Sanity Check

[Turbo1Ton]

Going into my first winter with the pool. It is cold enough here now that my SWCG has shut off and my IntellipH has quit dosing. Wanted to post my numbers and get thoughts on anything I should watch for.

FC - 6.5
CC - 0.0
PH - 8.0
TA - 70
CH - 275
CYA - 60
Salt - 3200 ( I know this doesn't make a lot of difference during the winter when the SWCG isn't running)
Temp - 57 F
CSI - -0.20

According to Poolmath, if I bring my pH down, I am going to go further negative on the CSI. Is there any harm in staying at 8.0 or even 8.2 pH during the winter, as long as CSI is good?

Looks like I should probably bring my FC up a little as I will be following the non SWCG chart for the winter.

Thanks to TFP for making my first pool season such a success! I would have been getting pool store'd had I not found you guys. So thankful I did!

--Jeff

 

[ajw22]

According to Poolmath, if I bring my pH down, I am going to go further negative on the CSI. Is there any harm in staying at 8.0 or even 8.2 pH during the winter, as long as CSI is good?

No problem with pH in the 8's with cold water. Use the pH to keep CSI in range and offset the effect of cold water.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

Perfect! Thanks Allen!

--Jeff

 

[Bvacchiano]

I increase my TA from 60/70 to 80/90 and CH in winter and helps with CSI. I try to keep my ph 7.6-8.0 in winter. I never have the huge PH swings in winter as the SWG is off and water is cold.

 

[Dirk]

Salt - 3200 ( I know this doesn't make a lot of difference during the winter when the SWCG isn't running)

I use winter rains to exchange water to keep CH- and salt-rise in check. I have an overflow outlet I can use to manipulate the water level. If you don't, you can use many other methods to drain water. I'll either let some out just before a big rain, or trap a big rain by letting the level go up an inch or two, and then let the pump mix that in. Level is restored by either evaporation or by l lowering the water level with the overflow outlet. These mini "no-drain" water exchanges dilute the CH and salt. Otherwise, they would continue to rise. I don't know what your fill CH is in Oklahoma, but you could use this trick to lower your salt a bit and keep it from accumulating year after year. If that lowers your other chems (CH and CYA), you can restore them in Spring.

I use rainwater for the "free fill" and because it doesn't have the CH and salt my city's fill water does.

With this MO and TFP guidelines I am on track to never have to drain my pool to maintain good chem levels.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

Good point Dirk. I have an overflow in my autofill, and a waste line that I can pump to, to drain. I run my pump 24/7, for chlorine generation, and my IFCS, so the rain water should be getting mixed in before all going out the overflow. I think we've had enough rains to keep stuff in check this summer. My CH hasn't really gone up, in fact it is down from the last time I tested, and my salt level is down from 3800 ppm.

Would be awesome to not have to drain except in 20 years when I need new plaster!

--Jeff