We are seriously thinking of adding a heater to our 21x41 above ground Doughboy with a deep end and bottom drain. We are in the midwest and not looking to really extend the swimming season beyond May-Sept. But our kids and grandkids are getting older and complaining about the cold water and the adults are very reluctant to join in when the water is below 82-84. We have had a home made solar heater which just doesn't do much and have had several solar covers in the past. I have researched a little, but looking for advice. Of course, I would like it to be as economical as possible, but still be able to keep the water in the mid 80's during the summer.
Thanks in advance for any advice, or suggestions.

My pool store said to add 18 lbs bLa. E pk for my 13000 gal pool??

Hi, I just stumbled on this forum, so this is my first post...hoping someone can give me some direction here. So, here's the situation. I have an iAqualink 2.0 system, and I've had no problems with it for the last six years. A few weeks ago we had a pretty bad thunder storm, and I'm assuming my equipment got hit by lightening, or at least a close strike, as the next morning I noticed my pump wasn't running any more, and of course my iAqualink wouldn't connect. I did replace my pump motor, but everything seemed to be in working order. My main iAqualink panel is still working, as it's still running the equipment, I can switch between modes, and run the pool from the panel, etc. The actual pump part seems to be working fine now, but my issue is I'm getting the dreaded "Connection Error, Could not connect to device." I've been through dozens of forums and videos and tried just about all the troubleshooting options I can find, but still no luck. Here's why I'm confused as to what the actual issue could be. Like I said, the panel seems fine, I've checked the wire connections, power cycled many times, done a reset. So for the Antenna, the previous owner actually ran a wire into the house, so the antenna is only a few feet from my router, but I've also tried running a network cable directly to it as well. If it's on wifi, I can connect no problem. It brings up the network login and seems to connect fine. I get all three lights. When I try switching to a hardwired connection, I flip the wifi switch a few times, and again, get all three lights. I have tried deleting the app on my phone, tried deleting the location and re-adding, tried doing it all on my computer, but again, no luck. The other weird thing is, if I go through the browser on my PC, it says it's connected, but when I open the window, it just says waiting for connection. I guess my question is, do you think it's a hardware issue? If so, any idea which part I should switch out? Or could it still be something with the software? I know you've all seen plenty of the iAqualink connection errors, but this one seems to be different. Thanks for your help.

UPDATE - app kept giving issues but worked on my iPad - deleted & reinstalled and back in business

Anybody else facing issues with the Pentair Home app? I get a jolly "Oops something went wrong" for the past half an hour...

Can anyone suggest the best in ground pool alarm for pets and if it should include an app for if you are not at home?

This all started when my salt cell died. I replaced it and it worked for a few months it died again. That was replaced under warranty.
I have Jandy AquaPure with a new PIB (Power Interface Board) and a new J1400-3 CompuPool salt cell. This is my 3rd PIB and 3rd salt cell.
The error code says to replace the salt cell.
I was getting error code 123 and replaced the salt cell. Now I get the error code 124 which says the PIB should be replaced. This is why I am on my 3rd PIB. I installed the 3rd PIB today and still get the error code 124.
There are several test points on the PIB. I test them all and they are within the proper range. The transformer tests as though it is giving out the proper voltage and the PIB tests as though the low voltages are OK. The CompuPool cell has the permanently attached DC cord so it can't be cleaned at the cell.
What am I missing.

Will be going on vacation with no local help on adding liquid chlorine. I know the Max Blue tabs are a no no. “Other ingredients” in these are only 1%.
Think I’ll be safe with these and just deal with a partial drain of the cya gets too high?

Thanks!

I woke up this morning to a wet spot on my coping and a slow drop from the coping to pool. I assume this is a leak? Any insight on where to begin on next steps to remediate?

so we recently replastered our pool and our main drain is broken. We don't want to fix main drain because there is a huge cost. so we were going to wait to fix that. is this safe to continue to swim this way??

