Hey y'all!

I just purchased an above ground pool - yay! Neither my husband and I are new to pools, so we *think* we know what to do once it gets installed. But we need some advice about the installation. The area of our yard that is sunniest and most level also has these exposed tree roots. The other place in our yard that has enough space is about a 5% grade. So either way, this isn't going to be an easy, straight-forward install.

I would have no problem losing a tree to get rid of these roots, but they are in the middle of 4 different trees, all the same size, so I have no idea which one(s) they go to. Anyone have any advice for dealing with them in another way so they don't damage the liner? I know what's entailed in installing on the grade, and that location is the least desirable for a few different reasons. (The grade, not getting much sun, being under a tree that drops 100 leaves if it feels the slightest hint of a breeze.) That being said, it was the location we initially planned on when we bought the pool so we knew what we were signing up for. But if anyone has any ideas that might make it possible to install where the roots are, it would be much appreciated!

Hello everyone! Our inground pool and spa combo are almost complete. I’m expecting to fill it for the first time in the next couple of weeks, and we are excited! Any tips and suggestions are most certainly welcome. We did have an SWG installed during the build. I’ll be sure to read the ABCs of pool chemistry and get up to speed. Any suggestions regarding pool water tester to purchase? I look forward to interacting with you and learning all about pool maintenance.

We have a circupool RJ-45 that we installed in 2019. Things have been ok until this season. The system will run a few weeks and then the Lo Salt/Cell Maintenance lights come on and stop chlorine production. We clean the cell and then get a few more weeks.

Yesterday after a week of no swimming, we discovered the pool was slightly cloudy and no chlorine (I’ve been checking levels about once a week). The lights are on again, we do another cleaning. Then this morning, the water is even cloudier and 0 chlorine still. I cleaned the cell again and I shocked the pool and checked my chemicals.

The Taylor salt reading is 3500 while the RJ-45 is showing an average of 2300. I added 4 bags of salt just to be safe. I then watched as I would turn the system off and about 3 min later lo salt would flash for a few seconds and then the cell maintenance light goes on and the unit stops production.

Do I need to wait longer for the salt to circulate? But also why would there be such a discrepancy in the readings? And if it’s just low salt, why is the cell maintenance light flashing? Would it be possible that we need to replace this after 3.5 seasons? We run the unit on 40% 24hr (no automation ) for roughly 3 months a year.

I have a pool motor that turns on but then turns off and trips the breaker. I replaced the capacitor but this did not fix the issue. I also reached inside and was able to freely spin the impeller.

So is there anything else I can do to fix it or is the motor need replacement?

Thanks for any help!

Hi all,
Thanks to the fervent support of the TFP community, we have met our $10,000 goal! We appreciate all the users in this thread hyping the campaign and sharing warm and fuzzy TFP anecdotes. Completion of this campaign reminds us that TFP is a resource that people can trust with their pool and with their donations. We do not take your generosity for granted. We will continue to improve TFP and hope that you continue to share your time with us.

For the second year in a row, this campaign has exceeded expectations by raising our goal in 15 days!! While our donation links are always available, going forward we would like to focus primarily on this recurring summer campaign to fund TFP each calendar year. The campaign will be the only time we ask for your donations.

TFP is the best pool owner's resource on the net thanks to the many members willing to help each other, share their knowledge, and continue to learn. Thank you for being a part of it!

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Pool owners helping pool owners.

This simple idea is what created Trouble Free Pool and what keeps it running more than 15 years later. If you have ever contributed your time to helping a fellow TFP user, or if you have contributed money to keep TFP online - THANK YOU for your generosity!

Last year we asked for donations from our community to secure our plans for 2023. The overwhelming response to the campaign reminded us how incredible the TFP community is! This year, our goal is to raise $10,000 by August 31st, 2023. These donations allow us to keep the website online through 2024, perform needed maintenance, and improve our resources for pool owners everywhere. This campaign is, and will always be, our only fundraising effort each year.

Click here to donate to Trouble Free Pool

TFP is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and donations from our users keep our forums and content free of advertisements. If TFP or our community has helped you through a swimming pool issue that could have been complicated and costly, please consider putting some of the money saved towards our 2024 Campaign so that we may continue helping other pool owners.

