Who is the moron who decided to replace all the plumbing and do a better job this time, since she has to do something about her trashed sand filter anyway? Yeah, that would be me. Daughter is home this weekend so I finally have some help to get the filter situation dealt with.

Taking a cool down break - it is insane outside and the pool water is too hot even for me - about 96! I drained below skimmer and return so I could finally replace the glued together nightmare (read my build thread for that dramedy) which meant the sun didn’t have to work as hard on the remaining water. I swear, if it starts to boil, I’m throwing in some lobsters.

Could anyone give advice on to why our pool just this past month has a brown/orange bottom every morning
However water is clear
We maintain our pool daily and treat once a week ~ We now have to vacuum everyday and treat 2 to 3 times per week

Had a 18x36 inground salt pool installed in 2019. I have been running a Hayward 1hp single speed pump running with a Pentair salt generator. I did just install a Hayward vs 1.65hp pump last week to help with electric bill. Im playing around with the set up. Right now running it 3am-5am at 2500 rpm's and 5am-3pm at 1600 rpm's Anything under 1600 rpm's the salt generator shows low water flow.
Anyway, we have the perfect spot for a pool that gets zero leaves but does get full sun pretty much all day. I have never put anything in our pool except salt and baking soda since the first day of install and have never had anything but crystal clear water. I also only have to backwash about 3 times a year being not much gets in the pool and i use a Dolphin electric pool cleaner that does not go through my sand filter.
Anyway, that's a little about me and look forward to scrolling through this helpful forum!

Good afternoon everyone.

Quick question - the pvc that fits into the multi-port valve from the laterals, how snug should that connection be?

The reason being is this - when i first bought this filter/pump i thought it strange that my fitment was a little bit loose. Not long after getting the pump running for the first time I started noticing sand in the pool. Not a lot but enough to notice, unfortunately. Initially I chalked it up to maybe some inconsistency from the manufacturer for the sizing of the sand. That being said - I have since done a "filter to waste" and vacuumed up all the sand in the pool only for it to return again!

Could this fitment be the cause? I Don't think there were any cracks in the laterals. Also, if this might be my problem, is there anything I can do to fix it? Maybe an o-ring on the pipe to help seal?

Heading out on a 3 week vacation, which is our first trip away from the pool since taking ownership and adopting the TFP methodology. I maintain my pool chemistry with liquid chlorine but plan to add trichlor tablets to inline feeder as a safety backup. I will likely increase Chlorine up close to SLAM levels before leaving and will have people stopping by each week to dump some liquid chlorine in (but no testing or precision). CYA is currently around 50 and I'm in very sunny and very hot Texas.

Do you all recommend a brand that is known to be pure TriChlor, no baking soda or copper added?

Finally feel like my 12x24 is in a good place. But I’d like to add a second return using two Hayward eyeball 1.5” directional. Here is what I have:

Hayward 21” pro sand filter
Hayward wide mouth skimmer
Hayward 1.5hp pump
Pentair ic60
Raypak heater

Would adding a second return help. Thinking of adding at the far end of the pool to push toward skimmer (which is currently close to where the standard first intake is on Intex). I’m surround by trees so want to keep stuff flowing toward the skimmer.

Follow up question: if the consensus is to add a second return, what do I do about the salt chlorinator? Would I split the return after passing through salt cell? Or only have the cell on one return?

Thanks all!

About 2 weeks ago, I drained and refilled my pool and am now officially using TFP method I am now in what I consider "maintenance mode".
At this point, the only struggle I am having is PH & TA.
when the pool was refilled...TA was at 180. I worked hard to get it to 100 over the course of 3 days.

Here is the dilemma, once I got TA to 100, I have been aiming for a PH of 7.0.
My Ph has been rising .4 every day (except for yesterday, it only rose by .2)
So I have been adding quite a bit of MA on a daily basis
Because of Constantly adding MA daily, my TA has dropped another 30 in 3 days.

So, I am now at TA 70 and trying to maintain PH 7.0

My question is....will the PH start to stabilize (now that TA is 70) so that I won't need to add MA everyday? One it finds the "perfect" TA level, will the PH stop raising everyday? I mean, I know it will rise...but it should be a slower rise. I am worried that my TA is going to drop so low that it will create another issue. Meaning, I am successfully address one issue (keeping Ph at 7.0) while creating another issue...driving my TA too low.

