Vacation time what now?

[Digger]

Thanks again to everyone for all the help on here!! You are all wonderful! I don't remember the last time my pool looked so good. It is the first summer that I have not had algae climbing up my walls! I have been maintaining levels, sometimes they get down lower than I would like them, but I bump them back up. My pool has been beautiful all summer since doing the big change over. NOW, I am leaving for 4-7 days for the beach, what do I do with my pool, to ensure it stays clear. I have a friend I can ask to come up and put bleach in for me. Thanks for the input.

[Phillbo]

Add a Salt system ;)

[waterbear]

If you can have someone put the bleach in great, otherwise get a floater and put trichlor in it to chlorinate the pool while you are gone. (Trichlor DOES have it's uses!)
Adding a dose of polyquat 60 algaecide (NOT any other kind) is also good insurance.
Finally consider adding borates to your pool to 50 ppm. Besides the other water enhancing and pH stabilizing effects of borates it is also an excellent algaestat. It is much longer lasting and much less expensive to use than polyquat 60 given that polyquat needs to be dosed weekly and borates only once a year to "top them off" I go away every summer in july for two week, live in Florida, and just shut my pool off for the duration after shocking it. Since I have added borates (since 2006) I have returned to a pool that, while there was no chlorine, there was also NOT a trace of algae!

[aylad]

If you do decide to use the Polyquat, keep in mind that it will deplete your chlorine. So add the Polyquat, wait 24 hours, then raise your chlorine back up to shock level. If you can have someone come put some bleach in the pool a couple of times during the week, I don't think you'll have any trouble while you're gone.

Janet

[CarlD]

My routine is to have my father-in-law add a gallon of bleach every other day we are away. For my pool, it adds about 3ppm of chlorine and that seems to be enough. I usually come home to a clear, or mostly clear pool.

[Digger]

Now, I am really confused, LOL! First of all before I do anything. When does a person shock their pool? Please bear with me, I am coming off of 14 plus years of Baq, and shocking it often with a separate chemical. How do I go about shocking it? I am guessing just putting in a high dose of chlorination? So maybe if I shock it before leaving and let the filter run 24/7, plus have someone put bleach in for me, that should be suffcient? Or do the other suggestions that others gave me. What are borates? Is that Borax? How do I regulate them? I have been running high on my PH and keep putting muriatic acid in to reduce it. Today it was about 7.8 again. Thanks again!

[Digger]

Sorry Carl, I posted and saw your post afterwards. Yeah, that is kind of what I was thinking may work best. I guess I need to get my PH under control, and if I could have some help on shocking? Do I chlorinate to get levels up to 15? THanks again.

[blessedbeingmom]

We just got back from vacation. We added a starting dose of Polyquat, then shocked (however, we didn't wait the 24 hours, as we didn't realize we should have until it was too late and we were about to leave). Mid week (4 days later) my DH's parents came by & put in about a gallon of bleach. Our pool is about 5000 gallons. We put a cover (with a vented area) over the pool, but it fell in while we were away. The purpose of the cover was supposed to help keep the chlorine from dissipating as fast. Nonetheless, we came home to a clear pool.

[Watermom]

Digger,
Shocking is just super-chlorinating. You can use bleach to shock. How high to shock to depends on your CYA level. Can you give us a current reading so we can verify how high you need to shock to? If you shock before you leave and have someone who can come and add some bleach every couple of days and run the pump for a few hours each day, you should be fine.

[waterbear]

What are borates? Is that Borax? How do I regulate them?

Borax is one way to get borates in your water (the least expensive but not the easieist but it's not that hard.) You only have to add them once since they are like CYA, they don't go away except by splashout or backwashing. They are also used in biguanide pools (bacqua and softswim) but at higher levels than in chlorine pools. For commercial borate products--Bioguard has Optimizer, Proteam has Supreme, Pool Life has Endure.
There are others but plain 20 mule team and muriatic acid work just as well.
LaMotte makes an excellent borate test strip that is accurate enough for what is needed.
If you want more info PM me after you get back from vacation and I will direct you to some threads that explain all about them and how to add them inexpensively with borax and acid so you can decide for yourself. It's really pretty easy.

