Vacation advice needed

[ba67]

I’m thinking about putting our mesh safety cover on our pool before we go on vacation in a few weeks so I don’t have to ask anyone to come over twice a day to dump out the skimmer baskets. Our pool is surrounded by trees so I’m hoping that covering the pool will decrease our chances of coming home to a swamp. I plan on getting the pool up to shock level before we leave which is 20 ppms. I’ve never used the mesh cover while on vacation before so I have a few questions:
1. How much FC could we expect to lose each day with the pool covered by a mesh cover? Will we likely get below target level in 7 days if no additional chlorine is added and our SWG is broken? I could possibly ask someone to come over mid week to add chlorine if the chlorine definitely won’t last a week. I couldnt find any chlorine tablets in our local stores so I can’t use a floater of chlorine tablets to add additional chlorine.
2. Could our mesh cover get bleached out if we put the cover on after we get the pool to shock level? The only time the cover touches the water is when you put it on so I’m wondering if we should wait to shock it after the cover is already on.
3. Will the water evaporate more or less with the pool covered by a mesh cover? I normally add a little extra water when we go on vacation if no rain is expected but I wasn’t sure if I still needed to do this or not.
4. Is there anything chemically we need to do to the water before we leave, other than make sure the ph isn’t too high and get it up to shock level before we leave?

 

[zea3]

Are you able to pull back a corner to add chlorine to the pool without taking off the cover? The cover should decrease loss to evaporation, but I really can't say how much difference it would make.

 

[Nikilyn]

Do you really empty your skimmer basket twice a day ?

 

[Newdude]

’m thinking about putting our mesh safety cover on our pool before we go on vacation

It will work awesome. The hour it takes to unfold and secure will bring an immeasurable amount of peace of mind so you can focus on enjoying your vacation.

While the ‘mesh’ cover is in fact a mesh, it’s either a 95% or 98% mesh and will block an overwhelming amount of sunlight from burning off your FC. It will also stop the bulk of crud falling into the pool. Bring your pool to SLAM level based on the FC/CYA Levels. For most people, that buys them several days of losing 2-4 ppm and yours will last even longer with the cover in place.

A FC up to and including SLAM level is safe and harmless to all equipment (covers too) and swimmers.

 

[ba67]

Are you able to pull back a corner to add chlorine to the pool without taking off the cover? The cover should decrease loss to evaporation, but I really can't say how much difference it would make

It will work awesome. The hour it takes to unfold and secure will bring an immeasurable amount of peace of mind so you can focus on enjoying your vacation.

While the ‘mesh’ cover is in fact a mesh, it’s either a 95% or 98% mesh and will block an overwhelming amount of sunlight from burning off your FC. It will also stop the bulk of crud falling into the pool. Bring your pool to SLAM level based on the FC/CYA Levels. For most people, that buys them several days of losing 2-4 ppm and yours will last even longer with the cover in place.

A FC up to and including SLAM level is safe and harmless to all equipment (covers too) and swimmers.

It will work awesome. The hour it takes to unfold and secure will bring an immeasurable amount of peace of mind so you can focus on enjoying your vacation.

While the ‘mesh’ cover is in fact a mesh, it’s either a 95% or 98% mesh and will block an overwhelming amount of sunlight from burning off your FC. It will also stop the bulk of crud falling into the pool. Bring your pool to SLAM level based on the FC/CYA Levels. For most people, that buys them several days of losing 2-4 ppm and yours will last even longer with the cover in place.

A FC up to and including SLAM level is safe and harmless to all equipment (covers too) and swimmers.

Thanks for replying to my post. Will 20 ppms of chlorine last 7 days when the pool is covered? If not, I could possibly ask someone to come add a few gallons of chlorine mid week but I hate to do this if it isn’t necessary since the brackets on the deck are sometimes tricky to get on and off. Since the cover is mesh, can chlorine be poured in near the return without taking off the cover or would this potentially bleach the cover?

 

[Newdude]

Since the cover is mesh, can chlorine be poured in near the return without taking off the cover or would this potentially bleach the cover

That would most likely bleach the cover.

Will 20 ppms of chlorine last 7 days when the pool is covered?

It’s very possible. What is your CYA ? Is that where you got 20 from ?

 

[poolmedic244]

a) did it work?
b) why not use a solar blanket instead of the mesh cover?