Hot climates chime in! Summer vs Winter time FC usage?

[djdonte]

My pool gets plenty of direct sunlight and uses about 3-4FC a day in the summer with 50CYA. This conveniently comes out to one half gallon of 10% per day. I haven't been thru a winter yet using the TFP method. Once it gets colder how much chlorine are you guys using per day? At what temperature does algae not grow or is there such a temperature? I suppose I will test every day again once it gets cold to gauge my usage.

Using the pool store method in the past I pretty much shock every week or so and let it get green until I am ready to open it in the spring. I would like to maintain my clear water and need minimal SLAMing next year. My pool is not covered in the winter.

 

[beautifulpool]

My pool gets plenty of direct sunlight and uses about 3-4FC a day in the summer with 50CYA. This conveniently comes out to one half gallon of 10% per day. I haven't been thru a winter yet using the TFP method. Once it gets colder how much chlorine are you guys using per day? At what temperature does algae not grow or is there such a temperature? I suppose I will test every day again once it gets cold to gauge my usage.

Using the pool store method in the past I pretty much shock every week or so and let it get green until I am ready to open it in the spring. I would like to maintain my clear water and need minimal SLAMing next year. My pool is not covered in the winter.

Following,
As this Too is my first fall/winter
using TFP method of liquid chlorine and testing my own water.

....so this summer was using close to 1/2 G per/day.

Lately, using closer to 1/4 G per day.
My cya is 30ppm

 

[Fpppool]

Following too... I was also using ~3 FC per day with direct sunlight 12 hours a day

 

[Newdude]

Using the pool store method in the past I pretty much shock every week or so and let it get green until I am ready to open it in the spring

They use the same method during the swim season too. Keep shocking until it goes green. Then sell you a bunch of stuff that won’t fix anything.

 

[ajw22]

Once it gets colder how much chlorine are you guys using per day? At what temperature does algae not grow or is there such a temperature? I suppose I will test every day again once it gets cold to gauge my usage.

I expect you will see your FC usage cut in half or a bit more in the winter. If you keep the same FC targets you should be able to test every few days with lower FC usage.

Read...

Can_FC_Targets_be_Lowered_for_Pools_Open_in_Cold_Weather

Though the growth rate of algae slows down as water gets colder, the reaction of chlorine killing algae also slows down. So lowering the FC level too much could be risky.

The main advantage of the cooler water, especially if the sun isn't on the pool due to clouds or a cover, is the lower daily FC usage. I'd keep the FC at whatever level you normally need to do to prevent algae.

Though it's possible that at some cold water temperature the algae growth plummets, why take the chance that it doesn't

Preparing Pool for Cooler Months - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[RMcGirr83]

7 days ago I bumped my FC from 2.2 to 5. Have added nothing to it since then and today the FC read 2.6. Water temp is in the mid 60's. During the summer months I was adding chlorine every day.

 

[Texas Splash]

Typical south TX weather - from 50 to 90 degrees in a couple days. But my water temp is slowly dropping and my FC usage is also slowing down. I've gone from a 1/2 gallon of 10% each day to perhaps 1/4 gal. Once our temps stay low, I'll only add some chlorine every 2-3 days. It's good to get a break from the intense heat.

 

[djdonte]

Just an update.. here in Houston my FC usage has gone from 3-4FC per day to 0-1. Sounds weird but a few time I’ve measured zero drop in one day.

 

[Texas Splash]

Sounds weird but a few time I’ve measured zero drop in one day.

Not at all. The cold water really slows things down. It's nice beak from the TX heat and chlorine consumption.

 

[CarolD]

Hey djdonte, you are just down the road a few miles from me.

I was using a gallon a day back around the end of June/ first of July. My LC usage dropped off to about 2 quarts a day by September (give or take a bit), and with the recent cold snap (who would have expected 32 degrees in Houston on November 1?) I am down to about 3 cups a day. I supposed I could dose a little higher and skip a few days, but I don't mind testing (lately I've been sending the hubs to get the water though - it's cold! bwaahaahaa).

With a CYA of 50, I aim to keep my FC at the high end of the range (about 8 after I dose). I am losing about 1 ppm of FC on a sunny day, less when it's cloudy. I maintained my crystal clear blue pool all last winter and loved looking at the pool out my windows when it was too cold to go outside!

 

[djdonte]

I keep my CYA at 50 as well and aim for 8ish FC. Over the summer I was using 1/2 gallon of 10 percent per day. Now I am using 1/2 gal of chlorine every 4-5 days. At first I was testing every day but it is evident I am using 0-1 FC a day so I feel ok testing/adding every few days in this weather.

 

[djdonte]

Also, I live in New Territory. I just moved here 2 years ago... used to live in Waterview Estates on Mason and 99.

 

[CarolD]

Oh wow...you were REALLY close before you moved...we are in Long Meadow Farms.

 

[wireform]

For all you guys that need to maintain the FC year round I'd highly recommend going over to SWG. It will change your life drastically. You'd monitor it for seasonal demands and it'll give you a break from this chlorine thing. Something to consider I believe especially when you're only checking it weekly once you get the hang of it. No more lugging jugs.

 

[ajw22]

For all you guys that need to maintain the FC year round I'd highly recommend going over to SWG.

They still need to use liquid chlorine once their SWG shuts down due to cold water.

 

[wireform]

They still need to use liquid chlorine once their SWG shuts down due to cold water.

I'm just thinking east coast practices where you winterize and forget till May. Also still have one SWCG pool open with an auto cover. Air temps at night around 40° and water temperature this morning was 87°. Definitely not the usual but will be closing it at the end of the month.

 

[CarolD]

Air temps at night around 40° and water temperature this morning was 87°.

Your water temp was 87°?!? In November? Can that be right? Here in Texas my water temps are down in the 60's with daytime temps anywhere from 40-90....

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

For my rather short swim season after the pool was complete, I was using about 1/3 gallon daily for my 13Kgal pool of 13%, Water temp high 70's to mid 80's. Now, I find that I use half that much with the water at 62F-65F and the sun W/m^2 at about a third on average for the much shorter days and the solar cover on almost all of the time (my weather station reports this). I'll probably get criticized but I had a hard time pouring only 1/6 of a gallon and I'm also doing it in the morning as soon as I see daylight (I get home too late at night and prefer not to do it in the dark). So what I've tried and been successful with so far is the 1/3 gallon every other day. With the pool covered it seems to be fine, even though I might be doing a "mini-shock" every other day by doing this.

So like all of you in Texas, about half so far seems correct in Arizona presently. I am wondering when the water is in the 50's if I'll even have to do less? Maybe I'll have to start using measuring cups in the morning.. I takes an extra five minutes and I do cut it that tight weekday mornings, tho.... I'm thinking in January, it'll be 1/4 of the summer amount....and I'll have to do it in the dark!

And yes I do an hour+ of maintenance on the pool every weekend... though the day varies.... including the full suite of tests. During the week I have been doing OTO CL and pH only.. and even that's slipped to every other day...