Closing pool for 100,000 gallons

[Catanzaro]

What about the liquid non freeze to put in pipes? If I'm blowing the water out of all the pipes, do I need to still use it?

Marty:

Take pictures of the equipment pad. For the amount of $$ you spent on the pool guy, go out and purchase a Cyclone. You will need one. Then, we can close your pool. I need to see pictures of your pad and pump. Take a few pictures from different angles.

No, you do not need to use antifreeze if the pool is closed properly.

 

[Swampwoman]

You know what my electric bill was for one month? With pool running 12 hours a day. Using the electric heater for 6 days. Maybe the AC was on also. $850 bucks. I cut down the pool pump to 8 hours a day. Only turned on heater when kids were here. Maybe 3 days the heater was on. $659. Wife is not happy

I'm beginning to understand how the bank got ahold of the house

Here are a few tips that may make your pool more useable for less money as upgrades allow:

1. Change to a variable speed pump. If all goes well you could save anywhere from 60-80 percent of your pump electrical use.

2. If humanly possible, consider swapping out the heater in favor of natural gas, eg when its time to replace...or even earlier. You will still need a lot of BTUs to move temp in 100,000 gallons, but I predict we could get your cost down a good bit.

3. 70% of heat loss is by evaporation. A solar cover would need a huge, strong reel but would retain your temp. Alternately, consider retrofitting an autocover...initially expensive but in your case you'd earn it back in heat cost reduction

I operate my considerably smaller (eg 24,000k) pool for less than your "light" month to 95 degrees IN MICHIGAN WINTER - with just an air dome over it and a solar cover on it I use it for physio every morning and even in a "heavy aka $500" month like January its cheaper than $200/hr at local physio center

 

[ntobik]

In Western PA cement pools with a vinyl liner are common, that's what we have.

The flexibility of the liner is nice. We can replace it every 8-10 years as it wears out, but if we want we can also plaster. In terms of cost I think they both come out as a wash. Liner wears out quicker, but is cheaper. Cost of liners vs cost of plaster when including the longer life are roughly the same.

As others have said your pool is incredible.

It might be worth exploring a few solar cells with a pure sine invertor to power the pool. No need to go 100% solar, but enough to power the pumps and possibly the heater. With a $800/mo electric bill you would earn your money back quickly.

 

[Marty D]

We don't have natural gas here only bottle gas and that was $350 a gall at the time. I have learned a lot about this unground pool. We get sun from 7 am to 7 pm on this pool and the water temperature stays about 82 to 86 all summer doesn't loose at all at night. With temperatures now in the 60s at night pool water is still 80. If I need to heat the pool water I turn the heater on in the day time only. It will go from 80 to 84 in 8 hours. The only reason I do turn heater on is my daughter in law likes it at 86 deg. Lol

 

[Marty D]

Picture of system. We got the biggest heat. It's only for maybe 60,000 galls. Having 110,000 gallons it does the job but it will not do it for October. I haven't try it yet in cooler weather yet. I stop service with the pool guys this summer as I am the pool boy. As for a pump with different speeds we have it. 2600 to 3200 rpm. I change the speeds as the winds change. We need 3200 to keep the leaves out of pool when windy. 2600 rpm when no wind. We live in the woods and trees are all around. Did you know with this variable speed pump you can not use a vacuum system as the safety on it shut off. I made my own vacuum system from a old 3/4 hp pump

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I did all the plumbing my self. I installed a shut off valve at heater so no water goes to heat when water is dirty or if the PH is not right. Trying to save the heating elements??? We got the pump and filter and heater for under $$2500 as the pool guy wanted $8000 k

 

[Marty D]

In Western PA cement pools with a vinyl liner are common, that's what we have.

The flexibility of the liner is nice. We can replace it every 8-10 years as it wears out, but if we want we can also plaster. In terms of cost I think they both come out as a wash. Liner wears out quicker, but is cheaper. Cost of liners vs cost of plaster when including the longer life are roughly the same.

As others have said your pool is incredible.

