Chlorine level for winter

[bobcat]

I live in Central Texas and will not be closing my pool for the winter, nor do I have a cover on the pool. My question is at what level should I keep my chlorine at during the winter months? If I understand correctly, with the water temp well below 60, no algie will grow. So do I really need to keep adding bleach all winter?

[chem geek]

Algae can still grow in water, even under ice. It just grows far more slowly. So you should still keep chlorine in the water, though the rate of chlorine loss will be much slower at the colder water temps and the reduced sunlight. If you have a pool cover, especially an opaque one, then you'll probably only need to add chlorine once every 1-2 weeks -- that's pretty much what I do. The chlorine loss in my pool with a mostly opaque electric safety cover during the winter at < 55ºF water temp is less than 1 ppm FC per week.

[CarlD]

Once I close my pool for the winter, that's it for me. I only check to see if the water level's getting too high, then I siphon some off. Only once have I opened to any algae and that was last season because I opened very, very late.

I don't close until the water is at or close to 60 degrees. I then run the FC up to shock level and keep it there for a couple of days.

I then add a quart of Polyquat 60% and wait 48 hours.

I raise the FC up to shock level again and close.

That's it.

[chem geek]

...but then I'd have nothing to do with the pool all winter...withdrawl...

[CarlD]

...but then I'd have nothing to do with the pool all winter...withdrawl...

**********

Uh-oh...Can't help you with that! Maybe you can get my sno-blower running????????

[aylad]

I'm in Northwestern Lousiana, and my water temp is still ranging from 62-70 degrees, thanks to this wonderful weather we're having. 80 degrees today, then supposed to be 29 on Saturday morning, then back up to mid 70s by Sunday. So...our water temp doesn't get too far below 60 degrees ever, so algae can still grow. However, I'm only putting a gallon of bleach in about once every 2 weeks (CYA 80) and the pool is staying nice and clear.

Janet

[CarlD]

(Gnashing teeth in Gnew Jersey)

[Watermom]

Although of course we haven't been able to swim for quite awhile now, I still haven't totally closed my pool. Our fall temps are pretty erratic. Some days pushing upper 80s and some days in the 50s or 60s so I don't close it up too early. I wait until we start having freezing night time temps which will be fairly soon. I am still running the pump once in awhile as we have still been having quite a bit of warm weather although with November ending, it is about over for us. I add bleach every week or so. Maybe this weekend I'll jack the chlorine and pH up a bit and maybe add some polyquat. Will drop the water level some and pull the steps out. Not gonna bother with a winter cover. Too much of a hassle and the leaves are all off the trees by now anyways. We start getting warm pretty early in the spring so I typically open it back up in April so I can start chlorinating and running the pump again.

[CarlD]

I'm trying to get another winter or two out of my safety-mesh, which has a hole somewhere between the size of a of golf ball and a racket ball in one panel. But we've put out so much on re-modeling that putting off spending another thousand on the cover before I have to is tough.

We expanded the pool deck on the east end. Not a lot but now we can put a couple of lounge chairs in the enclosure, where we couldn't before. It also covers the pump and filter but the access is OK. So I had to install deck anchors for the cover replacing the edge anchors at that end.