Hello all, just bought a house with a pool a couple of months ago, and finally got the pbv and plunger replaced on the autofill, so that it works. Upon inspection of my works, I found this- a drip from the top of the plunger. Is this normal, or is it broken? Given that it’s a 17.5k gallon pool, do I even care? Please let me know if/what I should do anything, or just be happy I don’t have to manually fill the pool anymore! Thanks!

Hello! Something that's been gnawing at me for a while: when you're doing water testing and adding drops looking for a color change (solution turning from green to red for example), at which point do you call it? When the solution has first changed and it's a very light shade of the target color? Or one or two more drops till the color is more saturated?

I have a Carving Sherlock 160 filter.

Filters are Pleatco PJ160.

They are 200$ Canadian.

How can I find alternative to these expensive filters.

THe hole in the middle is 6 inch, will any filter with 6 inch diameter do?

Hello everyone. I’m really hoping someone can help here. My power flow matrix 1.5 HP started tripping its GFCI outlet the other day. It was out of commission for a full day, then yesterday I removed the front plastic cover and was able to make it work again without really knowing what I did. It worked for another full day, then this morning it is immediately tripping the outlet again. The impeller turns freely. Not really sure how to go about troubleshooting this. It is the model without a capacitor, based on what I’ve seen online. It seems some people are able to rectify this issue by replacing the impeller shaft seal, which I’m not opposed to doing, but the previous owners of the house made it quite difficult to get the pump off the base because they put PVC pipe in place between the skimmer and pump without a union, so I think I’d have to cut the pipe to get it off. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the issue while the pump is still on its base? Or is it maybe possible to decouple the motor from the pump basket while it is still plumbed? Thank you.

Had many pools but this issue has me stumped.
I have gone and bought a whole new filter head for the sand barrel. Yet when I turn it onto filter I am getting waste gate open at a decent amount. I upgraded the pump to 2 HP and I am reusing the cotton ball filters I purchased last spring that worked wonders vs sand and they came clean in the wash. My buddy and I replumed but didn't change any sizes of pipe. I first replaced the gasket then replaced just the head with the handle to the gasket and today I received the entire head unit and it's still doing the same thing bypassing to waste while filtering as well.

I have been using Ahh!Some's products for purges on regular maintenance for a while now and really like it. I recently ran out and accidentally bought the Ahh!some product from Ahhnatural by mistake. I'm guessing it is a knockoff. Trying to decide if I should just throw it away or if I should try it to see how it works. Wanted to see if anyone has used the Ahhnatural product and how it worked compared to the original Ahh!Some. Thanks!

Pump is running 9am-6pm

What setting should I start on ?
Thanks

I'm struggling with a pool base for a vinyl liner pool. The contractor has spread the vermiculite pool-krete, but the surface is uneven, some areas very grainy some smooth. The biggest concern is that the pool-krete goes over plastic side panels in places, and in others has divets between wall and floor. Also the slopes are wavy across the width of the pool. Can you advise based on these pictures whether it is something to address before the liner drop? Is this normal? What is a good way to approach this issue, my 6 week project is on 6 months.

Installed a heat pump last fall. Just got my pool open last weekend water was 44 deg( 2 inchs of snow last weekend). Did my normal start up process a few lbs of cal hypo( I need calcium so this is my additional chlorine go to) and set swg to 20% (turn on heat pump as soon as I could). This year pool temp above 70 on day 2 after opening FC 1 and CC 3 OMG...... Set SWCG to 100% 24 hrs later FC 1 and CC 0 pool @ 78F. Went swimming in April total worth it but start up a bit trickier this year normal temps in the 50's for weeks. I know what to do next but just wanted to WARN people of the risk and dangers of heating your pool. Haha I love it felt like a hot tub slight breeze and air temp of 56F..... Also dont try to install and trim solar cover with 40 MPH wind gusts had to pull 3x 50 lb bags of sand out of the pool.

I got my annual refill from TF Test Kits, and took my first reading today. My FC reading came in at 12.5, which I recognized as out of the ordinary. I retested with last year's reagents, and got 7.5 (as expected). I had not added any chlorine or run my SWG since yesterday.

Repeated with both. Also used last year's 871 reagent with the new year's powder. Same result. I keep my reagents in a dark cabinet, inside, year-round.

Has anyone had a similar experience with the new year's reagents. The 871 reagent bottle looks different, for sure. Maybe it's susceptible to the static buildup?

