Hello everyone!
This is my first post on the forum -- this seems like an awesome community and I'm excited to join!

Background
About a week ago, the bulkhead on my Jandy C460 (pre-2008 model) spa filter failed and developed a major leak. I drained the spa completely, removed the old bulkhead and O-ring. I ordered a new bulkhead and O-ring (part# R0358200) and have replaced in the unit but something seems off. When I go to reattach the new bulkhead to the old half union, it does not seem like it would be water tight, or even remotely close. Before I add the water and fill the pump, I wanted to check that I haven't missed anything major.

Questions
1. Am I missing something easy here? An O-ring, or other part that should be there?
2. Is it a good idea to replace the existing half union?

Thank you all for the help!
-George

I know this is a long shot but can anyone tell me what light this is from this picture?

Hi. New to this testing method. I need help making sure I understand the two test options for chlorine measurement. 1. The small gauge that has one side chlorine and the other ph- I measure the chlorine as instructed with adding drops and the yellow always appears darker than the highest reading. So I move to the larger chlorine 10ml and powder test. I add the drops and count them and then multiply 0.5 and it comes out as like 3 or 4. But shouldn’t this show up on the other test as within that window since it’s not actually showing higher than the scale reads?

Hi All,

I’m needing some help getting this pool up and running. The pool hasn’t been used or covered in a few years. Just moved in and we know nothing about how any of this works. We assume with a little research to start by cleaning out all debris. We have a leaf gulper that hooks to water hose and a leaf rake so we can have both going at the same time. It’s a vinyl liner. Also, I have read on many post about pressure gauges on the pump and ours doesn’t have one. Apparently the pool has never had one. Liner was put in just a few years ago and only used one season and has been sitting for I think 3 years. After we get most of the junk out of the pool do we just start the pump and start adding store bleach to do the slam method? I have the test kit that is recommended on this site. Any help would be so appreciated. This is going to a diy project as well. We are both pretty handy and love learning new things. Just a lot of conflicting info out there. Kind of on a tight budget as well. So hiring someone isn’t in the cards. I went to pool store and they were saying thousands for chemicals to get it up and running. All the brush and overgrown stuff will be cleared out in the next two days and going to pressure wash the concrete deck around the pool.

Hey all.... just got done SLAM'ing my pool after I discovered the pump hadn't been running for an unknown amount of time. There was probably 1-2" of dirt, leaves, algae and solar cover shreds on the bottom.
With work and life, it took me 1 month, a couple drains, and 3,495 filter cleanings.

If I added everything correctly, the only thing out of line is my total alkalinity (140 with a 60-80 target).
Got a dolphin plus something or another and it's working really well, we'll see how many years I get out of it.

I was scrubbing the scum line yesterday, which is normally a walk in the park with a Magic Eraser. Besides being a little tougher, and it using the whole eraser (normally I do it once a year and use maybe 1/3 of it), I noticed my pool is ROUGH.

What is causing this, and how can I get rid of it? It honestly feels like I need to take a scotch-brite drill attachment to it.

Hey everyone,

Last year, my heat pump was replaced under warranty; however, the installers did not reconnect my pool automation controller as it was my own setup. I am looking to reconnect it now using the manual located at https://hayward-pool-assets.com/assets/documents/pools/pdf/manuals/summit-xl.pdf (page 11); however, I on the Terminal Block (labelled J7) there was no jumper and it has PS crossed out. On my previous unit, this was where I would wire up the switch. I have attempted to wire it up in the this configuration anyways. I have set POOL to 61 (as low it goes and there is no OFF) and SPA to 104. Opening and closing the circuit has no affect and it obeys whatever the onboard system is set too.

Also, when I got to the "advanced menu", I can not find the P_S menu that has "E" as an option. I can find "AFF", which has P_S options - but they remove POOL or SPA from the main screen

Anyone have any experience with this and advise?

Aside from raising cya to 70 and adding salt, any recommendations on anything else? CH - I can’t decide to leave it alone or increase it?

