Opening to a green swamp EVERY year

Jump to latest Follow Reply
C

Cway26

0
May 14, 2018
4
St. Elmo, IL
This first pic of green swamp is what our pool has looked like ever since the ice melted off of it. I know it’s possible to get it clear because we’ve had to do it 8 times already—every year we’ve owned it.

Our pool looks like this every single year when it’s time to open it. It costs a fortune in chemicals and takes so much work to get it usable that we’ve come to just resent it.

The second pic is what a friends pool looked like when they took off the cover, and what every other friends pool around here seems to look like. So we’re obviously doing something wrong with winterizing.

We’ve followed the TFP method since our first year owning a pool. We can get it from swamp to clear and maintain it the rest of the season but we must be missing a step in winterizing. Please help! 79204CD6-ED1D-488F-908E-1A054F7EBE70.jpegB10707C4-0EF3-4462-877B-E42D32E27286.jpeg
 
mknauss said:
Most important is to wait late enough in the year that the water is well below 60F. Also open early enough that the water has not reached 60F.
Click to expand...
Easy to say, and undoubtedly valid, but not always practical. We generally travel for several weeks in early fall, so the pool has to be closed by end of September - often water is still in the 80s when I close it and put the cover on. Then, we travel in spring as well so by the time I get to open the pool it's generally around Memorial Day and water often in mid-70s. I, too, often open to the green swamp. Once I vacuum out all most of the worms and debris, the water clears up in a few days. Had the cover off a few weeks ago and the water looks amazingly clear, however, this is happened before. Once the warm weather approaches it turns green rather quickly. Might be surprised this year though. With the pool cover being buried by snow and ice for so many months, thinking that the worms couldn't make their way in there too easily.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Husky25 and Cway26
mknauss said:
Are you following Closing (Winterizing) Your Above Ground Pool - Trouble Free Pool

Most important is to wait late enough in the year that the water is well below 60F. Also open early enough that the water has not reached 60F.
Click to expand...
I don’t know the exact temp of the water when we closed the pool but we waited until it was supposed to start freezing at night. I figured it would mess up our equipment if it got below freezing so we closed it just before then. And like I said, it was already looking green when the ice melted off it months ago so I don’t think we waited too long to open. Everyone else around here that has a pool has been opening them within these last couple weeks.
 
Non copper based algecide (polyquat60) is a great deterrent but it only lasts about 90 days. If you do a mid winter dose at the end of January it should get you to an early opening at the in April. If you need longer than that, add another Polyquat dose and bring the FC back to SLAM level one last time.

But. By the end of May, it’s pretty much warm everywhere and if you wait any longer to open, all bets are off. It was 80 degrees this weekend here in NY. There is only so much you can preventatively do without having the pool running once it’s warm.
 
I've opened clear 9 consecutive seasons following TFP. I will sometimes close in phases - get the tarp/winter cover on when I know swimming is over AND before my ash tree drops its leaves, but will leave the pump and filtration system connected so I can still circulate. Once water is below 60 then I raise to SLAM level, drain about a foot and remove plumbing, etc. If spring is unusually warm I will do the reverse and open in phases, but I try to leave the cover on until late May because I have crab apple tree that will flower and drop right into the pool.

My SLAM level was 16 when I closed and I tested at 7FC when I opened a few days ago. (7 is higher than in past years, I am usually around 4 as I recall.)

Sounds like your water temp would have been below 60 if you were approaching freezing temps. Are you using a tarp like winter cover (not mesh/see through) and raising to SLAM upon close?
 
This past winter I added liquid chlorine every week to keep the FC around 10. Opened to a slightly cloudy pool, which a quick SLAM will take care of. Much better than last year, when the cover slipped and tree leaves and tassels got in, and made a horrific mess.

Maybe next year test your FC every week and keep it around 5 to 10. You won't have to add much LC during the cold months. My biggest mistake this year was waiting too long to open. I should have opened in mid to late April.
 
Wireform- we did follow the TFP method for closing. We didn’t do the optional algaecide or put a cover on since we don’t have trees in our yard. We have used a cover previously though and still opened to a swamp.

Newdude- how do you add the algaecide and shock when the pump isn’t running? Does it have to circulate or can you just put them in?

Pauls234- we did not use a tarp cover the last couple of years but we have in the past and I’m pretty sure I recall we had the same outcome. We did bring the water up to shock level when we closed it.

