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    First time Ascorbic Acid treatment -- Should I use a sequestrant, CuLator, or both?

    I did a spot test with AA from Duda, and it seems to be effective. I'm gonna wait about another week to let my FC drop near zero, and I figured I could do some prep in the meantime. I've read through the guide a couple of times and will reread it a few more times. I'd prefer to pull the metals...
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    Looking for recommendations to replace Pentair IC40 system

    Still troubleshooting, but it appears that my IC40 is failing again. This cell has only been installed for two years, but all of a sudden it can't keep up. I'm tired of the frequent failures and high replacement costs. I've never had a cell last longer than 3 years. Does anyone have...
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    Should I replace my 15-year old filter cartridges?

    Pentair CCP 520, still on original cartridges. Pressure on low/slow pump rate (around 1200 RPM) is well under 5 psi. When I run my pump for skimming (around 2200 RPM), my the gauge reads 11-13 psi. These numbers have been fairly consistent for the last 5-6 years, at least. I typically clean my...
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    Pentair IC40 vs IChlor 30

    I need to replace an IC40 cell for the 4th time in 13 years. It would probably be the fifth time except that I used liquid chlorine for about 3-4 of those 13 years. I'm wondering if the IChlor 30 might be a better choice in terms of reliabitily and longevity. Anyone have recent...
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    Anyone have experience with Hayward Above-Ground cleaners (aquabug, wanda whale, penguin) in an in-ground gunite pool?

    So I've been nursing a Hayward Navigator for the last 13 years or so, and I think it's finally time to buy a whole new unit. The aboveground cleaners are a lot cheaper than a new Navigator, but seem to use a lot of the same internals (turbine, A-frames, pods, shoes etc). To me, it looks like a...
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    Any way to extend life of Pentair IC40 after Check Cell light starts blinking?

    I've cleaned the cell 3 times over the last few weeks, but the Check Cell light won't stop blinking. Today, I observed more closely. After powering up the cell, it takes a minute or two to do diagnostics and then the light turns on to a steady green. At this point, I confirmed that it is...
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    Need to replace Pentair Amerlite fixture

    So after 10 years, this fixture needs to be replaced as the edison socket has gotten corroded to the point where it shorted even without a bulb. Both my lights developed small leaks over the years and I've band-aided them with silicone sealant, but the moisture finally got to one of the sockets...
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    IC40's CAN/NOT be recalibrated?

    Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but can anyone confirm that the newer IC40's CANNOT be recalibrated? I have a two-year-old cell that is going into its third season. It's currently reading 2550 ppm, and not producing chlorine. Last summer, the cell was reading ~3400-3800 ppm after I cleaned...
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    Shock pool now or wait until the spring to wipe out nascent algae blooms

    For the first time in 7 years, I've had some mild algae issues with my 7-year old pool. Water was clear all summer, but there's been a couple of spots that I needed to brush every week or two to to prevent a bloom. I've maintained my FC level at around 4-7 ppm (CYA ~60-80) throughout the summer...
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    IC40 SWG - What could be causing the salt level to keep dropping?

    I've got an IC-40 cell that I installed in April 2013. After some salt-level issues last year, it worked generally ok through last summer and early fall. This year, I fired up the pool around the 2nd week of March. Salt level reading was around 2600 ppm, slightly lower than the ~3100 ppm that I...
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    Pentair IC40 cell -- no longer working...

    I've replaced my IC40, manufactured in 2008, version 1.9R. I'm about ready to throw it out. Is there anything in this cell that is worth salvaging? I know there are some valuable metals in there, but I don't think there is enough to make it worth breaking open the case. Is there anything that...
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    Pentair IC40 cell, Can I reverse the control panel

    So I just purchased a replacement IC40 cell. My previous cell died in 2011, and I've been using tablets for the last two seasons. The replacement cell is working nicely so far. My only gripe is that Pentair apparently changed the orientation of the control panel relative to the flow direction...
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    What's the consensus on Intellichlor IC40 cells?

    I'm considering purchasing a new IC40, and I'm wondering if Pentair has resolved the problems with their older models. I see that Pentair now has a 3.1 firmware in their latest models. My last unit was a 1.9R. I'm wondering if the 2.x and 3.x models are considered to be more reliable than the...
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    Volcanoes forming on pool bottom. How do I remove them?

    Okay, they are not literally volcanoes obviously, but I didn't know how else to describe them. It appears that mineral deposits of some sort have accumulated in 5 or 6 spots on my pool floor. The results are little mounds of hard material about 1 inch in diameter and approximately 1/4 to 1/2...
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    Intellichlor IC40 died. Should I convert to chlorine tabs?

