Pool was well balanced last I tested. Cya was at 90 and a SWG was installed. I am hoping the CYA continues to drop so that I can run lower free chlorine and still sanitize the pool. I’m not sure at what rate the CYA is going to drop, but since I’ve been running chlorine tablets for so long, I do not own any conditioner. Once the CYA drops to a level that I want to maintain do I just put pucks in floaters to supplement the saltwater generator or do I actually add CYA conditioner using the sock method I’ve read about? If I need to add conditioner for A pull my size. How much should I have on hand?

I’ve run high free chlorine to compensate for my high CYA levels basically since I found this place very successfully. What would you consider the optimal CYA level for saltwater generator pool knowing that I’m offsite Monday through Friday.

I've been busting my shoulders leveling the edge my new resin pool will set on. My soil is so hard and compact that I have to soak it to chip it away to level. I just got delivery of my new pool. The bottom track the wall goes into is a flexible plastic and same for the connectors. I'm starting to think I might be fine if get my edge perfectly level and skip the pavers. What do you think?

Notes: I am in the PNW and I will be doing a 72" expandable liner for an 18'x52" pool.

Hello,

New pool owner here (via home purchase), just got our pool opened this week. Trying to get comfortable with the Screenlogic interface, and I apologize in advance for really dumb questions! Thought our system was busted at first, every time I would turn on the spa, lights, features, etc...it would turn off after 1 minute. Realized everything had egg timers set, ugh! App is very clunky - wouldn't let me put the timers down to zero at first without going up, but eventually everything seems to be functioning. What would be a good use for the egg timers?

I see there was a schedule previously set - is this something I should keep enabled? What is the point of it - to make sure the spa is getting filtered regularly?



I've figured out what most of the features do, but any idea what Pool high and Jet 1 Side are?



The pool has fountains on the pool sides and a spillway from the spa to pool. I'm sure a dumb question, but are those mostly for decorative purposes, or should I say run the spillway regularly so that water flows to the pool. Wasn't clear if those are something I should leave on all the time.

Any other tips or recommendations would be much appreciated! Been trying to read as much as possible to hopefully get to speed shortly

how should I aim my return jet? The skimmer is directly across from it.

Hello,
My Hayward SP3400VSP with the OMNI controller on top is really starting to scream. It still pumps and moves the water great, but pretty sure my neighbours are going to complain soon. I'm guessing the bearings are going.

Not sure if I can order/buy replacement bearings? If this is a repair I can do, or if I am better off just buying a new pump?

With that said, do I only need to buy a new motor? Or does everything need to be replaced including the OMNI controller? Would you have a recommendation for the new pump? I have done some reading and the Ecostar Pump I currently have is not thought of too highly.

Thank you,
Kmac12

Hello, I have a pool only (no spa) and I have the iAqualink Touch RS-6 Combo REV Yg. I have 4 JVA relays (the ones with 3 pins) and 2 of them are wired to a JVA. The 2 that are plugged in are labeled "Cleaner" and "Solar" on the panel. the "Cleaner" JVA controls the sheer descent and the "Solar" JVA controls the bubblers. The "Intake" and "Return" slots are empty on the panel but when I go to "Assign JVAs" in the app it has both of those labeled as "Used"

I would like to install a 3rd JVA that would redirect water flow through the pool heater since that is the only thing I do not have automated. Can I simply plug the 3rd JVA into the empty "Intake" or "Return" slots and assign that to an Aux in the app? If not, then how can I achieve the result I want for adding a 3rd JVA?

We just opened our pool to brown water. Late March, we got a snow storm here in NE which carried a bunch of dust from TX and NM and left behind a sheet of thick brown sediment everywhere after the brown snow melted. I’m assuming much went through our mesh cover. You can see remains on the pool coping we haven’t cleaned yet. Power washing all of our decking was already quite the job. Anyway, water temp is 56 degrees and FC at .5. Cya tested at 35 and PH at 7.4 so I started a slam adding liquid chlorine to slam level. I tested my FC a half hour later to make sure the LC and my measurements were good and then I tested again an hour after that and the level had dropped by 1 so I raised up again to slam level.

My question is, do I just slam like normal and proceed to brush and backwash? Is testing every hour and a half good or overkill. I can’t even see the bottom of the pool which has never happened before so it makes it hard to brush. Will the sand filter eventually filter this out? I also have our Aiper robot going and am going to see what the basket looks like when it’s done with its routine. Appreciate everyone’s time and advice.

The Easytouch manual doesn't address how to connect this particular pump nor does the pump manual.
I have a Easytouch 4. 2 relays are available. I have the RS 485 black cable with 8 pins.
On page 6 of the pump manual it explains how to connect the pump via "External Control via Digital Inputs and on page 7 it explains "Using an External Input Signal".
I'm not sure which method of connecting the pump I use.
Thanks for any help.

