winterizing

[apearso]

I am getting ready to winterize my pool here in Pennsylvania. This past spring when I opened my pool it was thick with algae. It is always messy but this year was the worst. I had to replace a lot of parts on my pool this year (mostly just wore out since it is 15 years old) but I would love to have a smoother opening this year. Any suggestions on winterizing chemicals? Thanks

[PoolDoc]

You'll need to tell us about what kind of pool you have, when you close and open, and what kind of cover you have.

[apearso]

26,000 IGP vinyl with mesh cover. close in September and open in May.
I understand the BBB Bleach for chlorine, borax for ph, baking soda is for alkalinity? My alkalinity only gets low once or twice a year. Is CYA stabilizer? I usually try to keep mine within the recommendations on the taylor testing kit. Usually only need that a couple of times a year too. Sorry for all the questions but this is all interesting and could potentially save me hundreds of dollars a year.

[JimK]

26,000 IGP vinyl with mesh cover. close in September and open in May.
I understand the BBB Bleach for chlorine, borax for ph, baking soda is for alkalinity? My alkalinity only gets low once or twice a year. Is CYA stabilizer? I usually try to keep mine within the recommendations on the taylor testing kit. Usually only need that a couple of times a year too. Sorry for all the questions but this is all interesting and could potentially save me hundreds of dollars a year.

I have a similar pool, 20k IG, and best thing I did was switch from a mesh cover to a solid cover (actually, I cover the mesh safety cover with a tarp style solid cover; much cheaper than outright replacing the safety cover).

With the mesh cover I was told not to close the pool until the water stayed below 60 and open it before it reached 60. In SE VA where I live, this means waiting until late Nov/ early Dec to close and open by the beginning of March. This meant maintaining the pool several months that it wasn't in use (too cold!). If I stuck to this schedule usually, but not always, I wouldn't have a green pool in the spring, but the bottom was covered with fine dirt and took several vacuumings to clean, it was a PIA.

Since using the solid cover, I've not had a green pool in the spring and there's far less dirt to vacuum; opening is MUCH easier. I can close it when we stop using it, usually early Oct, and open it when it's warm enough, usually early May. A few years ago when I removed the cover in early May I discovered the liner had detached and come down along one wall and the foam behind the liner had bunched up all around the pool (a couple of bad nor'easters were probably to blame). The earliest anyone could come to repair it was June 8th, so I covered it back up and hoped for the best. To my happy surprise when we pulled the cover off in June the water was still clear! Btw, I hadn't added anything to the pool other than the usual winter chems the fall before.

So my recommendation? Get a solid cover! :D

[robbym70]

I've got an above ground so my situation is different but some things are universal I would guess.

I have a solid cover as well. I've been using the BBB method since I bought the house with the pool, about three years now. The first year I opened it we had an algae bloom that lasted for 2 or 3 weeks. Since then we've had smooth sailing.

I keep it simple. I add a bottle of polyquat algaecide and 3 or 4 gallons of bleach. Put the air pillow on then the winter cover. I check the water clarity every 2 or 3 weeks until the surface is frozen and then again in the spring. I open early...late April to Mid May and I close late...usually 2nd week in October. That's it. Sometimes I wonder..."what am I missing that those $$ winterizer kits have that I don't"...but the proof is in the pudding.

[JimK]

I've got an above ground so my situation is different but some things are universal I would guess.

I have a solid cover as well. I've been using the BBB method since I bought the house with the pool, about three years now. The first year I opened it we had an algae bloom that lasted for 2 or 3 weeks. Since then we've had smooth sailing.

I keep it simple. I add a bottle of polyquat algaecide and 3 or 4 gallons of bleach. Put the air pillow on then the winter cover. I check the water clarity every 2 or 3 weeks until the surface is frozen and then again in the spring. I open early...late April to Mid May and I close late...usually 2nd week in October. That's it. Sometimes I wonder..."what am I missing that those $$ winterizer kits have that I don't"...but the proof is in the pudding.

I've been using a closing kit since 2004 that worked well. Last year I finally took a closer look to see what was in it; polyquat, stain inhibitor, phosphate remover, and borax. I've learned here that I don't need the phosphate remover, I already have polyquat and stain inhibitor on hand, and I already keep borates in the pool, so this year I'll forgo the kit and simplify the closing process.

Gotta love this forum! :D

[Shredhead]

I think a lot of your algae problem would be alleviated by closing later and opening earlier. September and May can be fairly warm and probably let's the algae bloom.

I have a mesh covered IG pool I close mid October and open to a fairly clear pool in late April.

[CarlD]

Hi everyone: Been awhile. Sorry about that.
I have an AGP, but in many ways it's more like an IGP, other than the plumbing. So I don't have to blow out lines and fill them with antifreeze, I just remove them. But I have to blow out my solar panels and all of their lines.
I use a mesh safety cover and always have as I'm not directly under any trees. I do follow the 60 deg rule, mostly. In the fall I wait as long as I can for the water to get at least close to 60. By then I've shut down the solar panels and blown them out, and plugged their returns. I clean and shock the pool up to the max for the CYA level, then add a quart of Polyquat 60%. I wait 48 hours for the FC to drop (a reaction to the Polyquat) then boost FC up to shock levels and close. That means lowering the water below the return, or even the lights, plugging the low drain, the skimmer, the overflow and the return.

I can then remove and drain the plumbing behind them. I have quick-connects or quick-connect ball valves everywhere. I disconnect them, dry and lube each o-ring, then put each one in a zip-lock marked with a sharpie. The plumbing is stored in the basement where it's warm and dry, including the pump. The mesh goes on and I'm done till April.

Up here, we get a solid block of ice, sometimes well over a foot thick. When this is all gone, usually in April, I begin to open. IF I get to it that early, I have little or no algae and a fairly simple clean up. If I am later, I have to shock the water to kill the algae that starts. Since my liner is now 11 years old, I don't worry about bleaching it. It's bleached already!

[robbym70]

..... I disconnect them, dry and lube each o-ring....

That is a great idea. A few minutes of extra effort will make those o rings last so much longer...

[apearso]

It's been a fairly warm fall here in PA, wondering if it would help the spring opening if I poured some bleach in through the mesh cover.

[PoolDoc]

With a mesh cover, you need to maintain the water under the cover, all winter long. Pouring bleach through is an excellent way to do so -- but use a hose to rinse off the cover afterwards.

[apearso]

thanks, i'm going to try it. This past spring was a pretty rough opening so hoping for better this time.

[PoolDoc]

Good luck!

[CarlD]

With a mesh cover, you need to maintain the water under the cover, all winter long. Pouring bleach through is an excellent way to do so -- but use a hose to rinse off the cover afterwards.

Happily, I've never had to do that with my mesh safety cover. Here in the NE (and Pennsylvania is like NJ, maybe colder), it's usually so much colder that it isn't necessary. I find if I open in April, after the ice has melted, I have to spend far less time and use less chems than I do if I open in May, when I'm more likely to have algae.