I thought it would be cool (and useful for some folks in the community) to log and report my pool opening process for 2023...step by step. I assume this will take a few days based on what I saw in the water.
DAY 1
We pulled to cover off earlier today, 9 AM...a bit later than normal as we are usually opening in mid-March. The pool has a bit fewer leaves than normal, but still quite a lot as we have a fair amount of trees nearby...But much greener-looking water than usual. See Pic 1-Day 1. Taken right after the cover was removed.
The pump/filter came right up to prime with good flow using the overflow spa only as a source and return. Pressure reading normal. The heater started right up and ran perfectly for about 10 minutes, till I shut it off...No need to waste Propane. Happy to see my gear is working fine. SWG not installed, have a union bypass installed. Salt level unknown.
The water level in the pool is 3 inches below the skimmer's bottom rim.
Pretty bad scum line on the walls at the water level and 3 inches below. All the way around. The steps int he shallow end have a lot of what appear to be tannin stains from the leaves.
Step 1: 10 AM, Leaf rake, got about 80% of the leaves out. Lots of small particles floating around. A few remaining leaves sitting on the bottom.
Step 2: 10 AM, start to fill the pool up with fill water (underground well) during Step 1.
Step 3: 10:30 AM., measure pool water with TFT-100: FC= 0, CC= 0, pH >8.2, TA= 100, CH= 250, CYA= 0.0, Temp +65F.
Step 4: 110:30-2 PM...Run pump/filter in the main pool using only deep-end suction/drain (1) and sidewall returns (3). Spa isolated. Took just a few minutes to rake and skim out debris from the spa...it looks pretty good actually. Filter pressure increased 25%, and backwashed around 1:30 PM.
Step 5: 2 PM, put some Muriatic Acid in the pool...I added about 30 ounces to start, diluted in a 5-gallon bucket....and 1 hour later the pH indicated virtually no change. Off scale purple on the Taylor kit.
Step 6: 3 PM, added another load of MA, about 45 ounces.
Step 7; 3 PM, got the water level up to 3 inches above the skimmer rim....removed the Gizmos, added skimmer baskets, opened up shallow and deep-end wall skimmers, and left the drain as a suction also. Everything is open except the Spa is closed off.
Step 8: 3 PM, added two pounds of granular CYA. I do it a bit differently than most (it works for me). I "melt" and stir it in water warmed by the sun in a 5-gallon bucket, 2/3 full. After sitting several hours in the bucket with water, and many a good stir with a long-handled brush... what is on the top is poured into the skimmer is a milky white CYA/water solution. There are no granules. What's on the bottom is still undissolved CYA, not poured in. Over the course of 2-3 hours, and using about 6 fills of the 5-gallon bucket and repeated stirring/pouring into the skimmer, ....it's all dissolved. I pour the only pure white liquid into the skimmer, looks just like half and half creamer for your coffee. And stop pouring when I see undissolved CYA. Fill the bucket with water, wait another hour, and stir, rinse/repeat. I'll add 2 more pounds of CYA this evening. Note: If I need to SLAM (and I probably will)...Pool Math says 4 pounds gets me up to 25 ppm of CYA.....that level of CYA I recall is a good number to SLAM. Don't want it to be too high for a SLAM. NOTE: wow, 4-pound Clorox CYA was $13.99 last year at Wal-Mart, now it's $20.99. Very unhappy about THIS!!!!!
Step 9: 5 PM, remeasured pH two hours after adding MA in step 5. pH is now around 7.4.
Step 10: 5 PM, added 1 pound of Cal-Hypo 73%, Pool Math says that'll take me to FC= 4.0. Pool in the shade as the sun goes down behind the trees so no loss of CL due to sunlight. I'll add another 4 pounds soon.
Step 11: 5 PM, add the rest of the CYA, 4 pounds total. I assume the Cal-Hypo will raise the CH a bit, that is my goal.
Step 12: 5 PM, pool floor looks to be clean enough (with a few leaves only) to install my Nautilus CC Plus pool cleaning robot. I'll admit, the pool floor is not super visible at this time LOL. So I may be guessing.
Step 13: 6 PM, added another 1 pound of Cal-Hypo 73%. 2 pounds in the last hour should take me to around FC=8 ppm. Pump filter running, robot cleaner running.
Step 14: 7 PM....wow, measured FC and it was 0, and CC was around 8, that did not take too long to eat away the FC. The algae are dying though. Will measure everything tomorrow.
Step 15: 9 PM, switched the filter to recirculate....just in case it got clogged up with dead algae overnight. Left pump running overnight. Cleaned robot vac one last time, completely full of green sludge and leaves, and started it up for one last overnight run (3 hours).
