Pool Maintenance Overview

Pool Chemistry

   Chlorine: 1.5 - 3 ppm
    pH: 7.5
    Alkalinity: 80-120 ppm
    Cyanuric Acid: 30-50 ppm

You can save money by buying pool chemicals at WalMart instead of the pool store, but make sure you are getting the same thing. I suggest buying the initial batch of chemicals from the pool store, and then go to WalMart from then on through the summer. One exception is chlorine and shock, which you can get right away from WalMart. I have been using hth Pace brand 3 inch chlorine tablets (Trchloro-s-triazinetrione with copper sulfate stabilizer built in) and hth Shock-n-Swim pool shock (sodium hypochlorite).

Just adding chlorine until the water is clear will not be good for the plastic and metal components of the pool; in addition, trying to maintain the pool in this way will require higher levels of chlorine in the water than would otherwise be necessary. Using a combination of chlorine, chlorine stabilizer (cyanuric acid), pH maintainers, and algaecide is best for you, for the pool, and for the environment. I also use a bit of clarifier (the Blue Poly stuff) but be very sparing of this, since it can cause foam to form on the water surface when people are splashing around. (All of the chemicals except for the chlorine and the clarifier are naturally environment-friendly.)

When closing the pool, the primary goal is to prevent water freezing in a place where it will damage some pool component. To help prevent this, we use antifreeze liberally. I usually use about two gallons for the entire job. This is not much compared to the almost 30,000 gallons of the whole pool, but it is still important to use the non-toxic propylene glycol-based antifreeze designed for this use, instead of the ethylene glycol antifreeze used in cars.

Pool Closing Procedure

24 hours before covering your pool:

1. Adjust the total alkalinity of the water; the alkalinity of your pool should be 125 - 150 ppm. Next adjust the pH. Your pool's pH should be 7.2 to 7.6. To prevent etching of the plaster and corrosion of any metal parts, make sure the calcium hardness is not too low.  The recommended level is 150 to 200 ppm. The easiest way to do this is to take a sample to the pool store, have it analyzed, and get the necessary chemicals there.
2. Now perform all your pool housekeeping chores: brush the walls of the pool, vacuum the pool, and clean the coping. Clean out the skimmer basket and the pump's filter basket. Pull out the ladder from the corner near the diving board. You have to lift up the two metal cups and loosen the bolts which hold it in first.
3. Add chlorine shock – pre-dissolve two or three shock packs in a bucket of water and add to the pool with the pump running..
4. Add oxygen shock (two packs) to oxidize and destroy water-soluble, non-filterable swimmer waste.
5. Add winter algaecide according to bottle directions.
6. To properly mix these chemicals, allow your filtration system to run for 12 to 24 hours.
7. Move the thermal cover from under the diving board to the side of the deck, and install its cover (yes, the “cover cover”) from one of the bins.

Now for the actual closing!

1. You need to pump water out of the pool so that the level is 3” to 6” below the skimmer entrance. You have to use some kind of hose to do this. You can either hook up the Creepy Crawly or else use the blue hose that is in the shed. Switch the filter valve switch to “Waste” and stay by the pool until the water level is correct. If you go away then you will forget to come back in time, and the pool will be emptied too much.
2. Disconnect the outlet hose from the pump, then use the shop vac to blow it clear all the way to the return hole at the pool. Then use the shop vac to blow antifreeze into the line, once again until you see some exit the return into the pool. Then pour a little more antifreeze into the line and plug it with wadded plastic, and do the same to the pump outlet fitting. Remove the “eyebolt” from the return hole and screw a plug in there.
3. Disconnect the inlet hose from the pump, and blow it out to the skimmer with the shop vac. Blow some antifreeze into it from the pump end, then plug that end with wadded garbage bag. Pour more antifreeze into the hole on the bottom of the skimmer, then screw in the skimmer plug. Pour antifreeze into the skimmer till there is about an inch of it on the bottom.
4. Turn off the propane for the heater at the tanks first. Remove the heater access panel and watch for the pilot light to go out. When the pilot light goes out, turn off the valve next to the heater. Replace the access panel. Open the drain valve on the heater and let it empty out. Leave the valve open for the winter.
5. Next, disconnect the filter system from the pool. Remove the drain plug from the filter tank and let it drain. Plug the hole with a little wad of plastic garbage bag for the winter. You can disconnect all of the hoses from the filter if you want; if you do so, pour antifreeze into each disconnected end, and then plug it up with wadded-up garbage bag. Remove the pressure gauge and the sight glass and plug those holes with paper or plastic as well.
6. Add pump protector / lubricant solution to the pump (follow package instructions.)  Wash off the basket chamber gasket and put the cover on it, but don’t fully tighten the bolts.
7. Install the winter cover onto the pool. Get the cover out of its storage bag in the covered bin. Spread it out on the pool (it will droop into the pool and get wet.) Use the hex wrench from the pool tool rack in the garage to raise up the cover hook holders around the pool by screwing them counterclockwise. Hook the pool cover hooks over the holders. When enough hooks have been hooked, you will need to use the hook installer tool to pry the hooks over the remaining holders.
8. The cover is porous, so snow and rain will fall through it into the pool. (It does filter out a certain amount of other stuff that would otherwise fall into the pool.) You should check the skimmer periodically. If the pool has filled up so that water is flowing into the skimmer, you should use a little auxiliary pump or a siphon to empty it again, then replace the antifreeze in the skimmer.
9. Put the supplied covers over the pump, filter and heater. Secure them with bungee cords and the plastic tabs supplied for this purpose which are in the bins.

