot of people in this forum use BBB is because it works, it's economical, and it is easy. I think most people here spend about $20.00 or less a month on chemicals. Liquid chlorine, either the 10 or 12 percent from the poolstore, or regular 6% from the grocery store, is sodium hypochlorite. It adds nothing to your water but salt. The "dry chlorine", either the puck or granular, add other stuff to your water. Cal-hypo adds calcium. Dichlor and trichlor both add stabilizer, or as it is also known, CYA. I myself run somewhat of a "modified bbb." I use 10 percent liquid chlorine most of the time, but I have occasionally used something different for chlorination. The calcium level in my water was low, so I use cal-hypo to shock. I wanted my CYA up a little, so I used trichlor for chlorination for a few weeks, testing my CYA a couple of times so I knew it wasn't getting high. And as far as BBB working, well, ask yourself, how hard can it be to pour bleach in a pool? Right, a couple of seconds. This site says 5 minutes a day to a sparkling pool, and that's what a lot of people who use BBB spend!
I also run my pump with my solar cover on. Only occasionally have had the skimmer get a hold of it, and then not so much as to hurt anything.
And I've never had a chlorine smell, red eyes, green hair, or burning or dry skin from my pool, either. As long as your pool stays in balance...
frustratedpoolmom said:MikeInTN said:frustratedpoolmom said:
Heh heh heh....I spend $0.00 a week. SWCG's are a beautiful thing. 8) Since I got my TA down to 80 and my CYA up to 70, my pH is holding perfectly at 7.6, and my FC is staying right around 4.2 - 4.4. Gotta love a trouble free pool...
Show off...
Okay, lets see, based on a minimum of $600 (how much are SWCG's?) if I were to uprgrade, it should pay for itself in about 8 years....
For now I'll stick with bleach, I don't mind the 5 minute hassle. Jeeze you guys with your SWCGs are such show offs and sooooo lazy
Hey now! I completely resemble those remarks!!
Oh..you forgot one..CHEAP!! I'm cheap as well..my Intex cost $180... So..lessee....lazy, showoff, cheap...yep, that's me!!
:lol:
MikeInTN said:...my Intex cost $180...
$180? Hmmmmm
.....that I may consider! I'm gonna PM you.