Louise, from Ireland. Only have a 10ft easy up pool but my 3 boys love it

I opened my pool on May 13 and have not been able to hold chlorine yet.

A week ago my CYA was 56. I don’t know how it dropped to 5 today. I backwashed twice and added a bit of water this week but not much.

I tried to super chlorinate with cal hypo (9 bags two nights ago) and still woke up to zero FC.

I’m working on getting CYA up before I try to super-chlorinate again. Going to try liquid chlorine this time. Do I need to SLAM? I never have before but I’m thinking that might be the only way to go.

Here are today’s test results:
FC: .09
TC: .09
PH: 7.5
TA: 119
CH: 250
CYA: 5

10,000 gal pool. Sand filter.

Hi. I just put up a Bestway pool. The one side of my pool has a hillside. I intended on doing a drain first but they didn’t think I needed one. I have very little room between the pool and side of hill . What can I do to help drainage of the rain water? I have tarp and landscape cloth down and put some hole in it on th down side the other day to get the water away from my pool legs. Thank you

I can see a bright future for pool shops in space

Hiya! My husband and I just bought a Intex Ultra XTR 12'x24' x 52" pool and are looking to set it up in the next week or so.

We had a landscaper level and compact a 15'x30' space (remove sod, dig a bit down, compact and laser level check) and then apply a 3 to 4" pad of compacted sand. The sand will be basically level with our turf/grass. I chose the 15'x30' to give us a 1.5' margin all around + 4.5 feet at one end for ladder/pool floats and reduce the grass in the water.

Reviewing the forum, I'm now worried about the sand shifting/wash out - do I need to have them remove some sand and get down to just an inch or so? My husband is handy with woodwork he could put a frame around the pad, but he's not sure that would really do any good at this point.

First-time pool owner, looking forward to learning from you folks!

I am a new pool owner and just looking to learn from experienced pool people. Looking forward to learning more about caring for my pool.

Newbie here. I'll be asking alot of questions

Not pool in signature
Hi all, started caring for a 35k pool approximately 4 weeks ago. The short is: pool was very mismanaged, was called for a heater issue which turned out to be an overlap in programming. 2 yr old Pebble teh with Easytouch, SWCG ic60, quad filter no DE and polaris 380. Fought the ammonia and started to balance all. They heat the pool to the sky and don't always use the auto cover so there's lots of evaporation and naturally auto fill works overtime. The ic60 was completely calcified to the point that it looked like a solid piece of pvc blocking the plate so in went a new cell. Was at the pool yesterday to maintain so I pulled the 380 out to empty the bag which to my surprise was very heavy with a white gritty substance. Took some of it and put in glass with some water and added MA which then reminded me of my younger days in school doing science experiments. It fizzed like there was no tomorrow so I know it's calcium. This is a large property lots of manicured landscaping so there's definitely a deep ground well feeding all the grass and plantings. The picture below is a capture of the poolmath. The CYA dropped and I consider it a consumable here as there's no limit and heater runs 24/7 . In the shallow I was able to brush a white substance which is the same stuff found In Polaris mesh bag. Yes I know the PH is high and a gallon of it will bring my CSI in order. Will need to find another water source as the spigot looks to be before any filter as the CH and TA are high making me run in circles trying to bring pH down and then the autofill puts back high TA water. My question to the group is where is this calcium coming from and how to deal with it. Can it be the fill water and if I find a source with treated water from the house will it change something with the calcium. Can't seem to come up with a solution, anybody have inkling what's going on with this calcium.

This is officially my first season with a SW pool. I did have it opened last year for about 3 weeks once it was installed around Labor Day but it wasn't anything long term. I'm using the Taylor salt testing kit

When I opened the pool in May, I tested the salt and it was at 2800 PPM so I added salt and it read first at 3000 PPM a little while later it read 3200 PPM then shortly after 3000 PPM. I chalked it up to me either testing too quickly or wrongly for salt although it is a fairly easy test. I haven't tested it for about a month and today it read 2800. I know it doesn't evaporate (actually with a solar cover on nothing is evaporating! ) and I've only have added about 1 inch of water due to a plumbing leak (probably less) and back washed the filter once to see how dirty the water in the filter was from opening the pool. Could this little bit of water "exchange" drop a 24 foot round AG pool's salt by 200 PPM? Unfortunately, I don't have a handle on the salt portion yet.

I have another 40 lbs of salt to bump up the salt level for when I turn on the SWG (still using LC) but does salt need topping off? I would think not unless water is added due to losing and adding water. Or can testing be that inaccurate ... maybe user error?