Edit: just checked pH with R-0014 and got a valid reading of 7.2 (low bc of CYA addition).

I asked about this before, but I was focused on a temporary fix. Now I'm working on a permanent fix to be done after I close the pool (or before I open it in the spring) while the pipes are empty of water. The leak is at one of the elbows coming off of the actuator (the right one in the picture). When a pool guy came out a couple years ago and just glued it, he said if it leaks again, it would be necessary to raise that pipe up. I guess that's because you're not supposed to bury and connectors. I'm looking for suggestions from this group on how to route this to repair it. I have a plumber, not a pool plumber, that will do the work but I'd like to make sure I'm routing it, fixing it, the best, most appropriate way. I'll need to get the parts on site so having a good idea of how this needs to look will help me get the proper parts. For example, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to get a new connector plate for under the actuator. I can certainly add pictures if there's something in particular you need to see. Thank you.

I am stumped. My spa drains back into the pool overnight down to the level of the jets. I have replaced the inline check valve (Flo Systems see-through valve) and the guts of both Jandy valves (suction and return). I can see the flapper inside the check valve pulsating and hear it making a glug glug glug noise. If I close the inline "spa bypass" valve the noise and glug glug glug stops, as does the pulsation of the flapper.

I initially suspected it was a defective flapper/check valve for the spa bypass since it was 20 years old. It is not spring loaded and I suspect just uses the pressure from the spa water to push the flapper against its seat. Rubber on the old flapper was shot and I thought for sure I had it fixed by simply replacing the ancient check valve. Nope.

I then ordered two new Jandy three way valves (also twenty years old) and replaced the valve guts (left the glue-together housings intact). Still losing water and still have glug glug glug with flapper pulsations. What am I missing here? Pretty simple system.

I read somewhere here that another guy found his salt cell causing oscillation in his check valve because the salt cell had its own check valve? My cell has been dead for years and I no longer have need for it. Should I just cut it out and run a straight piece of pipe?

Hi, my name is Michael, and since joining this site, I have always managed to search thru the various forums until finding the answer I needed. Until today...
I'm currently helping the widow of a dear friend who had a cardiovascular incident about a year ago while opening his pool, in which he subsequently drowned. Consequently, I am not very familiar with exactly how this pool is plumbed.
Their pool is a 20x40 freshwater, vinyl liner, in-ground pool without a heater.
Today, for whatever reason, the skimmer basket was stuck tight, taking me half an hour to free and remove it. Immediately after removing the basket, without realizing it, I knocked into the skimmer a Craftsman screwdriver, the type with a short blade and as well as a short handle. However, the handle is full size in diameter.
It wasn't until I went to put away my tools that I noticed it was missing and where it had to have gone.
None of the equipment skipped a beat in the time between the screwdriver disappearing and when I realized what had happened.
Where would be the most likely spot in the system to look for this screwdriver? And, if water is flowing thru the pump and filter as it should with the darn thing still inside somewhere, what are the risks to the system?
Thank you in advance!

Hey all, just upgraded my Aquarite S3 to the Omni option in order to use automation for its features. I got Hayward LED lights, a Tristar VSP 950 pump and Hayward EasyTemp heat pump.
Everything works fine when I use the main panel outside, but if I want to use the app or the web interface I get completely ignored. The app and web will always show an old setting from yesterday, no matter what settings I change on the main panel:

Filter Pump 80%.
Heat pump current temp 83 deg, target temp 85 deg.
Lights OFF

It doesnt matter if I change the settings on the app or on the website, they will go back to the values above, like its not communicating with the main equipment at all. If I change them on the main panel outside then they will work fine.

I've change my wifi network just to make sure that wasnt it. I can get from 50% to 70% signal strength on any of my networks from the main panel outside. The diagnostics of the wifi network always comes out satisfactory with green checkmarks. I restarted my router a couple of times. I also cut the power completely to everything at the brakers, no luck

Any input would be greatly appreciated!
V

Good Morning Everyone,
Recently purchased our first home with this older gunnite pool. It has discoloration of various forms and colors throughout. I have some jacks stain ID on the way for next week, but in the meantime thought i'd ask.

Does this look like specific stains, or just the natural age of the pool showing?