Just sign a contract for a 16x36 rectangular pool. We debated freeform vs rectangular and based on the pictures, since the pool is smaller, a rectangular is a better look. The shallow end is 3ft and the deep end is 8 ft with a diving board. We are adding a shelf and bench as shown below.

My first two questions, We have a small shallow end starting at 3 feet. Should I start at 4feet to have a bigger shallow end?

Second, I been debating between ozone/chlorinate vs salt generator. I leading toward the saltsystem for ease even though it will void my coping warranty from the builder. Anything I should look out for in term of pool equipment that could rust easily? Like handrail, ladder or diving board? I assume stainless steel is fine.

When we removed the cover this year, we had bad thick scaling on the grout lines, and some of the tiles' surface area was frosty..... a thin layer of scaling. Normally, this does not happen till summer. In the past, I have easily removed the scaling on the grout lines using a single-edge razor....But I am not able to remove the thin scaling. Looks like it needs to be polished. Can someone recommend a cleaner or solvent that will remove the frosted scaling over the blue tile area (look to the far right in the picture for that). The worst tile surface scaling appears to be directly under the waterfall spillway area. Thanks

Hi all,

I just did some pool renovations and upgraded my easytouch to an intellicenter. Seems to be much more functionality within the Intellicenter compared to the easytouch.

I have added the expansion card to the intellicenter to include additional valve control ports. I currently have 4 intellivalve actuators, (1) for bubbler supply, (1) for deck jets, and (2) for waterfall operation. The waterfall and the 2-intellivalves were added as part of the recent renovation. I have figured out how to automate the bubbler and deck jet intellivalves within the intellicenter.

My question is this, how do I program the two new intellivalve actuators to fire (one to open, one to close) at the same time when I select the Waterfall feature.

What other cool features does the intellicenter have that I was missing out on with the easytouch?

Thanks!

History of my interest in this question:

1. I found that after 6 months my salt cell was full of calcium deposits.
2. After cleaning it I measured the Total Alkalinity (using TF-100) and found it to be 180
3. Over the course of 3 weeks I added acid daily to keep pH at 7.2 until the TA was down to 70

How did this work?

• My understanding is that the pH in my pool rises every day due to aeration (there is a spillover from a raised spa and the lower pool.) I have been led to believe that this happens because there is an equilibrium between carbonic acid and dissolved carbon dioxide. As dissolved carbon dioxide is removed due to aeration this equilibrium drives carbonic acid levels lower thus raising the pH.
• The pH in my pool goes back down when I add hydrochloric acid.
• Somehow (I don't quite understand the chemistry details...) the lower pH reacted with the TA reducing it over time.

Questions:

• General Pool Care: Now that I am "done" reducing the TA I am now maintaining my pool's pH at 7.8. Every 2-3 days after adjusting pH to 7.8 I measure it at 8.1/8.2 again. Does this mean that I am continuing to reduce the TA (though slower than I was at pH of 7.2) as a side effect of maintaining the ideal pH? Is this normal?
• Academic / Curiosity: If aeration raises pH by removing dissolved carbon dioxide and I lower pH by adding hydrochloric acid, then how does this not get out of control? I'm adding extra chloride ions and aeration is removing carbon dioxide. Won't I eventually run out of dissolved carbon dioxide / carbonic acid if there isn't anything replenishing them? Won't I eventually have a HUGE surplus of chloride ions unless there is some mechanism removing them? I'm sure I'm missing more elements of the chemistry at work here (presumably something to do with buffers?)

Hopefully someone can help me understand what I am missing from my understanding.
Thank you.

Long story short, I mowed over my power cord for my above ground pool. The pump is an intex SX3000 series, and has the GFCI plug on the male end. I'm trying to find a replacement cord, and am having trouble making sure i'm getting the right one. I'm not an electrician by any means, but I can replace parts just fine. I really just need to make sure I find a cord that is the right replacement. I don't even believe it has to have the GFCI end, as it's plugged into an outside outlet that is on a GFCI circuit (please correct me if i'm wrong,) but wouldn't mind having that if I could find one. Few questions:

Any idea how I can ensure I get the right cord?

This pump is 120v- so are the replacements on amazon pretty much universal as long as they meet that? If so, could I take the GFCI adapter from the old cord and put it on the new one if it doesn't come with one?

Thanks for any help you may be able to provide. I feel like this shouldn't be that complicated, but I'm dealing with electricity so I want to be safe.

Hi All - I haven’t updated my signature with pool size, equipment, and all other necessary things but I will eventually.