My ph has remained stable since I began testing myself a few years ago. Water is clear and no algae. Thanks

Hi folks. My Hayward SP3400VSP runs constantly on the following schedule programmed by previous owners:

• 10:30P-9:30A: 1500 rpm (low flow overnight)
• 9:30A-10:30P: 2900 rpm (normal flow for daytime)

This seems to work fine. Good circulation in the day, and enough flow overnight to keep the pump from losing its prime (my equipment is at higher elevation than the pool, so don't want to stop pump at night).

Now sometimes, like this morning, I'll go out early to add chemicals or do some brushing while the pump is still running on low flow, so I'll press the "Speed 2" button on my pump to get some better circulation during those tasks. On my pump, hitting "Speed 2" once runs the pump at 2400rpm for 30 minutes before returning to programmed schedule. This cycle runs as expected, and then returns to 1500rpm once done.

Now the issue is, I have noticed more than once that at the end of the 30 minute 'speed button' cycle, the pump (unexpectedly?) goes through another priming cycle (8 minutes at max speed) before returning to scheduled operation.

Questions:

Why does it do this? Is this expected behavior? I don't see anything about this in the manual. It just mentions that additional speed button presses add more time, nothing about extra priming cycles. Is this an indication the pump thinks it has lost prime and therefore starts a new priming cycle on its own? (when this happens, it looks like there is still water in the pump pot, so I'm not sure it actually lost prime?) If "yes", why would happen specifically at the end of a "speed button" cycle, and not at other times during scheduled operation? This only seems to happen when I hit the speed button when coming out of low flow (1500rpm) to some higher speed, and then returning back to low flow.

Hi,

A few weeks ago I went to dump and refill my spa (bullfrog r8) and i discovered clear water but orange algae in the plumbing. After running a purge product (not ahh-some) it had no affect. I therefore filled the tub back up and set off on a journey to kill off this mysterious orange algae. The cya level was about 65ppm (requiring a shock level of 26ppm) and I maintained a fc level of about 35ppm with 12.5% chlorinating liquid, this level was maintained within a few ppm give or take for 6 days, but always over the shock level. It then dropped down to about 25ppm after me not paying so much attention, and I added a bit too much chlorine raising the level to 57ppm. This number was too high for my liking and so after about 6 hours I did a half drain and refill, reintroducing stabilizer to the tub bringing it to its original level of 65ppm and finding the fc back at around 35ppm. As I am waiting on a family member to help clean the tub I have been trying to maintain an above shock level fc, but for some reason I’m starting to struggle a bit. The fc before would effortlessly stay at around 35ppm, but now each night it seems to drop right below shock level and when I add more chlorine by the next night it has dropped again, while also showing about a .5ppm of combined chlorine now. I guess you could say I am a bit confused, the plumbing now has no visible algae anymore, and in fact the only algae that can be seen is a small amount of dead white algae that floats out of the plumbing every so often. The tub has been covered and I’ve constantly made sure chlorine has gotten into the drainage lines, the water feature, and all jets are fully open, water has never not been crystal clear this whole process. My question is, as I planned to clean, drain, and refill the tub tonight, can I simply run ahhsome through the plumbing, drain, blow out the lines, and vacuum all the water out, refill and call it good, or should I try to hit a CC level of 0 before I do? Also could CC reading be off due to such a high FC level? Thanks for the help.

Looking to get an idea of how much Muriatic acid to add to the Pool to adjust PH. The muriatic acid I Have is 24%. (and I have a Vinyl liner)

using my TP pro test kit

FC 17
CC 0
Total Alkalinity 110
PH on the comparator block it is over 8 on my Digital PH reader purchased with my test kit is 9
CYA is 80

I know PH can be off when FC is high, so I am wondering what if anything to add to get my PH OK.

I plan to let my FC naturally float down to about 11-12 and hold it there until I can get my CYA lower.

Thanks

Jeff

Hey everyone!

