as the title says my FC is 30 (started out high when I closed and still 30 when I opened a few days ago) and water temp is cold, 65-70F how valid are other tests?

My Ph is 7.2 to 6.8 after a few days of testing. High FC mean Ph test is not valid?
CYA is 50
TA is off the charts. last fall was in 80's now 300. Is the test valid?

I'm leaving the auto cover open for our 70's sunny days trying to burn off the FC and the SWG has not been turned on yet.
I assume without pool use and cool cloudy days it will take some time to get the FC back down below 10?

Having some issues on intex above ground pool buckling/bowling in. What's probably the cause

Greetings!
Last Fall (2024), I received a used SX2800 Sand Filter and Pump from a friend who was moving. She hadn't used it since Fall 2023.

I want to test the pump before purchasing sand and filling the sand filter. My question...can I bypass the sand filter and directly connect the pump to the pool using the corresponding outlet and inlet connections to the pool. Will that damage the pump in any way?

Pool water is clean and balanced. Pool is covered with solar cover, so minimal debris.
Thanks!!

I would like to use this as a pool-safe perimeter fence and am wondering what I'm up against. This would allow me to tear down a smaller wrought iron fence that is closer to the pool.

Reading city codes, I'm not seeing anything to rule this out, but I think I need to:

1. Raise the latches to 60" off the ground
2. Install springs to make them self-closing

Does that sound right? First priority is safety, but secondary I would like it to be able to pass inspection if we sell the home someday.

Recent test results:

FC - .4 CC - .2 PH - 6.8 TA - 250 CH - 270 CYA - 40

That was about 4pm yesterday. I aerated the pool and brought the pH up to 7.6 when I checked it at 9pm. I poured the recommended amount of muriatic acid before bed, then aerated again early in the morning. pH was 7.4 this morning. This afternoon it had dropped to below 7 again.

I’m trying to get my TA down but I don’t understand why the pH would be dropping over time instead of raising.

The chlorine is another issue. I’m going through gallons of the stuff weekly. I guess it’s fighting algae and I plan on doing the SLAM soon, I just haven’t had a chance yet. I think I need to bring my CYA up as well because the pool gets a lot of direct sunlight.

Any pointers?

Trouble Free Pool Method Only! IS THIS CORRECT!
Starting the Slam Process on a 16x36ft. 3-8 ft depth with 5ft average. Approx 22,000 gallons correct me if I'm wrong on that.
Taylor K2006C test kit.
FC-0
CYA-0
PH-8+(unknown how high shooting for 7.2)
TA 120(shooting for 80)
CH-0
Ready to start the SLAM.
STEPS
1.Lower PH to 7.2(which will lower TA also)
2.CYA to 40-50
3.SLAM WITH 10% POOL BLEACH.

Getting ready for the 30 day mark after our plaster install last month. I will be adding salt the first week of May to our new pool I just built

Couple questions below regarding the first step of adding salt and maintenance to Pentair IC-15….

-The IC-15 should be set on a timer to correspond with the pump timer. Essentially, the IC-15 should only be powered on and “running” when the pump is running? Correct? I have a separate timer for the IC-15 that is on the same schedule as the built in pump timer

-How frequently should I be dissembling this thing and cleaning it out for maintenance? Is that a fairly easy task?

-Is there any specific math or calculation to know how much exact salt I should be adding to my 3,000 gallon pool? Are you essentially adding more every season/multiple times a season? Or is a once and done per year

-Will the PH level become sporadic again after adding salt? My plaster is 3 weeks cured right now and it seems that the PH level is just starting to become level and even day to day with minimal acid need

Hey all,

I have a cabin in the woods. Off grid. very wooded and shaded.