I had noticed that it seemed like my chlorine production was decreasing. It was summer and the outdoor temperature had been creeping up so I bumped up the duty cycle from 30% to 50%. I'm in coastal SoCal and I have a vinyl cover that is on most of the time so I get away with running only about 4 hrs per day. I checked and added some salt to bring it up to 3300 ppm, which is right in the middle of the target range (tested first with the onboard sensor, then with the $2-a-pop salt test strips. I checked the pH with an OTO test kit and added muriatic acid so that the pH was right at the low end of optimal. Note that I had gotten no error messages whatsoever from the system. I had proper flow rate indicated. The cell is oriented horizontally with the Salt/Temp/Flow sensor on the bottom. The cell was cell was cycling between normal and reversing and as nearly as I could tell, it was resting about in line with the 50% duty cycle. I had recently completely cleaned the DE filter and replaced all of the filter media. Other filter baskets were mostly clear of debris. Chlorine tests (both strips and liquid kit) at the outlet still were not showing any measurable chlorine production at an outlet. The new salt cell had been working flawlessly for about 15 months.

The chlorine levels were still decreasing so I decided to have a look at the plates on the cell itself. Before I took the cell out I confirmed I was getting 26.1-26.3 VDC at the connected contacts of the cell while the DC connector was lifted up slightly but still connected. Note only one side (center to one side) shows voltage potential at a time depending on whether it is in normal or reversing mode. After I removed the cell I could see a little bit of scale on the plates, but nothing that was even close to bridging or blocking flow.

So here is the strange part: I decided to see if I could measure any resistance between the plates of the cell. It should read extremely high resistance or open circuit, if I correctly understand the cell operation.

I set the multimeter to measure 20K ohms resistance and tested both ways - center to one side, center to the other side. The cell is disconnected and damp, but not immersed in water. Imagine my surprise when the meter read -8.1K ohms (!) That's right, the trusty, crusty old Craftsman digital multimeter actually read negative resistance. When I reversed the leads it read an open circuit so I assume that there is a diode in the meter circuit for resistance, (or in each side of the salt cell?) that allows current flow in one direction only. I wasn't able to definitively read any voltage potential across any of the unconnected cell contacts.

I assume that there was some sort of weak galvanic reaction within the cell that was causing a positive voltage change across the leads of the multimeter. I still haven't figured out what metal (or metal salt?) could have gotten in there and caused this.

So that was yesterday. I acid-washed the cell and forcefully spray-cleaned the cell and it seems to be producing chlorine again. Time will tell.

Does anyone have any idea how this could happen? Any ideas how to prevent it in the future?

Thanks,
Patch

Purchased a Polaris 9550 Sport in April 2023 and it works great! I love the "LIFT" feature. However, when it cannot climb the wall due to my step lip, it travels across the liner sideways, marring the liner over time (see photo below). The cleaner has hard plastic wheels. I contacted my pool dealer (Leslie's) and was hoping maybe there are rubberized wheels I could switch out, but told me there are none. My google search also showed no alternate wheel options.

Has anyone else experience liner issues such as this with their Polaris pool cleaner?

Will be getting a cleaner with rubber type treads, probably going back to Dolphins.

Is it necessary to drain 6" below skimmer?
Problems I run into:
a winter cover for 30' poo( yes, it says there is 4' overhang but I don't seem to ever have much)l and adding the pillow does not allow the cover to lay on top of water resulting in a taut cover putting significant strain on the railings and walls of pool.
I have ordered a 33' cover, in the past, hoping this would solve the problem but the excess overhang only caused it to catch in the Oklahoma winds and, well.......that idea was no good.
Could I lay the cover on top of water and sink the edges of pool cover in the water and not use the ratchet system therefore nothing to catch wind
Is there a product ( thick , a closed cell foam) used in pool float , that is the same diameter as pool and you lay it right on top of water Blocking sunlight .
I have a deck that goes Half way around the pool.
I've researched shrink wrap and it's not recommended due to the deck.
.Any thoughts????





There would

Hey everyone! I can’t seem to get my CYA up for very long, so I’m going to use dichlor this time since I like instant gratification lol. My question is, when I look at dichlor granule products on Amazon, many of the cheapest products (I only need a pound of it) say they are for spas and hot tubs. Can this still be used in pools? Is it just a marketing thing? Don’t lecture me about CYA and liquid chlorine, please. I only use LC, have a great test kit, and know how much I need to raise my CYA. This is a one time thing lol. Thanks in advance!!