I am a homeowner with a pool system that appears to be coming up on the end of life. I have owned the home for 7 years and already had two pumps replaced and feel like everything is continuing to break. Now, I have the heater out and the filter pump is not working. My pool service company quoted me $5k to get it “working” again with a new VSD pump - and to get everything upgraded was like $14k. It just seems like a money pit and am thinking about just getting a new system - but dont agree with the pricing references from my pool service.

The pool is about 30,000 gallons in size. My wife wants to get a salt system (previous one never worked) and I just want something low maintenance.

I have attached a picture of my current setup and would appreciate some guidance on how you experts would replace all this gear. Ideally I would like to keep the spend around 6-8k including: new filter pump (waterfall pump is ok), new filter, new salt system, new heater (gas), and I guess some new pipes and other misc.

Appreciate guidance / suggestions on system upgrade.

Thanks

Dagan

Hi all,

Just getting started with an impulse purchase, Intex 18' x 9 above around pool. I have read everywhere about how vital is it make sure the ground is level and I want to begin that process. I have seen the diagram that shows the overall outer edge footprint, but I'm very frustrated by not being able to find precise measurements for where the feet go, i.e. exactly where I need to bury my paver stones (I intend to leave up year round so I would like use pavers rather than wood). I'm further frustrated by reading some advice to simply setup the frame and map out in that fashion, which completely does not work since the corners don't lock in place, the legs swing freely unless attached to the liner, which I don't want to take out until ready for install, and at any rate, I understand that everything will shift around once it starts filling up.

So my first question is that -- where to put the pavers, or can I not determine that until I have everything staged? I'd like not to do that as I have some foam insulation I want to put under the liner and presumably on top of the ground level sunk pavers. Any guidance on the overall process?

Next question I have is whether these unilock pavers I have are up to snuff. They are 2.75" and much more dense/heavy duty than the average stepping stone paver, and I think they would be ok, but i'd like to know if anyone else has previously used them without issue.

And then finally, I had the idea that I could abut this up to my deck and cut into the railing to make a gate. But based on my very imprecise staging, I see some problem areas. Can anyone advise how much clearance I should have in these spots or if any clearance is needed at all?

Thank you very much!!!

So I have a ~24k-28k gallon pool with 2 return lines and then the main drain suction and skimmer suction line. It's an old Anthony pool from the 60's, and I've since upgraded to an intelliflo pump with pentair 420 ccp cartrdige filters. I have issues with CYA overtime due to pool maintenance using tablets exclusively year-round in sunny san diego. I do leave my pump on at 1000-1500 rpm 24/7. No suction side vacuums, I use a dolphin Nautilus cc plus. Just killed an algae infestation due to high cya/low chrlorine levels, and did a partial refill to get cya levels down to 60.

I'm trying to choose between a Circupool SWG as the cost of doing partial refills is adding up, as well as i'd like to lower my maint needs. Which is a better fit for my needs? The Edge40, Core 35/55, or the older gen rj45? Any other recommendations?

Also anything else I need to know about? I noticed swg prices are up 30-40% from a year or two ago.. do you guys forsee the prices going up further? There is a sale at discount salt pool via an upgrade as well ending on the 8th.. will that come back as it seems to be yearly?

Thanks!

Hey there! I had an Intex Easyset about 10 years ago and once it rained and got nasty, I threw it away. I have now been the proud owner of a Bestway 24 x 12 oval pool for 3 months now. I have managed to keep it clean and clear so far but am always on Reddit or Youtube looking for advice and instructions lol ... this site kept being mentioned so I thought I would join. Thanks for being here!

I had a little green algae present, SLAM Sat and Sun. Just dead particles and let filter do the rest?

mknauss said:

Wow. 10 years.

Time for a new cell.

Click to expand...

How long should the cell last? We installed ours in May 2022, and today it is blinking green. Checked my calcium hardness and it's at 80. PH is high at 8.0 and alkalinity is also high at 110. CYA is at 40. Salt is at 3000, but I figure I need to get the other stuff balanced and the cell fixed before I worry about that. I added shock since there's currently no chlorine in the pool, and then will add sodium bisulfate to lower the PH.

