polyquat lowered FC to minimum FC level -- should I add chlorine to my closed pool?

[ba67]

I added polyquat to my pool before closing 5 days ago. CYA was 40 so I added it at half SLAM level, which is 8 ppms. After running the pump for 24 hours, I tested my water and FC was only 3 ppm, which is the minimum FC level for my CYA. When I used polyquat last year, it only lowered the FC by 3 ppms so this was a bigger FC loss than I expected. I know that you aren't supposed to bump the FC back up to half SLAM level before closing because chlorine degrades polyquat so I went ahead and closed. Did I make the right choice about this or should I have added chlorine to bump it back up to 8 ppms? I've been worried every since closing because the water temperature was 65 degrees when the polyquat was added, highs have been in the upper 70s this week, and I've got a mesh cover that probably doesn't block out all of the sun like a solid cover does.

When I lower the water level to below the skimmer in a few days, would it help if I added some liquid chlorine and mix it in with my sump pump or should I avoid doing this because the chlorine will degrade the polyquat? If we end up having a warm winter like we had last year, should I add liquid chlorine when I drain water out every 6-8 weeks or should I not do this because there is polyquat in the water?

 

[Texas Splash]

or should I avoid doing this because the chlorine will degrade the polyquat?

That is the case, so you have to commit one way or the other. Since you already added Poly, I'd be inclined to leave it alone. Take notes of what you did this year and apply it to your lessons learned for next season. Try to open as soon as you can.

 

[Newdude]

Take notes of what you did this year and apply it to your lessons learned for next season

+1. Your opening/closing routine is a work in progress, remember what worked best and feel free to experiment along the way for the parts that didn't work so well. I'm trying a couple of new things this year (#11) myself.

 

[ba67]

That is the case, so you have to commit one way or the other. Since you already added Poly, I'd be inclined to leave it alone. Take notes of what you did this year and apply it to your lessons learned for next season. Try to open as soon as you can.

If I want to learn from this experience, what should I do next year if I decide to close before the water temperature is below 60 degrees again and add polyquat? I added 28 oz of polyquat at half SLAM (8 ppms) to my 18K gallon pool and let the pump run 24 hours afterwards. CYA was 40 and PH was 7.8 when I added it.

I will try to open as soon as I can next year but I don't feel comfortable opening until the threat of freezing overnight temperatures has passed which is usually the first week of April here. If we end up having a warmer than usual winter, could I add chlorine to my pool in March to ward off algae or would the polyquat still be active in the pool and it will degrade the polyquat? If I'm not worried about the chlorine degrading the polyquat, could I bump FC up to SLAM level in March to ward off algae until April, or would this be a waste of money because the polyquat would consume the chlorine?

 

[ajw22]

If we end up having a warmer than usual winter, could I add chlorine to my pool in March to ward off algae or would the polyquat still be active in the pool and it will degrade the polyquat? If I'm not worried about the chlorine degrading the polyquat, could I bump FC up to SLAM level in March to ward off algae until April, or would this be a waste of money because the polyquat would consume the chlorine?

You are asking imponderables.

All you can do is pick one path and see how it works for you in your pool environment.