First of all many thanks for all the useful insights in this forum and it has been a great help to me to manage the pool. We have an old pool that in the house we bought and learning how to manage. I am upgrading the pool pump to an energy efficient variable speed and also replacing some of the old diverter valves (broken handles, broken lube, ..). I noticed that inside the 3 port diverter valve there is some plastic hose between the main drain & skimmer -- sort of like prevent using either one exclusively for safety. Wanted to check what this exactly is meant for and if I should use same set-up in my new diverter valve. Please find the pictures where I have high-lighted the part in question. Thanks!

Hello,
approx 8 years ago I had a custom spa/waterfall built (not enough room for a pool) . I left all decisions to the contractor who installed a Pentaire ic40 salt chlorine generator system. To date, I’ve had non stop issues with equipment going bad and spent $$$$ on replacing things. I have a company that maintains the spa weekly but I’m beginning to wonder if bad water chemistry has contributed to all the money I’ve spent replacing things - I'm on 2nd heater, second pump, 3rd set of lights, and now I’m told salt generator cell went bad. The cell was replaced yesterday but there are no lights. I’ve contacted the pool company that I’m seeing no lights. Could I have a bad salt cell AND bad power supply? As a point of reference, I noticed last week that the spa was cloudy. I went out and purchased a test kit and there was high ph and zero chlorine. What a mess. I really have no clue when the salt generator went bad but based on the maintenance log I found, there have been no entries for a year! I’ve always assumed this Pentaire system was too complicated for me to learn but now I think feigning ignorance is my biggest $$ mistake. Thoughts from the group?

I have two schedules set up, spillway during the day and pool during the night. My spillway is not cutting of at night. I know i am missing something but cannot figure out what it is.







Pentair
Automation: EasyTouch 8 with screenlogic 2
Pump: IntelliFlo3 VSF

As subject says I have the Pentair Magicstream Laminar's. I have two of them. Both appear to be hitting the edges of the hole where they shoot through the top cover. I do not appear to see any real adjustment on the side knobs, is there some type of trick to this? And also am I suppose to take them apart and clean anyfilters or anything in them?

Hello all, Sonni here from Hotter than Hades Houston. I’m so glad I found you all, looking forward to learning. Thank you all MUCHO!

First of all, I'm thankful to this community for all of the wealth of information provided here. Unrelated to the reason I'm posting now, but I'm on day 2 of my first SLAM because I got complacent about my chemistry and got myself a nasty algae bloom. This is our first full summer with a pool and kept telling myself "everybody said a saltwater pool was low maintenance, so what am I worried about? Look how crystal clear that water is!" I said that to myself off and on for a few weeks until our water turned green! I'M WIDE AWAKE NOW and this site has been a treasure trove of information over the last week or two. Water's more clear each day and my FC level right now is about 25 and my CC's have been 0 to 0.5 for a few days in a row. which brings me to the reason I'm posting.

I wanted to increase the filtering performance of my sand filter by adding DE so I followed the how-to on this site. My filter runs at around 20-21 PSI immediately after a good backwash and rinse, and it was at 21 psi when I went to add the DE to the skimmer. I added 1/4 cup in a bucket of water and checked after 2 minutes, and my PSI had already increased by 1 pound. I was expecting to have to add 1-2 cups, per the how to. Should I be concerned or relieved that it only took 1/4 cup?

Would it cause problems if a popsicle stick gets stuck inside one of the chambers of a Hayward TCELL940 SWG chlorinator??

ARe any of you familiar with filter balls? A friend of a friend wants to try them and asked what I think but I've never seen them.

We have a Hayward heat/chill that is new, we put our pool in last year and was not informed how to use the chill mode. We have no manual or any help from pool company. Our company that test the chemical do not know how. So help someone. The model is 31204T by Hayward. The display on front is bo or 6o I don’t know what that means.

Moved from here.

It’s rained upon rain . I was constantly draining pool . It has been crazy weather . My numbers changed considerably. Here they are and I have a few questions please .
Fc 2.5 ( I added 35 oz 12.5 bleach ) already
Ta is 50
Cya 20 or Lower I added the whole bottle and still seen dot ( faintly )
Ph my dad says 7.2 I say 7.6
My questions are this
1. Is alkalinity up the same as baking soda ? The bucket says sodium hydrogen carbonate . Pool math says baking soda
2. To raise cya can/should I use left over chlorine tabs that have stabilizer ?
3 will the alkalinity up raise ph ? I want to use alkalinity up because I already paid for it and don’t want to waste money . I moving forward just do what pool math suggests .
4 . Wanna Gus’s my ph

i might have went a bit overboard for a Intex setup but hopefully it was worth it , I built my pool on a 24x20 pad made from 3/4” horse stall mats , I purchased the largest Intex pump and SWG they offer, a Hayward Pro Series 50,000 BTU Variable speed heat pump, Vinylworks sliding ladder with a custom 3D printed frame mount to secure it . We wired the heat pump with a plug as my garage is less then 8’ away , I want to be able to take it down easily. I still need to finish the landscaping and cleanup , but as of today everything is working, pump. Has no issue triggering the heat pump