Anyhow, we’re having an issue with our heater, it’s a new Raypak Avia 404, that shuts off after roughly 10 min. The digital screen says two things:
Flue Extremely Low
and
High Flow Fault

I called Raypak yesterday and the tech that I spoke with said that those are indicators that the water flow through the heater is too high/fast for it to heat it properly.
He asked what pump size we have, told him it’s a 1.5 HP for an 18x36 pool.

He said to:
1. Install an external bypass with a ball valve to slow down the flow.
Or
2. Switch to a variable speed pump to slow down the flow.

I haven’t done either yet, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking that this is a large heater, why couldn’t it handle the flow from a 1.5 hp pump or even a larger pump.

I am new to pools, owned one since Feb. Pump pressure was consistently around 40psi. So I decided to clean the filter. Attached is what it looked like when I opened it up.
My pool company claim to have washed the filter in March.
My question: is could it have got that bad in six weeks?
Cheers

mandrade09 said:

I live in the woods in northeast MA and have plenty of wood. I am thinking of a wood fired swimming pool heater. I have a propane heater. But the price of propane and electricity these days is ridiculous.

Pool is inground 20x40 approx. 30k gallons. I have a solar cover as well.

Does anyone have any experience or familiarity with the below brands? Or does anyone want to share their experiences with wood fired heater?

The Only USA Made Wood Fired Burning Swimming Pool Water Heaters - The BEST Wood Fired Pool Heater available with the longest reputation

We build the highest quality wood burning pool heater in the world, with heavy duty type 304 and 316 stainless steel heat exchangers. Our wood fired pool heaters are the lowest cost option on the market to heat your swimming pool. Wood burning pool heaters, the perfect alternative to high...

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Wood Fired Swimming Pool Heaters - Wood Burning Water Stoves

Buy 100% 304L stainless steel internal and external wood fired heaters from Woodwaterstoves to keep your hot tub or pool warm in cold days.

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Megadome – Wood Stove Pools

Any insight is appreciated.

Matt

Click to expand...

Hello Matt,

If you're still around...I ordered a WarmWaterSolutions 120 last fall and received it this spring. I live in SE Pennsylvania. I have a firewood business so I have a lot of scrap to burn. I have a 23k gallon Kidney pool that is in direct sunlight. I had my liner replaced so I started with sub 60 degree water. I have burned the stove for 2 hours the first day and raised 13 degrees. I have burned an additional 8 hours and I'm now up a total of 18 degrees. I gain about 1 degree an hour of burn. I'm not sure about the folks below that are speaking in pounds of wood but I would guess I have burned less than 1/4 cord in those 20 hours. it's not something you need to burn all of the time but it will get you where you are going.

BTW: The family that owns WWS's is very nice and the product is second to none. Very impressive communication, crating, and delivery. I poured the pad myself and was able to do the hookup. The product includes everything you would want, including dual thermometers and a wood poker.

let me know if you have any questions. I'm very satisfied.

I am getting the “IF” error code and trying to figure out how to fix my Hayward gas heater. I took the gas valve off and the piece in the picture fell out of it. Any idea what it’s for?

I recently purchased a home with a ~50 year old concrete pool in west michigan that has had multiple owners over the years. The former owner left no instructions/guidance, but I had their pool guy show me around during the purchase (before I knew what questions to ask). I'm mostly figuring it out on my own. I'm looking to install a new variable speed pump and salt water generator before opening the pool for the season.

Below is a picture of the current setup, it's all 1.5" plumbing. I'm not sure where the pipe with the broken red ball valve goes, but it looks like it hasn't been in use for a long time. Also, don't be alarmed, I took the dead front off the electrical panel so I could see how everything was wired, but everything is off.

As a newbie, I was just hoping for some feedback on my plan (positive or negative) and any additional considerations I should have. Here are my goals:

• Repipe skimmer and main drain pvc after ball valves, adding Jandy 3-way valve and repositioning new pump to ensure the minimum ~10" of straight pipe before intake (Is it overkill to repipe the return lines and should I just reuse the existing pump location? There's currently a tee right before the intake which seems bad)
• Repipe after heater with check valve > flow switch > swg and remove chlorine inline feeder
• Remove booster pump, add another Jandy 3-way valve after the swg to split between original return line and repurpose cleaner/polaris return
• Should I consider adding unions to the pipes exiting the sand filter to allow for replacing the media? Is it safe to assume that's never been done since there currently aren't unions?

One of my concerns is that the polaris jet seems to be at the waterline (see below) so I'm not sure that can actually be repurposed as an effective return jet? It seems like a waste to just abandon it, maybe I could just make it into one of those diy pvc "fountains" for the kids to enjoy?

Can anyone help me identify my above ground pool make/model? It's 30' round

I have an inline chlorinator. I believe it’s supposed to fill (at least somewhat) with water. It appears mine doesn’t fill at all. The water flows in, but maintains zero water level within the column. I tried increasing the flow and the pump speed but it didn’t change anything. How can I fix this?

