I recently had repair person change out the band and duck fitting in my 2 yr old pump. Today I realized it has not stopped running for over 24 hrs. The pump was hot to the touch. I turned it off. Why would this keep running? It had drained my 35 gallon chlorinator tank in this 24 hr pd. What may be wrong and how do I fix it?

Hi all,

Preamble:
I came to this site years ago because I do everything myself. When something expensive breaks I try to figure out how to fix it, vs get a new one. I have measured and replaced my in ground pool liner, changed my timing belt on my odyssey, and replaced my own iPhone glass. All that to say, i can do it, and for me, if I can do things nobody else is doing, I get to have the money to do things nobody else gets to do. That's a little more than you needed.

Why I am posting this:
I know my T-CELL-15 is getting on in age and, while it is producing fine, I am expecting its inevitable failure. If that happens today, its $900 + tax. I think it can be fixed

Here is what I have found:
Ebay has sellers that will take your broken T-CELL-X and fix it for you - If they can do it, I can do it.
Guy on youtube took apart his T-CELL-5 - He points out that it appears Hayward installed the Thermistor in a way that its not possible to replace it, forced obsolesce. There are manufactures out there that will pour epoxy all over the circuit board so you can't possibly repair it.

That is interesting on its own, but... If you read in the comments under that youtube link someone said this:
The most common component to fail on these units is the Thermistor that is inside the Cell that is shown in the video. The Thermistor is used to determine the water temp and salt level. If the Thermistor fails, you will more then likely get a "HOT" error on your panel. If you check the Molex connector, pins 6 and 10 connect to the blue and red wires. You can use a multimeter to check the resistance and continuity. The resistance should be around 10K ohm, +- 2K ohm depending on your temp. If you see reading that are way too high or low then your Thermistor is cooked. The easiest fix is to slice the power cord cable sheathing and expose the wires. The blue and red are the ones you need to work on. Cut the wires and solder a 10K ohm resistor between the red and blue wire that are facing the Molex connector. Give the unit a test and the error should be gone. Tape everything backup up with some electrical tape and you are done. The 10K ohm resistor has the control panel think that the water temp is 77F. Fixed my unit this way and it works perfectly. One dollar resistor and 2mins of soldering saved me $1000 for a new unit...

Ok so what's the point, what's the question?:
Questions are:

1. Is it true that the Thermistor fails on these more often than anything?
2. This solution bypasses the Thermistor, fooling the unit into thinking its 77 degrees, but the Thermistor also tests the salt ppm, right? If you use a test kit, what is the downside?
3. Are there any other good solutions for fixing these units vs dropping almost $1000 on a new one?
4. What other thoughts does anyone have on this?

I am very curious, and I can see myself in the future coming right back to this to move forward when it eventually does fail.

Thanks all

We replaced our 11+ yo Heyward pump with a new pump (Hayward W3SP2307X10 MaxFlo XL Pool Pump, 1 HP)

After wiring, then starting it, it ran for a second, then the breaker flipped. Tried it again. Same thing.

Called a pool/pump repairman. He came to my house, examined the pump, including how I wired it. He told me the capacitor was bad (even though the pump was brand new). He advised I either submit warranty claim, ship it back and have my money refunded. OR get a new capacitor and replace it myself.

Well I ordered a capacitor whose specs matched the OEM: 108-130uF, 165Vac.

I was told to attach the same wires to the same place. I did so, (or so I thought), and tried the pump. The capacitor started smoking.

After some research, I realized I failed to attach one of the wires. I had put the two yellow wires on opposite terminals, but forgot to attach a third, grey wire.

Thus my questions:

1. So now, I'm assuming I need to buy another capacitor, since I made this one smoke. Is this true?
2. I'm also wondering if I have the voltage jumper on the Hayward set right. It comes factory installed with the jumper set to 240. I assume the power that goes to my pool pump is 220 because the circuit breaker is the type that is two circuit breakers connected with one handle. Also, the external timing box and current breaker (where you remove a thing to cut the current) look pretty beefy and big.
3. THEN, I noticed that the OEM capacitor says 165Vac. Is that related to the voltage being delivered to is? Is it a problem that volts being sent is 220, but the VAC is 165? If so, should I get a capacitor with a higher VAC, such as 220-250. As in this capacitor: Amazon.com

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help me during this holiday weekend.