Would love to have a stock pool but it is a little tricky since no power or water. 6ft poly round. Let me know if this will work -

Since I am only there every other weekend I will need to set this to work while I am gone: I will set it to catch rain run off my metal roof (I do this for my non drinking water for 15 years). I'll have it go through a filter and I will put a chlorine tab in it to make sure it comes into the stock tank clean and chloroinzed. I will keep the tank completely covered so nothing can get in and no light can enter as well. I will set up a solar powered pond pump to create some water movement in the tank during day time to prevent stagnation. Only during day time will it move the water.

Next when I come there, and assuming it will be full, I will run a sand filter and UV filter as well as adjust the chlorine level of the water

I will let this run for 3 hours or so. I then think I can use it. Right? I will run it every day while I am there for 3 hours on the sand filter and uv filter.

Then before leaving I will raise the chlorine level to be on the higher side, put in a chlorine floater, and set up the solar pump again. I won't let any rain run off to go in again and keep it covered really well to prevent anything falling in or light getting in there.

When I get back a week or so later I will repeat the process of the sand filter and uv.

I will empty it before winter.

Please let me know if this should work.

Uri

I've been a bad boy and have been relying on flow switch for cell operation. Want to use the mechanical timer that is not in use as primary now. ChatGPT has given a great starting point but looking for any instruction from the smart folks here.

I’ve got some persistent CC and didn’t pass the OCLT so here we go!

Don’t see any green, no visible signs, but the OCLT tells me it’s there…

I’ve read all the guidelines and feel comfortable enough with the process. I’ve had my eye on a wall whale and a corner brush so those are on the way here tomorrow.

One question: I’ve got my Polaris pressure side (“Mr. Flowboto”) but no separate vacuum. Okay to use him to do the instructed vacuuming? Standard bag okay or should I grab the sand and silt version?

Our pool leaked for the second winter in a row, we opened and were still losing water, so we had divers come. They found a small leak by the stairs and patched it up. We are still losing water! Last night it was right above the arrow on the skimmers and this morning it is right below them so I’m assuming about an inch overnight.

The divers are going to come back out to check again.

We also have a lot of dirt on the bottom of the pool which they said could be from the rip. After it was patched, dirt kept coming in.

I’ve attached pictures from opening and after the rip was patched for reference.

Any thoughts? Could it be another liner tear or something bigger (i.e. in the pipes)?

Thanks for your help!

Does anyone have any experience with Pool Pure or Future Way replacement cartridges. When we installed the pool almost five years ago we used OEM Hayward filters. They have been great. Obviously the off-brand filters are much less expensive. I've often found you get what you pay for, and I can't really complain about getting 5 years out of the Haywards before they started falling apart, but just thought it might be worth asking about these brands because they get good reviews on Amazon. Thanks!

I bought 6 Jandy valves from Discount Pool Supplies Online | Pool Equipment & Parts 5 are fine & one looks like it is used or rebuilt. The surface is rough, looks like it is chipped from having the top popped off & the UPC symbol is smeared. I asked for an RMA and they told me to get lost. I'm simply concerned that I don't want to replumb my setup with a part that I don't trust.

4 yr old all Jandy system
Aftwr replacing the salt chlorinator i found i couldnt control my JXI heater with my iaqualink I could turn on the heater manually but when in remote mode nothing And the heater light wont turn on the motherboard /electrical panel i replaced the thermostat on the heater but nothing
Salt chlorinator wont turn on because it isn't getting message the water is warm enough to work
The Jandy support said it was likely the 7790 Temperature Sensor. (I checked all cables nothing frayed or broken so guessing just worn out inside)
Has anyone replaced these before? It sticks into the pipe - is it as easy as pulling out the old and sticking in the new? How do you ensure it doesnt leak? (I see how to do the electrical part and it looks easy)
will the non oem ones fit? They are about 1/4 the price but I just worry about leaking

Today I sign the purchase agreement for a new (to me) condo. Unfortunately, that means this will be my last few months with a pool and checking in with TFP. The pool has been good and bad but overall, I’ve enjoyed it. The bad is that I spent a lot of money to install it in the hope that it would be a gathering place in the summer and draw that family (grandchildren) toward us. Disappointing to report that it did not go as planned and it became something that mostly just me and my wife used. The good is that I did enjoy the times we did get together and enjoy the pool and the tinkerer in me enjoyed learning about the process of maintaining it. One significant pain point was dealing with the builder. Won’t go into details but the mistakes they made catch my eye and irritate me to this day, our sixth season.