Of course this happens today, the day my husband left for a two week overseas work trip and I really don't know how to take the cell off to clean it, as he usually handles everything with the equipment. Any potential suggestions, other than I'm going to need to get a crash course in taking the cell off and cleaning it?

Greetings. Wondering whether a UV-reflecting pool cover would decrease rate of UV-induced FC loss? Any experience appreciated. Regards,

Hello all. I have been a member for a while but recently moved and I am back to learning how to maintain my salt water pool.
Thanks for all the help you've given me along the way.

Hello, all!

We have an 18x36 in-ground pool that is surrounded by trees on 3 sides. For the last three years, we have used a tarp-like cover that is held in place with water bladders. The problem is that the water level is ~1ft below the concrete deck after pumping out below the skimmer. That "valley" traps leaves and other debris over the winter. I've tried to be diligent about blowing them out, but it is a lost cause due to the elevation change.

We do not need a safety cover, and the cheap tarp cover is perfectly fine. However, I'd like to pull it tight so that cleaning it off during the winter months would be much easier. I have seen a lot of discussion about safety cover anchors, and I'm not sure those will do exactly what I want. In my head, a cylinder that sits flush with the concrete that has a ring in the head until you flip up one half of that "ring" for an anchor would be great. I could still use the water bladders to help keep smaller debris from blowing under the edges into the pool.

I'm spitballing here. This forum is full of knowledgeable folks who have a wealth of collective experience. Surely, I'm not the first knucklehead to think of such a thing. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

We are in the final stages of having our new pool installed. It is a shotcrete/stonescape saltwater pool. I would love to hear pointers on starting the pool up.

Purchased and almost completed the install of my CircuPool RJ45+. After 7 years of following the TFP bleach approach I decided to bite the bullet and go SWG, as I'll be travelling more and bleach/chlorine is not as cheap. The last step was for me to test my water to determine how much salt I would need to add. Since I don't have a salinity test yet (it's on it's way) I went to the Pool store for them to test that. Here are the results:

My Test / Pool Store
FC: 2.5 / 1.7 - already bumped it up to 4.0
PH: 7.6 / 7.7
TA: 50 / 43 - My TA has always settled back to 50. I can't keep it higher, and stopped trying since my water PH is pretty stable.
CH: 650 / 488 - I'm convinced my bad plaster job is the culprit. I've always suspected it was leaching calcium and my only partial pool drain in those 7 years was to correct the high CH.
CYA: 25 / 34
Phos: -- / 3584 - should I be concerned? No algae ever.
Salt: -- / 3078

Two questions:
1) My salt is almost at the recommended 3500 ppm, without me adding any salt!? Is the salt a byproduct of daily liquid bleach/chlorine regiment over the years?
2) Will any of the numbers above impact the technical performance or longevity of the salt cell? I've really had no issues with algae, nor ever had to SLAM the pool. Clear and beautiful water always. So i'm generally comfortable with my numbers as they stand, but if I have to change something to protect my SWG investment, then I will.

Thanks.

Had to replace the top cap to my tr100 sand filter due to a leaky pressure release valve. I ended up changing out about 50% of the sand in the process. After getting her all buttoned back up I'm having a problem with pressure. When I shut the return valve I get pressure, as soon as I open the return valve back up pressure drops and I get air bubbles. What can I do to troubleshoot this further?

I must say I am a bit embarrassed but some times you gotta rip off the bandaid. Been around a while but have always relied on a "pool guy" to handle water maintenance. We got sideways a while back and I just let him go. Tried to find someone else but the ones that showed up seems suspect so I decided to do it myself. Of course, best laid plans.. Here I am now battling other issues - pump and sweep and kind of let pool go just feeding it tabs. My pump issues brought to light my water problems a week or so ago when I added more tabs to a perfectly clear pool only to wake up the next morning to a green pool. That along with some calcification (super hard water here), I figured I better get going so I ordered a TF-PRO kit and was pleasantly surprised its not as big of a whip as I expected. So here I am hat in hand and it looks like my pool is in such a state it needs to be drained. Not an optimal time to do it, but nonetheless if I have to I will. Just not sure how much
1st test results are as follows
FC - 3.0
pH - 6.8 ;(
TA - 60
CH - 625
CYA - 100

After talking to a friend and reading some I realized TABs are not the way to go at least over the long run right?

