If you normally use granular chlorine, consider temporarily switching to liquid during this time. You can make it even easier by stocking up on liquid chlorine which can be poured directly into the water without pre-mixing. The easier you make it for them, the more likely it is they’ll agree to do it. If you’re asking a friend or neighbor, knowing your chlorine consumption rate really helps because they won’t necessarily have to test the water while you’re away. It’s very unlikely chlorine tablets will last long enough to cover your trip, and while you might be able to squeeze it using an automatic chlorinator, it’s not worth the risk if you can avoid it.
Leaving Your Pool for 2 Weeksįor 14 days away, having someone come over to your house to add chlorine to your water is strongly recommended. If these levels get too high, it will lead to issues such as chlorine lock or calcium scaling.įor that reason, we recommend chlorine tablets as a good short-term solution but not so much as a regular sanitizer. The problem with tablets, however, is they add a high amount of cyanuric acid or calcium to your water. This will typically last up to a week before needing to be replenished, making them ideal for short trips away. Instead, you can fill a chlorine floater or feeder with tablets for a slow release of chlorine into your water. Leaving Your Pool for 1 Weekįor 7 days away, having someone to check on the pool and add chlorine is always preferable but not entirely necessary. If you have a saltwater generator installed, please skip to the next section. Important: We’re assuming you have a traditional chlorine pool, not a salt pool. Since keeping up your sanitizer level is the biggest challenge when going on vacation, let’s look at some of the best ways to solve that problem across different durations.
How Do You Maintain Chlorine While on Vacation? While there are other potential issues to be aware of, they only factor in for longer durations away. Once your chlorine level drops too low (typically below 1 ppm), it may only take algae 24-48 hours to take hold in your pool, leaving you with a very unpleasant welcome-home gift. How Else Can You Prepare Your Pool for Vacation?Ĭhlorine gets consumed fairly quickly in the water, which is why regularly topping up your sanitizer is a basic part of maintaining a pool.ĭepending on the type of chlorine you use and how it’s delivered into your water, the turnaround time for fresh chlorine is typically only a few days and as little as 24 hours in some cases.įailing to replenish your chlorine will leave your water vulnerable to all kinds of contaminants, with algae being top of the list.