Hi, new forum user here looking for a bit of advice, we used to have an 18ft x 9ft x 48 inch oval steel Frame bestway pool. We kept it going for around 4 years and finally took it down last year as we wanted to do up the garden and upgrade the pool to a rectangular frame. We kept the pool up over the winter months and followed winterising instructions, (London UK) and although we did have some colder winters the pool was pretty perfect for the four years we had it, albeit not ever perfectly level, long end side to side was nearly a 3 inch difference, which I now know was probably way too much, so we were very lucky to not have any problems with the pool.

We decided to upgrade to an Intex XTR 18ft x 9ft x 52 inch rectangular pool. We had the garden levelled professionally and they laid new artificial lawn, as we thought this would be better than how we had the Bestway straight on the grass over the ground sheet. Type-1 MOT and Granite dust was poured and seriously compacted to ensure the ground was level and stable for the pool before the artificial lawn was laid.

We put up the pool about 10 days ago, on filling I noticed it was ever so slightly off level on the short side (9ft) from left to right. It was under 2 inch difference and from what I understood this was within the OK range for these pools, and a vast improvement on how it was with our old pool before, so we continued to fill the pool. Long length it looked really level, and again much improved on our previous set up.

So the pool is up in full use, and am after a bit of advice on the levelness, it hasn’t become anymore un-level, than when we were filling it up, it's just more noticeable to the eye if the pool is very full I guess.

Checked the water measurements in the corners again today:

I’ve measured the short end (9ft length)
L-R Corner water level is 1.8 inches different
Other 9ft end:
L-R 1.5 inch different

And long ways (18ft length)
L-R 1 inch different
Other 18ft length:
L-R 0.8 inch different

So the level difference is under 2 inches everywhere. This is a huge improvement on our old pool which I never measured but I’m sure it looked like it was approaching 3 inches, I’m not sure how much work it would take to re level this even more next year? But if it needs to be done, I guess we’ll have to.

Our old Bestway legs never sunk on the old grass in the 4 years we had it up, so we haven’t used concrete slabs this time either, as really wanted to keep it looking nice on the artificial grass, and hoping having the ground properly compacted with machinery will mean it doesn’t sink, and should be even more secure than what we did last time. But am keeping an eye on the legs daily in case. We had a serious thunderstorm yesterday with crazy amounts of rain, so the set up had its first proper test, and the water just ran through the artificial grass with no flooding, the pool water level rose all the way to the grey line so we drained it a bit after the storm to bring the water level below the grey line. But the legs all look secure.

Photo when filling the pool up:


Here is a photo of the 1.8 inch difference from one side to the other:



This is the 1.5 inch difference on the other side.



Here is the long length water level:


So I just wanted some on advice on whether <2 inches is a safe level? I plan to keep measuring to ensure it doesn’t get more unlevel, and will keep an eye on the legs in case of sinking, but there’s been no sign of sinking so far, even after the crazy storm we had yesterday.

I’ve spent a lot of time reading about how level a pool should be and there’s a lot of conflicting info. From what I understand if it goes over the 2 inch mark we would need to worry. We will probably take it down and store it at the end of this summer, as keeping the last one up was a lot of work over the winter.

The only other thing I’m a little concerned about are the corner pieces on this pool, its nothing like our oval one, and they move around quite freely which from what I understand is exactly what they’re supposed to do, I just worry that they’re going to come out too much. Any advice from others who have a rectangular Intex XTR or a pool like this, would be greatly appreciated.

Hello everyone. This is our second year of enjoying our 28' round above ground pool. We are really trying hard to understand the methods to keep the water balanced. For example, I entered the following values on the poolmath website... Free chlorine, now=50, target=3, pH now=7.2, target=7.5, alkalinity now=140, target=10, CH now=200, target=200, CYA now=70, target=70.

The issue is that the form has me increasing my pH with the appropriate chemical but suggests nothing for LOWERING the alkalinity level. I don't understand why this calculator is not suggesting a solution to lower my pools alkalinity level.
I would appreciate any feedback that would help me understand the reasoning behind the lack of a solution for decreasing alkalinity.

Thanks.

At the beginning of the season I took apart my sand filter. I washed and cleaned everything and there were no noticeable cracks or breaks in any of the fingers. Sand was replaced with #20 silica sand from Leslie's Pool. I'm constantly getting sand all over the bottom of my pool and after backwashing for a few minutes this is the pile of sand that's left on the street.

Where else could this be coming from?

Hey, guys, I am just having a pool installed and it is zero entry. Can I use a pool robot in a zero entry pool, or will it escape? Are there any robots that can be programmed to cover a specific area? Thanks!

