How do I prep my pool for vacation?

[PoolDoc]

OK:

I just finished a dosing guide: http://pool9.net/chart/vacation-dose/ ; there are links to the products in the chart.

[kelemvor]

Regarding the tablets in a floater, did you have something in mind other than a trichlor floater?

Nope, just that. Your list is obviously much more thought out

I thought polyquat increased chlorine demand? Wouldn't that be counter productive in this case?

[Watermom]

You add the polyquat, expect the chlorine to plummet, then bring the chlorine back up.

[JimK]

You add the polyquat, expect the chlorine to plummet, then bring the chlorine back up.

How long should I wait after adding the polyquat before bringing chlorine up to the recommended shock level?

[Watermom]

As soon as it gets too low based on your CYA reading. Then, add more chlorine.

[PoolDoc]

I've been talking to Chem_Geek about the chlorine / polyquat relationship. You have to realize that some of what's happening is not known, except maybe in Buckman Lab files that haven't been released. But here we go:

1. Polyquat is partially destroyed by chlorine, possibly with a 1 week half-life.

2. The chlorine consumption by polyquat is roughly 1 ppm per ppm. So if you add 6 ppm of polyquat, add 6 ppm of chlorine 24 - 36 hours later to make it up.

3. Polyquat is ALSO removed by filtration. If bypassing your filter will not cause other problems, then the polyquat will last longer if you put your filter on bypass (often "Recirculate" on multiport valves) or remove your cartridge from the filter.

4. Keep in mind that only pool covering, SWCG use, raising borates and lowering phosphates are a completely durable vacation tactic. Every other approach -- HiC2, feeders & floaters, polyquat, even copper -- depends on chemicals that will tend to disappear from the water (or feeder) in the course of normal operation.

[JimK]

UPDATE

Just got back from vacation (ugh...I did not want to come back!) and thought I'd post an update.

A couple days before leaving I added 1 qt of polyquat. The evening before leaving I added 4 jugs of 8.25% bleach. I left the SWCG on as normal (80%, pump running 12hrs/day). Remember my concern was the salt cell might fail while I was gone (it's showing it's age, hence the higher than normal setting).

I'm glad to report after being gone for a week the pool was perfectly clear...the bottom was covered with a lot of leaves though. FC is still at 12ppm.

Now the bad news. I asked a friend to check the skimmer baskets while I was gone. I figured this was a simple enough task. Well, she didn't seat the skimmer baskets all the way in so leaves got around the baskets. When I got home, both skimmers and the pipe openings below them were completely clogged. The pump basket was also completely clogged and had split down two sides from the pressure. I noticed the pressure gauge on the filter was only reading about half the normal pressure. I didn't think to check the SWCG to see if there was enough water flow for it to operate properly. I got everything cleared and the pump and motor seem OK, and the pressure gauge on the filter is reading normally. I hope the motor wasn't damaged; I had just installed a new motor last season.

So next time I'm going to just have to bite the bullet and drag out the mesh safety cover and cover the pool while we're gone so we won't have to worry about the skimmers clogging.