I need advice! A month ago we noticed a symmetrical concave area around one of the return jets, about the size of a dinner plate, where it's sinking in slightly (1/2" or less). The concrete is not cracked but there is a white line around the perimeter where the dishing starts. Does anyone know what would cause it and how it would be fixed? I called our installer but he's not returned my call yet. This is their busiest time of year and they are very difficult to reach. I am losing sleep over it, worrying it's going to collapse during the night.

I have just discovered a section of tiles that have come loose at our cover vault wall. The tiles are pushing up and need to be repaired.


Apparently our tile warranty was only 1 year, so we either need to pay the original pool builder to come do the repairs, hire any tile person we want, and/or DIY the fix.

Seem like a pretty easy fix. However, we would need to get the safety cover completely retracted and out of the way. The tile is above the waterline, so there is no problem with water while it is repaired and the mastic or adhesive cures.

One fix I thought of was to just shoot some good construction adhesive or caulk under the tiles and press them back down into place and be done??? Or I could buy some latex modified thinset and do the repair.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions???

Thanks!

Help! Our late 70s-early 80s inground concrete pool has a single bottom drain that is apparently sealed off with a plug. Why I don't know but I suspect the previous owner must have had this done in order to stop a leak. Assuming there is a leak somewhere in that suction line how can one find and repair it? Right now the only water my pump and filter get is through the skimmer.

1. Do pool companies or plumbers have endoscopes, i.e., cameras fitted to the end of a snake that they can see the inside of the line. I have access to a circa 2" PVC pipe at the pump end?
2. Are there other ways of finding and locating the leak if one exists?
3. How does one go about repairing the same if there is an issue under the pool?
4. Could one alternatively pull through a 1.5" or 1.75" tube and seal it to the drain (on the premise that even though water flow is reduced it would still be much better than nothing which is my current state?

Thank you for this forum and for any help you our your readers are willing to share

Appreciatively, Michael

My 15.6k gallon pool uses 2-3 ppm FC daily this time of year. We are going to be away for several weeks so for the first time in my 3 seasons of pool ownership, I am going to have to bite the bullet and use tablets. We do have an in-line feeder for 3" tablets, but I've just never used it so I have some questions. Also, I have someone who can come by 1-2x a week to check things, but not more often than that, so sticking with straight LC isn't an option.

I am most concerned about run-away CYA levels while being gone for 4 weeks. My CYA is 50 now, but on the advice of this forum, I have raised it as high as 70 to help with the especially hot Texas summers and it has worked. So I feel like I have at least 20 ppm CYA headroom. But I also don't know how many tablets I will use per day or week when I'm gone. (I hope to experiment this week to find out, but time is short before departure.)

Looking at the "Effects of Adding" in the Pool Math app, it says 8 oz of trichlor (I am guessing this is the weight of one 3" tablet) will raise FC by 3.1 and CYA by 2.1 (yikes!). If I go through one tablet a day (is that crazy?---I don't know---I run my pump about 5 hours a day at 1400 rpm) to get my 3.1 ppm FC, then I'll raise CYA by about 2.1 x 28 = 58.8 in 28 days! Am I interpreting this correctly?

If so, I obviously need an alternate plan. I thought about alternating trichlor tabs with cal hypo tabs (once the feeder is completely empty of course) to try to balance chlorination needs with runaway CYA, but cal hypo tabs are actually hard to find (especially in time before I leave).

Any advice, suggestions, or corrections to the above are welcome! Thanks!

PS Needless to say, this only makes me want a SWG even more!!!