I’m thankful that I found TFP early on in pool ownership. I only got “pool stored” for the first couple months of pool ownership and following TFP made keeping the water clear and safe a breeze. Seriously, with a SWG and a robot along with few minutes of brushing and skimming, the pool never took much time at all to maintain. I appreciate the help from the expert team here but I have to give a shout out to @Newdude who seemed to always be there to respond to my questions. Thank you!

So, over the next few months, I’ll move into a new home and sell this house to someone else. I’m thinking about how to transfer my knowledge of the pool over to a new person. I was thinking of offering a few hours of my time to get them going. There’s no doubt I’ll be recommending that they get on this site and buy the pool math app and use tftestkits for supplies.

The condo has a community pool. I doubt we’ll use it. I’d want to test their water and I doubt they’d listen to my TFP suggestions but you never know, I may do that.

Thank you Trouble Free Pool.

Opened my pool a few days ago and added chlorine. Today I got around to doing a full test.

FC 14
pH 7.3 (somewhere between 7.2 and 7.5)
TA 50
CH 50
CYA 30
Salt 1800

Clearly I need to add stabilizer. I'll get on that first. I'll probably also get some salt in there. Not sure what to do about the pH. It stayed in the very low 7's all year - never naturally increased. I might add something to bring that up a bit this year. I'll have to read up on that because I believe it impacts alkalinity. First thing's first - to the store for CYA and Salt.

Second issue is a question about salt. My SWG says salt is 2900 and my test says 1800. I try to keep it around 3000 so no doubt I'll put in a bag, maybe two. Question is, does it matter? If the unit thinks it's at 2900, isn't that all that matters? Won't it still keep making chlorine as long as there is actually salt in the water, rather than be 2900 per the unit, or 1800 per my test kit? BTW, my test kit for salt is a 3 or 4 years old. It's always read different from the unit, but would it be worth getting a new test kit, or, basically rely on the unit and put in more salt based on that.

Hi all, after hours and hours of research, I finally found a replacement for my Hayward Colorlogic 12v AC pool lights. I thought I would post my solution here in case anyone is in a similar boat. There weren't many search results for my criteria, so hopefully this will help others find a solution. Please let me know if this is not the right place to post this.

I struggled to find anything suitable for my situation - I did not want to spend the $1,300 per light for a direct replacement since Hayward lights are finicky, and I do not trust Florida Sunseekers because of their lack of UL/ETL rating. Cheap Amazon lights were a definite no-go. Pentair Amerlite appears to be discontinued, Hayward Astrolite out of stock everywhere, and the majority of other listings were 120V or $800+. I already have a 120V -> 12/13/14v AC transformer installed and preferred to stay at 12v AC.

Buried under the Hayward Astrolite parts is the InyoPools Pureline 12v AC fixture:

I don't know why it doesn't show up as a result when searching, but the fixture is UL/ETL rated, a fraction of the price of other fixtures (hopefully only because of demand, not because of poor quality... I'll report back in a year), and is a drop-in replacement for the Hayward Colorlogic.

Now onto the hard part of running the new cord through the conduit... I have fish tape so we'll see how it goes. Open to advice!

Willerd

Thank you to everyone who helped me get off the ground a few weeks ago. Now it's time to fine-tune this relic as much as I can. First and foremost, I have to try and get a handle on that classic hot-tub "smell" that irritates my wife's sensitive olfactory senses (because ultimately, that's who this is for and all about, right?). I'm extremely confident and well versed in TFP techniques regarding pools, and my pools have been spotless and non-irritating to even the most sensitive of swimmers. But this hot tub, which gave off a chlorine/bromine (I found their stash of tablets) odor even before we filled it, is giving me fits. Both in terms of the smell bothering her and my inability to keep ahead of the chlorine use (I followed to the letter the sticky instructions on dichlor to chlorine). I just want us to be able to enjoy the spa without it irritating anyone.