Wobblerlorri- so you checked your water and added chlorine every week for the whole fall and winter?
We can do that if need be, I’m just so confused why no one else around here has to do anything to their pool after they close for the year. Most people have opened theirs this week or last week and started with water like I posted above. I don’t understand why ours is so different? 😞
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Cway26 said:
how do you add the algaecide and shock when the pump isn’t running?
Click to expand...
Add and mix with the pool brush. I would dilute mine one cup in a 5 gallon bucket so it was already fairly mixed before dumping.

Without a cover it’s super easy to keep maintaining it. just check it regularly at first. You’ll see the FC loss all but stop. Then Check it weekly and then monthly when it stops altogether. As the season gets going you’ll need to check weekly and then back to daily.
 
So thankful I opened to a crystal clear pool this spring! I waited until My water temp got down to close to 60º before closing, and raised my FC to almost 20ppm. Took the cover off when the temp reached 55º, and the water was crystal clear. added Chlorine to bring it to normal swimming range, then started the filter, and used liquid chlorine until the temp was high enough for the SWG to run. didn't even need to SLAM. That's the only way to do it.
 
I would go back to trying the tarp cover again. A see through allows so much UV in to burn off your FC, whereas the tarp allows no sun and no organics. I think my FC was higher this year because my water spent much of the winter frozen solid.

Putting in FC during the winter will certainly help, but I've been able to use just a tarp and raising to SLAM and have never had any problems. Come back around here end of the season and we can help and hopefully get you different results.
 
Yes, we checked every week and added chlorine if it needed it. This was on the advice of ajw22 I think, because I was so traumatized by The Unholy Mess of 2020 -- my cover had slipped midwinter, and leaves, oak tree tassels, and who knows what got in, along with rainwater. We had to completely drain then practically shovel out the debris from a 14 foot AGP.

It cleared up and was beautiful all season, though, but this past winter we got a bigger cover and kept FC around 10. Opened kind of late to a mildly cloudy pool. Probably would have been clear if we'd opened when the pool was in the 60s.
 
Last edited:
I wonder if there is some algae in your pool already before you closed for the winter. I did not raise my chlorine before I closed and it was clear when I opened. I just opened last weekend. I just made sure it was debris free, tarped and pool wrapped it, so nothing gets in.
 
I opened clear and all I did was:
- Closed in early October.
- Brought FC to slam level prior to disconnecting the equipment.
- Used a solid winter cover.
- Opened in late April.

There was still chlorine in the pool when I opened. I think the biggest keys with our long winters are to make sure theres nothing growing before you close (Overnight Chlorine Loss Test wouldn’t hurt.). Keep the water cold, and keep sunlight off the water.
 
magiteck said:
I opened clear and all I did was:
- Closed in early October.
- Brought FC to slam level prior to disconnecting the equipment.
- Used a solid winter cover.
- Opened in late April.

There was still chlorine in the pool when I opened. I think the biggest keys with our long winters are to make sure theres nothing growing before you close (Overnight Chlorine Loss Test wouldn’t hurt.). Keep the water cold, and keep sunlight off the water.
Click to expand...
As the saying goes, close late and open early so the water is under 60 degrees.
 
anthonypool89 said:
Easy to say, and undoubtedly valid, but not always practical. We generally travel for several weeks in early fall, so the pool has to be closed by end of September - often water is still in the 80s when I close it and put the cover on. Then, we travel in spring as well so by the time I get to open the pool it's generally around Memorial Day and water often in mid-70s. I, too, often open to the green swamp. Once I vacuum out all most of the worms and debris, the water clears up in a few days. Had the cover off a few weeks ago and the water looks amazingly clear, however, this is happened before. Once the warm weather approaches it turns green rather quickly. Might be surprised this year though. With the pool cover being buried by snow and ice for so many months, thinking that the worms couldn't make their way in there too easily.
Click to expand...
do you add Polysquat 60 when you close the pool? My guess is if you are closing it with the temperature being this warm, this may help.
 
cledee said:
do you add Polysquat 60
Click to expand...
Never heard of it...is that something used as part of the chlorine system? When closing, I just use the regular maintenance dose of baquacil algaecide. It's the same every season....green with whole bunches of worms on the bottom. First thing I do once the circulation system is running is to vacuum (with no DE grids) just to get up as much of the debris / worms / other unknown but really stinky stuff. Usually 3 times around the pool. Then I'll add the grids and DE and start the baqua chemicals.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply