Putting Chlorine in When the Pool is Covered??

[SwimmingInWisconsin]

We had a new pool closing company last fall. (Our former person retired.)

The new person told us that at Thanksgiving and approximately Easter we should pull back the corner of our Loop Lock cover and add 2 gallons of pool shock. We did this in fall, but I worry that non-circulating shock will damage our gunite pool surface.

I am asking for all of your thoughts on adding shock when the pool is closed.

Also, same pool person told us that we can consider that if we hire him to close our pool in the future he can add (for a price) commercial grade pool shock. Is this a thing? We use 12.5% sodium hypochlorite.

Thank you!

 

[Donldson]

Commercial grade shock, huh? Yeah, there's nothing in the back of a pool tech's truck you can't get off the shelf. It just comes in bigger buckets.

The general rule is to not add anything to the pool it doesn't need, so blindly dumping in chlorine goes against that. You're also right to be concerned, it could potentially bleach the surface since it will just flow down the side of the pool and settle on the bottom without water circulation. There's not enough benefit and plenty enough risk that I wouldn't follow that recommendation.

 

[Newdude]

I vote for closing the week before thanksgiving and opening in April (because Easter can be all over the place). Pick a time in Dec/Jan to pull enough straps to be able to mix chlorine real good with the pool brush. It will be one time and only be a half hour total work.

 

[Homebrewale]

I vote for closing the week before thanksgiving and opening in April (because Easter can be all over the place). Pick a time in Dec/Jan to pull enough straps to be able to mix chlorine real good with the pool brush. It will be one time and only be a half hour total work.

Opening for me is at the end of pine pollen season. It is really heavy here so I like to wait until most of the pollen is done falling before pulling off my cover. That could be anywhere from beginning to mid-April.

 

[SwimmingInWisconsin]

Thank you, @Donldson, for your reply.

@Newdude and @Homebrewale, thank you, too but I am not asking when to open or close my pool.
I am asking for all of your thoughts on adding shock when the pool is closed. (See original post above.)

Any other thoughts on adding shock while the pool is closed?

 

[Newdude]

@Newdude and @Homebrewale, thank you, too but I am not asking when to open or close my pool.
I am asking for all of your thoughts on adding shock when the pool is closed

Apologies for not being clearer. By closing late and opening early you would remove needing to add anything at Thanksgiving and Easter. There are many people who are strictly summer, Memorial Day to Labor Day. If you are one of them, then adding at the 1/3 and 2/3 of the offseason is a great idea.

 

[Homebrewale]

I have never added any chlorine between closing and opening my pool since I built it in 2006. In all those years, I have never taken the cover off to find a green pool.

 

[Spitdog]

I live in the northeast and remove my pump for winter. About The middle of April I hook the pump back up but leave the loop lock on. I pump out the excess water and put a few chlorine pucks in the chlorinator and run that about an hr a day until it’s time to open.

 

[JW1]

I have never added any chlorine between closing and opening my pool since I built it in 2006. In all those years, I have never taken the cover off to find a green pool.

Do you close at slam level or close with poly 60? When do you close?

 

[Homebrewale]

Do you close at slam level or close with poly 60? When do you close?

I do add poly 60. I don't close at slam levels. The FC was 8.5 when I closed. Up until this year, I closed my pool sometimes between October 15-November 1. This year, I decided to wait until my water temperature was down to 60F. It was a somewhat warm fall so I didn't close until beginning of December.

Late closing date and early opening date seems to be important. My neighbor has the same Grecian shaped vinyl lined pool about 20 feet from mine with just a fence separating them. I do my own maintenance. He uses a pool company. I close late October and open mid-April. He closes weekend after Labor Day and opens in mid-May. My pool is clear when I open and his pool is the color of split pea soup.

 

[JW1]

I do add poly 60. I don't close at slam levels. The FC was 8.5 when I closed. Up until this year, I closed my pool sometimes between October 15-November 1. This year, I decided to wait until my water temperature was down to 60F. It was a somewhat warm fall so I didn't close until beginning of December.

Late closing date and early opening date seems to be important. My neighbor has the same Grecian shaped vinyl lined pool about 20 feet from mine with just a fence separating them. I do my own maintenance. He uses a pool company. I close late October and open mid-April. He closes weekend after Labor Day and opens in mid-May. My pool is clear when I open and his pool is the color of split pea soup.

Loop loc mesh cover?

 

[Homebrewale]

Loop loc mesh cover?

Loop Loc mesh cover for the first 13 years. Replaced it with a Loop Loc solid cover.