- Apr 24, 2021
- 43
- Pool Size
- 21240
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Hi! We are never-before pool owners in the Buffalo NY area, where it is still mostly winter until at least the middle of May, and our 30' round above ground pool was suddenly installed and filled way ahead of schedule back on April 10th. We stared at it for a week, figured out how to turn on the filter and pump three days before we unexpectedly got three more days of ice and snow, spent a lot of time on this website, joined and ordered our Tf-100 testing kit (today). We have had the filter/pump running nonstop since the snowstorm to prevent any freezing.
Now that the shock of the pool's existence has worn off and the snow has all melted, creating a muddy moat around the pool, we are ready to do something about the 21,240 gallons of water sitting in it.
A little background -- we have a large household of about a dozen people, plus many nearby relatives, and we expect pool heavy use. This pool was gifted to us by a very generous relative but we do not have any background to draw on in terms of managing it. Part of its purpose is therapeutic for a household member, so we are trying to establish it as a year-round pool by enclosing it inside an approximately 40x40 greenhouse. We hope to increase usability (early and at night, in the rain and winter), lower heating costs, avoid sunburn/sunscreen and keep the pool cleaner (with lower chemical use).
So we have long-term questions about the best, most efficient way to heat a pool in a free-standing enclosure when the average monthly temp will be near or below freezing 6 months of the year. We know farmers use large quantities of water in barrels as a heatsink to maintain greenhouse temps, so the pool itself might work in synergy with the greenhouse to mitigate the worst of the temp dips, but we will need a dedicated way to heat the pool water to swimmable temperatures and are wondering how to calculate possible solutions.
But more pressing, spring is here(-ish) and the days are warming up (occasionally) and we have immediate questions about stabilizing the pool for the moment, while the surrounding area is prepped and enclosed. It was 50 degrees earlier, it is 38 degrees right now and will be 31 overnight -- we spent all day trying to get a single pound of CYA to dissolve in a 5 gallon bucket so that we can add it to the pool without it sinking and fading/damaging the liner. We used a drill blender to dissolve, then gave it about 10 minutes for the CYA that didn't actually dissolve to settle, and dumped the CYA-water off into the pool, refilled the bucket with fresh water for the remaining granules, and repeated the blend-dump-refill process. There is still a LOT of that single pound of granules in the bottom of the bucket, and I believe 6 lbs total is called for. Is the sock method really better/safe for the liner, and more efficient? Is it maybe just too cold? Did we get a dud bag that will never dissolve? Should we just use pucks for now? We brought the bucket into the warm house for the night to see if it just needs time. Thanks for any insight on any aspect of this endeavor!
Now that the shock of the pool's existence has worn off and the snow has all melted, creating a muddy moat around the pool, we are ready to do something about the 21,240 gallons of water sitting in it.
A little background -- we have a large household of about a dozen people, plus many nearby relatives, and we expect pool heavy use. This pool was gifted to us by a very generous relative but we do not have any background to draw on in terms of managing it. Part of its purpose is therapeutic for a household member, so we are trying to establish it as a year-round pool by enclosing it inside an approximately 40x40 greenhouse. We hope to increase usability (early and at night, in the rain and winter), lower heating costs, avoid sunburn/sunscreen and keep the pool cleaner (with lower chemical use).
So we have long-term questions about the best, most efficient way to heat a pool in a free-standing enclosure when the average monthly temp will be near or below freezing 6 months of the year. We know farmers use large quantities of water in barrels as a heatsink to maintain greenhouse temps, so the pool itself might work in synergy with the greenhouse to mitigate the worst of the temp dips, but we will need a dedicated way to heat the pool water to swimmable temperatures and are wondering how to calculate possible solutions.
But more pressing, spring is here(-ish) and the days are warming up (occasionally) and we have immediate questions about stabilizing the pool for the moment, while the surrounding area is prepped and enclosed. It was 50 degrees earlier, it is 38 degrees right now and will be 31 overnight -- we spent all day trying to get a single pound of CYA to dissolve in a 5 gallon bucket so that we can add it to the pool without it sinking and fading/damaging the liner. We used a drill blender to dissolve, then gave it about 10 minutes for the CYA that didn't actually dissolve to settle, and dumped the CYA-water off into the pool, refilled the bucket with fresh water for the remaining granules, and repeated the blend-dump-refill process. There is still a LOT of that single pound of granules in the bottom of the bucket, and I believe 6 lbs total is called for. Is the sock method really better/safe for the liner, and more efficient? Is it maybe just too cold? Did we get a dud bag that will never dissolve? Should we just use pucks for now? We brought the bucket into the warm house for the night to see if it just needs time. Thanks for any insight on any aspect of this endeavor!