HI. so i started my Circupool SWCG yesterday morning and had it set to run for 11h yesterday (my pump runs 12h). Before starting, i tested chlorine at 3.2ppm (Yesterday morning). I put the setting to 75%.
This morning, my chlorine level was at 5.2. Circupool instructions says to wait a couple of days before testing, but with such an increase in 24h, i may be at 10ppm in 2 days.

i dropped my out put to 35% this morning as I wanted to reduce the level to get closer to 3.
But was wondering if it is better to leave it at 75% for only 4h instead of doing 35% for 11h ? what is better for the longevity of the cell and the control of output ?
any input on how to start this up would be great.
Thanks.

When I opened up my pool this spring I learned that my heater bypass actuator wasn't working. I seemed to have fallen victim to the blinking Auto light like so many more on this site:

What's interesting is this is my newest actuator. I added it to my heater bypass valve about 18 months after the pool was built. The new valve didn't even last a year, while the others are still going.
Anyway, I did the warranty phone dance with Pentair and they actually sent out a replacement, which seems to be working just fine.

Now that I had no use for the old one, I got curious as to the actual fault. As soon as I unscrewed the old one I could tell a problem with it -- it was sloshing around like it was completely full of water. And after I cracked it open, it absolutely was.
About opening it... there are no mechanical fasteners keeping the cover on, looks like only a bit of glue. I just cracked it open by twisting a large screwdriver at the seam.
There seems to be a channel around the edge that might be for a gasket, but none was there -- could just be for aligning the top half properly, can't be sure.

But the motor's really rusted and even after drying out for a couple days in the sun, the valve still gives the same blinking result. My guess is the motor's seized. I couldn't turn the sprocket with pliers.

In short (ha!), it seems the only thing keeping water out is a bit of glue. I'm going to spread some silicon on the seams of all my other valves this weekend.

Hi All!
Yes I know this has been beat to death, but I do have some questions before I dive into purchasing a system. I have read the threads on Intelliflo Automation by MyAZPool, and the reveiws also. I j=have just about read everything I could get my hands on also. Yes to me if is a little confusing. But here is what I want. An automation system that myself and my wife can control pretty easy, Set the pool heat or the spa heat and have the valves move accordingly ( which we have now) also turn on the spa blower wireless if possible. As far as my valves I have a intake and return valve, (automated) but I also have 3 other valves that I would like to automate to close or open to direct most of the flow to my Polaris 360 in the morning then open to the pool after about an hour. This way the Polaris can do it's thing and I can keep the pump running at around 2700 RPM then drop it down to 1800 for the remainder of the day. I would also like to control the water feature which is a separate pump Since I am going all out I might as well go for the salt system too. Right now I am looking at the:
52190
IntelliCenter System Load Center i8PS, IC40, Common Load Center (w/ Salt) -- Model Code: 5PSIC40 (includes 2 IntelliValves).
Reading and reviewing the posts on here, I am a little confused on what is standard and what the aux circuits are. So I have Master Temp 400 Heater, Intelliflo Filter Pump, Waterfall Pump, Spa Blower and 4 valves, plus the Intellichlor and two lights ( 1 Ea Pool/Spa). So I assume the Heater Filter Pump is one circuit, and everything else with the exception of the valves is on it's own circuit? Am I correct on this? That would make six circuits which would leave me two extra? Thanks for any and all help with this. As those of you who have purchased one this is a huge investment, I just want to make sure I understand what it is I am purchasing so I can make an informed decision. If I left out any information or if you have questions fire away please. Thanks in advance.

Hi there. I decided on Stone Scapes Mini in Aqua White. Now I'm wondering if I should add glass to it for some extra sparkle and shimmer. If so, do I just ask for glass (neutral)/does that exist? Or is the glass mixture addition the "Puerto Blend Mix" that everyone writes about? Should I do a combination of glass and abalone? Any explanations/suggestions/photos would be greatly appreciated!

I have 2 intermatic timer the T version. Yellow dial. One control hayward max-flow xl pump and other one control polaris pb4-60 booster pump.
Both the timers are not working. Thinking about replacing with wifi digital timer. Any suggestion/recommendation which wifi digital timer I should go for which can control both the pump and reasonable $$$.

Thanks

A short time lurker, but I’ve already learned so much. I’m looking to make a life-long dream come true this year. And I have questions…..

I’m so pleased to be here.

Cheers,

—CD

North Texas pool owner since 2021. I was sent here by a friend! She said it’s the best place for reliable info. Thanks for the add!

Sorry for what feels like wasting a post. Next year I'm considering ditching my DE filter and going cartridge. There are two reasons, primarily: one, I hate cleaning the DE filter, even if I only do it once a year. It makes a mess of my equipment pad and the surrounding area since the DE goes everywhere. Two, the plumbing to the garbage backwash slide valve has a very slow leak and needs to be re-done anyway. I'd rather simplify my plumbing and eliminate this all together and go cartridge.

