Cover On Before Pool System Closing

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mmcwhorter

mmcwhorter

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Jul 13, 2015
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Huntingtown, MD
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
We decided to cover the pool this year this week BUT LEAVE THE EQUIPMENT RUNNING ....primarily because I have some travel coming up...and I don't want to fight the leaves when I get back, and once it gets colder (like now) we only use the Spa anyway.......I always hire a pool service to put the cover on and do the rest myself. ($150 per cover or remove)...We normally y keep the Jacuzzi spillover spa open longer, as long as we can before freeze, then close. Just normally cover it AFTER closing.

This is the first time I kept the pool "running" with the cover on. I did nothing before covering the main pool except run / remove the vac robot and brush the pool. I will blow the lines and drain filter pump, add the gizmos, plugs, etc...etc....with the cover on, much later. The returns are easy to get to by popping two or three of the spring anchors on the cover. The skimmer tops are not covered. So, really, nothing is in the way.

Before covering the pool I put the IC-40 SWG into Boost mode...I assume there will be a much lower demand for FC. And for sure, FC is high. I checked the pH and it's a bit high, but it's easy to add MA. Monitoring the water level is easy by viewing the skimmer(s) with the top off.

Before final close by blowing out the pipes / filter / pump I'll add 2 quarts Polyquart 60.

Am I missing anything? Is there a downside to covering the pool and leaving everything running for another month or two?

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It's called a soft close/open and many of us do the same. (y)

When closing late enough, PQ isn't needed to bridge the gap to cold water. You add it at half slam, and the 2 fight it out leaving you with less of each. Going full slam will last the winter with cold water IMO.

Do the reverse in the early spring at the last overnight freeze. You can add some FC if needed and if it happens to get to freezing again, it won't be long enough to matter with the pump running.
 
Good to know this is common. All great minds.

I do reverse in the spring...and get the Spa only up and running. I'll run it all night if a unexpected freeze hits. Worries me a bit if we have a power outage or pump failure. But I do have a 24 KW Generac whole house unit. If I have a pump failure I'll just open up the filter drain cock and pray. Here in SO MD, a transition zone, it's not like Michigan. Milder winters usually.

So, interesting to know: PQ60 and SLAM levels fight each other....Hmmmm. I am likely near 1/2 SLAM right now, as the cover has kept the sun off the water and the IC40 was in Boost. Full SLAM at hard closing should be easy....because I can run the SWG in Boost before and I have 4 gallons of liquid CL 10% left over, plus about 20 pounds of Cal Hyo 73. I'll give it a try. That's $60 for 2 quarts I don't have to spend in the fall.

I'm not afraid of opening to a cloudy pool. It happened last year in fact. Cloudy, not green. The SLAM process just flat-out works....I do it every year even when opening to a clear pool. And it's crusie control for the entire season. TFP.
 
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mmcwhorter said:
So, interesting to know: PQ60 and SLAM levels fight each other....Hmmmm. I am likely near 1/2 SLAM right now, as the cover has kept the sun off the water and the IC40 was in Boost. Full SLAM at hard closing should be easy....because I can run the SWG in Boost before and I have 4 gallons of liquid CL 10% left over, plus about 20 pounds of Cal Hyo 73. I'll give it a try. That's $60 for 2 quarts I don't have to spend in the fall.
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Algaecide - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

The following is Buckman Labs’ recommendation on how to use Polyquat 60 for closing your pool for the season.

As they recommend for proper winterization, the pool should be "shocked" with about 5-10ppm chlorine to destroy any lingering oxidant demand and remove any residual ammonia or chloramine, etc. After a couple of days, adjust the pH back to 7.2-7.6 and then add Polyquat 60 at the maximum rate as instructed per the label. This approach allows you to receive the highest benefit from both chemicals.

Buckman Labs says that even if the Polyquat is broken down, it is still effective when used as an algaecide. Moderate to high levels of chlorine break down Polyquat but it still only transforms the formula into shorter chain polymers that are still just as effective.
 
mmcwhorter said:
I'll run it all night if a unexpected freeze hits. Worries me a bit if we have a power outage or pump failure. But I do have a 24 KW Generac whole house unit. If I have a pump failure I'll just open up the filter drain cock and pray.
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Say the pool is 40 degrees and it dips below freezing that night. The pool water won't barely budge and the air will be above freezing again mid morning.