It might be worth exploring a few solar cells with a pure sine invertor to power the pool. No need to go 100% solar, but enough to power the pumps and possibly the heater. With a $800/mo electric bill you would earn your money back quickly.

This was a bank sale house. It was a $1,200,000 house built in 2006 guy walk away in 2007. He had this monster pool built with all the bricks that I heard was $100,000. Nuts !!!! We didn't pay this. They had a bank sale and we won the auction. Also found out no one lived here for 7 years. There was a deer dead in the pool and the deer ripped the liner. This was in 2014. Bank replaced the liner. Liner is new. We moved in 2016

 

[Marty D]

With saving that $100 a week for pool service now , I'm ok with a $650 a month for electric bill. That's doing my 3200 sf house with two AC. Check this out. Reasons I stop pool service. He when up from $75 a week to $100 without tells me. But the bill for may was $550. I ask why?? They charged me $100 to clean filters and $50 to power wash filters. Why? The filters were put away clean. I know because I cleaned them my self I said. I caught him in a big fat lie !!! Who power washes a filter? I never heard of that. You will rip it. Lie again.

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Now I'm the pool boy. I don't even like pools, I'm a boater. The 6 grandkids love it. I forgot to say, I have a 200 ft black hose laying on those hot bricks. I leave the hose in the pool with water coming out very little and water is hot all day. I am using solar heating. Lol

 

[Marty D]

I also want to thank everyone here. I do a lot of reading on this site. I learned so much. As I was so scared to take over being the pool boy. If I was to mess up on this much water it would cost me. The water is so clean. Never had I had to shock it. Slam it !!! Lol. My numbers are great. Never know what total alkalinity was until I came here. Do you know having the numbers on the money, I use very little taps. Two go in the floater and two go in the submarine. That 4 taps in over two weeks at a time. If no one know about a submarine is. It lays at the deep end with up to 4 clor. Tabs.

 

[Demegrad9]

Glad everything is working out for you! Pool looks great!

I know you're closing up soon but you really need to watch out for rising CYA levels next year especially since it sounds like you're going to continue using Trichlor tabs. I'd highly recommend not doing that, but it's your pool.

One thing though, is that picture above your pool? It really doesn't look like 100,000 gallon pool. On my screen the pool is about 7" long, left to right, and to determine some scale I'm looking at the blue foam floats which are about 1.25" on my screen. Assuming those blue foam floats are about 6 feet long, the pool is about 35 feet long. From there the perspective is hard but it doesn't look as wide as it is long, let's say 20 feet. Then the deep end is 10 feet and shallow, let's guess 4 feet. That's still only about 37k gallons.

Am I totally off on something? Is that the pool before you made the modifications?

 

[Marty D]

Glad everything is working out for you! Pool looks great!

I know you're closing up soon but you really need to watch out for rising CYA levels next year especially since it sounds like you're going to continue using Trichlor tabs. I'd highly recommend not doing that, but it's your pool.

One thing though, is that picture above your pool? It really doesn't look like 100,000 gallon pool. On my screen the pool is about 7" long, left to right, and to determine some scale I'm looking at the blue foam floats which are about 1.25" on my screen. Assuming those blue foam floats are about 6 feet long, the pool is about 35 feet long. From there the perspective is hard but it doesn't look as wide as it is long, let's say 20 feet. Then the deep end is 10 feet and shallow, let's guess 4 feet. That's still only about 37k gallons.

Am I totally off on something? Is that the pool before you made the modifications?

Pool is 118,000. That's what the pool service guy said. When the guy was here that did the custom cover know the builder of this pool. We called them and they said 118,000 also pool is 41/2 feet deep with 10 foot deep end. Yes, picture was taken from the high deck from house. The blue lay is 8 ft tip to tip and that hamick is 12 ft.

 

[Demegrad9]

In regards to your original post on how much chemicals to buy for closing, this volume issue is pretty important. If I go on the high side for all estimates I still get a number short of 50k gallons. Which literally means half as many chemicals as you would buy as compared to if you have a 100k gallon pool. So this is relevant.