My current setup has the backwash plumbed into the house (super convenient, and required by code for DE filters). Is there any reason to plumb in a Jandy 3-way before the filter so I could route the water to waste? In my head I feel like there's no harm (outside of the valve developing a leak), but I haven't had many times where I've actually NEEDED to drain to waste. Early this year we had a torrential downpour and my sump pump failed - and my pool overflows into the sump. The pool was about half an inch from the coping and there was more rain coming. I went out there and just opened the backwash valve drained it down that way. That's the only time I've needed something like that.

I could also just terminate the existing drain and put a cap on there so it can be used as a clean out for draining with a sump pump or some other purpose.

Any thoughts or considerations I'm missing?

Hello, we are considering using Sunstone Pearl for our new pool....a large pool with a tanning shelf. Anyone choose Sunstone Pearl and regret it because of the feel? Secondly, we wanted a darker blue water effect so chose St. Lucia pearl. We went based on the sample as there don’t seem to be any pics out there of finished pools with that surface. It is a special order with an upcharge. Anyone use it or seen it in application?

Since opening the pool this year ive noticed lower suction when vacuuming and my pump isnt fullt priming. I just got the pump installed last year and ive gone though trouble shooting and i couldnt find any leaks. I tried running the pool without the filter and that seemed to be the only way to get it to fully prime and get serious flow out of the pool jets. The filters atleast 3 years old. Could the filter be the actual issue causing the poor flow and priming, or is this a somewhat imaginary solution?

Has anyone heard of a ChlorX filter media that goes into the pump filter to decrease the amount of chlorine needed? Cost is around $100. I understand there is a blue one for pool sizes up to 15,000 gallons and a black one for >15,000 gallons. The maintenance guy who started up our pool told me about it, but I haven’t been able to find one.

I’d appreciate any info!

My chemicals disappear more rapidly than they should. I did the bucket test and I see the pool drops 1/4" more than the bucket every ~24 hours. How severe is that much leakage?

I turned off the auto filler (and skimmers) so the level drops and every day I reset the bucket. When I start seeing the pool level match the bucket after 24 hours, that should mean the waterline is below the leak. I dislike that this exposes my plaster, but I'd really like to fix the leak.

Today the bucket and pool levels match (having reset the bucket yesterday). There is one jet and one light in the shallow end that are both halfway above the waterline. The two skimmers are completely above the waterline (they weren't yesterday).

Neither skimmer contains water. Is that normal? Or does it mean the leak is in the skimmers or the pipes connecting them to the pump? Tearing up the yard to fix this is not something I want to do!

My first time using this kit. I’ve never added salt before to the pool. I’m just sampling it prior to converting to a SWCG. I’ve learned here that my pool would probably have a measurable amount of salt even though I’ve never dumped any in.
The color change was pretty quick between drop #7 and drop #8.
At the 8th drop it changed from pale milky cloud to this salmon color instantly.
Does it sound reasonable that I already at 1600 ppm?
Here are pics at drop #7 and #8.

We started our pool up a couple weeks ago, beautiful clear water. We have SWG system but havent added salt yet since we are not at 30d yet.
We have gone to leslies weekly and followed their instructions. Last night told us water alkalinity was high, add Muriatic acid in. We followed directions and the pool is really cloudy, more than 12 hours later. Taking water back to them to re-test what's gone wrong. Any ideas for this newbie?

Apologies if this is mis-categorized as it kind of crosses several categories.

I typically expect to drain my pool once a year as my fill water is hard and after about a year my CH rises to >600ppm. I'm right at that level today.

However, Las Vegas has also introduced new water billing rates for high consumption users (in summer, users >28k gallons monthly) that I would love to avoid "funding." I estimated that I could get by with doing partial drains twice annually. Even better if I can do a partial drain and fill with softened water.

I did notice a bit of green along the waterline on the shady side last week and have noticed my SWG is not keeping pace, so I figure I'm also due to SLAM.

Is there anything I should be considering before I go ahead with a ~50% drain, refill, stabilize and SLAM? My CYA is at ~100 right now so I figure the drain will allow me to SLAM at a more traditional (~80) CYA rather than the 100 that has worked for me in Las Vegas.

Hi guys thanks for the add.
I have a question in regards to replacing a wide mouth skimmer on a metal AG pool.
I had a new liner installed and the installer used my old skimmer he missed some holes on the gasket and it started to leak. I am going to replace the skimmer with a new one, 1 it’s old, 2 the screw holes are cracked and thinking it’s less of a headache.
The installer put duct tape on the hole edges in the wall of pool, I guess for sharp edges. Should I replaced the duct tape over the edge? I removed all the tape residue and silicone they added for a clean surface.
Also should I use silicone in addition to the gaskets. The new skimmer came with 2 gaskets not butterfly type.
Thanks all