Swimming pool care while absent

[mccurdyp]

From June to Oct and Dec to Jan we are often away. Those are hot and/or very wet months here in Trujillo.
I thought while absent I would turn off the pump & SWG to save costs, but also to avoid any issues while we’re away. I have some questions maybe the group could help with:

1. We have a solar cover, but is it best to store it and use a polyvinyl tarp with a couple mid section braces to keep it above water, to save wear and tear? The rainfall and sun may ruin the solar cover pretty quick (although I don't expect it to last more than a few years anyway)

2. A friend suggested draining the pool, covering with tarp. But we have a Hydrazzo finish and I’m afraid of issues with it being out of the water. He thinks the vinyl cover would save it. We could buy a tarp big enough to go down the sides of the pool and sit on the bottom, so that weight of any rainfall (it could come in storms of 24” over a weekend) will keep it down, and just sit on top. IS draining pool advisable?

3. Or, do we leave it full of water, turn off the pump and SWG as planned, and have our gardener add liquid chlorine once or twice a week. He’s not likely capable of doing the water tests though - maybe I could train him enough though. It's only a 6500 gal pool so not expecting he'll need to add much week to keep out algae, etc.

Oh, and I have an automatic water valve so if water level drops below skimmer level it will fill to proper level.

 

[Texas Splash]

Your situation is really tough. We get a few like this each year where owners are away from the pool for months at a time.
#1 is one way, but I'd use a solid cover. Would the pump be off under this option as well? If off, you can expect a green/soupy mess when you return. Drain/clean it upon return?
#2 is normally not advised. We almost never recommend leaving the pool empty, either for the finish or potential movement below (shell). Curious though, do you know about your local water table conditions? If empty and covered, is there any chance of movement? That's the biggest risk, but it does take algae out of the equation.
#3 is probably possible, although it may not work for that long. Are you sure about leaving the pump and SWG off? If your gardener visits, he would only need to check the poolside skimmer for debris and perhaps make sure the pump basket is always primed with water. Call you if he see a problem? Granted that is a long time to leave things running while you are away if the gardener assistance is very limited (no testing skills, unfamiliar with equipment operation, etc). But you appear to have timer functions too, so ........ maybe?

Maybe others will provide thoughts I missed.

 

[mccurdyp]

Your situation is really tough. We get a few like this each year where owners are away from the pool for months at a time.
#1 is one way, but I'd use a solid cover. Would the pump be off under this option as well? If off, you can expect a green/soupy mess when you return. Drain/clean it upon return?
#2 is normally not advised. We almost never recommend leaving the pool empty, either for the finish or potential movement below (shell). Curious though, do you know about your local water table conditions? If empty and covered, is there any chance of movement? That's the biggest risk, but it does take algae out of the equation.
#3 is probably possible, although it may not work for that long. Are you sure about leaving the pump and SWG off? If your gardener visits, he would only need to check the poolside skimmer for debris and perhaps make sure the pump basket is always primed with water. Call you if he see a problem? Granted that is a long time to leave things running while you are away if the gardener assistance is very limited (no testing skills, unfamiliar with equipment operation, etc). But you appear to have timer functions too, so ........ maybe?

Maybe others will provide thoughts I missed.

OK, option #2 I'll ignore.
Option 1 + 3 seem viable then - leave it full, cover it with a solid tarp, turn off pump & swg and have gardener add chlorine every week. I wouldn't trust him to maintain the pump & swg while we're gone. If there's a soupy mess when we return (sigh), I will drain and clean it.
I did install hydrostatic valves in both drains, but the water table is fairly high (when they were digging out the pool it kept filling regularly with water, even when there was no rain), so it makes sense not to leave it empty.
We're still waiting to apply the Hydrazzo, but with the COVID-19 lockdowns here, they haven't been able to send out a team to do it. So not sure if it will get done before we leave for summer (if we can!). But I'll make sure it has water in it before we leave.
Which brings up another question: I'm almost finished all the plumbing and electrical is done. I was thinking of filling it anyway and running a leak test, since it will be a while before we can use. Is that advisable?
Again - thanks so much for all your advice Tex!

 

[Texas Splash]

It would be good to test the plumbing. Often times a static pressure test is conducted for that purpose. Some will install a nipple somewhere to attached a pressure gauge, seal-off the lines, and apply a moderate PSI (maybe 20 or so?) to see if it holds.