And now I'm seeing information about a possible negative interaction between chlorine and an ozonator, which I believe I have but I have no indication if/when it works because I have no manual left by the previous owner. But I see labels on the internal workings that say ozone, and some online schematics include info about an ozonator (Jacuzzi model Z145). Could this interaction between the two be the cause of excess irritants or my low FC levels? Would disconnecting the ozonator be a good idea?

This past winter’s storms and near-zero freezes damaged the “wall” around my outdoor pool’s spa. Initially I thought that I just needed to re-attach and re/grout the spa tiles using Leslie’s Patch-It, but as I removed tile after tile I noticed that a small amount of the “substrate” beneath some of the tiles is damaged. By substrate, I’m referring to the structure beneath the tiles - which appears to be concrete.
There are several spots where the “concrete” beneath the tiles is cracked, and several 1/2” chunks simply fell out.
I’m not in financial position to pay big $$ for an expert’s repair.
Can I use concrete to fill the damaged areas and cracks, then allow that to cure, and then proceed to use Patch-It to secure the tiles? If so, is there a specific product recommended?
I have no experience with this specific type of repair; however, I did build my own pool equipment pad several years ago, using rock, rebar, etc, which has held up 100% for several years, but this damaged spa wall needs a very smooth surface on which to re-seat tiles.
I’m looking for professional-quality answers: what specific material would be best to repair/replace the damaged area beneath the tiles.
Thanks in advance!
I covered the damaged area with a tarp, so closeup pics are not currently available as it is raining hard today in Texas. Included one pic, but can provide more after things dry up over the next few days.
I appreciate your help!
John in DFW

I don't contribute much (read: at all), but I just wanted to chime in to say thank you to all who contribute to this site!

I have had my pool for just over 4 years now (it's a ~15k gal Blue Haven gunite/pebble plaster/salt water/cartridge filter pool). From the time I filled in up in early April of 2021, it has NEVER been anything but crystal clear--this even with a dog that routinely likes to jump onto the sun ledge. And yes, that includes all 365 each year. When we got our rare snow fall this year, I have a beautiful picture of our crystal-clear pool surrounded by a blanket of white (when I find the pic I'll be sure to come back and post it). That is all a credit to you all!

I recommend this site to all my pool-owning coworkers and friends--and pretty much anytime someone brings up pool maintenance.

To anyone new pool ownership. Read Pool School and follow it! You won't be sorry!

Thanks again!

-Tommy

Hello!

I’m hoping someone can help me figure out what’s going on with my spa. As you can see in the photos, there’s noticeable discoloration and blotchy staining in the spa area of my pool. What’s odd is that the main pool doesn’t have this issue—it’s isolated to the spa only.

I’ve tried scrubbing with a brush and even rubbing a chlorine tablet on some of the spots, but it didn’t really make a difference. That makes me wonder:

• Could this be a plaster issue (like mottling or mineral staining)?
• Could it be due to water chemistry differences between the spa and pool?
• Is there anything I can do to treat or reduce the appearance of these stains?

The plaster is about 6-7 years old, and I try to keep my water chemistry in check. Any thoughts or experiences would be really appreciated!

4 years ago we built a 20,000 gallon In ground Gunite chlorine cartridge pool with a variable speed jandy pump. Over the weekend we drained it (cya was high) and cleaned the filters. I have spent most of today trying to get it going again. I have attempted to prime the pump no less than 20 times. The water level is over halfway up the skimmers. I’ve got the 2 skimmer lines open and the main drain. I have tried getting it to work with the pressure gauge open and with it closed. We did get it going for about an hour and it seemed great (water never quite filled the pump basket, but was close). We had the bubbler and all the fountains going. Then the pressure/flow went back down without warning. Tried to prime it again without luck. At my wits end. Ideas?