Hello,
I read through the thread by MAS985 and it was super informative but my concern is about a pool I have about to go in. Pool is being installed in my back yard but the pump filter and heater are set to be installed next to the house. The pool 18x36 ~23,000 gallons will have 2 skimmers and 3 returns per the quote and will be ran off a 1hp Hayward. My concern comes in that the pool is going to sit about 10' below where the pump is and the pipe run will be at least 70 feet, is a 1HP going to be enough? I understand that the head loss will equal the head gain but will this pump be big enough to prime and will it turn the pool enough?

I'm new to this so don't crush me if my wording is off.

Hi All,

New poster here. OK; on my second Hayward EC65A - about 6 years old. Ran great, only needing occasional cleaning and 4-5 lbs. of DE once every 1-2 months. Started getting dirty DE in my pool when "bumping." Thought I might have too much DE so cleaned it (through the pressure meter hole with a Hayward "wand" and ONLY added 3 lbs of DE. Ran great for 3 days, then pressure build up too high (leaking through top of filter). OK; cleaned it again. This time ran OK the first day ... 2nd day pressure started at 10psi, after an hour 13psi, after another hour 20psi with of course the top leaking Drained some of the filter water, assuming I still have to much DE and restarted it. Will follow up on what happens next.

FYI, pool is very clean but did have some algae build up a month ago. Piping is all 2" PVC and motor is single speed 2HP. Pool volume is 18,000 gallons with a (new) 55K CircuPool chlorinator (replaced a 40K Hayward chlorinator last month).

So;
1. Is it possible I am not using enough DE meaning my filter gets clogged because the fingers are not fully coated?
2. Is my filter "dead?" Found a used replacement for $400 ... try it or don't even attempt a "used" filter.
3. If I buy a new one, I assume I can purchase the bigger EC75A and just transplant the "inside components."

Thanks for all the help!

Emile

Hi all

Hope you’re all well, new member here.

We have a kidney-shaped in-ground liner pool (approx 100,000L) which had been losing around 50mm a day for about 2 weeks. It has since settled with the water level about 80mm below the top of the pool light (well below the returns and skimmer). The rate of loss didn’t seem to be affected by the pump being on or off. There is no evidence of water-logging in the lawn adjacent to the pool light, so I’m hesitant to conclude that the light is responsible. There are also no visible holes or tears in the liner. The water level was holding well for years prior to this, but was full of debris for a while prior to being cleaned recently. The main drain was heavily covered in leaves, but was exposed a short while before the leak occurred, which is the primary reason as to why I suspect that the main drain line may be compromised.

The base of the pump is located approx 200mm below the designed water level of the pool.

Not sure how to proceed from here, so any help would be most welcome. Please let me know if any more info is needed.

Many thanks in advance.

Surj

I have a 30k in ground concrete pool. Just moved in.
It losing about 1/2to 1 inch of water per day. No visible puddles. Can’t see any leaks from equipment. All equipment seems to be working. But one skimmer is blocked. Has an attached spa.
Some cracks around the edges.

Jim from Chester Springs Pa

I have a leaking check valve that leaks back into my pool when i run the spa. I am new to the plumbing side but think I have the right areas to make the cuts and what i need to replace.
Can someone take a look and see if this looks right. The pool return is on the left side and the spa return is on the right. In the middle are the check valve and ball valve i need to replace. Those are both currently 11/2 " while the rest is 2 inch. I am planning to replace them all identical size. Attached is a photo and i highlighted in yellow where i think i should make my cuts and take out that plumbing and replace with new.
Hope this is correct but if anyone has any suggestions on if a better way and maybe what order I might install the new plumbing. Thank you

I am redoing my spa plumping. Previous installation the air pipes where so high up, they had to make 2" step around the spa to hide the air piping. Since I am remodeling, I am thinking of putting air pipes below water pipes.

