Hello all,

I have a 24’ round 54” deep saltwater 8000 from pool factory we buried a little over half way. The pump/sand filter combo is the Hayward S230T set up with a 2 speed pump. The inlet of the pump is roughly 10-12” below the water level. Sometimes the pump basket area looks to lose water. It doesn’t always stay completely full while running either. I installed a ball valve and a tee where the gauge goes on the multiport valve to allow bleeding of air in the system but that never seems to let the air out the pump basket area. Due to the water level being closer to the pump inlet than if the pool were not buried, should I look at moving to an inground pump that will self prime? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also all my pvc piping is 1.5” and never seen a leak so not sure if it could be that contributing to the loss of water in the pump basket.

SNAKE!

My current TA Is 80 and since our pool was installed last year generally our PH has hovered around 8.0ish.

Would there be any benefit in trying to lower TA to 70 to try and PH to lower and stabilize at 7.8?

I have a taylor fas-dpd test kit k-1515a. I also just bought the talyor salt pro test kit last week. The k-1515 kit says to use 2 scoops of r-0870. The salt pro kit says to use 1 scoop. Which one is right? I'm doing the 10ml test.
Thanks

@onBalance
Hello - I am lookin for a pool plaster analysis company in Austin, TX. I have concerns of a poor start-up done on a replaster job and I've been told doing the analysis will provide definitive proof of poor chemistry work. Does anyone in this group know of a reputable company?

Hi Everyone, I'm a new pool owner. We bought a house with an old in ground vinyl pool last year, and it needed rehabbed. We got it remodeled, new liner and coping, and I'm now in the process of getting it up and running. Working through some piping/ equipment issues, but my question right now is about the water.

So we filled it with the hose, and it had been sitting about a week before I tested the water. I have a Taylor test kit and these were the values on my first reading. pH - 7.9, TA - 40 ppm, CH - 50 ppm. I had not added anything to the pool yet. For the pH, I did the acid demand and the water immediately turned yellow with one drop, so the pH dropped to about 7.1. It surprised me, but I thought maybe because the TA was low and there was no stabilizer.

After that, there were some cheap test strips left with the house, and I decided to try it just to see if it aligned. I was surprised to see the pH was reading low, like 7.0, but they had expired. I bought a new set just to try it again, and low and behold the pH was reading the same on the new strips.

I believe I read that high chlorine can cause false pH readings, but there is no chlorine in the pool yet. Any ideas on what the issue might be? Thanks in advance!

I’m on the market for a new VS pump and converting to a SWG system. My pool is rectangle shape ( 18x38) 3.5 shallow w 7.5 deep est. I have an Entermatic control type setup ( wireless remote ) . No slides or water falls, upgraded to a robotic cleaner and will be deleting the booster pump cleaner ( Polaris ) . Would you guys / girls recommend a good , dependable pump / swg to run. Currently have a Carvin single speed .. I think .

Howdy,

I rolled back the cover to open my pool back on March 30th. The water was clear with some leaves and other tree debris on the floor, typical. So, I got out the pool robot and let 'er rip.

Upon cleaning out the first basket, I noticed that leaves had clogged the basket entrance but the basket wasn't full. Upon closer inspection, I found that the robot had picked up lots of white crystals and the crystals were tied up in the leaves which had ultimately caused the clog. Crystals were also stuck in the filters themselves.

I checked the bottom of the pool more closely and there were several piles of these crystals on the floor of the pool where the in floor cleaner jets sometimes accumulate debris. I let the robot clear the rest of the crystals. It took some brushing and several more runs of the robot. I tested the water with my Taylor kit from last season. 0 FC, 0 CC, pH off the charts, TA 90, CH 700. My CH reading was 30 points lower than when I closed the pool back on December 9th. We had some weather, spring live oak pollen fall, and some travel approaching, so I covered the pool again with the robot under the cover (cable fished through the skimmer cover, a genius move I discovered here), put in a little chlorine and acid to tide me over, and let it sit while occasionally running the robot.