*liner is gunnite with an aggregate finish
*pool is old - somewhere around 10-15 years i believe
*the pool guy who was taking care of it before us said that the owners let it go to heck and it was basically black when he took it over. This makes me think it could be metal staining due to some heavy shock and algea treatments
*the discoloration has been there since i took it over in january. not positive how long it has existed otherwise

My pool is about 10 years old, still running on my original equipment (Jandy Aquapure Ei35 salt generator). I can no longer find some replacement parts, and at the cost of some of the replacement parts I do need, I am thinking it is just time to upgrade.

I am looking for recommendations on what system I should lean towards, compared to what a service company may try to steer me towards. I can, but I do not want to do the install myself. I do not need anything over the top with every integration in the world, just something pretty basic that will run well and will work with my current setup.

If I did choose to go with more of an upgraded setup, then I would possibly upgrade to a system to include something that is wifi, or Ethernet plug in available. I do I have both options available where the equiptment sits.

Current setup:
The pool is a 10,000-gallon free-form pool that is not heavily used.
Located in coastal South Carolina.
The current pump is a Jandy VSP with a push-button wall-mounted controller, which is in good shape, I am not looking to replace this.
Cartridge filter system.
No heater
SWG controller mounted to an exterior wall of a shed with an eave overhang facing south (old controller cover is dry-rotted from exposure to the weather)
Pool lights are controlled by an exterior smart switch.
Spring - Fall, the system runs in the AM 8-12 hours/day
Winter - The system runs only at night for 5-8 hours

I am leaning towards the Jandy TruClear with Unions. This looks to be a fairly simple replacement setup for the current system. Circupool RJ series might also be an option; the reviews look good, but reviews can be bought. The last setup I have looked at is an Auto Pilot ChlorSync Gen 2 series.

Any input regarding recommendations would be great.

Had a Pentair MicroBrite light go out and Pentair sent me a new one no charge. Do I need to drop water level below light to change? The conduit is only a short distance from the equipment pad. Figure I can just pull and chaser and do it easily but not sure if it is ok for the conduit line to fill with water while I remove the light. Thanks!

Hello all, first I want to say thank you for the huge amount of knowledge and help I've received here already.

I'm currently dialing in my 15,000 gallon plaster pool after installing a SWG, draining due to CYA levels over 200 from previous owner, and refilling. My fill water tests as:
pH 8.2
TA 120
CH 125
Salt 600

After adding a bit too much salt, 8lbs of Calcium Chloride, and ratcheting the TA down via MA and aeration, my current levels are:
pH 7.6
FC 6
CC 0
TA 90
CYA 70
CH 250
Salt 4400
Borates 0
Temp 76

I'm still working to get CH up to 500. I live in Phoenix, AZ where we have little rain, high evaporation, and frequent top-ups. Since the fill water already has 125 CH, would you agree that 500 is a good target?

I'm also planning to add Borates to 50ppm tomorrow. In the Why and How thread, it says to "adjust your TA level toward the low end of the appropriate range for your pool type". It then links to a recommended levels chart that doesn't exist any longer. Going by the PoolMath app, this would be in the 50-60 range.

I don't mind doing the MA and aeration dance a few more times to get there, but playing with various levels of each chemical in the CSI page of the PoolMath app make it seem like my TA should be 100+. This is a great deal higher than all the TA recommendations I've seen around here and in the PoolMath app, so I wanted to get a sanity check and see if that's normal or if I'm missing something else before proceeding.

With the levels above, the CSI is calculated at -0.36. Changing the CH to my target of 500 and entering 50 for Borates (leaving TA at 90) raises the CSI to -0.11. If 500 is agreeable for CH, all the chemicals seem to be in good range and the only one I'd prefer to play with is TA. To get my CSI to 0, I need to enter 109 for TA.

TLDR: Does CH 500 and TA 110 sound reasonable?

With the exception of the SPA button, all other buttons work and have confirm such with a light blink at the bottom of the remote.
Changed batteries - no improvement.

Any ideas?

Paul

I have an 18x36 gunite pool that need a 'renovation' - it hasn't been opened for many years. I am being told by a pool guy that I should clean and marble dust the pool. Is it common to 're-gunite' the pool first, then marble dust it? Is marble dust done instead of a 're-gunite? How often does a pool need to be 're-gunited'? Any guess as to the cost for 1-'re-gunite' and 2- marble dust? Thanks in advance, guys!

