Planning for vacation to use pucks while away

[bdean]

I have a new, small pool (5k gallons) that I have been maintaining with liquid chlorine. The pool does have an automatic chlorinator inline that the installer crammed with large pucks. This initial chlorine was way too high and I removed the melting pucks and started to use liquid chlorine instead. Everything is working well. However, in about a month I will be leaving home for 9 days for the first time since the pool was finished and won't have anyone available to keep up with the liquid chlorine during that time. I will use pucks for that time away, however, should I use a couple of 1 inch pucks or a single 3 inch puck in the chlorinator for that time? Would the 1 inch option be better for not over chlorinating the pool? The pool has a UV filter, and with the liquid chlorine I've been keeping the FC around 2-3ppm daily.

Thanks for sharing your expertise.

 

[Newdude]

How are you testing ?

What's you CYA level ?

Pucks are fine if your CYA can handle a boost, but raising the CYA also raised your targets.



We reccomend using a floater ($14?) instead of the tab feeder. They leach acid back into the system when it's off. Tie the floater off in the pool so it doesn't sit on a wall in the wind while you're away.

Have some reading and ask away :

Pool Care Basics
FC/CYA Levels
Test Kits Compared
PoolMath

 

[bdean]

Thank you for a quick response!

I'm testing using the TF test kit, the CYA is below 30 and won't show on the TF tester yet, however, I have had a couple of tests at the local pool shop and both came back with a CYA of 27. I will look into a floater option for the pucks. But as the pool is small, is it better to use a couple of 1 inch pucks or a single 3 inch puck in the floater?

 

[mknauss]

Over 9 days you will need to add about 30 ppm FC.
So 3 full size pucks will add that amount of FC.

 

[bdean]

Awesome, thank you for that useful information!!

 

[mknauss]

Those pucks will also add over 20 ppm CYA.

 

[Newdude]

Do you have a solar cover ? It'd make a sizeable dent in the daily loss. (Half ? Maybe).

It would come in handy taking the brisk edge off in the early/late season too.

 

[bdean]

Thank you both for the information.

I don't have a cover, but do have solar rings that cover almost all of the surface. They've been great so far with keeping it clean and keeping the evaporation minimal, especially with the heater going.

From what I've read on the site, CYA is that black cloud looming on the horizon which is why I am happy to have started the pool using the TF method shortly after the installer initially shoved in 5 large tabs into the chlorinator. As the pool is small, the daily chlorine add is about 1 cup per the TF app so using liquid chlorine is definitely going to be cheaper than using the pucks, too. The installer said to drain the pool when CYA hits 100 and start over, that just seems like a lazy waste considering how quickly CYA can build up in this small pool.

Thanks again to you both!

 

[mknauss]

Your current FC demand is about 1/4 what it will be in 6-8 weeks.

 

[bdean]

Yes, that Texas summer sun will definitely take its toll on the pool's chlorine requirements and on me too!