Fast forward to today. I opened her back up and cleaned out the robot. I found more crystals in the filters, although significantly less than before. I've probably got most of them now. I also tested the water with a brand new Taylor kit to make sure I didn't get any false readings with old reagents. 0 FC, 0 CC, pH off the charts, TA 90, CH 630 (I accidentally overshot this CH reading, so wasn't exact). I dosed the pool with chlorine and acid and let the pool sit for a bit. After the chems I added had settled after about 3 hours of circulation I checked the numbers again. 5.5 FC, 0 CC, pH 7.0, TA 60, CH 580.

The difference in CH between when I closed the pool and now leads me to believe that calcium has precipitated out of my water. This hasn't happened to me before. In fact, I've been nursing a slow rise in CH over the years of owning my pool (this is season 5) by monitoring CSI and adjusting pH, not wanting to drain it. What I don't understand is what has caused this precipitation to happen. But, I have a theory.

I've been watching cracks appear in the floor of my pool for the last 2 seasons. The cracks were slight at first, but they've gotten worse, specifically over the winters during the last 2 years. This year upon opening the pool (while cleaning crystals) I noticed some new cracks along the vertical walls of the pool which is new. All previous cracks were on steps, seats, or floor. All this leads me to believe I'm one of the unlucky Central Texas residents to have installed a pool with defective concrete (ASR). Luckily, my pool was built into solid, very hard rock. We're on top of a hill and it took 9 weeks to jack hammer it (favorite neighbors!). So, if there are structural issues (i.e. cracks all the way through), there's no easy way to tell because the concrete was shot directly on top of rock and water literally has nowhere to leak. My water bill hasn't budged.

I'm trying to nurse this potential concrete cancer problem as long as I can. Thus far, it's only been aesthetic. However, these crystals give me pause about the safety of my pool water. Is there something now leaching from the concrete / plaster that has caused the crystal precipitation? Does this make my pool unsafe to swim in?

I've attached some photos of the crystals and the concrete cracks here. I'd love to hear from those that might be able to diagnose the cracks as ASR or not and comment on the safety of my pool in the conditions described above. Also, any ideas on what may have caused the calcium to precipitate (if that's what it is!) would also be super helpful. Appreciate your time and assistance!

I was scanning a pool forum on Reddit and shaking my head at the bad advice.

Problem with Reddit is if you say something the forum bullies don't agree with, they'll downvote you to heck. This hurts your "Karma" which can prevent you from being able to post at all. This is why Reddit forums are largely useless.

I am on a woodworking forum on Reddit and found this out the hard way. No matter how poorly someone's project is or how badly (sometimes dangerously) built, if you give negative constructive feedback, you'll instantly get tons of downvotes.

So after 9 seasons I am finally having an issue with my Polaris 9650iQ. I was running it today and it seemed a little off. It wasn't doing a very good pattern on the pool floor. So I let it run and eventually I got an error on the console and the app. No number just an "error". I reset it and manually operated it. It will go reverse, left and right, but not forward. I assume something is going on with the gears. Anyone run across this and can provide advice? I'll probably take it apart and have a look see. It sucks because I just bought a new basket and new fine basket still in sealed packages!

My motor went and was just wondering if I can buy a Variable speed motor with control module and replace the single speed motor?

Moved into a house with a pool in October and the previous pooltender told me it hasn't been drained and refilled in years. That can be an issue in Arizona. Hardness and CYA are extremely high so I think it's time for a drain and refill. My question is about the start-up chemicals. What's the process for determing how much of what I need to add in the beginning. I have a Taylor K-2006 test kit so I can monitor it as need be. Somebody suggested a "start-up kit" but that doesn't make a lot of sense considering I already have the chemicals contained in those kits! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I bought a house with a 325 gallon Trevi 1000 Fiberglass Spa with a cover.

I just washed the spa today with ahhhsome degunker and changed the water today. I would like to get started right so we can use the spa on weekends.

I have some HTH sanitizer, pH up, and pH down. Can I use them?

I have seen this usually daily since pool opening/construction a year ago. I brushed off the sand about three hrs ago. Last backwash about a week ago, pump is running it's usual schedule, I did discuss with my builder, who discounted it. I've seen threads regarding broken laterals, but obviously don't want to dive into the sand filter if not necessary. What do you guys think?