Water in the plumbing at the pad is more susceptible of course, so draining the equipment/ above ground plumbing in a power failure resolves that issue. The ground will insulate the buried plumbing for some days so it's a non issue there.

And like you said, it's a rare occurance that you'd need to step in.
 
Two things to add.

Monitor the water level, and drop a sump in if you need to drain water.

Since it is still warm, I'd throw the robot in the pool and leave it there running once a day. This will scrub and clean when you cannot.
 
You know, I did pull the Pool vac robot out. That is a great idea. Why didn't I think of that???? Duh :unsure: Thanks.

The level is high right now...all the rain in the last 2 days from the east coast tropical system and we are not done yet. And I kept the level high before cover added. Pump sits in the loveseat at the deep end, about 2 feet below the surface.
 
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Do you do anything to "plug" the openings in the cover around the steps and other side of the spa in the winter? That would seem to be a place where debris, and, even worse, an animal gets in there and dies inside the pool over the winter.
 

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There are "flaps, designed in by the pool cover mfg (Loop-Loc), mounted under the cover at the steps on both sides....not well shown in the pic. Never seen an animal in the pool over the winter. Have seen a few mice and turtles in the skimmer after spring opening (the turtles usually survive)....we are certainly in a well-forested region here...But no matter how hard I try, and with as many trees as we have on our property....it requires a good leaf raking when we pull the cover in spring. Lots of slimy putrid wet leaves sitting on the bottom. I get 90% out with the rake and then drop the Nautilus CC Plus in. First run its filters get filled up quickly, in under an hour....then 2-3 more times the same day and we are looking good.
 
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Came upon this post while looking for a temperature to do the final close. I put my cover on yesterday. Added a gal of chlorine and am keeping the pump running with the SWG on but only at 20%. I too thought about leaving the robot in but figure that I’ll just do a final manual vacuum when I take the cover off to do the final close. I call it hibernation mode and expect it to be in a holding state until probably the end of October ( I live in SE MI).

So a couple additional questions. What is a good target for water temp to do the final close? I’m only down to 78 degrees today so I have a ways to go. Also, how would you handle a VSP? Would you just run it on high a few hours a day with the SWG on max, or, would you run it on med/low for an extended amount of time with the SWG on low. FWIW, throughout the season, I’ve been running the pump 24/7 on med with the SWG at 20%.
 
I had my SWG at 60% and forgot to turn it to 20% for a few days after cover...and WOW, lots of FC generated. No sun, no algae. No FC demand. pH spiked so I'm slowly adding MA—skimmers staying real clean...amazingly, pool water is still >80F. Mornings have been mid-60s and days mid 70s, a lot of cloud cover and light rain (the grass overseed loves it)...I plan to close it all down when it look like the weather will "soft" freeze....we'll use the spa till then....could be November??? I'll dose it up with lots of 10% CL2 (I have 4 gallons liquid and 20 pounds Cal Hypo 73, so no issues there) ...I am still wondering about the need to add Poly Quat 60, yes or no? Maybe add it several weeks after the system is fully closed down and the FC drops?? My cover (except the spa area) will stay on...I can blow out all the lines/skimmers, etc...and add anti-freeze / gizmos, and freeze plugs easily by removing a couple of pool cover anchors and peeling it back. I have not added my winter drain pump yet, but that's easy. I'll do a more comprehensive TF-100 test tomorrow.
 
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Newdude said:
We are evenly divided here. :ROFLMAO:

I like it when people close too early. I don't like it when they wait long enough.
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My plan is to close toward the end of October. Hopefully the water will be cold enough in a few weeks. Not much chance of freezing until November. The average first freeze is late October here. But, if the water isn’t down to say 60 degrees, obviously a short mild freeze in the 30’s isn’t going to freeze the water. I’ll keep an eye on the 10 day forecast.
 
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