Salt Water Pool with Cover

[OGSW20]

I have a salt water pool with an automatic cover. The plan is to keep it covered most of the time when not in use. I know I have read that this might affect how much CYA I should have and how much FC I should maintain. Some say that it falls in the realm of an "indoor" pool when kept covered. Should I be following CYA and FC levels as an outdoor pool or an indoor pool? Or something in the middle?

 

[mknauss]

Most in your situation run a bit in the middle.

Lets have @YippeeSkippy give her views as that setup is what she has.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I'm not YippeeSkippy, but this person is: Need Guidance on Use of Pool Cover

 

[wireform]

One of my pools are heated /SWG/UV system with a auto cover. As per TFP advice I have it @ CYA 50. The recommended FC target is 7-8 but I have it a bit higher for insurance of high bather load or an unusual full day of pool use. Just as a side note if that cover is closed more then not during daylight hours I would recommend a UV system to keep the CC in check which would be naturally done with sun.

 

[OGSW20]

I do plan to open it up during the day, 2-3 times a week while check and brush the pool. On a nice day, that’s not too windy, I could probably leave it open a bit longer.

@wireform what would you consider is too long to keep it covered that CC might be an issue?

 

[wireform]

Would be hard to say. Try keeping it open as you say and watch the CC. If you see it .5 or below you then know it's fine. When all else is spot on and only the CC is in uncomfortable territory then it may be time for better UV management.

 

[santacruzpool]

I have my CYA target at 40 - not too high, not too low - for me anyway! I lose some CYA over the winter due to rain ,and during the summer due to splash out, plus some gradual degradation, so I typically adjust it back up once or sometimes twice a year.

I have played with the levels over the years and 30 works fine but then it can drop a little low if I don't keep an eye on it - 50 means I just keep the FC target higher...with the cover I figure I can be on the lower scale and top it up to 40 and if it drops below 30 I bump it back up...

 

[OGSW20]

My CYA is around 50-60 right now. I think that’s good considering the cover. I’m just worried about keeping it covered up for extended periods for traveling or vacations. Is being covered up for two weeks risky?

 

[wireform]

My CYA is around 50-60 right now. I think that’s good considering the cover. I’m just worried about keeping it covered up for extended periods for traveling or vacations. Is being covered up for two weeks risky?

Not risky. Make sure you have a cover pump for the rain and program the robot to do its thing. Not going to be much dirt but it'll brush the pool while you're gone. If you have someone to rely on to make sure all is working while away would be a plus.

 

[OGSW20]

Not risky. Make sure you have a cover pump for the rain and program the robot to do its thing. Not going to be much dirt but it'll brush the pool while you're gone. If you have someone to rely on to make sure all is working while away would be a plus.

Thanks! Good to know. I was a little worried whether or not I should open it up or leave it covered. I’ll make sure everything looks good, brushed, and final test before I cover it back up and leave.

 

[bmoreswim]

I have SWG and autocover. But during the summer my cover stays open. So I use a CYA of 70-80. However, running a lower CYA isn't a big deal for you since the purpose the higher CYA is to keep the runtime down for your cell. But your runtime is already drastically lower than with a non-covered pool.

 

[OGSW20]

I have SWG and autocover. But during the summer my cover stays open. So I use a CYA of 70-80. However, running a lower CYA isn't a big deal for you since the purpose the higher CYA is to keep the runtime down for your cell. But your runtime is already drastically lower than with a non-covered pool.

I’ve been running it for 8 hours at 80% and the FC seems to be creeping up. I bumped the percentage down to 60% to see what that does.

 

[santacruzpool]

With our seasonal drop in temperature and sun angle, along with some of the wild swings in the weather lately, my pool temperature has dropped from the high 80's just a couple of weeks ago to it now sitting at 72° - because of that my chlorine consumption while covered has droped quite a bit - I didn't check my FC for over a week and my FC jumped from my target of 6-7 to over 13 when I checked it on Friday. Oops...

This is the time of year I normally turn down the SWG % and also lower the pump run time - I just didn't get to it quick enough this year, so I ended up with a unintentional mini SLAM...

Right now I have the SWG turned off until my FC drops back to 6.

 

[OGSW20]

With our seasonal drop in temperature and sun angle, along with some of the wild swings in the weather lately, my pool temperature has dropped from the high 80's just a couple of weeks ago to it now sitting at 72° - because of that my chlorine consumption while covered has droped quite a bit - I didn't check my FC for over a week and my FC jumped from my target of 6-7 to over 13 when I checked it on Friday. Oops...

This is the time of year I normally turn down the SWG % and also lower the pump run time - I just didn't get to it quick enough this year, so I ended up with a unintentional mini SLAM...

Right now I have the SWG turned off until my FC drops back to 6.

My pool temp topped out at 82 (with no cover installed yet) and is now at 68 with the cover. My pool wasn’t completed when we had those 100 degree heat waves. Did your pool reach the high 80’s with the cover on or without?

 

[santacruzpool]

Did your pool reach the high 80’s with the cover on or without?

I keep it closed most of the time - so it stayed in the high 80's for most of this summer - I think I kept it open overnight a few times during one of those September heat waves to keep the water from going up to 90°. I lose around 5° if I uncover it - and only a few degrees covered it seems.

 

[dradam]

I have been running a covered pool with automation and SWCG for about 8 years now. It is clear to me that the ORP probes for automation work best with a low CYA. I keep the CYA below 30. As sutch I keep the FC a bit high at about 5ish . When the cover opens for a long on a warm sunny day the FC drops quickly, but is easily restored overnight. If my kids are having a pool pary I may add some liquid chlorine just in case. When my SWCG (IC40) dies I will go to the larger unit.