Preparing Endless Pool Swim Spa for Vacation

[JRobertBuchanan]

Hello,

I've had a High Performance Endless Pool swim spa for about 8 months now. I use it almost daily and when not swimming, I keep the vinyl cover on the pool. After every swim I check the chlorine and pH and they stay steady at 1.0 ppm and 7.5 respectively. Also after every swim I add 0.25 cup of liquid clorox. Soon I will be taking some summer trips which will keep me out of the pool for about two weeks at a time. What can I do to make sure the water and pool stay healthy when I not going to be using it (and no one else is available to care for it) for two weeks?

Thanks in advance,
JRB

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

What is your CYA?

With a covered pool you should have little daily FC loss. Depending on your CYA level increasing your FC by a few PPM should last for the 2 weeks.

You can also get a floater and put a trichlor puck or two in the pool to dissolve and add chlorine while you are gone.

 

[JRobertBuchanan]

Thanks for the response. I neglected to mention that the pool is installed indoors and does not use stabilized chlorine. I did check the CYA level and as I suspected, it is non-detectable. Nevertheless it sounds like raising the FC by a few PPM and leaving the pool covered while I'm gone will take care of it for two weeks.

Thanks again,
Bob

 

[ajw22]

CYA of 20-30 ppm is good to use in an indoor pool as it buffers the harshness of chlorine.

Without CYA 5 ppm of FC can be harsh. With 20-30 ppm of CYA you can have 8-12 ppm of chlorine without any problems.

CYA - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[RDspaguy]

CYA of 20-30 ppm is good to use in an indoor pool as it buffers the harshness of chlorine.

Some places cya is not allowed in public indoor pools and spas. Being private you can do what you like, but I'm guessing there's a reason. No clue what that reason is, but there ya have it.

Given that your tub is likely made out of metal (every endless pool I've seen was stainless), I'd suggest you follow manufacturers recommendations. I would not recommend tablets or a floater of any kind.
Many endless pools are equipped with additional equipment that effects water maintenance, such as UV/ozone, mineral systems, and chemical automation. Do you have any of these?

 

[JRobertBuchanan]

The walls of the endless pool are supported by galvanized steel panels, the bottom is tile, and the water is held in by a vinyl liner. The owners' manual says no stabilized chlorine (just small amounts of liquid clorox bleach). I think just adding some extra before my trip will keep the level detectable when I return. I will also call endless pools and ask the customer help line.

Thanks,
Bob