Pool Opening Procedure

1. Remove the pool cover. Pry off the cover hooks, perhaps with the aid of a really big screwdriver. Do one end first, then work along the long sides as follows: unhook a pair of cover hooks which are opposite each other, then fold up the cover to the next set of hooks and repeat until the cover is rolled up to the other end. This is a lot easier if two people are doing this job. When the cover is off, move it to the yard beside the pool and spread it out again. Scrub it off with a hose and a push broom. Be careful of tearing the cover when stepping on it, I recommend not wearing shoes for this part. Let the cover dry off completely before storing it in its bag and putting it into one of the covered bins on the deck.
2. Put the garden hose in the pool and turn it on to begin filling it back up to where the water will flow into the skimmer. Skip this step if winter precipitation has filled the pool adequately.
3. Remove the covers from the pump, filter, and heater. Wash and dry them, and store them in the covered bins.
4. Remove the plug from the inlet and replace it with the eyebolt (the round grid thing.) Also remove the plug from the bottom of the skimmer well. Pull the wadding or whatever you used out of the pressure gauge and sight glass holes and re-install the gauge and sight glass. Replace the drain plug in the pump and also the one in the filter if you removed it. Close the drain valve on the heater.
5. Switch the filter valve to the Closed position. Do the same with the pump inlet valve. Open the basket cover and clean out any debris from it. Then use the garden hose to fill the pump. Once the basket chamber is full, open the inlet valve and let water flow back into the inlet line for a while. Make sure that there is no debris on the basket cover gasket by flushing it with the garden hose. Close up the basket chamber.
6. Make sure that the outside switch is in the down (OFF) position. Go into the garage and turn on the Pool circuit breaker in the main breaker panel, then switch on the timer switch in the timer box.
7. Go back out to the filter and switch it to the Circulate position (at 12 o’clock on the dial). Then turn on the filter and watch the flow through the top of the basket cover. There should be an initial gush of water, and then the pump will run dry for a few seconds. If the flow does not begin again within 15 seconds, switch off the pump, close the filter and pump valves, remove the basket cover, and fill the basket chamber with water from the hose again. Then close everything back up and repeat this step. If you can’t get a normal flow established, you will need to check the skimmer for adequate water and for obstructions.
8. Once the filter is running, you need to leave it on for about a week in order to get the water clear of algae and suspended solids. Do this by removing the “Off” tabs from the timer wheel. After a few days, you should begin to be able to see the bottom at the shallow end. You can add two or three bags of chlorine or oxygen shock at this point. By the end of the week you should be able to make out the bottom on the deep end as well. Then you can use the leaf vacuum and the suction vacuum to begin to clean up the bottom of the pool. Note that using the leaf vacuum and the suction vacuum will stir up more dirt so the pool may seem dirtier for a while afterwards. You should check the filter pressure frequently during this time, especially when using the suction vacuum. Sucking up dirt from the bottom will clog up the filter pretty quickly and require frequent backwashing.
9. (Optional) If the water isn’t clearing up at all, you may have to add a flocculent to help rid the pool of as much suspended contaminants as possible. However, this will increase the amount of mud on the bottom which you will have to suck up with the pool vacuum. Also, it’s a good idea to use a filter stripper chemical treatment after you “flocc” your pool.
10. Once you have pretty good visibility of the entire bottom, you can hook up the Creepy Crawly vacuum. However, be especially careful until the bottom is all cleaned; if the filter becomes too clogged with dirt from the bottom and water flow stops, you can damage the filter and/or the pump.
11. After the first 7-10 days, the water should be fairly clear. Now is the time to take a sample of water to the pool store and get it analyzed. They will tell you what chemicals to add to get the water properly balanced. See the notes above on pool chemistry.
12. Once the pool chemistry is stable, replace the “Off” tabs onto the pool timer so that the pump runs for about 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening.
13. Install the ladder at the end by the diving board. You will have to lift up the metal cups and jiggle the metal pads which hold the ladder in place until they are in the right position to let the ladder slide in. Tighten down the bolts after the ladder is all the way in.
14. Remove the access panel from the heater. Use a shop vac or something similar to clean out the leaves and other debris that collect inside it. Pull the top access panel off the heater as well and clean out that area as much as possible, then replace top panel.
15. Turn on the heater gas at the tanks first. Note the gauges and make sure that they are registering gas. If not, try rocking the tanks and see if they move. Next turn on the gas valve next to the heater. Do the “sniff” test for leaks, since this is easier before the pilot is lit. Next light the pilot, using the procedure printed on the access cover. (Note: an electronic igniter is attached to the heater, but the spark end is not properly installed in the pilot area. So either install that end, or use a match.)  Once the pilot is lit, the heater should come on when the pump is on. Verify that it also shuts down when you turn the pump off and also that the thermostat works.