Instructions says the air connections (spigot) should be facing up. I think this is for sucking air with venturi effect. But I do have an air blower. In that case, does it really matter if air pipe (spigot) is set downwards?

I am going to use similar tee body assembly as now, the one in picture below.

Hello all,

I have had an intelliflo VSF 3hp for 4 years with no issues, and today I noticed the pump never started. Sure enough the breaker had tripped. Upon resetting, the keypad display turned on, and immediately tripped upon starting the priming phase. It tripped so quickly I never heard it begin to spin up. I revoved the motor from the pump housing and the impeller is clear and spins freely. When I power the unit and visualize the impeller it barely attempts to spin before the breaker is tripped. I switched the breaker with an identical one (20 amp GFCI) that runs my blower and that one tripped as well. The pump is bonded and all wiring is free of moisture and damage. I removed the control unit from the top of the unit and all connections in there look new. Does this indicate a shorted motor? I read somewhere else that it could be a bad capacitor but I dont even see one on the unit. Of course this would happen the right before the 4th

Thanks in advance

Hello. We had an F2 Tornado destroy a vinyl fence and send a ton of panels and debris into our pool. We lost power for 10 hours. Our filter, pump, and heater are back up and running but now it looks like the intellichlor salt chlorine generator on our Pentair system is staying off.... all lights are off....and this is a brand new intellichlor that was working fine.

I am a new pool owner, so my knowledge is limited and my pool company is not answering their phone, either their power is out or they are overwhelmed with service calls. I've tried troubleshooting. The main (big) circuit breaker is not tripped. I don't know how to use or re-set the "low voltage" circuit breakers on the panel. I have cleared all leaves and debris and backwashed.

What else should I try?

Hi,


New to the forum. Have read lots of good info the past few weeks and have finally decided to start a thread.

Looking to get an in ground pool installed. I live in the suburbs of Chicago. (Long Grove, Illinois)

15x39 (possibly 18x40 if gunite).

I have a high water table. Very high water table. I know this from tests and my local septic contractor. It is confirmed.

My options are FG from Latham Corinthian 16 or same design in gunite.

Price for the FG is 100K. Price for the gunite is 160K.

I am not saying money is not a factor, but it is NOT primary factor. I would say longevity with high water table being the main reason for going one way or another.

Am I annoyed the difference is so large? I would say yes because if it was close I would go gunite. Still not for sure, but decision I believe to be way easier!

Just looking for everyones thoughts? Obviously people from this region would be great, but I welcome all comments and appreciate each one!



Excited either way I go!

Hello from turner maine, avid pool guy here willing to help when and where I can and also looking for help with automation, have a 24’ round pool and have had it for 5 years

I have always used hydrochloric acid to lower the PH, but it seems like everyone is using sulphuric acid for this.
Is there any specific reason for this. Is SA better than HA?

The reason I use HA is, that we always have it at home and I can get it at the local supermarket - SA can only be found in home-improvement stores and similar.

I totally forgot to introduce myself - just bumped in and started loading questions on you
I am F, 46 and living in Denmark with my SO and 3 sons (11, 17 and 19)

Being from Scandinavia, we don't have a large pool tradition here. When I grew up, only "the rich ones" had pools. Always IG, typically 8-shaped.
The rest of us got a new paddling pool for the garden every summer.

As the years have passed, pools have become more common, but mostly Intex-type. 95% of all owners empty them each fall and store them in the shed.

And 98% maintain them by "dump and pray", following test strips and guides saying 1-3 ppm FC.
I was one of them until last summer, when I discovered TFP.
I don't have access to the correct testing kits, so I go by my photometer and common sense........

Hi, we have a 2hp Pentair fixed speed pump that runs our sheer descents. I noticed a week ago that the pump is no longer kicking on when scheduled.

The pump has run for 3 years without issue and the control system shows it should be on (Intellicenter).

No breakers are tripped. I do see there is a bit of corrosion on the top cover, but it appears to still be sealing. Any suggestions how best to troubleshoot?