As a TFP supporter, you will receive discounts to online retailers, free TFP merchandise, and a recognition badge on our forums. As a new perk this year, pool cleaner manufacturer Aiper has offered us an exclusive discount code for all TFP supporters, old and new. This code is only active until the end of the 2024 Campaign on August 31st. Anyone who donates during this campaign will receive a 2024 Campaign Trophy to display proudly on their forums profile as well.

On behalf of the administration, we would like to again thank all of you who have donated to TFP.

Sarah and Nate Griesedieck
[email protected]

7 year old inground pool. Liner is faded and worn. (seems premature but who knows).

Need a replacement and getting so many conflicting stories.

* worth getting a thinker liner than 28 M?
* some contractors asking if I have a template? (I have no idea what that is)
* pricing about 6-8k? Seems reasonable?
* This one was very faded very quickly - one guy telling e its the chlorine level (saltwater pool) I have a maintenance guy - is that possible?
* Is this a good time to replace the light while the pool is drained?


I hate knowing zero about this thing.

Hello,
I just joined the forum due to abudance of the knowledge here...
I'm new to my pool, purchased the property a couple years ago.
Pool was installed in 2017, Pentair system.
I have a pool guy (through a company) who services the pool once a week.
He mentioned the salt water unit IC40 is end of life (6 years), and needs to be replaced.
He quoted me 1600 + labor.
I looked at pentair website, and under the list of the dealers I could get the unit for ~1k
I wonder if it's worth asking them to replace it vs I try it myself...

I appreciate any feedback regrading this task

Hi all! We had our pool built about four years ago and I just replaced my Jandy Truclear salt system. I was receiving a check cell error. And when I unscrewed the cell line from the power pack there were no pins left. They had corroded into the female end in the power pack. So I replaced everything. I just completed the removal and install and everything is working splendidly. However, I wanted to get to the bottom of what went wrong. I opened the old power pack and everything looked great except the piece where you plug in the salt cell. It is really corroded.
I have two questions; first did I do something wrong that I need to correct to keep the new power pack from corroding that piece and second; can I get just that piece cause it looks like that is all I would need to have a backup power pack.
Thanks for any advice.

Hi! I have noticed that no water is coming in through the inlet pipe to reach my glacier cooler. The pump seems to be working fine and The valves are open.

Hi
A few weeks ago my pool tech noted a swirl of blue color appeared after added chlorine and then some bicarb. Apparently it disappeared pretty quickly. After my swim last night I was q-tipping my ear canal and a blue color came off onto the qtip. My pool finish is blue and I'm worried its starting to come up. Is there a test I can run to confirm or deny this is happening? If so, is it hazardous?

Thanks,
TB

16000 gal vinyl liner pool, just had 2nd liner put in this spring after 15 years. Having problem keeping chlorine levels steady. Ph also creeps up after a few days. My alk is 121,,,CH a little low at 144...CYA steady at 45. I use liquid chlorine as the tabs raise the CYA over time. Never had this issue before once I got levels balanced at start up no issues thru the summer. Any ideas out there Problem is chlorine does not hold even for 24 hrs Ph climbs even though ALK is ok????

Hi all, my intellicenter2 app has been offline for 3 days. The usual unplug the receiver inside the house and plug it back in usually does the trick, but not this time.
I went out to the control system in the backyard to check the wifi connection. However, it’s not letting me. The screen says no Ethernet detected. It’s not giving me a wireless option. Help!

Do I need to buy a Solar touch if I have an Intellicenter to automate solar?

I've been having issues with water leaking out of waste hose. I saw online that it is usually an issue with the spider gasket so I ordered the part and went to repair. When I opened up the valve I noticed that the gasket was on the underside of the piece that is pulled off and not inside the valve like I was expecting. I then noticed that the underside of the piece reads SP0714 instead of the SP0715 that was on the top of the valve.

I'm suspecting that the previous owner may have stuck a SP0715 sticker onto the SP0714. I bought the SP0715D and the shape of it is inside as seen in the first picture. But there's no gasket there currently and there's no notches for it to be seated. In the second pic is what I'm assuming is the actual piece I'm supposed to be replacing.