I promise I'm not trying to be rude or anything. It's just either I'm far off of on some dimension here or the pool service guy is wrong. I'm open to both being a possibility.

Do you know your Calcium Hardness level? If it's relatively low, you could buy some Calcium Chloride, use it, then see how much your Calcium Hardness increases. With that data, you can calculate your pool volume.

 

[Marty D]

In regards to your original post on how much chemicals to buy for closing, this volume issue is pretty important. If I go on the high side for all estimates I still get a number short of 50k gallons. Which literally means half as many chemicals as you would buy as compared to if you have a 100k gallon pool. So this is relevant.

I promise I'm not trying to be rude or anything. It's just either I'm far off of on some dimension here or the pool service guy is wrong. I'm open to both being a possibility.

Do you know your Calcium Hardness level? If it's relatively low, you could buy some Calcium Chloride, use it, then see how much your Calcium iChloride ncreases. With that data, you can calculate your pool volume.

. I picked up a 50 lb bag of Calcium Hardness and put 20 lb in and numbers didn't change. Waited 3 days and put in 30lb. Didn't change.

 

[Marty D]

In regards to your original post on how much chemicals to buy for closing, this volume issue is pretty important. If I go on the high side for all estimates I still get a number short of 50k gallons. Which literally means half as many chemicals as you would buy as compared to if you have a 100k gallon pool. So this is relevant.

I promise I'm not trying to be rude or anything. It's just either I'm far off of on some dimension here or the pool service guy is wrong. I'm open to both being a possibility.

Do you know your Calcium Hardness level? If it's relatively low, you could buy some Calcium Chloride, use it, then see how much your Calcium Hardness increases. With that data, you can calculate your pool volume.

. If you can do the math 65x35. 41/2 ft at 321/2 ft. 10 ft deep at 32 1/2 ft. Then add the bump out sitting spa 12 x 3. Both French ends.

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It is not 15 ft wide. It's 35 ft wide

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More pictures

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More pictures

 

[Demegrad9]

Do you have a TF-100 or Taylor K2006 test kit? Because it sounds like your test method is inadequate.

 

[Marty D]

Do you have a TF-100 or Taylor K2006 test kit? Because it sounds like your test method is inadequate.

I have both. I like to double check everything. Before I added 50 lb. pool was at 40. I like it at 80. After I added 50 lb total is almost got to 70

 

[Marty D]

In regards to your original post on how much chemicals to buy for closing, this volume issue is pretty important. If I go on the high side for all estimates I still get a number short of 50k gallons. Which literally means half as many chemicals as you would buy as compared to if you have a 100k gallon pool. So this is relevant.

I promise I'm not trying to be rude or anything. It's just either I'm far off of on some dimension here or the pool service guy is wrong. I'm open to both being a possibility.

Do you know your Calcium Hardness level? If it's relatively low, you could buy some Calcium Chloride, use it, then see how much your Calcium Hardness increases. With that data, you can calculate your pool volume.

. I added 50 lb. pool was at 40. I got it to maybe 70. I was looking for 80 The math would be? How many gallons of water in pool ? There is no way I'm going with 50,000 gallons. Your way off.

 

[Swampwoman]

For a net change of 30 ppm CH from a 50 lb bag (800 oz) pool math would put you a bit over 118,000 gallons -- I first tried with 100k and the ppm were higher...at 118,000 you'd have added 35 ppm technically speaking.

So if someone who knows the builder told you those Calc, pool guy told you those calcs, and your own chems corroborate it, I'm guessing you should use 118,000 in your calcs

 

[Marty D]

I order 6 at Poly-Quat 60. Going with 100,000 gallons of pool water how many oz. should I put in for the winter? I'm thinking 100 oz.

 

[Catanzaro]

I order 6 at Poly-Quat 60. Going with 100,000 gallons of pool water how many oz. should I put in for the winter? I'm thinking 100 oz.

All of it and allow to mix for 24 hours before closing pool!

 

[Marty D]

All 6 qt.? That 192 oz.

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That's 20 oz. per 10,000 gall