Pool is new, just finished in December. During rhe pool builder's pool school, they said to clean out the filter monthly, replace yearly. I cleaned it out in February and noticed after the pressure was running lower than it was previously and lower than the green arrow on the gauge. Last week, I cleaned it again ahead of schedule because I've been having an issue with thrips. After, I noticed the pressure was running higher than before, but it was right with the green arrow.

The pump turns on automatically at 100% at 9 am, then runs at 85% once it gets hot enough for the solar panels to kick on. This morning, I returned home from taking my daughter to school and as soon as I got to my driveway, I heard a high pitched whining coming from the pump/filter. It went away when I manually decreased the pump speed down. After finding some anecdotal evidence that it may be the filter making the sound, I cleaned it again this afternoon. I also opened the drain plug and hosed out the inside. After starting everything back up, there was no more whining sound at 100% speed, but the filter pressure has gone up even higher than before and is now running above the green arrow at 100%. I thought the pressure should be lower after cleaning, so I don't know what is causing this. I do have a brand new cartridge I can put in there, but I was hoping to wait until after I get the thrips situation handled (open to suggestions for that as well!).

Apologies for the long post. I'm new to all this and trying to be thorough!

Should a saltwater pool close differently?

We are currently getting about 100 gpm from our outdoor pool pump. I'm told the pump is capable of much more flow than that. The state regs say our pool should turn over every 6 hours, so that's 167 gpm required for our 60,000 gallon pool. We had the pump checked out and were told the impeller is worn and needs to be replaced.... recommended new impeller, diffuser, and shaft seal. Make sense?

Is there any reason why the flow rate on the pump might be throttled back via some valves in the plumbing system, i.e. to match what the filters can handle? We have 2 Pentair TR-140 sand filters on the system. After backwashing, PSI on filters is usually around 22.

My sand filter recently started to split at the seam. Pool company here said my pump was too powerful for the filter. Pump is 133gpm and he said the filter was good for up to 75gpm, but it worked for almost 2 years. Regardless, I purchased a new cartridge filter rated for 150gpm. Skimmer is 1.5" PVC to pump. Pump is 2" PVC to filter. Filter out is 2" initially with a 90° out to 2" and then reduced to 1.5" to pool return jet. Pool is 24' round above ground. All PVC joints were sanded, purple primed and blue glued. Four times now I have turned on the pump and get less than 5 minutes until one of the PVC connections between the filter and pool (2" to 1.5" reduction) come apart. Only difference from the previous setup that worked for two years is the pump to filter PVC run used to be 1.5" and is now all 2". All suggestions? My pool guy actually told me it was too hot for him to come out and do this.

Can’t use normal stabilizer tabs because of CYA issues. Liquid works great but is expensive and hard to get at times. In Texas at A-Tex pools found some NST no stabilizers tabs, Cal Hypo tabs, anyone use these? Would help if they cause no other problems

Moved from here.
Just wanted to ask for a proven replacement LED for my JandyJLUC10-50 color led. When my fiberglass pool was installed they put a Fusion LED that lasted about 6 years of hardly using it. I replaced it with the Jandy multi color led I listed above. I noticed brown water inside the Jandy today so its toast. I think Jandy maybe bought Fusion? They both used the same docking ring, 12 volt, 10 watt and looked identical.
Is there a time proven multi color light that I can use the same transformer and easily install someone can recommend please?
Thank you

Hi! I need to add some calcium to my pool. It is at 220 ish and I want to bring it up a bit. I have a salt water pool, pebble sheen. My ph however is at 8ish. Should I bring down the ph first or just add the calcium and deal with the ph later. Thanks!

Also I bought hardness plus from Leslie’s to use. Is this ok?

Ph 8
Tc 5
Calcium230
Alk70
Cya 45
Salt 3100

Newbie pool owner here; we just installed our fiberglass pool in August. We live in an area with clay soil, and have had standing water in our yard in the past during heavy rain. Fortunately, before they dug for the pool it had been dry for some period of time and they didn't hit water when installing. When we checked the dewatering pipe after install, we could barely see any water.