I just wanted to double check I'm not confusing two different gaskets and both are necessary or something. Because not too sure why it's labeled wrong on the outside of the valve.

Edit: Also bonus question: It seems like Hayward doesn't sell the SP0714 spider gasket separately. It comes stamped into the piece. There's third parties selling the gasket separate. Should those be good enough or should I stick with genuine part?

Hello all, I have a pretty straight forward setup. I upgraded to a vs pump about 2 years or so ago. I’m now looking to change up the filtration system. I’m over this cartridge cleaning, and im finding some blow back, I’ve tried new filters making sure they are seated well but no luck. The filter housing is probably at least 15 years old. Perhaps that’s the issue.

My question is where should I start to explore? The gentleman at my local pool supply talked about a glass filter system.
What about adding a SWG?

Whatever suggestions you have are appreciated. I’m not versed on the equipment side of things. Also Polaris booster is getting the boot. I purchased robot cleaner after replacing the booster pump multiple times. I would also note the floor drain is capped. Only using the skimmer. Pool was built in the 70s. I’m in south texas with weeks on end of 100+ temp looking to be the norm.

Went past the pool equipment shortly after the pump turned on in the morning and noticed that the filter housing was leaking around the middle where the metal band/clamp/seal is. Not a lot of water, but a steady few drops. I assumed that I needed to adjust the clamp/gasket. So I went back later in the day, while the pump is still running, and now everything around the filter housing is bone dry as though there wasn't a leak. The last time I touched this gasket and clamp was when I cleaned the filters maybe two months ago. Didn't notice any leak at the time.

Is this a normal thing to happen during start up? Maybe before it reaches full pressure? Though when I saw the water this morning the system was already at full pressure.

It's a mystery. Any thoughts?

I have what I believe is approximately 28k pool. Have been looking at circupool core55. I see it seems recommended size is "at least 2x".

1) So, would the core 55 work ok for 28k? I'm in Houston, so pretty brutal heat. Plus my neighbor has tons of trees that drop alot of stuff.

2) currently I use mix of pucks and liquid chlorine. Obviously, would no longer use pucks at all, but during mid summer, can I still on occasion use liquid chlorine for shock (ideally wouldn't even need to)?

3) I already use a lot of acid for ph. Will SWg increase acid use to keep pH down?


Thanks,
Bran

What does dead algae look like? I can't find any clear answers

I’m pretty sure my generator’s cell is bad. It’s a Hayward Goldline, t-cell 15.
It was here when we bought the house over 5 years ago, and it looked a few years old then.
The computer is saying “inspect cell”, solid light and not flashing…and this time it won’t let me reset the indicator, and it’s obviously not doing its job. Been giving me trouble all year, actually.
I’m going to check the thermistor tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure that’s not it.
My question for the pros is: Should I just buy a new cell? I know it’s a pretty old system, but it’s always seemed to work well. Not sure if it’s obsolete, but the price of the cell has near doubled since the last time I bought one.
Or is there a better, newer system I should consider, seeing as how this is the same thing that was put on my first pool (different house) in 2003.

My Dolphin S300 is acting up. Runs for about 10-30 seconds in cleaning mode, but runs perfectly fine driving it manually. I noticed an error message in the app that says "DC In Voltage". I checked the impeller for any obstructions, but it was clear.

I stumbled upon this troubleshooting guide (How to Troubleshoot a Dolphin Pool Cleaner - INYOPools.com), however the part about the PSU seems to be for an old model. Mine has 4 pins with voltages ranging from 7-29V depending on which pins I test. Does anyone know the correct voltages on the power connector to the robot or could test measure their working one for me?

On mine, I get
1-2: 17.2V
1-3: 12.1V
1-4: 9.6V
2-3: 29.4V
2-4: 7.5V
3-4: 21.8V

I noticed some of the white stuff on these pavers they it appeared to go away. Then we had a big rain and my pool was fuller than normal and in the area of the calcium the pavers felt damp. I drained a bit out of the pool and the dampness left but the calcium or efflorescence expanded. So what do you think it is? A Leak?