Thank you for any help you provide

Water is clear and balanced, but it seems like a never ending battle to get rid of the constant layer of greenish-yellow "dust" on the bottom. Any disturbance, like a foot step, just produces a mini-explosion of the dust, so vacuuming is a very slow process. I presume it's dead algae, but it's so small a lot of it goes through the sand filter and then through the cartridge filter and ends up right back in the pool, thereby turning the water green. (Yes, I know, vacuum to waste instead.)

Any suggestions on how to minimize or even eliminate this "dust"?

Hello everyone,

After finally getting my pool fixed and up and running I am at the point i can start tweaking pump settings. I have a Hayward Max Flo VS 500 1.65 THP on 2 inch piping pumping on a 25000 gallon pool (Main drain is dead only have 2 skimmers, pool size 36 by 16 rectangle). The pool has a T9 cell Hayward SWG at 60%. DE filter is DE4820 with current pressure at 7 psi. Currently the pump has been running 24/7 at 2850 RPM (530 watts), i imagine the electric bill is going to bite me in the butt in a few weeks. The kid at the pool store told me to run it 8 hours a day or all night if i add chemicals. What is your recommendation, how long should i run the pump? I am aware if the pump is not running 24/7 the SWG may need to be adjusted on the percentage of Chlorine production but given that TC went from 3.19 to 7.8 in 96 hours maybe i can leave it at 60%)

Not sure if relevant to this post but here are the latest AccuBlue test results (i know they are not the best but i dont have a TF-100 Salt kit yet):
FC 7.8
TC 7.8
pH 7.5
TA 78
CH 163
CYA 41
Iron 0.1
Copper 0.3
Phos 208
Salt 2900 (My hayward panel says 3400)

Hello Folks! Need some help!

I have a Jandy Aqualink RS with a PDA-P4; 3.0 firmware on all.

Last week we noticed the pool was not running its program from 7pm to 7am for the filter pump on the pool. Turned the PDA on and it read 6pm in 2006 - clearly the time was reset. Upon further inspection, all the programs had been reset as well. I can set the time no problem now, but when I try to create a new program for any feature, the system crashes, the filter pump will turn off if I had it on, and when the PDA comes back up, it reads 2006 again.

I am at a loss, thoughts?

The week of the 6th, I have been given the opportunity to meet with several mid-level/senior management as well as coordinator types from Pentair Pool Products who are directly involved with IntelliCenter. We're going to meet up here at my home in the Phoenix area.

These are folks that I have had many discussions with via email and VTC's in the past. I view this face-to-face meet as a golden opportunity to discuss everything "IntelliCenter" with the people who can make a difference.

I have my list of items that I believe are key points to discuss, however my priorities may not coincide with yours. That said, if you have a topic that you would like me to bring up on your behalf, I would be more than happy to do so. This includes not only the OCP and firmware but user interfaces like the mobile apps, web-client, Amazon Alexa and Apple Watch, as well as interfacing with pumps, heaters, valve actuators, IntelliChlor, IntellipH, IntelliChem and remotes. The good, the bad and the ugly.

Please be specific with regards to your topic. And more importantly, please keep it constructive. Throwing "rocks" at these folks will get us nowhere.

Thanks...
r.

I just cleaned the cell, tried to replace it with my old cell and even bought a new cable to connect the cell. Still after turning it on, a few minutes later I either get a low amps or a check/clean cell error.

When I check the voltage/current it is always reading 32V and between 2.1/3.5A. Setting is level 1 (couldn’t figure out how to change)

Any ideas what the issue could be? Could be two bad cells I suppose.

- I purchased the LevelSmart Online version. I chose this version, which cost several hundred dollars more than the standard version, because it enables you to see statistics on amount of water added, time added, level of pool, etc right from your phone (app).

- Ordered it directly from the Kona Labs website. Ryan, the co-owner, answered all my questions presale.

- Installed it in April per the instructions. Downloaded the app. And nonsense data started to pour in. Data that makes no sense.

- Contacted Ryan. Said he would check into it. Didn’t hear back for several days. Emailed him several times. Finally called me back 2 or 3 days later. Said he is still checking into it. Another week goes by. More emails that don’t get answered or are answered several days to weeks late. It’s several weeks later at this point and i’m done with having a $1,000+ brick that doesn't work and customer service that doesn’t respond, so I file a chargeback with my credit card company.

- Suddenly they’re responding, transferring me to his other co-owner Richard who knows more of the tech stuff behind the scenes. Finally gets it fixed.

- Long story short, we finally got the product working, and it works really well now. The pool stays at the exact same height every single day without me having to get the hose out.