Will report on Day 2 later.
DAY 1
We pulled to cover off earlier today, 9 AM...a bit later than normal as we are usually opening in mid-March. The pool has a bit fewer leaves than normal, but still quite a lot as we have a fair amount of trees nearby...But much greener-looking water than usual. See Pic 1-Day 1. Taken right after the cover was removed.
The pump/filter came right up to prime with good flow using the overflow spa only as a source and return. Pressure reading normal. The heater started right up and ran perfectly for about 10 minutes, till I shut it off...No need to waste Propane. Happy to see my gear is working fine. SWG not installed, have a union bypass installed. Salt level unknown.
The water level in the pool is 3 inches below the skimmer's bottom rim.
Pretty bad scum line on the walls at the water level and 3 inches below. All the way around. The steps int he shallow end have a lot of what appear to be tannin stains from the leaves.
Step 1: 10 AM, Leaf rake, got about 80% of the leaves out. Lots of small particles floating around. A few remaining leaves sitting on the bottom.
Step 2: 10 AM, start to fill the pool up with fill water (underground well) during Step 1.
Step 3: 10:30 AM., measure pool water with TFT-100: FC= 0, CC= 0, pH >8.2, TA= 100, CH= 250, CYA= 0.0, Temp +65F.
Step 4: 110:30-2 PM...Run pump/filter in the main pool using only deep-end suction/drain (1) and sidewall returns (3). Spa isolated. Took just a few minutes to rake and skim out debris from the spa...it looks pretty good actually. Filter pressure increased 25%, and backwashed around 1:30 PM.
Step 5: 2 PM, put some Muriatic Acid in the pool...I added about 30 ounces to start, diluted in a 5-gallon bucket....and 1 hour later the pH indicated virtually no change. Off scale purple on the Taylor kit.
Step 6: 3 PM, added another load of MA, about 45 ounces.
Step 7; 3 PM, got the water level up to 3 inches above the skimmer rim....removed the Gizmos, added skimmer baskets, opened up shallow and deep-end wall skimmers, and left the drain as a suction also. Everything is open except the Spa is closed off.
Step 8: 3 PM, added two pounds of granular CYA. I do it a bit differently than most (it works for me). I "melt" and stir it in water warmed by the sun in a 5-gallon bucket, 2/3 full. After sitting several hours in the bucket with water, and many a good stir with a long-handled brush... what is on the top is poured into the skimmer is a milky white CYA/water solution. There are no granules. What's on the bottom is still undissolved CYA, not poured in. Over the course of 2-3 hours, and using about 6 fills of the 5-gallon bucket and repeated stirring/pouring into the skimmer, ....it's all dissolved. I pour the only pure white liquid into the skimmer, looks just like half and half creamer for your coffee. And stop pouring when I see undissolved CYA. Fill the bucket with water, wait another hour, and stir, rinse/repeat. I'll add 2 more pounds of CYA this evening. Note: If I need to SLAM (and I probably will)...Pool Math says 4 pounds gets me up to 25 ppm of CYA.....that level of CYA I recall is a good number to SLAM. Don't want it to be too high for a SLAM. NOTE: wow, 4-pound Clorox CYA was $13.99 last year at Wal-Mart, now it's $20.99. Very unhappy about THIS!!!!!
Step 9: 5 PM, remeasured pH two hours after adding MA in step 5. pH is now around 7.4.
Step 10: 5 PM, added 1 pound of Cal-Hypo 73%, Pool Math says that'll take me to FC= 4.0. Pool in the shade as the sun goes down behind the trees so no loss of CL due to sunlight. I'll add another 4 pounds soon.
Step 11: 5 PM, add the rest of the CYA, 4 pounds total. I assume the Cal-Hypo will raise the CH a bit, that is my goal.
Step 12: 5 PM, pool floor looks to be clean enough (with a few leaves only) to install my Nautilus CC Plus pool cleaning robot. I'll admit, the pool floor is not super visible at this time LOL. So I may be guessing.
Step 13: 6 PM, added another 1 pound of Cal-Hypo 73%. 2 pounds in the last hour should take me to around FC=8 ppm. Pump filter running, robot cleaner running.
Step 14: 7 PM....wow, measured FC and it was 0, and CC was around 8, that did not take too long to eat away the FC. The algae are dying though. Will measure everything tomorrow.
Step 15: 9 PM, switched the filter to recirculate....just in case it got clogged up with dead algae overnight. Left pump running overnight. Cleaned robot vac one last time, completely full of green sludge and leaves, and started it up for one last overnight run (3 hours).
Will report on Day 2 later.
