Does anyone know the cheapest way to keep a not-swimmed pool clear?
I know salt might be a good choice. Anyone know where I could get some cheap salt?
Or do I have any other alternatives that would stop the pool from turning green?
However, it can’t damage the pump or pool. It would be best if it won’t hurt birds too.
Thank you so much for your help in advance.
I can smell the bleach already…
Drain it.
Let it dry.
Sweep, vacuum and toss.
Then invite the neighborhood skateborders over!
Welcome, VC1088. You’re not by any chance related to VCO3?
Just dump in a bag of shock once a week. Keep the pump on a timer so it will run for one hour two or three times a day. That will keep the water clearer (not perfectly balanced, though).
Do not use salt because it could damage the pump/filter and would void any warranties. How long do you plan on keeping the pool open but unused?
Fight my ignorance: why does using it make a difference? If you treat it the same way as you normally would if it were used, shouldn’t it stay clear too?
Salt + water = salty water = corrosion.
Ask a boat owner that uses it in the ocean and in a lake about the difference in clean up after a trip.
Sorry! Should have made my question more clear.
The pool is actually destined for demolition in about half a year. It would not be used again.
The reason I am keeping the water is because my girlfriend think it looks nicer.
When I said I don’t want to damage the pool or pump, I meant that it should not cause any leak or discoloring. The pump is out of warranty anyway.
So bleach might work?
This is what I am doing right now. But it seems such a waste to throw $30 plus eletricity in the pool every month.
Thank you! I am not related though.
Thank you all for your help so far!
You can’t do what you want to do.
In order to keep your pool clear you need a combination of chemicals and filtration.
If you are not going to swim and you want to keep costs low, this is what I recommend.
Dump in enough boxes of baking soda with the filter running to bring your Ph up to about 8.5. This will tend to lead to greater precipitation of solids from you pool, the softer water will be clearer. It will cut down on the effects of your other chemicals though. You will need to bring your chlorine up to 10 ppm.
Run your pump for an hour in the morning and an hour at night, clean the skimmer once a day, vaccuum and adjust your chemicals once a week.
The pool will stay clear. It won’t smell. It won’t hurt anything. With a ph of 8.5 you won’t lose much chlorine and won’t have to add more often. Algae won’t live, mosquito larvae and other bugs won’t live as the chlorine will break down their protein shells, and you won’t hurt a bird that comes for a drink.
Do it any other way and your pool will be green, may smell, and will be a haven for bugs.
Trust me on this one. I know whereof I speak.
You certainly fucked up Odysseus when he tried to invade your pool.
Please accept my apology. I was being mostly sarcastic. Would it keep your pool clear? My WAG is probably. But would it also make the immediate area reek terribly, and be poisonous to anyone who accidentally got in? Again my WAG is probably.
Scylla’s advice sounds good. Or you can just shock the hell out of it.
Argent Towers… help me out with your reference.
Chlorine is bleach.
Once the water is green, the only way to effectively clear it up = $$$.
You have an algae bloom, and it takes copious am’t of chlorine (usually calcium hypochlorinate) to whack it, but calcium hypochlorinate – typical pool chlorine – will only work in stabilized water (which has the correct am’t of cyuranic acid) to protect the chlorine from disappearing, mostly into thin air or from sunlight’s effects.
Algacides are good at suppressing blooms, but not burning the life out of the millions of cells living in your pool.
Financially, you’ve lost the ‘cheap way to keep the water clean’ battle already, because it’s green now. Leave it green, or commit $ to getting it right. Based on your lack of experience, and not understanding all the chemistry (pH, alkalinity, hardness, stabilizer, chlorine, algaecide, shock, stabilized chlorine) you have a slim chance of having a clean pool – and no chance of having a clean pool cheaply.
I don’t know much about pools or chemistry, but I know some about domestic economy. IF the pool will be gone in a known and finite amount of time, then do your math and ask your g/f, do you want $180 ($30 a month for 6 months) or water on the pool?
If she gives you the usual “whatever you think it is better” bit, just dump a lot of used engine oil on it to make a film that prevents the bug from growing in there. She might be more decisive after that 
That one had me a bit confused as well. Consider my Ignorance of Greek mythology slightly more fought
FWIW, I use bleach instead of shock with great success. Less than half the price, thank you Costco.
But if it’s only for 6 months, just suck it up and pay the $30. You’re just doing it for aesthetic reasons, ask your girlfiend if it’s worth $30 and act appropriately. Sounds like you already know what you need to do to keep it clear, you just don’t want to.
BTW, did you imply you are paying $30/month just for shock? That’s shocking!
It’s a rather large pool. That’s why the cost is so high.
I would probably follow Scylla’s advice, depending on if I can find some cheap baking soda.
Thank you all again for your help.