Thanks for having me on the forums, folks!
I've lurked here a bit over the last year, and really like what I see. I've also used the Pool Math app and have recently upgraded it for this season. Thought I'd make it official by creating an account and giving back a bit!

A little background on me- Stepped into a service manager position with a pool builder some years ago to help them roll out new hardware and software, after tightening up their IT, accounting, etc. as a consultant. Used experience I had gained working on boats to keep water on the right side of the barriers and rebuild some pumps! I found a certification in plaster pool startup chemistry to give myself the leg up on learning that piece, and came to realize my own specs after seeing so many examples. Recently rejoined the industry with my own service company after a stint turning around a commercial pool, and became a Certified Pool & Spa Operator. You guys may be interested to know they are subtly tweaking industry standard LSI ranges to better align with Calcium Saturation Index! My specs made the commercial pool so clear and soft that people who had been members for 50 years said it's the best they had ever seen. It's a LOT like TFP!

For now, just want to say I really appreciate what you all are doing, and hope I can contribute going forward!

Hi, I've got a high-pressure switch in my Aquacal Heatwave SQ110 with a damaged wire. The correct replacement part according to Aquacal is STK0074, though the original was RES0018, but I've had trouble sourcing the replacement part. This part is the same one used to replace the switch in newer models too.

It's 600CO / 445 CI. Any idea what part I can use in it's place? I found some various switches on Amazon that are similar but not 100% a match, but wondering if there is a known / preferred solution for this.

Appreciate any advice or insights on the following-- thank you.
Just finished construction on a new vinyl 20' x 40', 30,000 gallon rectangular pool. We are beginning to suspect that the pump and skimmers are not working properly- either they are not strong enough for the pool size; not programmed correctly (running on high cycle 9am to 5pm then turns off); or not set up/installed correctly or defective. The pump is a Hayward 1.5 hp, 2 floor drains, 4 jets and 2 skimmers. There is a thick ring of pollen formed around the edge of the water (after 4 days of running the pump) and a cloud of pollen on top of the entire pool several inches thick. The water appears stagnant even when the pump is running on high. Thank you.

My Total Alkalinity is 120. The app says to add acid, but I am not sure how much to add? I added 1 gallon of muriatic acid 3 days ago when Total Alkalinity was 141 and my PH was 8.2. My PH is now 7.8 so ok, but the Alkalinity is too high.
Thanks SO MUCH for any advice!

I have a client with an IC 40 and I believe the low voltage fuse is bad. Is it as simple as replacing and how do I remove it? There's a small panel over it, does it pop out and swap or will I need to get behind it and remove the wire to it? Seems there's a 'clip' with a body it.

Back story, opened to a swamp. I had a leaf cover only on over winter, didn't drop my vacuum etc like I should have (in my defense we had a go live software situation where I was working 70+ hours a week). Anyway, green down the walls, on the floor though the water itself wasn't green.

Cleaned her up, balanced my chemicals, slammed her until I had no overnight chlorine loss and my CC is zero. I did put a bit of algae remover in on the advice of the pool guy that came out to fix my leaky pipe.

But now I just cannot for the life of me get this slight haze out of my water. I know it looks clear but I know my pool and it's not all the way clear. I am in the south and we do have the "pollenating" going on to the point my black car has a yellow haze on it. The pic attached isn't great. You can, indeed, see the bottom across the pool. It's just a faint.......haze. My son and neighbor agree. Slightly cloudy.

Do I need a clarifier for the first time? Will it help? Or do I just start slamming it again?

FC: 6
CC: 0
PH: 7.4
ALK: 70
CH: 100
CYA: 50

I want to program my WhisperFlo VST through the EasyTouch8 controller. I have all of the pump connected through the Com port and working.

Question 1: How can I program the pump to a certain speed when the pool is calling for heat? The pump is set to run at a 2,250 rpm for most of the time. It bumps up to 3,000 RPM when the fountains are turned on. There's also a button programmed to run at 2,850 RPM when pushed to aid in vacuuming. Now I'd like the pump to run at 2,500 RPM when calling for heat. This is the flow rate that fully opens the inline check valve.

As true with most folks, I find EasyTouch programming to be more difficult than learning Calculus.

