Hey all:
We've had a rough winter here in Minnesota: cold, lots of snow (more than 70" here in the Twin Cities) and a really late start to spring. It was just last week that the snow finally melted enough for us to get the water off the pool cover. (And then my husband, per tradition, offered our kids $5 a person to jump in on the first day. The two younger ones did it, even though the water temp is 42 and the air temp that day was 57. It's pretty funny to see them jumping in the pool with icy piles of snow still surrounding it.)
So here are my questions:
1. Our water level was down almost to the bottom of the skimmers, so we lost 5"+ inches of water over the winter. From reading here on the boards, I suspect the heavy snow load on the cover just displaced what was there when we closed it in the fall. But I'm curious: if the pool is shut - meaning all the lines are plugged - how does this physically happen? Where does the water go? Because that's a lot of water.
2. It will be a few more weeks before we have someone come out and do a full open on the pool. The water was crystal clear when we removed the cover a few days ago. Is it good practice to go ahead and add some bleach now, before the pump is running? Or is that mostly a waste of bleach?
Many thanks! Here's to some WARMTH and a fun pool season.
Kelly
We've had a rough winter here in Minnesota: cold, lots of snow (more than 70" here in the Twin Cities) and a really late start to spring. It was just last week that the snow finally melted enough for us to get the water off the pool cover. (And then my husband, per tradition, offered our kids $5 a person to jump in on the first day. The two younger ones did it, even though the water temp is 42 and the air temp that day was 57. It's pretty funny to see them jumping in the pool with icy piles of snow still surrounding it.)
So here are my questions:
1. Our water level was down almost to the bottom of the skimmers, so we lost 5"+ inches of water over the winter. From reading here on the boards, I suspect the heavy snow load on the cover just displaced what was there when we closed it in the fall. But I'm curious: if the pool is shut - meaning all the lines are plugged - how does this physically happen? Where does the water go? Because that's a lot of water.
2. It will be a few more weeks before we have someone come out and do a full open on the pool. The water was crystal clear when we removed the cover a few days ago. Is it good practice to go ahead and add some bleach now, before the pump is running? Or is that mostly a waste of bleach?
Many thanks! Here's to some WARMTH and a fun pool season.
Kelly
In my little south Texas mind, I'm thinking water can only be displaced in one of two ways .... via plumbing (all was closed in your case) or over the edge of the pool. There is a 3rd, but I hesitate to mention it, so I'll say it softly .... leak. But let's not go there. If however you do see water levels continue to drop even after starting-up for the summer, let us know.