Conclusion: My experience is that the product works very well, once it’s properly adjusted and set up, but if you purchase this device, purchase it knowing that you will receive next to ZERO customer service.

Out of the dozen or so times I called post-purchase, they answered the phone 0 times. Rang and rang and rang, then finally went to voicemail. About half of the time they called back (several days later) and the other half went ignored. Out of the dozen or so emails, same deal, about half get answered, and when they do, it’s typically many days (or weeks) later.

I'm Beth and my husband and I live in Marshall, NC. We put in a semi above ground pool last year. It is wonderful!!

Hi, I just posted, and I am looking for others feedback on this issue.
Thanks

Good evening all and hope all is well with everyone. I am here looking for some advise on repairing a few pool coping pavers that have come loose. I have brick coping pavers that surround the kidney shaped pool and need to re-bed them. Any advice on what type of material to reattach would be great and is the material available at local hardware or should I go to a stone and tile shop. Thank you in advance for the assistance.

Ryan

Why is my aiper automatic vacuum blinking red and blue?

This happened a few months ago but I figure better late never!

Purchased from: The Pool Factory
Model: Saltwater Aurora
Material: 100% Resin (except for the stainless steel screws/plate)
Size: 21 ft

I’ll start with tearing out the old pool. It was pretty solid and lasted over 15 years but rust was starting to get to it.

We probably could have gotten a few more seasons out of it but we’re building a deck that goes around the entire pool and didn’t want to try to retrofit a new pool into a wrap around deck in a few years.

Chose the Saltwater Aurora because it’s 100% resin and those don’t rust. We also installed a saltwater generator which is working flawlessly.

I am pretty diligent about keeping my pool clean, brushed, vacuumed, and balanced…but I still found what I believe are beetle larvae at the bottom of my shallow end where the pool jets are today (both sides but more so on the side closer to grass). I typically have a few beetles in the skimmer every morning and some small gnat like bugs that I clean out. I think what I found today are beetle larvae based on a Google image search, I’ve since cleaned them out but they looked like very small and short worms (they are not mosquito larvae). Is there anything else I can do to prevent these? I run the pump 24/7 (1725 for 22 hours and then 2 1-hour periods at 2450). I have a SWG, my tests today were FC 3.2, CC 0, Alk 60, Ph 7.6, and calcium 230. The pool temp is 75 degrees. Yesterday it was 90 degrees but today it’s back to high 70s. It has been raining quite a bit. Thank you!

Hello,

So I'm new to managing my pool chemicals. Pool (12x24) is almost 3 months old and has a saltwater generator, and has a screened enclosure. First two months the pool contractor took care of maintenance and I recently took over. I just got through a couple of days of heavy rain and thought we needed to check chemicals so I check on the reagent Chlorox test kit until my Taylor K2006 SALT arrives. Added 5 drops of reagent and chlorine side turns very bright yellow so thought it was high based on that.

I took a sample to Pinch a Penny and got the following readings:
Total Chlorine: 0
Free Chlorine: 0
Combined Chlorine: 0
PH: 8.0
Acid Demand: 4 drops
Alkalinity: 80
Calcium Hardness: 500
Stabilizer: 30
Salt: 2800

They told me to add some muriatic acid (4 cups), stabilizer (2 pounds), and put my saltwater chlorine generator on boost mode and keep it running to see if chlorine goes up. I did all of those things.

I also bought the strips and on those ones it also reads 0 or close to 0 chlorine readings. Anybody have any idea what could be causing this discrepancy or am I doing something wrong? I thought the saltwater generator was used to keep chlorine levels at acceptable ranges. I had it at 50% as recommended by the pool builder is it not working? I'm just worried with this whole situation. Is this normal or does this happen a lot after heavy rain? The pool looks really good to be honest I don't understand could something be wrong?

I have the same cell (FSOFT1400) throwing off codes 125 and 194. What electrical checks can I do to see if the cell is a problem?

Moved from here.

Hello everyone - I have a 10 by 5 metre pool and the pool pump normally operates at about 10PSI but after backwashing and rinsing last week it's dropped to 5PSI - I've re-backwashed and re-rinsed and checked the skimmers and the filter and it all looks OK but the low pressure persists. I've called out the pool people to come and look but I don't know when they might turn up (it might be a week) and I wanted to check given the very hot weather we're having if it's bad for the pump to run 24 hours at that low pressure (my return flow rate seems normal). Many thanks for your help!

