First time closing questions...

[Kimnlogan]

So, we went on our honeymoon last week and I forgot to tell my parents how to care for the pool (did remember to give them instructions for kids and pets though! ) so when we came back it was a bit of a swamp. I dumped a couple gallons of bleach in and it's now improved to just hazy and a bit greenish. I tested water a day or so later and these were results...


FC 0
CYA 0
pH 7.8
Alk 95-ish


So... knowing that we just want to close the pool here are some questions...

1) Do we need to use muriatic acid to bring the pH down first (don't have time to use a solid as we have to go out of state again next week for several days for a memorial service for a family member)

2) Do I need to buy CYA and add before closing? (we don't have any and haven't had to add any more except at the opening this spring)

3) Our cover seems to be the type that lets water in/out a) do we need pillows then? (they dind't have any) and b) do we need to do anything different with the water for this type of cover?

4) Which parts do we take in and how do we drain them? (assuming the HUGE/HEAVY sand filter stays outside???)

 

[Texas Splash]

Oooh, sorry to hear about the loss of your family member. Regarding your pool, you will certainly need to SLAM (link below) to clear your water. You'll want to do that before closing. Yes, adjust pH with acid first to about 7.2, then don't bother checking pH until the SLAM is complete. You also need some stabilizer in there. You're getting ready to close, so a target of 20 should suffice. The granules take about a week to dissolve, the liquid about 24 hours, but the liquid is much more expensive. If you go with the granules, use the sock method to soak. Make sure you do everything noted on the SLAM page for it to work. Here are the links that may best serve you right now:
Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain
Pool School - Closing (Winterizing) Your Above Ground Pool

I hope this helps to get you going.

- - - Updated - - -

By the way, your FC level during a SLAM will be 10 once you add the stabilizer. Just use regular liquid bleach. Generic is fine. But make sure you have stabilizer in there first to protect your liner.

 

[Kimnlogan]

Thank you!!! Got the pH lowering now and going to add our CYA tonight/tomorrow.

Still need to know about the cover and the pump/such...

-----With a cover that is permeable (mesh maybe??) do we need pillows? I'm assuming it's supposed to sit on the water??

----- Which parts do we need to take off and drain/take inside and how do we drain them? I am assuming the big sand filter remains where it is. How do we drain the pump though to make sure it's ok?