Hello, I have a Jandy JXi Pool Heater and an Intermatic T101R Mechanical Timer. I would like to add a 56T4042A Heater Control/Fireman Switch. Does anyone know where I connect the fireman switch to the heater? Thank you!

This stain has been present since shortly after the pool was built (a little over a year ago). I’ve never had algae problems. It hasn’t gotten bigger or smaller over time.

I’ve tried to scrub it off but go nowhere. It may be hard to see but it is on the plastic jet as well as the plaster. I did take some very fine wet sandpaper and get it off the plastic jet but it came back.

The picture may not accurately portray the color. The best way to describe it is a rust color.

Any help would be appreciated.

I decided to move away from pool store testings a few weeks ago.

Just popped the first test cherry using the
TF-Pro kit
I’ll list some of the info and my initial thoughts here.
Appreciate your input and recommendations. Apologies in advanced for typos or incorrect technical info.
Btw, the pool is Pool is clear right now.

FC =3.5
CYA =50
PH=8.2
TA=100
My thoughts on initial results:
Need to add acid (19 oz) according to pool math. Then aerate
Add 42 ounces of dry stabilizer to reach 75 CYA target.

Questions:
Based on the TFP table I should be at 5-10 Free chlorine at the recommended ~75 CYA.
Meaning I need to increase the salt system chlorine output ?
Do I have this right ?

Where so YOU buy or what product do you use for cya (I used to buy stuff from Pinch a penny.

Any other recommendations based on this info ?
THANJ YOU ALL!!

My original pump motor burned up and, being in Florida, the sun faded the label so it was unreadable. I could make out that there was a “2” in the HP field, but I couldn’t tell if there was anything before that number, so it could be 1/2, 1 1/2, or 2. I took the motor to my local Pinch-a-Penny to see if they could identify it and they said it was most likely a 1HP but didn’t specify full-rated vs up-rated. I reached out to Inyo and they recommended choosing a pump that matched the impeller rating. Looking at the part number on the impeller it was rated for a ½ to 3/4 motor.

My pool is a rectangle, no water features, no heater, nothing special, with a cartridge filter. It’s about 18,000 gallons. 2 returns, 1 skimmer, and 1 bottom drain.

I went with the recommendation and got a 1HP motor, but it leaked and had cavitation issues. I was also hesitant because of the impeller rating. I could stop the leak after replacing seals a couple of times so I decided to return that pump and step down to a 3/4HP pump and upgrade the impeller and diffuser to ones that were rated at 3/4.

Now, the pump doesn’t leak but it does run for a few minutes, shuts off for a few minutes, and repeats the cycle, I assume because of thermal overload. I checked the wiring, confirmed that the line output is ~118V and made sure the motor was set to 115 (as opposed to 220V). The motor definitely gets very warm but not so hot that I can’t keep my hand on it. Maybe that’s the intentional design on the thermal protection.

My question is how can I figure out what the problem is? The original motor ran perfectly fine until it burned up, but it was likely the original motor and was 10+ years old. No other changes or modifications were made so it seems like the pump is working too hard? My first thought was to go back to a 1HP motor, but the pressure on the filter gauge with the original motor was around 8PSI and now, with the 3/4HP motor, it stays around 12-15PSI with a clean filter. So it would seem to be that going bigger might increase the pressure, which may or may not be OK. The original impeller being rated for ½ to 3/4 gives me pause too as it seems that a ½ HP motor may be undersized and would have to work that much harder to move the water. At the same time, since I’ve upgraded the impeller and diffuser to match the current motor, wouldn’t that mean that it’s not a flow rate issue?

FWIW, there are also small air bubbles that are coming out of the furthest return jet (none out of the closest one). I’ve turned the valves from the drain and skimmer to see if maybe one of them has some kind of obstruction but none of them made any noticeable change to the bubbles (ideally they would go away when the offending line was closed.

Do you guys have any ideas or recommendations on what to look at next or things to try? I’m almost to a point where I call a service tech but I was unexpectedly laid off so I’m trying to do anything and everything I can do myself before calling them and having to out out the money.