[Digger]

Thanks everyone. I am going to have my CYA checked at the pool place today. It is reading about 30 for me, wondering if I should add more, actually, I did add just 1/2 a sock full two days ago, and I know it takes about a week to register, so afraid to add too much more. The one pool place last week told me it was low in the 20's ( but this was after I didn't need any other chemicals!:) ), so I was skeptical, when my readings were higher. Man, you are all right, what other business are you at their mercy like this, they can tell you anything, and you do it ( well DID it!!) I am going to shock it and try to bring the PH down, and have chlorine added when I am going, with the pump running 24/7 and the Kreepy in while I am gone. That should hold it good? I am unsure of the borax, etc. so will just go this route. Want to learn more about all of this though!

[Digger]

Water bear, I do have the 20 mule team on hand, I got that and lots of baking soda at the beginning of the season. I have not had a chance to use either because my PH has been running high. I have been using the Muriatic Acid to bump that down, but it creeps back up?

[waterbear]

Man, you are all right, what other business are you at their mercy like this, they can tell you anything, and you do it ( well DID it!!)

Hmmm, let me think...doctors, lawyers, plumbers, electricians, contractors, accountants, stockbrokers (learned a hard lesson myself on a margin call about listening to brokers!)...I could go on!:rolleyes:

Digger,
Most pools using bleach rarely need borax to raise pH nor baking soda to raise TA, given "normal' fill water conditions. The Chemicals used most often with bleach are Acid and CYA
However, adding 60 oz of borax by weight and 30 oz of muriatic acid by volume for every 1000 gallons of water will raise borates to 50 ppm. Here are some theads with further reading on the subject. I will warn you the content of these threads is advanced but addng borates is easy. Read these threads and if you are still interested I can give you full instructions in a cookbook fashion.;)

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=5419

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=4712

[aylad]

I am going to shock it and try to bring the PH down, and have chlorine added when I am going, with the pump running 24/7 and the Kreepy in while I am gone.

That sounds like a good plan to me, as long as you don't have a danger of leaves plugging up your skimmer whle you're gone. If your sock of CYA is empty, go ahead and measure for CYA levels (and I'd trust yours over the pool store) and then we'll be able to help you figure out how much chlorine you need to get in the pool to get it up to shock.

Janet

[Digger]

Thanks again everyone for all your help. The other pool store said also it was real low in CYA, 10?? First one last week said 20? I will have to reread myself again later. Just got back from chlorine run and picked up CYA.
I would be interested in the borax theory, thanks everyone! Maybe I shouldn't run Kreepy when gone, more cause for error? My husband will be here and adding the cholrine, but doesn't know much about the pool. He can empty the skimmer basket though.

[waterbear]

I would be interested in the borax theory

Not theory, fact!;)

[CarlD]

Well, it's a "theory", like Einstein's Theory of Relativity. We too often misuse the word "theory" when we mean "hypothesis". This is a pet peeve. A hypothesis is a testable situation, where one set of results indicates the hypothesis is "proven" and the other set of results when the hypothesis is wrong.

A scientific "theory" fits all the known facts and can be used to predict behavior under known conditions. If it fails to predict correctly then it is suspect and must be examined for the conditions that caused the failure. If those conditions are not external, then the theory must be revised or abandoned if revision is impossible.

Einstein himself said that a theory can have thousands of proofs, but just one failure is enough to invalidate it.

But without the Quantum Theory, we wouldn't be typing to each other on computers, because semi-conductors could never have been conceived.

(This doesn't invalidate the use of Borates to inhibit algae growth.)

[Digger]

Okay, you two intellectuals argue or debate it out. This woman will call it a theory today and formula tom., or a different name. LOL! I am just so glad to have you guys to help little old me! Smile!