Appreciate the advice and help I have gotten from this site.

HI there,

Any idea if it can be opened & repaired, like change the fuse or something?

Looking to for some feedback from the community on my troubleshooting and repair options. Hayward SP3215X20 pump with a century SP3215Z1M motor on it. We are not the original owners of the house but purchased it in May of 2020 and at the time the motor was running very loud and was replaced as part of us purchasing the house. From the permit submittals online it appears that the pool was installed in June of 2018.

Issue
Came home last night and noticed the pool was not running. Tried to turn the pump on and nothing happened. Checked the breaker box in our garage and saw the 220v GFCI breaker was tripped. Tried to flip it back on but would only go to the trip position in the middle. Went outside turned the pump off at the control panel and then was able to reset the breaker. Attempted to turn the pump back on and it made a humming sound for a few seconds and then tripped the breaker again. I then turned the full system off and planned to troubleshoot it further this morning.

Troubleshooting
Took the pump filter basket out and was able to turn the impeller by hand. The pump, spa heater, and SWCG are all wired together after the timer so I first unwired the heater and tried to turn the system back on and it hummed for a few seconds and then tripped. Next I unwired the SWCG and same situation when I turned the system on and it tripped. Finally I unwired the pump which left nothing on the circuit and for good measure turned the system on and it did not trip.

Solution
At this point it seems that the motor is bad and needs to be replaced. This will be the 3rd motor on this system in 5 years and that is a concern for me. So should I replace the entire pump and motor with the thinking being that there is slight alignment or imbalance with the pump? The other option is that the motor and pump system are on the South side of our house and get a considerable amount of sun between 11am and 4pm. Is it possible that in the sun on hot days, 105 here yesterday, that it is getting enough heat to draw more amps and burn up the motor?

Thanks in advance for any advice or additional troubleshooting guidance.

So my experiment this year with tank and Stenner pump has been positive thus far until the last couple of days. I came home from a trip out of town to find that the injection line had leaked and sprayed liq chlorine all over my equipment. It looks like the line had developed a pin hole. I cut out the bad section and put it back together and all was good…. For only 24 hours. The next day there was a tiny pin hole and chlorine leaking out again. This time I replaced the entire line from the pump to the injection point.

Is this line highly susceptible to UV/ Heat? It has been super hot here with days into the 110F. What are my solutions? Unfortunately my pump and equipment are in the the full Sun during the afternoon. I was thinking about getting some darker colored tubing of a larger diameter to act as a shield.

The water temperature reading on my Jandy Aquapure power pack is reading about 3 degrees warmer than the Jandy heater and my Walmart thermometer in the skimmer (which are both the same).

Is there a way to calibrate the thermometer on one of these things?

Thank you

Hello, this is our first year as an above ground pool owner. We live in London and went on holiday for 9 days. Came back and the pool was green. We left it at the right levels, with a chlorine dispenser. Cover partially on. It rained a lot. Now I’ve tried to rebalance the chorine, put algaeside in, brushed it off the edges, ran the filter. But no change. Any ideas of how we can fix this before the next heat wave? Thanks.

We have cicada killer wasps that keep emerging near our above ground pool each summer. This summer we discovered what seem like little canyons or channels in the sand below the liner that we can feel as we walk around in the pool. My husband thinks the wasps have been burrowing under our pool. Anyone ever heard of this happening?

We had an above ground pool installed two summers ago. So this is my third season maintaining a pool. I’m getting fed up with spending $100s on pool chemicals. I struggle to keep my pool clear and algae free. Every year the first heat wave we have or if our family goes on vacation. I come home to a green pool. The pool was installed with a Pool Frog system which I don’t feel makes my life any easier. Just looking to find better, more efficient ways to maintain my pool.