For the past few years we have really been pleased with TFP guidance and have been successfully maintaining our pool. We started using a solar cover a few years ago to warm it up (no heater) and prevent water evaporation during summer if we were traveling. No problems; replaced every 1.5 yrs or so when bubbles would disintegrate.
Last fall we got a cover reel that made our lives so much easier and our pool deck safer (no cover folded on it). However, this spring we have had the most massive issue with opening (we maintain pool over winter, no draining, just covered). Usually bc we maintain over winter we don't need a huge SLAM, we just add borates for our summer balancing. This year, required SLAM process bc it started to have lots of loss in FC despite cell at 100% and adding bleach. No visible green. It always was clear, just losing FC all the time, even when covered all day and SWG at 100%.
I think we almost have it under control, ended up raising to mustard algae level (FC 24) bc pollen season is over and still had spots on one side that always reappeared, and what else was eating our chlorine?! Cover off for 2 nights and days. Last night @8pm FC= 27.5 pH 7.6 CYA 40 TA 60, This AM @6am, FC 26, CC 0.5. Will continue to maintain for full 24 hrs until later this AM. No cover.
My question: is it possible that our cover is harboring algae? That each time we would get the pool balanced and cover it back up, it would create a new problem? And, our old method of folding (no reel) let it dry out (mostly), but the new reel rolls it on itself, meaning water is rolled into it and not exposed to sun...so perhaps we need to trash the existing cover and maybe ditch the reel idea? How to prevent algae or mildew on a solar cover rolled up?
I really want a solar cover bc our recent nights in GA have been in 50s and I had gotten pool up to 77 degrees.... Advice welcome on cover issue. I'm good on my SLAM. Will keep at it until no more than 1ppm loss ... But want to heat this thing back up!
Last fall we got a cover reel that made our lives so much easier and our pool deck safer (no cover folded on it). However, this spring we have had the most massive issue with opening (we maintain pool over winter, no draining, just covered). Usually bc we maintain over winter we don't need a huge SLAM, we just add borates for our summer balancing. This year, required SLAM process bc it started to have lots of loss in FC despite cell at 100% and adding bleach. No visible green. It always was clear, just losing FC all the time, even when covered all day and SWG at 100%.
I think we almost have it under control, ended up raising to mustard algae level (FC 24) bc pollen season is over and still had spots on one side that always reappeared, and what else was eating our chlorine?! Cover off for 2 nights and days. Last night @8pm FC= 27.5 pH 7.6 CYA 40 TA 60, This AM @6am, FC 26, CC 0.5. Will continue to maintain for full 24 hrs until later this AM. No cover.
My question: is it possible that our cover is harboring algae? That each time we would get the pool balanced and cover it back up, it would create a new problem? And, our old method of folding (no reel) let it dry out (mostly), but the new reel rolls it on itself, meaning water is rolled into it and not exposed to sun...so perhaps we need to trash the existing cover and maybe ditch the reel idea? How to prevent algae or mildew on a solar cover rolled up?
I really want a solar cover bc our recent nights in GA have been in 50s and I had gotten pool up to 77 degrees.... Advice welcome on cover issue. I'm good on my SLAM. Will keep at it until no more than 1ppm loss ... But want to heat this thing back up!