Thank you

Kevin

Hello, I was able to buy this cooler from someone selling it, but it's missing the sump pump with the plumbing. Can someone provide some pictures of how the sump pump is plumbed in these units, please? Also, when checking the install diagram, why is the output of the chiller connected to the incoming skimmer line instead of the return line? I won't have a dedicated return line for it. Can someone explain to me how that makes sense to plumb it like this?

Received our new Wybot Osprey 700 a couple days ago.

Climbs the walls just fine.
However, it can not make it up the steep hill of the pool floor in the deep end.
Husband says there’s reference in the directions to insert the provided “floats” to help with this, but the picture isn’t clear as to WHERE to insert them.

Could someone provide a better description or photo of where the floats go?

Have a pentair cartridge filter - relief valve (part 98209800) on top snapped where the threads enter the filter. I was able to extract the remaining threaded section from the filter top.

I'm going to order/install a new valve but have a pool party tomorrow and want a PVC option from home depot to plug the hole temporarily. Does anyone know the official diameter/thread size and if there's any issue with doing this? I can eyeball it but don't want to mess up the threads on the filter top if i'm wrong.

thanks

Well shoot. After a bunch of yard work I decided to take a quick nap. Then I woke up to this. Must've been a heck of a hot, windy updraft to lift two tables off the ground. The table in the middle had a brown glass top. Glass all over the decking, in those planters, and of course in the pool. So much for a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

Anybody get by on a 1/2" polystyrene board + tarp?

I grabbed a new 12x24 for a great price and I will feel weird if I spent nearly the same on the base. I've read many forums, so I plan to level the ground and use pavers on feet and etc.... As with prices of most things you know material cost has gone up. I know having a pool is not a necessity and plan to spend some money.

The board will be $0.32/sqft while those mats at harbor freight are $0.63/sqft. I plan to install directly on the ground no sand/rock layer.

Trying to figure out whether my jet is clogged or it is underpowered blower. I have a 1hp Silencer. When the pump is off, the blower seems to be hitting all the nets properly. When the pump is on and then lower, it starts to sputter.

Any help would be appreciated.

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Hi all,

I'm still learning about pool maintenance and planning to use SLAM next year. For now, I'm working with what I've got. It's almost mid-August, and I'm wondering if it's worth tackling the persistent yellow algae before reopening the pool.

My pool got hit with algae after weeks of thunderstorms and heavy rain. I tried using a handheld vacuum, thinking it was dirt to no avail. realized it's yellow algae due to its persistent growth, quick debris return, and buildup on the walls. Confirming this, the bag filter of my handheld vacuum had neon yellow residue. I ruled out pollen since it doesn't float on the pool's surface or end up in the skimmer basket. The handheld vacuum was dispersing the algae. YouTube videos suggest using a manual hose vacuum set to waste for effective debris cleanup, rather than a handheld device.

Check out the attached photos – one shows the pool at its worst, and the other is after a triple shock treatment. I'm not sure if it's smart to clean it up now in mid-August, or if I should just prepare it for storage. Cleaning it now seems like a good option. Should I invest in a manual hose vacuum? I'm somewhat unsure where to go from here.

Thanks.

Is that possible? My pool was doing SO WELL over the summer and now I am seeing black spots on the bottom (that are hard to brush off) after about a week of not being in it. It's definitely my fault for not staying on top of it- we've been so busy. I read that it usually appears in plaster pools and requires a steel brush to remove. Since my pool is vinyl liner- what's best to do?

I have an in ground 25k gallon pool with a vinyl liner and an intellichlor ic40 SWG. We also have an auto cover and always have it covered if we aren't in the pool. The pool company set the SWG at 60%. But after a weekend of having friends over and swimming in the pool, I had zero chlorine in the pool and things turned green. I followed the slam protocol over a few days. I ended up somewhere around 16-20 gallons of 12% chlorine. My cya is 80, pH 7.5, salt 4000ppm. I got the chlorine back into the normal 3-5 range for a few days and it cleared out and looked great. I had set the swg to 80% just because I figured it's a new pool and all our friends keep coming over. A couple days later and there is zero chlorine again. Then repeat this cycle again a few times over the past few weeks. It will especially wipe out the chlorine after rain. But we have had the cover on each time it rains. Is this normal? Is my SWG not working? Or do I just have to keep adding chlorine to keep up?