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Thanks for the reply. I was using a pump sprayer wand to deliver very small amounts of dye but it was definitely more than 1 drop. Maybe a syringe with a long tube will work. The water is still at around 50 degrees so I won't be in the pool.

I think a leak in a return should just cause you to lose water, not let air in unless it. You may have an area in the piping to that jet that is higher than the rest of i and there is some air trapped in it. Can you direct more flow to that jet? That might purge the air and stop the bubbles.

Last fall when I closed my pool I actually got some help from my family. But only to speed things up so that I could do something on someone else's list which meant that I had to get the cover on before I had all the other steps out of the way. Normally, I connect a hose to one of the returns on...

It is incredible what you can do with the arduino and similar units if you can do some coding (or shamelessly poach it). The commercially available controllers are so bulky because they take so long to get into production that they are basically old technology by the time they begin to sell...

Reminds me of a plaque I bought years ago for a friend with a boat that said "This boat runs on gas, not thanks." Yes, I do need to become a supporter. Although being so cheap that I built my own pool it does go against my nature somewhat!

I live in southeastern mass and I typically use the pool from Mother's day to Columbus day because I have a gas heater. To me, having a longer season is important. If you want to extend your season, a heat pump won't get the job done. I have natural gas which helps but a propane or gas heater is...

In 2013, thanks to this site, I decided to build my own pool. I never had a pool before so I was relying on what I learned here to get me going in the right direction. It's a 26,000 gallon true-L liner pool with a jump board, SWC generator, heater, variable speed pump and a cartridge filter. I...

X2 on the robot. In floor systems aren't cheap, and they only move stuff to the drains where they get pulled to the filter so they only clean what is easily moved. Plus, they use the pump to do it so you get dirt in the filter which eventually will need to be backflushed or cleaned. A robot uses...

I built my own pool and went with salt. The chlorine levels are constant and lower, the water feels better and the chemical costs are lower. I have only had to add salt and CYA once this year after a huge rainstorm basically overflowed the pool. I had to pump it down and the diluted water called...

I paid $850 for my Intelliflo VS pump and the utility gave me a $200 rebate so for $650 I bought a 3 HP pump that I barely run to keep the SWG working and the heater. It's a no brainer. Ironically, I used the rebate which comes in the form of a debit card to fill the tank of my boat. How green...

Another thing to consider is if your local utility offers a rebate for an energy efficient pump. I live in Massachusetts and they sent me $200 when I built a pool because I used a variable speed pump. A 2 speed would have qualified as well. Check out MassSave.com. Between the rebate and the...

I rely on the salt readings from the cell. When I opened my pool this year, I added salt based on the cell readings and it came out perfectly. I actually have strips that I bought along with my TF Test Kit and they're pretty much worthless. They never read anywhere close to what the cell does.

There are sprays available too, but I'm not sure how long they will last. They sell a clear urethane type spray, there's even one sold on tv. It's from the same people that turn a screen door into a boat. Trying to plug a leak where it is coming out is tougher than plugging it where it is...

All looks good - Thanks for the feedback. The water is nice and blue now and I have let the chlorine levels drop back down to around 4. I imagine the water getting a little warmer helped the chlorine do its job. The little robot seemed to be helpful on the cleanup as well. The water temp is up...

I just make my kids get in the pool to check the temp. Actually, I like it. I have a controller that reads temp but having something floating in the pool is nice. They have tons of options for grilling that are wireless, maybe one of those could be adapted?

Just a quick update - The pool started consuming chlorine and has cleared up quite a bit. I have kept the levels up in the shock range (12 to 14 ppm) and it has been dropping maybe 1 to 1.5 overnight but it will drop 4 plus during the day. My CYA is at 30 which is a little low so the sun (what...

I didn't see any perforation of the steel in the pictures. Has it rusted through? If it has, I would not use any flashing. Flashing is aluminum and all you will do is create an electrolytic reaction between the dissimilar metals and accelerate the corrosion. If you want to use metal, get some...

I thought that I couldn't have algae when it was cold either. I have quite a bit to learn about pool maintenance since I've never had one before. When I built this last year it started off nice and clear and stayed that way so this is the first time I've had some color to clear up. Should I just...

I'm in southeastern Massachusetts. The pool temp is at about 50 degrees and the air temp has been all over the place. High 60's two days ago, 50 today, high 30's overnight. Basically not quite swimming weather yet. I pulled the cover because it was partially submerged and had leaves on it, and...

Since it isn't consuming chlorine I can't do much else besides wait. Maybe my wife and kids will learn to love the color.

In response to the question about galvanized steel and rust, the zinc applied during galvanizing does oxidize. Zinc is actually more reactive than steel. The idea is that any corrosion loss will happen in the zinc layer first because it breaks down easier than the steel. It provides a physical...

Just a greenish tint. I have brushed the bottom and it only seems to have decomposed leaf bits. I have vacuumed it some and need to do a more thorough job but the liner feels clean. I'm buying a robotic cleaner today so I hopefully will be able to get the rest of the stuff out of the pool.

Water was greenish when I unconverted it. Last night GC dropped from 18 to 17, cc 0 this morning. Any ideas?

I built my pool last summer then closed it up for the winter using a mesh cheapie cover. This is the first pool I have ever owned. The leaves weighted down the cover and it became almost impossible to clean them off so there were submerged leaves decomposing in the water. The center of the cover...

x2. They had no choice. I have been away from the forum for a while but was wondering all along when that was going to happen.

Saturated sands don't heave, they only settle if they haven't been properly compacted. However, expansive clays which Texas has plenty of do heave when saturated. Did you see them place the backfill? Could they have cheated and re-used some on-site material?

You can test it pretty easily with some pvc pipe and fittings. You will need to cap the outlet then connect a 90 on the inlet with a length of pipe sticking straight up and a threaded cap. Install a Schrader valve (for adding air) on the cap, fill the unit with water leaving about a foot of air...

It takes a long period of cold to freeze pipes buried in the ground, and with those temps if the water is moving it should be ok. Frustrating not being able to get the wiring done. Are the lines above ground empty? If the main pump isn't hooked up they probably are. If not, you should try to...

Lookin' good! Should make for a stress-free opening in the spring.

Thanks for the reply. I had decided to install a union to separate that section because I wasn't comfortable with it how it was. I'll try using a plug.