Ok I've posted this before - and no one seems to have experienced this but when I pull my Dolphin S200 out of the pool it releases a bunch of dirt. I hate it. My pool is clean today but I put the robot in to pick up the dirt IT RELEASED yesterday. not that that will help. anyway, Last year I texted marina pools and sent her photos and she told me to buy some replacement parts, did that, didn't fix it. I took it too my local pool store, and he had no idea. I finally decide to check the maytronics FAQ and this is what it says. If I have to remove it UPSIDE down, then I'm releasing all the water it's holding onto my deck? How is that reasonable? this makes me want to go back to my Polaris 280 but I've never had good luck with my booster pump and that's a lot. plus the 280 isn't a lot cheaper than the 799 I paid for my S200.

When I remove my Dolphin from the pool, dirty water and debris escapes back to the water​

When you remove your Dolphin from the water, gently pull it towards you using the cable. When it reaches the edge, remove it with the handle, never lift the robot out of the water by the cable.
Tilt the robot while placing it on the edge of the pool, and let the water drain out. If debris is still falling back into the water, try removing the robot from the water upside down.

We closed our 18’ above ground pool for winter but it failed and the pool had so much nasty stuff in it we decided to drain and start over. We have now cleaned it and it is ready to fill. However, we are going to be gone on vacation for 7 weeks. I had originally thought we would fill and just leave the pump rink g 24/7 while we are gone, but I don’t have anyone to come check the chemicals and I am concerned it will get an algae bloom once the chemicals get out of balance. I thought about adding the winterizer and putting the winter cover back on and not turning on the pump. But we will want to use the pool soon after we return…. I read on this forum that is is t good to leave the pool empty. So I would appreciate your ideas on the best course of action at this point.

We are in Seattle so the weather over the next 8 weeks is a Crud shoot- we could get a heat wave or it could be cold and rainy the whole time.

Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Well, we haven’t moved into the new place yet, but I booked someone to open the pool tomorrow.

My TFpro salt kit hasn’t come in yet.

Plus we’re in the middle of packing and moving.

Lol… wish me luck

Unfortunately I have been a pool.owner for over 40 years, but time crept up on me now have Pool Company. My pool now is a Anthony/ Sylvan in ground 23 year old granite pool. Unfortunately my pool people don't know much about a Compool #Cp3400. They suggested replace panel. Likel a good homeowner went right to Ebay. To my surprise found one at about $350.00 and brought it. My luck they had two different ones, a cp3400 and a cp3600. You guess it, ordered the cp3600 by mistake. Big question is are they still interchangeable . Only difference I notice it has two more control bottoms. Can I still used my cp3600.
Thanks Roy

We started setting up the pool today. I’ve decided I want to convert to salt. We haven’t added anything to the water yet. The pool is 2/3 full. Do I start be adding 3 bags of water softener salt to the pool and running the pump for 24 hours? How soon do I need the SWG? What else do I need to add? Stabilizer…

If you own a pool robot you can fill out this survey, takes around 30 minutes and you get a $30 Amazon card emailed to you- Pool Cleaner Study
I'm not affiliated with them, appears to be market research, just ran across it and and redeemed my gift card a few minutes ago.

Moving down in Jan, and wondering what a BASIC 16x32 IG pool will run me. No bells and whistles, just a basic one. I know I can get estimates once down there, but just want to get a ballpark figure, since we will be looking at homes without one.

I have a good motor from 2018, that has a bad control unit. I have a good control unit from 2023 with a bad motor. They are both superflo pumps that look identical, but the 2023 head unit plug connecter is different then the 2018 motor plug. Does anybody know if the orientation is the same? I can probably change the plug connecter, but I dont want to burn anything out if the orientation is different. Oh and of coarse the wire colors are different.