Closing in Northwest Missouri

[Smiles79]

So I read that the water should be 60 degrees or less before closing. I suppose even if the air temp drops below freezing over night I shouldn't have any issues if the water temp is still close to 60, right?

I'm a little surprised it's this late in the year and my water isn't quite there yet (this morning it was at 62 degrees). When do other folks in the area normally close their pool?

Edit: It's a 24' above ground pool.

 

[Texas Splash]

You're not the only one experiencing warmer than usual fall temps. Seems to be a common theme across the country. But it is the water temp you should focus on so that once it gets cold there is less chance of algae activity. Even if ambient air temps crash before you actually close, the warmer water will be fine in the lines and avoid freezing. When in doubt, keep the water moving.

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[Smiles79]

Thanks for the reply! Do I want water temps to be 60 or below consistently? I suppose so, otherwise it could warm up and cause algae growth.

 

[DorsalSpine]

My $.02 only. Water under 70, the proper level of FC and a cover will stop algae from growing even if you have some warm days after you close. Mine is about 68 right now. It will be colder for the next couple of days so it may drop a little. I plan on closing this weekend.

 

[Texas Splash]

Do I want water temps to be 60 or below consistently?

Ideally - yes. Some people simply can't wait due to scheduling issues so they close anyways. They either add some Polyquat 60 algaecide in hopes that it will buy them more time before the cold arrives, or they increase the FC level and covered the pool as DorsalSpine noted above. Some owners may also add a little more chlorine later if needed, if they are able to get to the water and manually mix a little. Just depends on their set-up.

 

[DorsalSpine]

Just as Texas said it is a scheduling issue. It's been too cold to swim for the last several weeks. I raised my FC a couple of points to just under SLAM levels once we stopped swimming. The autocover makes it easy to just open the pool to breath and clean out any leaves that blow under it while I wait for the water to cool down. After that I'll raise the FC to SLAM levels for a couple of days prior to closing. I wait longer now than I used to since I don't have to wrestle with a heavy winter safety cover like I did in the past.

 

[JW1]

I think the cover you use to close the pool also can make a difference. Tarp will block out sunlight, but a mesh cover can allow some sunlight. It seems most either close with FC at slam or close with poly 60. I’ve not researched the forums enough to see if one method is used more often with a certain pool cover. The morning I closed the water was 58 degrees, then we had a warm week and it raised to 63. This morning it is 60 degrees after the night temperature finally dipped back into the 30’s. The other thing I don’t know is the contrast of water temperature right now between the top 12 inches vs the water 3 to 6 feet deep.

 

[lmnconn]

I’m in St. Louis,MO area and we still have not closed either. Today, my water is at 61. I keep cleaning the skimmers and removing the leaves. My SWG is still producing and I’m keeping my water balanced. It is usually the end of October before we close. This is our 8th year. Everyone around me has already closed theirs and they are swamps when they open in the spring. Our pool has never been green, so we will continue as we always have.

 

[JW1]

I’m in St. Louis,MO area and we still have not closed either. Today, my water is at 61. I keep cleaning the skimmers and removing the leaves. My SWG is still producing and I’m keeping my water balanced. It is usually the end of October before we close. This is our 8th year. Everyone around me has already closed theirs and they are swamps when they open in the spring. Our pool has never been green, so we will continue as we always have.

Do you close with poly60 or fc at slam? Mesh cover or tarp?

 

[DorsalSpine]

I just closed over the weekend. FC at SLAM with a solid cover. The water temp was 62 degrees. A cold front moved in with some light drizzle. There's nothing like laying on cold wet concrete in the rain with both arms in 62 degree water changing out eyeballs for plugs.