BBB method and vacation???

[AnnaK]

Thank you, Anna! We do have an automatic chlorinator. Do you have any suggestions for how many pucks to put in the chlorinator and how high to run it on a scale of 1-10?

My own chlorinator's settings come in 1/8 increments. I fill it with pucks (it takes 7) and adjust the setting to 1/4. I do this because I've learned from past experience and usage of the chlorinator that the 1/4 setting keeps the free chlorine steady from one day to the next when nobody uses the pool.

It doesn't matter how many pucks you put in. They'll dissolve until the saturation point is reached inside the chlorinator which then dispenses the chlorine solution into your pool.


My setup is this:
7 trichlor pucks
chlorinator at 1/4
pump run time 7 hours out of 24

Those 7 pucks last for at least 2 months. When I'm not using the auto-feeder I just shut it off. I don't remove the pucks.

Carl makes a good point: pucks will lower your pH (and, of course, increase your CYA some). I've not worried about that in the past because our absences were relatively short, 14 days and fewer, and because I've monitored the water while using trichlor in the past I know that the pH drop isn't serious enough to require pre-planning—in my pool.

According to info learned from Richard (Chem Geek): "For every 10 ppm Free Chlorine (FC) added by Trichlor, it also increases Cyanuric Acid (CYA) by 6 ppm." I can live with those 6ppm CYA because I intentionally keep mine on the low side in anticipation of a late summer vacation.

[peekaboo]

you guys are just brilliant!









Celtics in 7

[waterbear]

I have gone away for two week and just shut everything off during the heat of summer (July). When I returned the pool was only slightly cloudy (but no chlorine left) which was fixed by a shock with bleach.

My secret? I have 50 ppm borates in my pool!

I intend to do the same this year in 3 weeks. Will post what the pool looks like when I get back. I suspect it will be the same as in the past, only a bit cloudy and no visible green! I already have the gallon of bleach in the garage in anticipation of my return.

[chem geek]

I've found similar results after adding 50 ppm Borates. My pool is very high in phosphates (3000 ppb) and probably nitrates as well and is very reactive so if the chlorine gets too low it doesn't take long for algae to grow. However, since the Borates are in the pool it seems far less reactive. It doesn't completely stop such algae growth, but seems to slow it down significantly.

Though not cheap upon first addition, it's better than something like copper ions that can stain. Thank you Evan for getting us onto the Borates bandwagon. It's not necessary since one can prevent algae using chlorine alone, but is very nice insurance to have.

Richard

[sturev]

Evan, do you have a post about the Borates? I'd love to learn what you guys are doing...

[Watermom]

I think this is the thread.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=4712

[sturev]

Thanks Watermom!

[BeenPoolStored]

Back from vacation. Before we left, I brought the water up to shock level, then added 7 pucks, set the chlorinator on 2-1/2 and put the cover on. Came home this evening and the water is clear. No algae! The pH was a little low (7.0). I added Borax to bring it up. I'll test again in the morning.

[AnnaK]

Great job!

Hope you had a good time and didn't worry too much about the pool. Since it's clean you can extend your vacation and go swim!

[polyvue]

I have gone away for two week and just shut everything off during the heat of summer (July). When I returned the pool was only slightly cloudy (but no chlorine left) which was fixed by a shock with bleach.

My secret? I have 50 ppm borates in my pool!

Besides the borates I wonder if algae growth is constrained by other factors that relate to the pool's environment.

Your avatar betrays the use of a bird cage (enclosure) that are so ubiquitous in Florida. That would be one variable and must reduce UV exposure. Other possible factors: cloudy weather and summer rain (there's almost none in the southwest and large portions of California during July and August); humidity; day/night air temperature swings; cover usage; etc.