safe amount of chlorine with solid pool cover

[nikon5400]

Hi there.

I've been told by cover reseller chlorine is not good for a solid pool cover. Is that 100% accurate?

I occasionally have strong winds, which get under the cover and raise it up a couple feet (rubber straps) and then pushes it down.
I usually put cover on my pool late October, but I lower water and drain pipes much later. I leave water about 2in below skimmer
Then early spring, when temperature is above freezing I add water.
I hope doing it this way I extend life of the cover.

When I added water in March, water was clear. I could see steps, may be all except the last one.
Today it looks much worse.

So, I wonder if it makes sense to start running the pump for a few minutes in march and add small dozes of chlorine, so that I don't go through boxes of liquid chlorine when I open.
If this is a good idea - what level of chlorine is very safe for solid pool cover?

Thanks.

P.S. What's the best price\place on liquid chlorine today? The lowest I've seen is $5..

 

[Deb04]

Usually when you close, pipes are drained so you really can’t run the pump until you open. I wouldn’t recommend opening in March if you’re as far north as me bc you can still get heavy frosts.

I’m not really asking your question, but I have a comment. I’m in NH and opened last week. I recommend you open now to shorten the length of SLAM at opening.

 

[PoolStored]

So, I wonder if it makes sense to start running the pump for a few minutes in march and add small dozes of chlorine, so that I don't go through boxes of liquid chlorine when I open.
If this is a good idea - what level of chlorine is very safe for solid pool cover?

Thanks.

P.S. What's the best price\place on liquid chlorine today? The lowest I've seen is $5..

March, not so much, April, probably...Last freeze date in northern Ohio is April 15. I'm religious about starting the pool April 15 or so and run under my cover until I uncover in May. Avoids algae this way. Check your last frost date where you are located.

Any level of FC up to slam level is safe for your cover.

$5 a gallon is a pretty good price these days.

 

[nikon5400]

March, not so much, April, probably...Last freeze date in northern Ohio is April 15. I'm religious about starting the pool April 15 or so and run under my cover until I uncover in May. Avoids algae this way. Check your last frost date where you are located.

Any level of FC up to slam level is safe for your cover.

$5 a gallon is a pretty good price these days.

I've been having issues with what seems to be soil bacteria, which takes lots of chlorine to kill. That's one of the reasons why I'd like to start adding chlorine early, while it's covered

My cya has always been going down during winter. I haven't tested it yet, but I believe it's usually around 10.

Are you adding chlorine when you run under cover? If so, what ppm do you bring it up to?

Thanks.

 

[PoolStored]

Are you adding chlorine when you run under cover? If so, what ppm do you bring it up to?

Yes.

Always follow this...Link-->FC/CYA Levels

This year FC was 2 upon "soft open," CYA was <20. Added enough CYA to get to 30, and ran FC at 6 (top of recommended range for 30 CYA).

 

[nikon5400]

Yes.

Always follow this...Link-->FC/CYA Levels

This year FC was 2 upon "soft open," CYA was <20. Added enough CYA to get to 30, and ran FC at 6 (top of recommended range for 30 CYA).

thanks for the replies.
do you think sun speeds up solid cover deterioration? I wonder if I should remove it earlier, like in April or early May. This custom made cover was over $3k most places a few years back, now probably a lot more. if I can extend its life by a few years, it may be well worth it. The old one lasted about 15 years, I heard the direct replacement won't last as long and I'll be lucky to get 10 years out of it.

 

[duraleigh]

Letting your pool "breathe" (remove the cover) from time to time will help it's longevity and the water chemistry. Long term, the less you expose your cover to the Sun, the longer life you will get.

Chlorine can accelerate the deterioration of the cover but you can't do without it. Use chlorine correctly and your cover will last a VERY long time. I would open the pool NOW.

 

[Newdude]

I had 8.5 years on my looploc cover when we moved. I soft opened and soft closed every year and had no noticeable fading. I'm sure it was a few shades off from UV, but it was still plenty green.