Pump times and chemistry in Northern CA off season

[rpk1430]

Hi all,

I wanted to ask general advice on pool maintenance during the off season months. I live in Napa and it never freezes, at most we might get a few days of frost in early mornings. I've never seen the pool temp drop below 45 degrees F. The pool doesn't get used from around November - April.

I keep the pool pump going in the winter, but at around 7 hours only. The IntelliFlo pump is set at 1900 RPM (set 27 gallons/min), so roughly the turnover for my 22K gall pool is around 12 hours, which is what the pump is set for during the summer months of heavy use.

I've read that I should be turning my pool volume daily, but this seems like overkill given the pool is covered and not in use. Any suggestions on the minimum amount of pump run time I can get away with? Would love to save some money on the electricity bill.

Also wanted to ask about pool water balance. The pentair SWG shuts off during the winter (I think around 52 F), but with cold water and no actual swimming use, there seems to be little if any chlorine demand. I usually throw some chlorine shock into the pool about midway through winter and this usually keeps the free chlorine to be within range. I also don't check the pool water balance much during the winter. When I do I notice the pH is quite high over 8.5 using the TFP kit. I know that cold water increases the pH, is this something I should be correcting through the winter by adding more acid? Or is ok to permit the pH to rise, and assume that once I start using pool again in May it should self correct as I turn the heater on, and then start adding acid at that time as needed?

Thanks,

Robert

 

[mknauss]

Turnover is myth. Run the pump for a reason.
In the winter, the primary reason is to skim the surface.
Maintain your pool water chemistry levels throughout winter. You can test less often, typically every 5-7 days is sufficient for FC and pH. Add liquid chlorine and / or acid as necessary to maintain your target levels.

 

[rpk1430]

Thanks so much for your reply. If the pool is covered is it still important to skim the surface. If turnover of pool is a myth, is there any more specific guidance for us less experienced pool owners? There is seems to be so many variables that effect the health of the pool... how do I know for example that I have inadequate pump time as a cause of pool issues (i.e. water clarity, balance, etc). The other issue I see is that because I use a SWG, wouldn't I need a minimum amount of time for it to generate chlorine?

Thanks again for the help.

 

[kul]

Even in the winter you need to add chlorine and MA as needed. It won’t be as much as you would during the swim season. I run my pump 6 hours a day during offseason nowadays. I’ll be adjusting this once I turn the SWG on again in a few weeks.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

If turnover of pool is a myth, is there any more specific guidance for us less experienced pool owners?

Some guidance here...

Determine Pump Run Time

To figure out how many hours you need to run your pump, you need to know how fast your pump works. You can find this here.

www.troublefreepool.com