So I’m just wondering if anybody knows how to do the CYA reading without having the little bottle with the red cap? I had to re-order one cause I lost it and I’m just wondering if there is someone who knows what the measurements would be and how to do that without the bottle?

I all I know there are threads addressing this but... No lights on IC 40 ,I checked fuse , mine does not seem to have a light inside that lights up, not sure what to do next.

Hi All, on startup my gas heater will not fire i can hear everything but the ignition. Do the cheap iginitors on amazon work or should i go OEM?

Hello! Thank you all so much for helping us learn all about our new pool. It was installed in January, and I have some questions about our equipment. I have a Hayward VSP. Typically it runs between 1600-2300 all the time. Even on 1600, it is enough to flow through the heater and the SWG with no issues. One question – when I look through the “window” of the basket, it is almost NEVER full of water. I clean it twice weekly, there is never much in it. But I read that it should always be full of water, so why isn’t it? I prime for a full 8 minutes each time I clean the basket.

Today, we noticed that both the heater and the SWG were showing NO FLOW errors. The pump was running at 1600. The skimmer basket at the pool didn’t have much in it, but we cleaned it. I removed the cover from the pump skimmer, cleaned the basket, turned the pump back on high, but we still had the errors. On the housing of the cartridge filter, there is a red valve that we can open to release air and water. We opened that valve, it took several minutes for water to start coming out, but then it only released water for maybe ten seconds, then it was air again. This cycle repeated several times.

Occasionally I can hear the pump “rev up” and the water in the window bubbles and the red valve releases water. When this happens, the heater stops showing the FLOw error, and the NO FLOW light on the SWG flashes. But, after a few seconds, the pump slows down again and both flow error lights return.

Can you please tell me how to fix this issue? Also, what is that blue water spigot at the top? I don’t think that was ever explained to us.

Thank you so much in advance for all your help!

Jennifer

We have an inground pool with a 3ft and 5ft depth. My wife really wanted a tanning deck when we built a few years ago, but the cost was too high. She loves to read by the pool and has mentioned that she would like one of the in pool bar stools to sit in while she reads. I would really like to find her a lounge chair, possibly with legs or a tall base, that could go in our 3ft section that she could use. Preferably something where she could sit/lay on and stay under or partially under water. I have looked and looked, but can not find anything. Does anyone know of anything? I think she would really like that more than the bar stool . Thanks

Needing input on purchasing a new cleaner. We have a free form in ground pool approx 34,000 gallons. Our first cleaner was the standard Polaris pressure one, lasted 10ish years with repairs over the years. Never liked how it would get stuck all the time and spray water everywhere. 5 years ago we upgraded to Polaris Quattro pressure cleaner. Loved the robotic features, cleaned pool well. It was expensive and now needs so many repairs it’s not worth it. Not looking to have to spend $1,000 every 3-5 years for a cleaner. I’m not hooked on another pressure cleaner but would like to hear recent experiences from others on what you like/dislike about your cleaner. TIA

Howdy,

I turned on the heater this weekend, and everything seemed to work fine for about 5 minutes. Blower turned on, flame ignited, hot exhausted was blowing hard and hot water was coming out of the return lines. Then the unit's Service Heater led started flashing and the AFS led was lit up. I thought the air flow switch itself or the tubing may have gone bad, so I replaced it all earlier tonight. Heater seemed to work fine for about 10 minutes, but then the same AFS led lit up on the control board. I also checked the Fenwal this time, and it was flashing a single LED to indicate an air flow issue as well.

I reviewed Pentair MasterTemp Heaters - Further Reading, but I'm pretty sure the switch and blower are fine.

Should I try partially blocking some of the vents as indicated in this thread? Mastertemp 400 heater AFS light I'm just confused on what to actually block.

Thanks,
Rand

Greetings:

I have a Rheem P-R406A-EP-C Heater that has a leak. Same as Raypak I believe. Upon investigation, one of the manifold studs sheared off. Can anyone confirm this will fix it? Raypak - Stud Bolt 181-405-Kit That is supposed to be for my unit, but there aren't the right quantity and they appear to be various lengths whereas the ones on my manifold appear to be all the same?

I am looking to replace all of my grids on my smbw4048, will the aftermarket ones from Amazon perform just as well as the OEM?

Looking at this:


Thanks!