About 3 weeks ago, I was a bit lax with my pool and came home to a green pool. It wasn't to terrible, so I just got it cleaned up and never SLAMMED. Pool looks good/clear. BUT, I keep getting persistent spots of algae in my pool. Especially the south side(shaded). I started a slam on Friday night. Saturday morning, I had lost 1.5 ppm of FC. Sunday Morning 1 ppm. This morning, maybe .5(if any). So, I am declaring victory on the OCLT. BUT, I still see some green spots on the bottom of my pool....not dead. See Picture(The pic is the bottom of the deep end...8 feet.) Now.....here is the caveat. Some idiot diy'er measured and replaced his own liner(that idiot would be me because I inverted a measuring on the form.) Therefore, I have wrinkles in my liner(This was done about 10 years ago.) I've never had problems like this before. I have been swimming around with a hand brush to clean the wrinkles. I am going to brush and hand clean the wrinkles now, then bump to mustard algae level. I read the article about mustard algae and cleaning everything thoroughly. BUT, how do you clean the solar cover? Does all of this sound like I'm doing the right thing?

TIA

Hey guys! First time using a FAS-DPD kit and I am just wanting to make sure im doing this correctly- I did the powder amd moved on to the titrate, the instructions say the solution will turn clear, however this is as clear as I was able to get my solution (picture attached). Is this as clear as it will go? It is still a bit tinted and not as clear as the starting water. At this point I stopped adding drops and moved on to the CC test. Following that, I did a second test to see if I stopped too early and my FC was actually higher but adding more titrate drops actually turned my test water more pink. I rinsed my tube and got new water between tests. Is this the color the solution should be when it’s “clear”? has anyone else had this happen?

Above ground 24ft pool. Pentair sand filter. I recently replaced the pump to filter hose and the pump lid has a slow leak when turned off. I put the old hose back on (replaced bc starting to show wear…see pic) and it doesn’t leak? Also, why does the return jet “gurgle” when turned on/off? Is that normal?

Is there a way to adjust the recommended or ideal range for CYA?

In arizona with a SWG I want to run 70 CYA and app doesn't like that

I tried to remove my pool return (eyeball) to build a PVC aerator for it. My eyeball returns don't screw in, and it seems the backside(male) is flared outward. So as I was removing it from the wall, the plaster started to break loose around the pipe. I stopped before I did any more damage and tapped the return cover back in place. image below.

Another option is that I have 3 bubblers on my ledge. The bubblers are just 1/2" PVC cut flush with the plaster. So I'd have to find something that fits inside tight enough that it doesn't shoot itself out.

For a third option, I have 3 brass deck jets that are flush-mounted. My pool builder recommended I replace my middle deck jet with this WMF Series - Crown Jet - Crystal. These run about $225 locally plus I need to buy a tool to install it which is $50-75. I am not sure it would line up correctly b/c the holes on my brass deck jet are not in the same location as the Crystal cover in the image. Needless to say, I don't want to spend $300 on an option that doesn't aerate a lot and may not work.

On another note, I run my deck jets and bubblers at night and the best they've done is lower the pool 3 or 4 degrees overnight (like 93 to 90). The pool normally drops 2 degrees if I don't run them.

Any advice is appreciated!

Suction relief vent pipe is draining water from pool when pump runs. Never had this issue before. I have (2) of these suction/safety relief vent lines and only 1 is draining.

What could be causing this???

I posted earlier this year about our builder abandoning job and having to figure out how to get things finished. We are in pretty good shape now, but it seems I need to add water every 5 days or so or I start sucking air at the skimmers. I watched a YouTube on how to find leaks and one of the culprits Rita can be the light fixtures. I went to all the light fixtures in the pool and the Pentair led lights were all tight within the housing, but the light in the spa is not tight. I turned it about 4 turns and it never tightened up and when I let go it would wind back to where it was originally. I could definitely turn the light more turns but was afraid I would create a bigger problem. Any guidance on the does and dont’s in regard to tightening the Pentair led lights in the fixtures? Thanks!

(see photo)
The timer on my pool isnt working, I just moved in this year and havent needed the timer, but just noticed the gears are not turning on it.
I look at some images, videos on wiring and then looked at mine(didn't remove the cover)
But the wires I can see don't match up with what I expect to see going to the terminals. I will remove cover tonight, but i'm wondering if the timer was never setup? Is the manual switch going to operate if the timer was never set up correctly? Manual switch does work.
This is coming from someone who thinks electricity is akin to witchcraft but I can install a new light or outlet just have no idea how it works.

I am struggling to figure out what the best CYA level is for my pool, based on my current conditions.
As you can see from my log, I got CYA to 50 on 6/19 (after having a staring point of 30 and adding stabilizer)....then it raised to 60 by 7/4 (I did not not do anything raise it 60). Now today on 7/17, when I tested it is 40 (again, I did not do anything to drop it to 40).