[Digger]

I'll bet you gave your Momma alot of headaches and kept her on her toes raising you. I know I raised a son like that! OMy Gosh, what a challenge! LOL! I only hope you had a child just like yourself. I am saying this all with laughter in my voice, and a chuckle! What I am saying was he was so much smarter than me, gifted smart, and a challenge. Love him to pieces though! and at least 2 of his 4 little ones are like him, challenging him every day, LOVE IT!! Okay, sorry, off the beaten path, a "Mommy Bear" moment! Smile!

[CarlD]

Absolutely!

(Actually we only help people if it gives us a great excuse to argue with each other...:D )

[Digger]

Okay, what was my question again? :). I am just having fun with you, I truly respect you all and treasure your help! I surely need it! Thanks again!!

[waterbear]

"Intellectuals"!?:eek: Carl lives in New Jersey...and i was born there!:rolleyes:

(Although I was so bright my mother did call me "sun"):)

(or was that "son"):confused:










(nevermid):cool:

[CarlD]

"Intellectuals"!?:eek: Carl lives in New Jersey...and i was born there!:rolleyes:

(Although I was so bright my mother did call me "sun"):)

(or was that "son"):confused:











(nevermid):cool:


Hey! Edison and Einstein also lived here! And Bell Labs, where the transistor was invented, was right here too.

This is the Garden State! Our beautiful state bird is the greenhead mosquito and our beautiful state flower is poison ivy. Our inspiring state motto is "fugeddaboutit"...

As "Eh" and Tim Hortons are to Canadians, so this is typical NJ: "You live in New Jersey, too? What exit?"

[Digger]

You guys are too funny!Well my little Einstein lives in Jersey too. Actually he is not ,little anymore, with having his own little ones. One of our first trips to Jersey with him, he told us about the N.J. wave, after another driver used it! Or maybe it was our son who used it first, either way, I would like to remember it as the other driver doing it! LOL

[waterbear]

The following is dedicated to Snooki.
Do you know the difference between a girl from New jersey and the trash?




Trash gets taken out once or twice a week!

[CarlD]

Hey!

My WIFE is a Jersey Girl! Knock that off!:mad:

But we passed Delaware as the densest state in the Union years ago. It such a lousy place but people keep coming here--and lots of them buy million-dollar homes.

Weirdest thing: Two weeks ago, on a Saturday morning, in our super-suburban neighborhood, just 25 miles from Ground Zero, two coyotes ran across the street! I had never seen a coyote in the wild (!) before and they looked like our Belgian Tervuren, only taller. I thought they only lived in, like, the Grand Canyon and chased road-runners (Beep!Beep!)

[aylad]

We have tons of them around here (both coyotes and roadrunners)

Coyotes are why many folks with cattle/horses also have donkeys, a donkey will kill a hunting coyote in a heartbeat.

Janet

[Watermom]

We have a few coyotes around here, too. I saw one near a friend's apartment a few months back.

[CarlD]

We have tons of them around here (both coyotes and roadrunners)

Coyotes are why many folks with cattle/horses also have donkeys, a donkey will kill a hunting coyote in a heartbeat.

Janet

And a horse won't? What about a mule? I'm utterly ignorant but I would think a stallion would be EAGER to kill a coyote if a donkey is.

[aylad]

Most mules will go on the attack, as well--almost all horses will flee from a chasing coyote--not sure about stallions, but mares and geldings, for sure.

janet

[waterbear]

Most mules will go on the attack, as well--almost all horses will flee from a chasing coyote--not sure about stallions, but mares and geldings, for sure.

janet

It's NOT just about swimming pools! You can learn all kinds of stuff here!:D

[CarlD]

I know enough jack@$$e$ without getting one as a pet!

[aylad]

I know enough jack@$$e$ without getting one as a pet!

True, but the pets are much easier to get along with!! :D
Janet

[CarlD]

Just so long as they don't mistake Elfie for a coyote--she looks a lot like one (Frankie calls her "Beep!" and she answers to it--apparently she had that as a nick-name in her past). Clooney, OTOH looks more like a black wolf. He was running around the yard one day and the kids next door thought he was a wolf....too lazy and too much of a home-body to be a wolf!

(Just a thought: Whenever someone is described as working like a dog I scratch my head....Not like MY dogs!)