I started off with a previous post thinking I had DE at the bottom of my pool. Now I don't believe it was.

Folks in here suggested mustard algae, as did the guys who built my pool. I did both the SLAM process and the algaecide method ( I know, go ahead and yell). The suspected "algae" never turned brown as it was supposed to. Nevertheless, I vacuumed to waste and then used the robot. I still go out every day and see collections of this dirt in great quantities trapped in corners and wrinkles. Today after my robot picked it up, I did a bit more analysis. Attached is a picture. It's the consistency of beach sand (coarse).Shown is several ounces in a coffee cup.

The fatalist in me is now suspecting an underground pipe leak letting this material in. I'm contemplating having someone run a camera down the pipes.
Pool is crystal clear (never cloudy) and the residue just sits on the bottom. I don't see anything too coarse in the skimmer or skimmer socks. Here's some chemistry from today for the record.:

FC- 4
TC- 4
CC- 0
pH- 8.1
Hardness- 163
Alkalinity- 104
CYA- 33
Copper- .4 (Dang algaecide, lesson learned)
Phosphates- 1230
Salt- 3300

Greetings;

So, I'm in need of a second pool pump for my juacuzzi. I currently have a Pentair Intelliflo VSF, connected to their ScreenLogic or whatever it is called. It can control only one pump.

Ran across this new Black and Decker 3HP pump, which is significantly cheaper that another VSF.

Has anyone tried to hack the controller yet, so maybe it can be remote controlled?

The manual gives a hint that the keypad is communicating with the pump via a 5 wire cable:
E-16—Communication Link between the HMI and Motor Control has been Lost: Check the jacketed wire on the back side of the keypad inside the drive top cover. Ensure that the 5 pin connector is properly plugged into the socket and that there is no damage to the cable.
That would indicate a communication protocol of some sort...

Cheers.

I'm new to the forum. Thanks in advance for feedback.
I'm building a new pool 20' x 40' (Cross Section and CAD image attached) and would appreciate the experience of the forum with a few questions.

• Is slope of 1:7 ok for the sports end of the pool (left side)?
• Is 11' on either side of center enough length for the sports side of pool (volleyball / basketball)?
• Is 1:22 slope reasonable for the shallow end (right side)?

If needed, I could go a little bit longer (couple of feet) if it would made an substantial improvement.

Thanks
Bill

We have a 3 year old saltwater pool. In May our IC40 intellichlor went out. Had our pool guy come out to diagnose and told us to buy a new one. Hubby installed it and it's been turning on ok, however, the green cell light has never turned on. The flow and salt levels are green. Is there something we missed when setting it up or did we get a faulty chloinator? It's producing zero chlorine. Thanks in advance.

I have some stains on my PebbleTec that began last summer and are increasing in numbers THIS summer. It's been suggested to try Jack's Magic Stain ID Kit. I read reviews on this product and there are a lot of good reviews and results, but some people said it actually CAUSED some stains in their pool that they did not previously have. So obviously now I am a bit hesitant to try it.

Has anyone actually tried this product and what were YOUR results? Did it CAUSE any staining?

This is what I’ve been vacuuming up yesterday and today (nylon stocking in vacuum hose)
The white stuff turns in to very fine chalky dust when dry.
Dead algae……? Or……..?

What’s up y’all. Been having a pool since 2021 and pool pump broke. Trying to overhaul motor and lookin’ for help. Giddy up!

We are strongly considering putting a pool for the family (3 elementary aged kids) and talked with one company on design and concepts. I have lived in a home with a pool, so I am in the process of learning as much as I can about the process. I hope to use this thread for questions and to document/show progress. First off, lots of questions:

We like the unique design and natural look of Biodesign pools. We looked at a home with one installed, but I am struggling to find much relevant to the this type of pool construction on forums. Does anyone have any thoughts or resources on these types of pools? Any positive or negative experiences?