Pool specs:
Pool Perimeter 104'
Length 31' Width 21' Pool Sq.Ft, 743
Depth 3'6"- 5'- 4"
Pool Gallons 14,634

Spa specs:
Spa Perimeter 30' Length 7'6" Width 7'6" Spa Sq.Ft, 56
Depth 3'6"
Spa Gallons 683

Equipment
Pentair Intellicenter P/S i5 - W/Salt IC40
Pentair IntelliFlo3 VSF
Polaris Robotic Cleaner Freedom Cordless Robotic Cleaner
Pentair 520 C/C Filter
Pentair Transformer - 300w Pentair
Pentair MicroBrite Light W/Clear Water Stop – 3 lights
Pentair Skimmer – 2 each
Pentair Master Temp 400 Heater - NG

Pool Plumbing
Includes: 5 - 2" returns, 2 - 2" dedicated skimmers, and 2.5" main drain.

Spa Plumbing
Includes: 3" main drain, 2.5" return line, 2" air-line, 1.5" fountain, 6 - 1.5" spa jets.

There will be 2 sheer descents on the raised wall.
I’m considering doing a 4-5-4 depth rather than 3.5-5-4.
We decided to not do the tanning ledge and plan to carry the steps all the way to the spa.
We are also planning to install a deck mounted basketball hoop on the end opposite of the stairs.
Looking for any suggestions or feedback.

I’ve got a 14,500 gallon fiberglass pool that is typically salt, but we’ve let to put the generator back on. We just took off the mesh safety cover two days ago and the pool was completely green as expected. I have the recommended testing kit recommended here and found the ph high, so I put muriatic acid in to lower it enough to SLAM. I added 8 gallons of liquid chlorine and the pool cleared up within hours. It’s still cloudy, but clear. The CYA level is not even 10. My husband went to buy stabilizer today and wanted to check my numbers with the local mom and pop pool store. They said cya was 15, but phosphates are 1200. They said use Orenda PS-10000 before doing anything else. I’ve been adhering to advice on TFP and I know phosphates aren’t really important. However, I wanted to touch base with you all to see if you would treat for phosphates and also if you would adjust the cya first? Chlorine is still where it should be. Thank you!

My reel for my solar cover scoots across the deck when I try to unroll the cover. Over the years, I prevented this by placing a bag of play sand on the legs at each end of the reel. The sand works great at keeping the reel in place. The issue is that the UV from the sun degrades the bag and it eventually splits and spills sand on the deck. Some of the solutions I've looked into. I could use a canvas bag to hold the sand but it will get wet and moldy and eventually rot.

I could use polypropylene bags that are used in flood control. Most of the ones I see have 1600 hours of UV protection but I see a lot of comments that they won't last that long. I know polypropylene is damaged easily by UV and it's the stabilizers in the product that protect it. I could use polyester canopy bags. Polyester also degrades in UV but many of them come with PVC coatings to help them last longer in the sun. I found a few nylon canopy bags that are UV resistant.

My preference is to use a bag to drape over the legs. The hard plastic coated canopy weights are less practical in how that would fit over the legs. I'm also not going the use cinder blocks or any type of metal weight.

Any recommendations or other ideas?

Hi,

We recently bought a house that has an above ground pool. It has been 10+ years since I have owned a pool.

The pool was not in operation during at least the 2024 season. I have no clue of how long the sand has been in the filter, so I am going to replace it. I have been reading that it would be beneficial to add Diatomaceous Earth.

The pool is a round 18 x 52". I believe I read on the filter that it requires 100 pounds of sand. How much Diatomaceous Earth would I add, and how do I add it?

Thank you so much!

Has anyone used any of the direct replacement units for the Intellichlor? Four years ago, I paid $800 for one; they are now around $1,200—crazy. I've looked at a couple of them, and the drawback is that they do not communicate with the system or the App. I'm thinking I can go out and look at the unit to save $400.

I would appreciate any feedback, and if you have used one nd liked it, the brand.

Hi, opening a green pool (now just cloudy no green) for the summer, Thanks guys this forum has been really helpful.
I got the TF-100, and have been testing diligently to maintain SLAM.

Now I haven't done much chemistry since I was 16, but I'm wondering is FAS-DPD method really the best we have in 2025?
It really seems odd how much of the solution you need to use for high FC values (25 in my case for shock level).
I have to use 50 drops every time I test, several times a day for the past 7 days.
I'm a electrical engineer so maybe its counter-intuitive, but I would assume if something has a higher concentration, it would be easier to measure. However it seems the higher the FC, the more chemicals it takes to measure.

Do we have better methods of detection? Perhaps like the diode PH tester I also got from the tftestkits website?