High CH and timing of draining our pool

[Yorker]

HELP! My CH is officially out of control (1200) so it’s drain time. Now I’m wondering a few things.

1 - Is there a problem to add my salt after refilling, knowing that it will soon be too cold for the SWG to produce chlorine?

2 - We will be on vacation for 7 days in mid November when I know the water temps will be too cold. Friends will be staying at the house. I’m sure they will be using the spa, and may choose to heat the pool. I was intending to use a chlorine tablet during that time to keep the chlorine at a decent level?

3 - Our tiles NEED cleaning … badly. 14.5% MA (full strength) does not do anything, even when the buildup first started the first year after the pool was built.

I’ve read that bead blasting is the way to go, but if I recall there are a number of different types of treatments for the various types/causes of buildup. I don’t have the bandwidth to sufficiently educate myself before hiring someone to do this before our vacation.

Part of me says wait until we return in late Nov. to drain the pool and deal with all this then - but I don’t like idea of asking our friends to add MA or do any water testing.

Thoughts?

Many thanks from the desert,
York

 

[Texas Splash]

1 - No problem. You can add salt whenever you wish.
2 - They will probably need to add some chlorine once done. The tabs may not generate the FC you need to replenish after a spa bather load.
3 - Bead blasting probably is best. @JoyfulNoise might have some tips for you on that one.

Personally, I'd wait until returning from vacation to attack the pool chores. That way if for some reason things go south while you're away, the water will get changed anyways. Plus, a few more weeks of letting the sun hit a lower winter angle will be better all around. The scale isn't going anywhere.

 

[Yorker]

Thanks Pat! Will the demand for MA reduce with the colder weather and reduced angle of the sun in mid Nov? I imagine if I lowered the PH the day we leave to maybe 7.2 it would be well over 8.2 when we returned 7 days later. Would the PH and resulting CSI being so out of wack for that period have little impact on the plaster and equipment?

I might feel comfortable leaving gallon jugs with diluted – say 32 oz, MA to 96 oz of water that they could add every couple days.

Am I over thinking this?

 

[mknauss]

If you minimize aeration your pH will not rise that quickly. Fill water additions should be getting less and that is what drives the TA up in your pool water and that drives the pH up.

Lower the pH to 7.2, minimize aeration and pump run time, and go on vacation.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

I was intending to use a chlorine tablet during that time to keep the chlorine at a decent level?

Tricolor tablets are acidic, which will help keep pH in check.

 

[Yorker]

Thanks everyone. I decided to eek it out and wait until we return in late November to dain the pool. Right after that decision, amazingly the PH rise much slower. My my calculations I will ask our friends who are staying at the house to add 32 oz of MA after 3 or 4 days and that should handle my PH concern. The SWG has been producing chlorine just fine. The morning water temps have been between 64° and 69°.

I know the friends that are staying would love to use the pool, and we'll to pay the cost to heat it.

So now my new concerns are:
1 - The pool heats 3° an hour. If I set the heater to say 83° and Pool's timer is set to come on 6 hours twice a day that should do it

2 - Currently the SWG is set at 35% and it's running 8 hours a day, I’m testing for the next couple days with it at 10% with the pump running 12 hours a day to see what the FC levels are.

3 - If they say they intend on using the pool for 2 or 3 days, do you think it would be cheaper to just show them how to set the heater for days?

Thoughts?