Hi All! I have a HC3315 chlorinator and I’m trying to figure out if one of the protrusions at the bottom of the housing that keeps the filter screen in place is missing. I only have three protrusions so I believe the filter screen is not being held in place properly as it would be with four protrusions or Dots that extend up from the bottom of the housing. Can anyone tell me the correct number of protrusions that should exist at the bottom of the housing?

We just opened our saltwater pool Monday. The combine chlorine is 5.2 and the free chlorine is 1. The pool is about 27,500 gallons. Any advice on how I can adjust these readings?

HI All ... It's a new season and I've got a question right out of the gate!

I opened the pool on Saturday and after runing my equipment through it's paces I found an issue. When going into spa mode, the actuator controlling the jets does nothing so I tried testing it with the dipstick and still, no response. However, I hear a faint clicking sound so I know there was some level of activity going on. So, upon removing the cover, I can see that the motor (spindle) turns without issue but doesnt seem to be engaging the underlying gears.

Could this be a micro switch issue? Something with the gear pack? ... I'd love to be able to repair the actuator rather than replace it but I;m not sure how to isolate the problem.

As always, any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Hello. I want to try Boric Acid this year. I have powder. The pool is crystal clear. Wanted to see if I have everything balanced properly or if I should adjust anything (especially pH or TA first)? Thanks!

I just opened my pool , it's a sand filter. First i did backwash for 15 mins, then changed it to Filter position (i didnt do Rinse in between)

There were a few problems after the backwash:
Pressure was 30 always
The jets were not working but skimmers were sucking
During backwash the pipes on the filter were leaking


After that I changed the heater valve(black valve) to off the heater, previously it was in the middle,, now the jets are working. There is still some leak from top of the filter. the current valve positions are in the picture, what's going on appreciate some help here and jets started to work

Hi all - we've got our heat pump being installed shortly and taking the opportunity to upgrade to an IntelliCenter and IC40 replacing our existing non-Pentair chlorinator. The current chlorinator controller powers the pump on a schedule. All is good, albeit dumb. The IntelliCenter will obviously become the brain, including schedules, heat set point, calling for heat from the heater etc.

The new salt generator transformer in the IntelliCenter is wired into the filter pump relay's second load side as per the manual so that the pump and IC40 switch together.

The heat pump is going to have to have a longer daily runtime than the chlorinator to maintain the desired heat. How does the IC40/IntelliCenter/etc prevent over chlorination if the heater needs the filter pump on for hours longer than needed for chlorination?

Does the IC40 have smarts that sets the output to 0% once a desired chlorination level is reached? Or do you need to wire the teh transformer on its own relay and program the schedules together so that the chlorinator is powered during the filtration phase, but off during other pump activities like heat?

Bumping this. I have a Jandy 2.7hp VSP and when running at 2400 RPMs it's basically fully primed with only a few microscopic bubbles here and there.

However, from 5pm to 9am I have it run at 1400 RPMs and the bubble grows slowly overnight so much so that it does stay primed, but the air bubble ultimately encompasses basically the whole translucent dome.

When it switches back to the 2400 RPM level at 9am, it eliminates that air bubble within like 5-10 minutes tops and operates full of water again. My nearest return also lets out a steady stream of very small bubbles after a while of operating at 1400 RPMs. Basically, once the bubble in the pump gets big enough (after a few hours).

This is all while I bypass the heater. When I have the water go to/through the heater, it doesn't get quite as fully filled with water in my pump at 2400 or 1400 RPMs as it does when I bypass.

Anything to be concerned about? I've tried saran wrapping and the hose trick on the lid, pump drains, and gasket leading into the pump; none of which seem to make much of a difference.

I am getting bubbles on the returns to me pool on low speeds. I see air in strainer basket when running low speeds. I'm assuming that's my reason for bubbles in the returns. Is this normal behavior on the Hayward vsp pump?

I can't seem to find a 2 speed pump for an inground spa that is set up with pool type equipment and that has pump basket, etc., for inground set up. Of course, lots of 2 speed spa pumps out there without a pump basket. Current set up is a Sta-Rite Dura-glas Dual Speed Pump connected to a compool LX3810 panel with spa side control. We're quote a new heater and filter along with the pump that would still work with the compool system. Any suggestions?

I inherited a pool with a safety cover and we put the cover on only when we close the pool for the winter. I get a lot of pine needles falling into our yard over the seasons that seem to still end up getting into the pool under the safety cover. My question is if it's a thing to put a normal cover beneath or on top of the safety cover when closing the pool to keep debris out? And if there are any suggestions on how to do so?

Thanks!