Pool opening on the way!

[CarlD]

I was VERY pleased when I pulled the cover off last Saturday. The water is high from all the rains, so no filling needed. The water was clear all the way to the bottom which, of course, was covered with crud and a few dead worms. A little algae on the walls and at the wall/bottom joint.
Took a reading:
FC: 0
CC: 0
pH: 6.9
T/A: 0-10
CYA: 0
Ca: 20
Temp: 71 (WRONG! My teen read the infrared meter wrong--more like 51).

Immediately tossed in the Blue Diamond and it's been cleaning it nicely--today it's on its 4th run--that's usual for the opening.

The filter was reconnected easily--no leaks. I have quick-releases everywhere and grease the gaskets and seal them in marked zip-locks at closing.

Meanwhile I added LC, Borax, Baking Soda and CYA
Numbers are not bad:
TC: 5.0
CC/FC--not done
pH: 7.3
T/A: 80
CYA: 30
Ca: Who Cares? It's vinyl.

I still have to put in the ladder, replace a solar panel, and hook up the solar system plumbing. Plus I have to replace one of the drop-in stairs railing cups, re-band them both, and put in the stairs.

I still have yet to add DE to the filter--that's soon.

Then I have a TON of work on the deck as we are ripping up the 20 year old rotting cedar and replacing it with Trex.

Then all the giant umbrelllas come out--sun comes from the wrong direction for awnings to work.

Hopefully, we'll be swimming by Mother's Day--when my wife and I are taking off for a weekend cruise-to-nowhere!

The only bad thing about pulling the cover off--picking it up to put it in the shed caused me to throw out my back...been a rough few days since.

[simsjim]

Hi CarlD

Sorry to hear about your back, hope you get well soon.

Just curious, you mentioned no filling required. Do you lower the water in the winter below the skimmers? I always do that because the first year I was in this home (and the first time I owned an i/g pool) I hired a pool service company to close. (knowing I was going to watch very carefully and do it myself in subsequent years) Anyway, they explained that lowering the water and blowing the water out of the plumbing lines is recommended here in PA to avoid possible leaks from water expanding into ice and bursting joins and such in the plumbing.

So, is that all just malarke? Do I not have to drain my pool to below the skimmers/preasure side outlets when I close? It seems a waste to just drain so much of that water that we spend a week superchorinationg and balancing to close.

Curious to hear from you. You are someone whose posts I often read closely...

Thanks,
James

[CarlD]

Hi CarlD
Curious to hear from you. You are someone whose posts I often read closely...

Well, Thank You! It's always nice to hear that--we all try very hard to help each other.

Not malarkey at all. Ice expands and breaks pipes. He's telling you the honest truth.

That is, if you haven't removed them, drained them and placed them in the basement, as I do. I have a lot of TigerFlex so I roll it all up. My pool, in the winter has plugs in the returns and drains, an Aquador over the skimmer, and a Gizmo in the skimmer. But no pipes.

Not everybody can do that so they have to blow out in-ground pipes and put in safe anti-freeze to protect them.

I DO have solar panels connected by flexible hoses. I pull strategic ones and blow out the panels. Those hoses have a lot of give in case water gets in them.

As for the pool--I lower the water below the returns and skimmer--about 2" below the lowest (but not my low drain). I have a mesh safefty cover so the water goes through it into the pool. I check it every month or so and, if necessary, syphon off extra water. This winter I didn't need to, and the rain filled it nicely. But remember: When I do that the water has no pipes to flow into where it can freeze.

[ChuckD]

Yeah man!
Sorry about your back. I went soles up a couple days before New Year's on some ice on our back deck, and that earned me a trip in an ambulance on New Year's Eve when I couldn't stand. I feel your pain.

Really curious about your 'corrected' temperature. I opened over the course of the past week and by yesterday the pool was spotless, crystal clear and 65 degrees. Enough that my 5.5 year old daughter put her suit on and splashed around on the steps. This is all natural heating from the sun, nothing else. Haven't even broken out the solar blanket yet. And we're a couple hundred miles north and at exactly 1000' elevation (you guys in the Rockies just stop the snickering, OK?).

Chuck

[CarlD]

It's a handy little gadget you point at something from pool water to a volcanic steam vent and measure the temp. 24 hours after my boy read 71, I read 51....I'm right, not him--I know what 50 deg water feels like!

(used it on the Big Island on a volcano tour).

[simsjim]

Well, I have a lot of TigerFlex so I roll it all up.

Not everybody can do that so they have to blow out in-ground pipes and put in safe anti-freeze to protect them.

As for the pool--I lower the water below the returns and skimmer--about 2" below the lowest (but not my low drain).

Thanks for the reply....now that makes perfect sense! I dont have that option as I have an I/G and my pipes are, well, in the ground....

I have been blowing out the lines and capping the pipes and using gizmos, but just wanted to make sure.

Thanks Again!
James

[CarlD]

Glad to help!

We get SO much nonsense from pool stores and pool "professionals" it's hard to know when they are dead-on correct and when they are full of it.

The pros who are members here are the Good Guys, or learn to become Good Guys, or they leave --either voluntarily or involutarily.

The ones that last are full of both knowledge and interesting insights from the industry side.

There are SO many ways to waste money on your pool, so we work hard to help people figure out what is valid, and what isn't. Plus, what is valid for one person isn't for another. It depends on your pool, your budget, your level of experience and expertise, and your personal preferences for convenience and expenditure.

[JohnT]

Then I have a TON of work on the deck as we are ripping up the 20 year old rotting cedar and replacing it with Trex.

Carl,

Make sure you get the special screws that reduce the problem of mushrooming with Trex, and practice setting them in a scrap piece. Takes a little fiddling with your drill's torque setting. Better to leave them a little high and finish by hand if you can't get it set exactly right. This will give a much better appearance.

[CarlD]

Thanks! I've been simply using a counter-sink drill first, so it doesn't mushroom.

[mspool]

What are the solar panels for?....the pump? I would be interested hear about running your pump on solar power. Thanks.