We just had a long day of heavy rain, and the dewatering hole is now filled up to less than 3 feet from the top. We were told not to let that water line go higher than the pool water line. We're expecting more rain today. How close can it get to the pool water line before there's an issue, and is there a "best practice" of say, keeping the water below 3 feet, 4 feet etc. - at a certain level?

Also given how quickly it seemed to rise, I'm concerned that going forward if there's a rainy period or snowy winter that we're going to need to be constantly pumping water out...are there permanent dewatering systems that might make more sense?

Thank you!

Hello - I've been unable to figure out how to PM a member directly. I've tried clicking on a member's name and looking for "start a conversation" (or anything similar), but can't seem to find it. Can anyone help?

Hello everyone! I have an issue, I usually buy liquid chlorine from Walmart and just ran out. I just checked all Walmarts in a 50 mile radius and they are all out!
What is my next move? I live in Southern NC and I don't know what to use instead.
Any suggestions would be great!

I'm closing the pool up for winter and I have been reading on these forums that people say not to clean the salt cell anymore. That actually cleaning them shortens their life expectancy. Is that true?

I know that many on here like the Raypak atmospheric heater for the simple design and relatively less expensive repairs. That used to be the way they were all made.

Somewhere along the line the blower style became more prominent. Even Raypak has now gone that route with the Avia.

My question is why? If they heat the water with about the same efficiency what is the reason the industry has moved in that direction?

PB closed my pool last year. They did a terrible job. They didn’t winterize heater, they didn’t even take the salt salt out. They put a lot of algecides, God knows what else they put. They haven’t put gizmo or anything in the skimmers either!

I wanted to do it myself this year for the first time. I was planning to buy the cyclone pool line blower. My pool is a bit complicated, has in floor cleaning system, waterfalls, bubbles etc.

A pool professional recommended me to still go with PB since if something happens after closing, I could sue them for it. Is that true? How can I hold PB accountable and liable for anything bad happens like leaking, cracking etc once pool opened? Do I record a video everything functioning before closing? Do I take pics? How can I prove in courts they cause big problems? What are some of the ways to protect myself from their risky closing practices and put the liability on them? They are a big pool builder company, but they don’t respond to any emails or calls, so if Godfid smt happens, I am 100% sure that they will not return my calls unless I sue them.

They charge $500 for closing, I would rather them to do it if there is a way to prove in laws that they cause it smt bad happens. I really really appreciate any advice.

My pool is built 2 years ago. I am the 2nd owner. 25K gallon SWG, 20x40 gunite pebbletec. I maintained it throughout the summer.

Here are some pics.

Hello
I’m currently waiting on a replacement cell and power center. My 2 week old system stopped working over the weekend. The company is sending me a replacement but will be at least a week out. Does anyone recommend i put in some chlorine in the meantime?

In looking at the manual it does not appear that you can change the location of the controls in relation to the plumbing connections. Is that correct?

2 months ago, I noticed a leak of 2.5 inches per day so I called a leak detection company. They 1) pressurized all my pipes (passed) 2) conducted dye test on all jets around side of pool and skimmer basket (passed) and 3) used a microphone type device to listen for a leak at side jets and main drain (passed).

They suspected it was the seam where the skimmer basket meets tile in the opening so they epoxy’d it for 24 hours to see if leak would stop and it worked so I went ahead and got that regrouted and plastered which also worked.

Now, just last week I noticed I’m losing 2.5 inches per day. This time, I’m letting the leak drain the pool to see where it stops. I’m currently past the light which means it has to be the main drain I suppose but I’m confused on what exactly it could be down there since my pipes were just pressurized, and there’s no visible cracks. Where do I go from here?

Hi all,
Greetings from Southern Spain!

I wonder whether someone might be able to assist! My pool pump has stopped dosing the pH minus. It was working well a few days ago but then the tub ran dry and it's now stopped. I have replaced the tub for a full one but the pump is not drawing the liquid. I have switched the unit off and on again but this has not had any positive affect! I have attached a few images of the set up.

Any advice would be gratefully received!

Regards,
Richie.