That’s a good question. I hope I don’t write a novel for an answer. 
As a well-informed and conscientious pool owner, you know how much chlorine you lose on a daily basis (full disclosure - I haven’t measured my daily chlorine loss in an embarrassingly long time). I would raise the chlorine to the shock/SLAM level (which is 40% of your CYA level, so, if your CYA is 50, you can raise the chlorine level to 20 and still swim in it safely and it will be safe for the pool as well) before you leave. Maybe have the neighbor stop over once in the middle of the vacation to add one of your pre-measured amounts of chlorine to it unless it rains excessively while you are gone.
You can let the chlorine level naturally drift down in your crystal-clear, well-maintained pool after you get home.
This is why I ask the pro! CYA is 30, so I’m going to bump it up to 12…20 oz on Tues and 20 oz on Thu.
I hope that’s kosher!
That should be perfect!!
A stabilizer level of 30 might be good this time of year but you may want to bump it up a bit to 40-50 as the sun continues to get higher and stronger and the pool fills with friends and family and if the solar cover comes off.
Roger 10-4!
We come back from vacation, I put a little more liquid conditioner in there…if expecting consistent days of 80 degrees…only had 2 days in the 80’s thus far…
Liquid Conditioner? What the heck is that? 
Can you post a label or the ingredient list?
Got it on sale…works pretty well, have to really shake and stir and dilute…but so much easier than the sock/skimmer method…
I added 24 oz roughly to boost it up 5ppm (CYA) this afternoon…had a bday party last night…saw the PPM of chlorine drop pretty fast…but not a huge surprise…that’s what a bunch of swimmers do…see where it’s at this afternoon…then top it off after vacation…
Pool store has my CYA as 33 now…it was 28 last time…looks like all of it dissolved…I’ll do another 24 oz when I get back from vacation.
Rich,
You forgot to send the memo: Do not leave solar cover on the grass for an extended period of time. Lesson learned.
Ahhhh, okay, it is just liquid stabilizer - that’s okay to add!
Swimmers/pool parties can kill your sanitizer levels. I’ll bump it up if I know I’m having a party (to just below SLAM level) and check it after the party.
And yes, solar covers won’t help your grass grow! I hope your lawn recovers quickly!
Yeah…just lazy man CYA …Next time, I’ll get it to 10ppm for a party…wondering if it’s worth digging out the killed grass, adding fertilizer and grass seed…just not aesthetically pleasing to look at it…should have known better because the same thing happened when the old pool guys our first solar put our winter cover on the grass while opening the pool for the first time…lesson learned…
I would reseed it and call it a day. Do it after vacation in case you’ll need to water it. It will come back - eventually.
Yeah…it’s only grass…im not sweating it!
Rich,
Ok…new skimmer system with new liner + solar cover = AWESOMENESS!!! However, because there are no slight leaks and no evaporation, my water level stays the same every night…past couple weeks, some rain…water level keeps rising…i’ve backwashed twice…at the middle of the second screw…first filled up, started at the middle between the two screws…
My question is
a) Just clarify, ideal level is in the middle between those screws?
b) Where is the MAX I should let the water get to?
c) Best way to remove excess water if need be (backwash or straight to waste setting)?
Thanks
Skimmers tend to work best when the water level is between 1/2 way to 2/3 of the top of the skimmer; your image would be the perfect level!
Having said that, there may be times of heavy rain or no rain in the future, so feel free to leave it high if it looks like dry days are ahead or let it stay a little low if heavy rains are forecasted. Just be sure that it doesn’t get low enough that the flow to the pump gets interrupted and the pump runs dry. In other words, don’t stress if it is a little too high. If the level is a little too high for the skimmer to work effectively just use a leaf skimmer to help clear the surface of debris.
You know me - I’m cheap to the core - so I’m fine with the water level getting a little high and letting Mother Nature take some evaporation for herself. Water (and the resulting sewer charges) can be expensive in some parts of the country if Mother Nature doesn’t replace the evaporated water with a good rain storm.
There are a variety of ways to lower the water in the pool. Most folks with cartridge or DE filters can turn the valve to either BACKWASH or WASTE and let 'er rip. Folks with cartridge filters often install a valve to open for draining the pool.
I have a way to make simple things sound complicated - so here I go. Don’t forget that rain can change your chemical levels in the pool (chlorine, stabilizer) and you may need to check the pH as well. Folks with saltwater chlorinators need to watch the salt level as well. Salt and stabilizer don’t evaporate so, as long as you aren’t draining and replacing water, they will be fine. Be aware of your local laws, since some areas do not want your pool water drained to your lawn, the street, or lakes/rivers/streams that are around your property.
Roger 10-4…ph been floating between 7.4 - 7.8 depending on the rain…everything seems to be stable though…no issues whatsoever with pool chemistry…I like to stay on top of things, and keep my chlorine closer to 7 ppm each day…I get nervous if it ever drops down below 3…
That’s a good thing! Keeping your chlorine level at the bottom of the acceptable range is asking for trouble, since it won’t take long for algae to start if anything crazy happens.
Crazy to see how pool places want your chlorine at 1ppm - 3ppm regardless of CYA level…i find that oddly bizarre and people follow and believe it…
I have to agree. The only beneficiaries of that are the pool stores when you run back to them for advice and to purchase magic potions to clear up the algae or cloudy water, when time and chlorine are all that you need.
Rich,
Hey! I don’t need to worry about Calcium Hardness or should I raise it?
