Umm, some things I can answer and others I can't. He did not ask me to not drain the rest of the water, but as he was leaving I asked him to please give me a two-day head's up that he was coming to replace the liner as I would then drain it. I've read here before that it's not the best of ideas to leave a pool empty, liner notwithstanding. Also, since I daily blow the deck off from mother nature's bounties, I thought it a safer thing to leave some water in it. It hasn't happened often, but at least several times over the last 6 years I have inadvertently fallen into the pool, usually when in a hurry blowing the deck off and cutting the rounded corners too quickly or, once, in the winter when it was covered and I cut a corner too close and fell ON TOP OF the cover (I bolted off just as fast).

In any event, we had a big rain event so that filled the water back up to the return jets…Still haven't heard from the liner guy so yesterday called his office and was met with one very discourteous staff. Seemed I was putting her out asking her when she thought my liner might go in. "Well, it takes two weeks just to get it in" to which I replied "umm, Tara's website insists they deliver within 3-4 days…" then "well you know we've had a lot of rain…" In truth, we've had one rain event that lasted two days. You'd think it would take more energy to be nasty/uncooperative than to simply be genuine, and courteous. I don't get customer service these days, but then I don't get a lot of things anymore.

I'm getting concerned because leaves are starting to fall. While the big oaks shouldn't come down until October, even November here, there's enough smaller trees that have begun. The schemer in me is thinking why can't I have the liner put in, and virtually cover it with my solid winter cover right away? I can add CYA and bleach under the cover through the skimmer, and take water samples as well (either at the skimmer or even the 2ndary skimmer basket at the pump -- heck, it's all the same recirculating water). With the cover on to block out UV and the pump running continuously, does anyone see any flaws in my plan? It should hold chlorine quite well because it's covered, even as I do the incremental CYA dosing/checking. Of course I will put just enough bleach in to raise it to 2 ppm until that CYA starts to show up in testing and then re-chlorinate appropriately. However, with this new liner I'm not going to shock and immediately cover for the winter anymore as that high shock level remains the same month after month. From now on I will shock and then let the CL level fall back down to 5 or so and then monitor throughout the winter (I don't officially close my pool, just cover and run the pump when the temps drop below freezing). I do *not* want to jeopardize the brand spanking new liner pattern!