We have a concept drawn up below with rough estimates on size to show a 10k gallon pool w/ 527 ft2 surface area. This includes one water feature, no spa, and it will be a chlorine + mineral water pool (this is what biodesign uses). We are torn on the layout. The current version, shown below, has the deep end in the middle of the pool. This would allow the kids to play valley ball or some other games across the pool. The other option would be to have a traditional layout with the deeper at the end of the pool, opposite of the beach. Current "deep" is only 5 ft. Anyone have preferences on layout and depths based on how their pool gets used?

I am going to ask for specifics equipment models, but as a starting point, this was listed under "standard pool equipment" in the contract:
Main Pump: Pentair Variable Speed 3hp Pump
Filter: Pentair Commercial Sand with Glass – sized for pool
Blower: 1 HP Blower
Cleaner: BTW 600 Robot Cleaner
Control Box: Pentair Automation – Easytouch 4
Remotes: Iphone or Android
Sanitizers: Inline chlorinator and mineral cartridge

Any thoughts on design, equipment, or technical specs.

Hello everyone,
I have an intex Krystal Clear sand filter and I am running into some issues when trying to backwash. ill be honest our pool got decently dirty this off season. When we got the pump up and running everything was working great. The problem is when I go to backwash it there is barely any pressure coming out of the drain port. When I rinse the sand there is a lot of water coming out and when I filter there is good pressure coming out of the return port in the pool. I only loose pressure when I backwash. When the pump is in "filter" my pressure gage is only showing in the line right between yellow and green. any ideas as to why when I backwash there is barely any water coming out of the drain port?

Thanks all!

I've been using a 12mil clear solar cover for the last two years, and based on my records, I think it adds about 5deg F to the pool temperature in the steady state during swim season. Due to pandemic, I also haven't been away from home for more than two days during swim season.

I was wondering if I take the cover off while I'm out of town and let trichlor pucks do their thing, when I get back in town and put the cover back on, how long does it take to reach steady state heating? Is it next day effect? or does it take a couple of days?

I've always been too afraid of losing heat to conduct the obvious experiment myself

Hello everyone!

My name is Jim,. I am originally from Upstate NY, had a vinyl liner pool for 20 years, relocated to FL in 2021.

I now have a 14 x 28 in ground pool with sun shelf and jacuzzi, gunite with diamond coat, water from hose filled 3 weeks ago, saline generator on x 1 week.

So far so good, but I am having issue with ph 9 per meter, and at least 8.4 per test strip. I am still brushing pool surfaces as often asI can.

Any advice about ph ?

Jim

Hello from Wappingers Falls, NY in the beautiful Hudson Valley. I am new here and looking for advice on an older in-ground pool.

Earlier this week I finally had enough of the garbage pool store replacement baskets that are in my skimmers. Both of them were cracked and dealing with the hairnet "skimmer socks" was annoying since they had a metal bar to contend with. Plus the old ones kept floating! Despite my best efforts, tons of junk made it past them (due to the floating) and would end up in my pump basket and filter. I saw someone mention the Val-Pak skimmer baskets on here a couple of weeks ago and decided to give them a shot.



What a difference! These things are practically bulletproof compared to the cheap, thin wall junk. The old ones may have been made of tissue paper, comparatively. Amazon did a really bang up job shipping these.. they included them in a shipment with a big case of Red Bull. Fortunately, these baskets are so robust, they made the trip over with no problem. Any other ones would have been reduced a pile of broken plastic.

They do NOT have a stupid metal bar handle, instead they have a handle formed into the side of the basket, making it a breeze to use hairnets. They are also weighted, and already seem to be doing a much better job at not floating. Initial impressions are very positive and I can't wait to see how they hold up. Made in USA too! For anyone else with the Pentair/Pac-Fab Bermuda skimmers, the part number is V22-110.

My pool was a mess that I unknowingly created before I read on this site. I done a AA treatment then drained half the pool, refilled, and beginning to get my cya and chlorine levels back to normal. My PH, Alk, & salt look decent now, but pool is currently very cloudy. My main question is should I use the SWG to bring it back up, or use LC to bring it up then turn on the SWG? I have added purple stuff and poly 60. Any other suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

PH 7.4
Alk 91
FC .10
CYA 20