As part of my day job, I'm the Editor of Pool Magazine, a trade publication for the pool & spa industry. This week we were inundated with reports from California homeowners who told us that their insurance policy had been canceled. There were two commonalities among the reports that should be concerning to pool owners.

1) Each of the homeowners who received a notice of non-renewal had recently drained their swimming pool.
2) Each had received notice without an inspector or insurance adjuster ever having set foot on the property. The carrier had cited aerial images in their explanation as to how a determination had been made.

I myself live in a very rural area in Northern California where PG&E is the local utility provider. We are prone to wildfires and earlier this summer I received a notification that PG&E would begin using drones as part of an initiative to help them identify potential wildfire risks. It's clear that insurance carriers are also following suit and using drones to make a liability determination.

I asked a representative with AAA why a drained pool would present a higher liability risk for carriers and she told me that basically, a drained pool represents a gigantic hole in the backyard that insurance companies look at as a much higher risk. It's definitely something pool owners particularly in California need to concern themselves with, especially if they are thinking of draining their pool for any reason. One homeowner I spoke with said their policy was canceled after AAA received images of their pool which was drained for a remodel months earlier.

Draining Pool Costs Elderly Woman Her Homeowners Insurance

So I asked my son to put in 32 oz of Muriatic Acid into my pool to drop the PH....

He's 21 , so I would think I wouldn't have to ask him to make sure he grabs the right bottle. ...

Instead he grabs the Zep Driveway and Concrete cleaner and adds 32 oz of that. I guess the good thing is he used proper PPE.

What now? Are they able to go in the pool? Did he just screw up my end of season pool use?

Thanks in advance, I'm not physically at home so I can't laugh and hurt him at the same time.



Ugh...

My company rented out an entire theater (4 screens) for an early screening tonight of Skywalker! I was selected (first come, first served) and so I'll be seeing it in 4 hours! And they are also opening the concession stands for us anything we want! Taking my son. He says a few of the kids in the class spoiled some other movies for him so he is going to make sure to have some spoilers for them tomorrow.

From an 1891 patent drawing for the "roll-and-handles" design toilet paper roll by Seth Wheeler, know as America's founding father of the toilet paper.

Enough said...

Hey all. Hopefully this thread will morph into a build thread but at the moment, I’m not so sure. I told my PB that we wanted to go ahead with a build this year and he said that he could do June/July but he couldn’t garauntee what equipment he could get between now and then. He agreed to let me purchase my own if I could get it.

Yesterday I called INYO and they didn’t sell my filter anymore but suggested 2 competitors. (Seriously, WHO does that). No trying to sell me something else, just trying to get me what I wanted. Top. Notch. Company. Right there.

So I was off to Recsupply and the rep took my info to go ask Pentair when they could get my filter. He called back to say that just Yesterday Pentair upped its expected ship times from 3-4 months to 7-8 months. So no dice with them.

I then found my beloved cartridge filter online (S8M500) ‘in stock’ (azpoolsupply) and quickly snatched it up. It’s been ‘awaiting payment’ for 24 hours now and a call to discover verified the charge wasn’t flagged as a possible fraud purchase.

Today was the SWG/Controller and pump (011028 / IC60) from INYO. They were accommodating as is always reported and verified that all 3 would all ship in about 3 days. 30 minutes after purchase I got an email that the control unit has been updated by Pentair as backordered with an expected ship date of 7/02. An hour and a half into it I haven’t been told that the pump and SWG are backordered so I’m hoping (send prayers) that they remain anything remotely close to shipping soon.

I have some time, so no panic mode yet, but the struggle is real. Even when it shows in stock.

Post up your pics of your haul that say you’re getting older so the rest of us can nod and chuckle.



I’m a first timer for this one.

We do not have an auto pool fill and live in the desert. During the summer I have to fill my pool a few times each week. The last time I filled was 2 weeks ago and we have still had weather in the 90's to 100's. The strange thing is my pool water level has increased to where it is now at the pool overhang! We do have a leak at the filter pump and the guy is coming out tomorrow. Could a seal or something have anything to do with this strange happening? Any ideas of why my water has risen? We checked the pool fill spout and it doesn't appear even a light flow of water is coming through it, and the faucet is shut off tight. No rain. Ideas?

Hey everybody !! It’s looking like we will be building this year after all. I’ll know for sure in a week or two but I’m posting it now because it may take a bit to find a home. Up for grabs is my decent shape AG equipment. It would be perfect for anyone struggling to find or pay for equipment in these rough times. It would also be perfect for anyone looking to upgrade their INTEX setup. The pump should get at least a couple more seasons and the filter will probably outlive us all. Pickup in zip code 11901. I want nothing but a donation made to TFP so we can continue to help folks and have a good time in the process. (Don’t be stingy with the donation, but don’t erase your savings either, it is *used* equipment ).

All should be 1.5 inch
1 HP power flow LX. (Lid is sticky)
200 lb Hayward sand filter (worked great)
Stands for both
multi port (needs gauge but worked also)
Tab feeder (had small drip leak. Maybe o-rings or just junk it)

Also have all unions and they should be able to be reused but you may have to keep a 90 or two before having clean pipe

Well, the deposit check has been cashed. So I guess it's time to start this thread!