    So, my IC40 stopped working late last summer (2010), and I've been manually dosing with liquid chlorine. Now that pool season has rolled around again, I'm faced with a choice: Purchase a replacement cell for ~$500 or switch to chlorine tabs. I could continue using liquid chlorine but the...
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    Having problems with my IC40 Cell AGAIN!!

    Previous issue: http://www.troublefreepool.com/problem-with-my-ic40-easytouch-4-setup-t9849.html So, barely 18 months later, I am having almost the identical problem. About two weeks ago, my IC40 stopped producing chlorine. Checked my lights, and the Cell light is flashing green, indicating...
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    Draining Pool -- Risk of floating shell?

    Here in Southern California, we are in the midst of a series of storms that are expected to drop about 6-12 inches of rain over the course of 4-5 days. I'm using this as an opportunity to do a partial drain of my pool, which has very high calcium hardness values (over 1000 ppm). I figure: free...
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    Pool lights filled with water?? Danger??

    I've got two pool lights. If I recall, the lights are made by Pentair. They are 500W, 120 VAC and installed in Hayward niches. The pool was built about 3 years ago. A couple of weeks ago, I was cleaning my pool and noticed a horizontal line across each of the lights. At first, I thought it was...
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    Anyone ever try using Caltreat

    I was in a local pool store a couple of weeks ago and saw something on the shelf called Caltreat from United Chemical. The claim was that it could reduce CH levels by about 200 ppm in a 14k pool. Apparently, it works as some type of sequestrant and the calcium gets trapped in the filter. Since...
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    Problem with my IC40 Easytouch 4 setup

    I've had this setup ever since my pool was built in March 2007. Last summer, everything worked flawlessly. I ran my pump about 12 hrs per day and had the Intellichlor set to around 15-18 percent. My chlorine levels were consistently in the 4-7 ppm range, depending on swimmer load. This summer I...
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    CH at 900. Do I need to drain and fill immediately?

    I'm in Southern California and my pool got a lot of dirt and ash dumped on it from last week's wildfires. The CH has been rising steadily from about 200 when the pool was filled in March to 500 about 6 weeks ago. My most recent test was 900. Granted, this was done by the young kid at my local...
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    Advice for "closing" a pool in southern California.

    Okay, first time pool owner here, and the water's gotten too cold, so it's time to stop swimming. I'm about an hour north of San Diego. I know that it's not necessary to close the pool in the classic sense, but what's the best strategy for my situation? I'd really hate to fuss over pool...
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    Having to relieve air pressure every couple of days.

    I have a Pentair Clean and Clear plus 520 cartridge filter. I have to manually relieve the air buildup every 2-3 days. In the manual, it lists part number 178583 as an "air bleed tube assembly". This part has a small ceramic filter (about 1 in OD by 3 inch tall) that I broke the last time I...
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    New pool, is it too early to add borates?

    Okay, the pool is coming up on 4 months old. White Quartz plaster. Everything's been fine so far except for the constantly rising pH. I've been adding about 8-12 oz of muriatic acid per day. I think I'm ready to add borates to the pool to try and maintain the pH at a more constant level. Is it...
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    Should I increase my CYA levels

    Okay, new pool, filled with water for about 6-8 weeks now. My CYA levels are testing at between 30-40 ppm. I have a Pentair Intellichlor IC40 SWG. The IC40 manual recommends a CYA level of between 50-80 ppm. So far, I haven't had any trouble maintaining FC levels. The IC40 has been running at...
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    Looking for an automatic air relief valve

    I have a Pentair Clean and Clear Plus cartridge filter. It has a manual air relief valve. The system tends to suck in air whenever the Hayward Navigator climbs the walls and reaches the water surface. I'd like to get a valve that automatically releases the air, but not the water. It seems...
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    Poolstore water testing. Who should I trust?

    First, let it be known that I have color vision impairment, so I don't trust myself to do my own testing. That said, I have been using two pool stores to do my testing. One of them is Leslie's, and the other is an independent called Cal-West that primarily sells spas. I have also been using an...
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    AquaChek TruTest pool tester

    I bought one of these last month. http://www.aquachek.com/PublicPopups.as ... uct&PID=24 Since I have color vision impairment, test strips and drop tests are as useful to me as sticking my toe in the water. Has anyone else used this? So far, it seems to work okay, but I'm not too sure about...