The last week have had RECORD heat and our pool is about 86-88 degrees. Could that cause the sudden and large drop of CYA? Is it typical for CYA to change alot in the summer under these intense desert conditions? Typically, we are burning through 4-6 ppm of chlorine per day (which based on FULL SUN, heat and everything else sounds within range?)

I have stabilizer on hand and have the ability to raise the CYA...but what should I raise it to? I have read some people maintain a CYA of 70-80 when they are in desert places during the summer. But, I am getting a bit confused reading all the various responses.

As a side note...we are going away this week for 4 days (Friday-Monday)...so I plan to take the pool to shock level and add 4 pucks (that go in a holder that sinks to the bottom) and take Ph to 7.2. So, knowing what my target CYA level will be will be very helpful in this process


Thank you foray help you can provide


BONUS Question: Most people say that a pool will settle/stabilize Ph around 7.6-7.8. Problem is, my CH is around 850...so,that puts my CSI at .6+. I also noticed that if I keep my Ph higher (and thus don't add as much MA as frequently) my TA starts rising. So, based on all of the above conditions...I think it is a better course of action for my pool is to aim for ph 7.2-7.4 even though that means me adding more MA and more frequently. That way it keeps my TA and my CSI at a better spot.

Hi-

I have an above ground pool, just getting it opened. I’ve added CYA- level is now 28 .
Had Combined chlorine, so slammed pool- brought chlorine up to 15.

Today-
CYA - 28
Chlorine level today is 9
Chombined chlorine- 0
PH- 7.4

Can kids swim with chlorine or 9? (Not ideal level for my cya, but ok since under slam of 12?)

Would you add more CYA?

How often do you test chlorine- how often do you add it on to keep it at a good level?
I was doing 4 cups chlorine per night last year, and that was getting old!

Thanks!

I installed a GVA-24 valve actuator to control a waterfall. It is plugged into an Omnihub. With power to the Omnihub, there does not appear to be any power to the actuator. Moving the switch to On1 or On 2 does nothing. I opened up the actuator and tested for 24VAC between black and red/white and got 0. Did this with the actuator manual switch in the OFF and On1 position.

Also tested the pins on the Omnihub connector and got 0. Assuming I should see 24VAC there but not sure.

Any thoughts on what to try next? The Omnihub and GVA-24 are both new but I suppose one or the other could be defective out of the box. Hopefully, I'm just doing something dumb that can be easily corrected.

Is there a way to delete a log in case I put a test result number in the wrong spot (accidentally logged my fc of 22.5 in the ph). I didn’t see anywhere to delete that entry. Figured you guys would know. Thanks!

For all those interested in the Hotspot FPH system I've got a story that has finally concluded and thought you all might be interested. I installed my system with the build of my pool just a touch over 2 years ago along with several tips and thoughtful advice from folks on here. Right around the same time as DrGlanton. My AC units were both brand new within one year prior to that.
Here in NE Florida, once we're into the full swing of summer, I don't run the FPH as the pool gets plenty warm all on it's own. (our preferred temp is around 87) So, my FPH has been turned off for several weeks and last week my fan on my AC unit died. I'd heard it making it a weird noise and commented to myself that it didn't sound good and a day later it was ded. Called my AC guy, who happens to be the same guy who did the FPH install work for me and he comes and troubleshoots and tells me that the fan is ded and will be replaced under warranty but that the part has to be ordered in and will take several days to arrive. In the meantime, the top of the AC unit is torn up, the fan is removed and the AC isn't runnable all while we are hitting 100 degrees plus every day.
In a nutshell, I turned the FPH back on, set my desired pool temp to the absolute maximum that FPH says is safe (94 degrees with an upper limit of 96) and proceeded to run the AC while waiting for the replacement fan. My pool got HOT, nearly 96 degrees BUT our house was nice and cool.
today, I'm back to air cooling my AC for the summer and my water temp has dipped back down to normal ambient.
Just thought any of you interested in the FPH might be interested in how it saved my family from melting for 5 days.

PebbleTec vs StoneScapes :
Cost per unit for installer

My installer quoted us PebbleTec and then ended up using StoneScapes Mini Pebble. Is this a bait and switch or is the cost difference negligible?

Moved from here.

So right now the pools doing pretty good, would you recommend SLAM at this point in the summer or wait until next spring. I didnt realize you could use the pool during the process but that actually makes sense. I planned on doing SLAM next spring. I did "shock" by adding a container of liquid chlorine after 4 days of torrential rains but other than that its been fairly stable..not great. I bought the strips before I found TFP and will dunk one once in a while but wont get new ones.

Moved from here.