Chlorine & Algaecide addition's in the Winter

[donfranko]

I live in Northern NJ. We've been having some unseasonably warm days recently - 60 + degrees and it got me thinking.
Do you need to add any chemicals - Bleach or Algaecide after closing the pool?
When they closed my pool they suggested Shocking the pool and adding more Algaecide in March. Is it wise to add bleach to vinyl pool when the filter is not running? Is it even necessary?
I've only used the BBB method since installing the pool 2 years ago. I closed the pool in October. I generally open in late April early May and water temp is usually in the 50's.

Thanks
Vinyl 45K straight "L"
Hayward DE Filter
Heater

[waste]

Don, what type of cover do you have?
If you have a solid cover (held down by watertubes, usually), there shouldn't be a need for any bleach nor poly60 - the cl isn't being burned off by the sun and nothing's entering the pool water. Of course this assumes a clean, ballanced and shocked pool proir to closing.
If you have a mesh safety cover, you'll probably want to check the water every couple of weeks until it starts to freeze (and do the same in the spring when the water starts to thaw). It's not very hard to peel back a corner to test/ inspect the water. If you decide you want to add some bleach or algicide, I'd peel back one side of the cover and pour the chems at arms length into the pool, (a gal jug should require walking from shallow end to deep and back while pouring it in)

If you do decide to add more chems, using a 'sump pump' or similar will help disperse the chems more quickly (put the pump in the pool and have the flow going into the pool and pour the chems into the flow), but if you don't have one you can trust basic physics to distribute the chems throghout the pool.
As for the safety of the liner, I wouldn't sweat it, while there may be a high concentration of cl temporarily, it shouldn't cause any discernable damage to the liner, if you add the way I've suggested.
If you have any ?s about what I've said, I'll be more than happy to answer them ( the forum's a little boring at this time of year but I've finally got lots of time to devote to it )

[donfranko]

Thanks.
I have a mesh loop lock (dark green). Pool was spotless and balanced when I closed. I'll take a look and check the chems.
No sump so if I do add some CL I will probably do it slow and add it in the deep end. In a month it will be frozen anyway.

[CarlD]

I live in the same region and also use a mesh cover over a vinyl liner. I, too, add lots of PolyQuat, then shock the water up to 15ppm prior to closing.

It has been unseasonably warm, but we have had some sub-freezing too. It doesn't hurt to check but check your water temp as well. If the water is well below 60, you shouldn't be seeing a problem. If it's below 50, better still.

If you decide to add bleach, I would strongly suggest that you dribble it around the edges--don't just add it in one spot or you can damage the liner. Because of the circulation being, well, non-existent, I'd stick to bleach, not the stronger stuff. If FC is low, you may want to consider buying or renting a submersible sump pump to get the water moving.

[waste]

Carl, I agree, without flow, a 'plug' of cl could possibly damage the liner. I may not have been 'crystal clear' on my advice on adding bleach, but what I was saying is that if you need to add a gal and don't have any circulation, peel back the safety cover on one long wall and add it, at arms length (#3 in one of your old posts), going from one end to the other and back to add the gal. (BTW I'm at ~ the same latitude - if I headed due west out of my condo, I'd be within 10 min of Mawah, and about 20 min from my old house in Tenafly - when I closed 2 pools Wed, the water temp was 47 - 50 deg (I don't know if a mesh cover retains heat, but uncovered pools in Ct are below 50 deg).

[CarlD]

I'm about 15 min west of Newark--a little south of you. I think mesh gets colder than solid...if you think about it. There's no barrier to heat rising, no greenhouse effect. Plus the mesh allows evaporation, which also keeps the water cooler.

I would say, if the water is pretty clear and 50 or below, don't bother adding anything. In fact, unless you have a reason to, I prefer, myself, to leave it alone. It's going to get colder--this absurd heat wave cannot last.