Hello, I've noticed when my pump has been off for a few hours it seems to self-prime when starting up. I bleed off the air on the cartridge filter housing, but the air slowly gets back into the system after an hour or so. I've also noticed very small bubbles coming out of one of the return jets while the pump is running. I replaced the pump lid gasket but that didn't help. I'm thinking there's a very small leak somewhere on the suction side of the pump but not sure how to track that down, any suggestions would be appreciated. I don't see any water leaks. Also, when the pump shuts off it makes a little squeak noise, not sure if that's related.
Thanks, Brett

Hello,
I received my Crystal Pure 60000 SWG system today. I have attached a picture of my plumbing. Is the check valve really needed? Can I get rid of it and install the cell on that line? Thank you.

Hello,
I purchased
Automatic Suction Vacuum-generic Climb Wall Pool Cleaner Sweeper In-Ground Suction Side + Hose Set XtremepowerUS and have had it situated where it's attached to skimmer for the past 2 years.

I never realized, but my main drain is not suctioning. Reason I realized this is due to myself doing the pool work where shock granules on the bottom of the pool appears to be sitting on the ground.

So when I attach sweeper to the skimmer, I am afraid my only flow to my pool is now being relegated to the sweeper flow.

I did a little bit of research on main pool on and off, but my house doesn't have such a thing and it maybe one that feeds off the skimmer (?) but even when the sweeper is not attached to skimmer, I still see granules stuck on the bottom

So I am hoping you can help me to find if the "white" pipe that is on the side of the pool wall that has some knob is to be used for sweeper suction (attached picture)

thank you so much

Been in the house for 20 years, and periodically have had to patch up small cracks around the skimmers as they pull away from the gunite, so I know I have a settling problem. But this time, I keep leaking from somewhere else even after repair

I did some pressure testing today by closing off one or the other drain at the bottom of each skimmer, and I am able to draw air into the system from Below one of my skimmers, so I know the pipe running from that skimmer to the pump must have a crack.

This is consistent with my understanding of how this usually goes, as the ground settles, but skimmer is largely fixed to the pool, the pipe is pulled away and cracks, almost always very near the skimmer.

Will this require removal of my concrete deck in that area for Access and repair? Is there such a thing as an internal patch, especially if on fiber optic inspection there is not significant pipe displacement across the crack, ie, it is still largely planar?

Or is that wish for a minimalist repair just a "pipe" dream?

Hello everyone, I have a question regarding my auto leveler. Moved to AZ just in time for the hottest July ever. And of course it presents challenges for a new pool owner such as myself. Here is my question:
With temps over 110 for 24 days and counting my pool auto leveler doesn't keep up, my pool is down about 3/4". The question is should I add pool water via hose, bring it back up to it's normal level?
Water is still about 1/3 of the way above the skimmer, but concerned if it goes any lower it will affect my equipment.
No shade until later in the day, so the sun is on the pool from 6am till 6pm each day.
I have managed to keep all my chemicals in balance and the pool looks great, just concerned about fighting evaporation with this heat.

Thoughts?

It's a 15,000 gallon, pebbletech pool with Pentair SWG.

Thank you, look forward to hearing the group's thoughts.

Hi all, I’ve been a TFP lurker for several months and now a first time poster. I really enjoy the forum discussions and have learned a tremendous amount before deciding to install a pool.

Now the reason for this post. We are getting a fiberglass pool installed over what used to be gunite pool. The previous homeowner had a leak in the gunite pool and instead of pursuing repair, decided to punch holes in the bottom, cave in the sides and fill with dirt. Then gunite pool is unsalvageable, so I am looking to remove the pool to install the fiberglass pool in the same area. The pool builder sent a quote for pool removal that includes removing only portions of the gunite pool that interfere with new installation.

My question is should the pool builder remove the entire pool or is it sufficient to just remove enough to allow for the new pool? Do you for see any problems with doing either?

Thanks!

Hi there. I'm a small pool owner (intex Easy Set, 8x24) who just wants a clean pool for his kids to splash around in.
Located in Des Moines, Iowa.

Hi all,
I know the best way to measure water is with a test kit but with 2 small toddlers and a busy work life I’m unable to measure as often as I’d like. Local pool companies charge a ton and often don’t balance chemicals correctly, while Leslie’s is just a pain and they always talk me into more products I don’t need. So, I’m looking into smart pool monitors. Has anyone had experience with a smart pool water monitor? I’m thinking of getting the Water Guru Sense 2 or the Crystal Water Monitor. Any suggestions, advice, or other monitors I should look at?