Duo clear salt system without a pool heater

[Mike74]

I've been told that in order for my system to work the water needs to be over 75 degrees. I'm a first time pool owner and the house we bought came with a dead pool heater. We've decided not to replace it this year. I'm getting a new liner in May, so once it's all ready to go, how do I keep my water clear without my salt system? Do I add chlorine until the water is over 75 degrees? I'm getting a 14 mil solar blanket to warm the water.

I'm sure getting a new heater will make my life easier but right now it's not an option.

Thanks
Mike

[Denniswiseman]

Yes add chlorine
Let's have your numbers (CYA is very important)
FC:
TC:
pH:
TA:
CH:
CYA:

I've seen posts that say 60 degrees and 52 so check with the manufacturer

[Mike74]

I'm in Canada so the pool isn't open yet. The liner is being replaced on May 19th so I'm just trying to get all my ducks in a row before I start filling it. What is CYA?

[Denniswiseman]

Cyanuric Acid used to buffer the chlorine
With a SWCG you'll need about 80ppm, use Trichlor / Dichlor to raise your CYA and a target of 6ppm for chlorine

Excessive CYA renders your chlorine ineffective and you have to use more to get the same sanitation
For every 10 ppm Free Chlorine (FC) added by Trichlor, it also increases Cyanuric Acid (CYA) by 6 ppm.
For every 10 ppm FC added by Dichlor, it also increases CYA by 9 ppm.
For every 10 ppm FC added by Cal-Hypo, it also increases Calcium Hardness (CH) by at least 7 ppm
To reduce your CYA you have to do a partial drain and refill
Continuous use of Trichlor/Dichlor will raise your CYA which means you have to raise your chlorine level as wel