Cover Pool early

[JerseyMike37]

In NJ and pool season is pretty much over.

I'm debating on covering my pool early with a mesh safety cover (would close it but water is up around 68 degrees still) and leaving the pump and everything running until water gets down to 60?

any thoughts on this, I would then just open the cover enough to drain and blow out lines in a few weeks.

my thought is this will keep leaves out and I can probably reduce pump run time and salt cell chlorine generation, plus make it easier when finally closing.

 

[Newdude]

Its called a soft close/open and many of us do exactly that. Keep the crud out while allowing the water to circulate and allowing the option to balance the chems (mostly FC) as needed.

It can run in either season as long as it needs to.

 

[SJPoe]

Soft close is happening for me this week - either today or Sunday probably.

I generally don't bother with the mesh cover until the pool guys get here and drain/winterize. As it's barely getting into the 50s overnight now, and looks like it'll struggle to get to 75 more than once or twice this week. At some point, I'm just burning gas and not swimming 75F and sunny is doable, much less than that and I'll pick the hottub thankyouverymuch




Steps will come out - really good brushing/vacuum - heater will be turned down to like 65 just so the SWG keeps ticking over. SWG is taken out the day they come to winterize.
Monitor the FC/CYA so that its at the top end of the range, adjust any other parameters as needed so that it's as close to perfect when they close it as it can be.

The pool guys are always super impressed with the clarity of the pool - and they are used to not bringing a bunch of chemicals along any more.

 

[achenx75]

In NJ and pool season is pretty much over.

I'm debating on covering my pool early with a mesh safety cover (would close it but water is up around 68 degrees still) and leaving the pump and everything running until water gets down to 60?

any thoughts on this, I would then just open the cover enough to drain and blow out lines in a few weeks.

my thought is this will keep leaves out and I can probably reduce pump run time and salt cell chlorine generation, plus make it easier when finally closing.

I'm in NJ and would close the pool middle of October to ensure the water would dip below 65 but I said screw it and closed it this weekend. This September and possible October feel warmer than normal and the last time anyone actually used the pool was probably back in mid August. I was getting tired of maintaining an unused pool and it wasting my electricity. Also have mesh btw.

I also saw how much my neighbor's sycamore trees in the front yard were dropping leaves and they also have one in the backyard right over my pool so I wasn't going to keep waiting. If the pool is green next year, oh well. Most years it is anyway.