I just pulled the cover this mornin but the pump has been hooked up since April. I have been circulating the water and added a little bleach to prep for warmer weather and pollen since April. 
Yea, TFP....I just pulled the cover.
- Thread starter Spitdog
- Start date
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,027
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
HUGE help right there. My natural chomping at the bits to get things moving saved me many times. I’d get the equipment running at the first feeling of no more freezing but long before anyone wanted to swim. It would run covered for 4-6 more weeks but treated and not becoming a swamp in the meantime.
It was actually gin clear, the pic is after I scrubbed the water line with a soft brush. My go to method on how clear it is, is to look at the main drain, and see if I can see the Phillips head stainless steel screws on the circular rim. I could see all of them fine!!
The screw test is my unofficial test as well. The TF-100 merely scientifically backs up what I already know. Lol.
Wolfepack88
Gold Supporter
- Jun 21, 2020
- 829
- Pool Size
- 17690
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
Maybe a dumb question but if the cover was on how did you add the bleach?
GSD_fanatic
Bronze Supporter
We have a loop-loc cover and you can pop off a few of the loops around the bolts on a corner enough to pour some bleach in there and then pop them back on without taking off the whole cover.
GSD_fanatic
Bronze Supporter
Thanks for the reply even though I'm a bit late in seeing it. I can do the same with my cover, but my concern would be the chlorine would be concentrated in that corner and not mixed with the rest of the pool water. Since I'm in CT, I close my pool up and remover all the equipment for winter. So no pump to mix it up. I guess you could always dump a portion of the chlorine in each corner though.
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,027
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
If you dump it in and brush it around with a pool brush it will mix up... 
GSD_fanatic
Bronze Supporter
True, but unless I remove the whole cover, it would only get mixed in that corner or corners...would it not?If you dump it in and brush it around with a pool brush it will mix up...
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,027
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
you can reach a brush all the way across the pool underneath the cover... or at least 5 to 10 feet.. that will move the water around... I can brush mine and stop at the side and have a wave of water come up to the top
GSD_fanatic
Bronze Supporter
Cool...you're hiredyou can reach a brush all the way across the pool underneath the cover... or at least 5 to 10 feet.. that will move the water around... I can brush mine and stop at the side and have a wave of water come up to the top
Unless we have one of those La Niña winters here, I'll pass on brushing the pool when it's cold out. Bad enough I have to drain it down a few times to prevent overflowing.
I start 18 inches down and it’s full right about the time it’s going to freeze. I drain another 18 inches and that lasts until the spring. I’m 30 mins south of you so you should see the same 3ft of off season precipitation that I do. Up to you if you want to drain a foot 3 times.Bad enough I have to drain it down a few times to prevent overflowing.
I use a boat oar to mix. Then follow with my brush. Then drop in my dolphin for a round of vacuuming and that takes care of all the mixing I need.
GSD_fanatic
Bronze Supporter
I drain down to about 18" as well, as that's the max that the manufacturer for the cover states. But depending on the winter precip, I may have to drain it down several times. This past winter I had to do it 3 times. But I don't really measure after the first time for winter prep. I just go by eye and it may very well be only a foot or so. IIRC, there was one winter years ago I had to do it 5 times.
I wish I had thought of an overflow pipe when it was put in. But never thought of it at the time and the PB didn't suggest one either. Instead, I put a couple inner tubes in the seat and stairs. When the water level rises enough to push the tubes up and raise the liner, I can judge when its time to drain some out. That helps when its covered with 3' of snow and ice. You can see the outline of the tubes in this pic.
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They don’t work in the cold. Water would eventually freeze in it and blow it apart. It might take a combination of events like an already frozen pool, a rain storm and a quick 2nd freeze, but it would go south within a few years.
I was seriously debating doing one anyway for all the non freezing months and plugging it like the other lines for Jan/Feb.
GSD_fanatic
Bronze Supporter
Really? My thoughts were to use a valve and only open it when needed. If the pipe is pitched correctly, it would drain completely and not freeze. Unless there's a major storm coming through, I rarely have to drain during the summer...only winter. Now that I think about it more, what you say makes sense and probably best to keep it closed off for the winter and not use it. For years I have griped about not having one. Seems its a blessing I don't.
The water would be held at the pipe height and when it snowed the cover snow and ice would plug it up one way or the other. Maybe with slushy water being forced through it from the weight of the snow covered cover. It would probably take several years for the right conditions to happen, but there would be no easy fix.
We drain and plug all our other lines for a reason.
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