RiverbendPoolSupply.com - Todd's Blog - Episode 65

Winter is seriously upon us now. I've busted out my personal space heaters for added warmth in my house without running up the gas bill! During these cold times the Pool doesn't need as many chemicals nor as much TLC as it does in the Spring, Summer and Fall.
Since the pool water is below 55 degrees, algae and bacteria have a very difficult time living because it is just too cold. That means we do not need to add a chlorine tablet every week to maintain a bacteria and algae free pool.
I am now using one 3-inch chlorine tablet every two to three weeks to hold a proper amount of chlorine.
Today's chlorine readings;
Free Chlorine - .5 PPM
Total Chlorine - .5 PPM
About two and a half weeks ago I added a tablet and it has introduced a perfectly acceptable amount of chlorine over that time. Other people will add a little bit of granular (about 5 oz.) every week or so.
Enzymes should still be added every week. This keeps the pool free from non-living organic contamination (dirt, pollen, leaf junk, oils, etc.) People who do not use enzymes over the winter often have trouble getting their pools started in the spring because the pool becomes overloaded with these contaminants.
PH - 7.6
The pool PH has been holding steady at 7.6 for over a month now. This is excellent!
Total Alkalinity - 60 PPM
I am still hanging out around 60 PPM and since my PH hasn't moved from 7.6 in several weeks, I am not going to adjust the alkalinity. Likely, I will not balance the alkalinity until the beginning of the season.
Calcium - 300 PPM
Remember when I first started taking care of this pool about a year ago? The calcium was 600 PPM! That is why we can visibly see scale all over the place. Since then I have been able to bring the calcium back down to acceptable levels.
To achieve this I've used SupremePLUS and SC-1,000. These are both descaling and scale inhibiting chemicals. They are also safe for people and pets.
Another factor to the drop in calcium is that I am not having to shock the pool every week like so many people out there. Most people use a form of shock called Calcium Hypochlorite and long term regular use can lead to severe increases in the calcium hardness content of pool water.
So, by using scale inhibiting products and not adding any through shocking I have been able to drop the calcium content in this pool by half without draining it and without having issues with algae because of a lack of chlorine.
Phosphates - 0 PPB
Perfect.
Borates - 70 PPM
Perfect.
At the beginning of the year I am going to produce a series of videos summarizing my findings using this low chlorine system, how to use this low chlorine system, and if you have been how to get started the right way for next season.
Have a wonderful weekend.