We are located in the Allentown area of PA (actual town is Walnutport which is a bit north). We've been debating a pool for about 2 years now. When we originally got estimates then, we wanted all the things. Stamped concrete, waterfalls, pop jets, sundecks, you name it! Then we got the first estimate back and almost passed out. Realized it was out of our budget. So then we scaled back. What is it that we really NEED in a pool to fit us? Can we cut back a bit and actually get a pool? We started again this summer getting estimates. We got about 8 estimates from various PB's. Some awful from the start, one who admitted their electrician isn't licensed (but no big deal ) and some pretty good. Our neighbor has a pool - installed 30 years ago. We were chatting with him and he gave us the PB - Lehigh Valley Pools (Don Hall). He came up in our initial search, but I passed him off quickly as it looked like he didn't update his website since 1989. Lots of Grecians and white steps, which isn't my style. But we decided to reach out anyway. He wound up coming over the next night, and he was great. His concrete guy is 75 years old. 75! And has been with him for 33 years. Everything is in house - he owns his own equipment, etc. But, he's retiring from building this year. Will still service pools, just not build. Although he tends to be a bit old school, he was open to doing what I wanted. I will be his first (and last, ha!) grey fiberglass step. Anyway, enough about that...

It's very early and we don't even have the schematic yet. But figured I'd start the thread to add to as we move along. Tentative dig date is early October. Please don't mind my amazing drawing skills on the photo below.

18x26ish double roman
Grey liner from Pocono Pool Products (Brighton Print, no tile border)
11' Grey fiberglass steps in each curve
4' shallow end, 6' deep end
Hayward pump and SWCG (unsure of specs on these yet, but will update)
Safety cover
Robot cleaner (have an email in to Margaret from Marina)
Saw cut concrete for decking (no white plastic things)
Cantilever coping
One standard white light
Wiring for a heater, but not installing one just yet
DE filter, VS pump

My blue hose that I used to vacuum my pool is stuck in the skimmer hole and will not come out. I have tried everything, including dumping bags of ice in the skimmer to lower the temperature to contract the hose, pulling with all of my mite, twisting, etc. Any ideas?

Omg, the excavation is about to begin! PB said Tuesday or Thursday but I really didn't think they would be here because so far communication hasn't been great. But they pulled up at 7:45am and are about to spray then dig.

Hi all !

I'm working on a program to estimate the pH from a picture of a phenol red based comparator test to help getting more precise result than with only eyes (and of course for colorblind people).

I've based my tests using the TF-100 Comparator Block and the results so far are quite good:




I would like to extend the detection to other pH visual test blocks and maybe add machine learning (AI) capability. For that I would need quite a lot of pictures like the one shown above with the actual pH result from a pH meter.

So, if you want to contribute, please send pictures with the real pH result in this thread
Thanks,
O.

Sorry to belabor, but this has been really bugging me, the seemingly contradictory data from various TFP experts. Chem Geek clearly states "The hydrogen gas bubbles out of the returns and aerates the water and is the main cause of pH rise in SWG pools." I see those very bubbles. They are definitely from the SWG. I have accurately measured the pH rise rate, both before and after using an SWG. The rate change was instant, to the day I turned on my SWG. The instant increase was not attributable to my TA level nor a seasonal change because those two things we're virtually identical the day before and the day after I turned on my SWG. I'm not saying that those are not contributing to my ph rise, I'm sure they are, I am saying I have very good proof that the SWG also contributes to pH rise, all on its own, and significantly. Sorry Matt, I gotta go with Richard on this one.

More to the point, what I'd really like to see is TFP put this to bed once and for all. I know you all work together to establish the TFP guidelines, methodology and instruction sets. It's what makes this site so great, and the info here so reliable. Clear, agreed upon, consistent data. Can you not collectively come to terms with this SWG/ph-rise issue and either confirm or deny it, as one? And if not, I guess that's fine. It won't affect how much MA my pool requires, one way or the other.

And if I'm speaking out of turn, you can scratch this post, no problem. I'm not trying to stir the pot, just looking for the correct answer.

Hi Everyone,

We just finished construction on our new in-ground pool in February 2023! It's a gunite/plaster pool with 13k gallons, a spa, two waterfalls, and a rock slide! We've already gotten quite a bit of use in the pool with the family and some friends. Living in the Dallas, TX area helps make swimming a nearly year-round activity. I'm a geek at heart and love learning new things, so I'm enjoying the process of figuring out the right steps to take to ensure the pool's chemicals and balance stay within the ranges that they should be. I already have a Taylor Test kit and it feels kinda like a little kid's chemistry play kit!!!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to learning from others when I face problems and enjoying the process of maintaining our pool!

Ok, that title was totally click bait but I just tested my RO kitchen sink tap since I’m changing out the carbon and sediment filters today. The membrane is good for 5+ years but the sediment and GAC filters (pre- and post- polishing filters) are important for keeping the membrane clean. Anyway, after a year of service (daily drinking water use), here are the numbers (measurements from Apera pH probe and Taylor tests)

pH - 6.94
TA - 20ppm
CH < 10ppm
TH < 10ppm
Conductivity = 45.7 μS

Wow! That is some super soft and corrosive water. Good think I take a multi-vitamin with lots of calcium and magnesium Fine for drinking but I’d never fill my pool with it …

The price of liquid chlorine has finally convinced me to install an SWG system. Reading all of the helpful advice here, I think I have a good handle on what to do, and would very much appreciate any thoughts as to whether I'm on the right track or if some changes may be better for the plan.
I have a concrete pool, approximately 22,000 gallons. It's a very simple set up with a DE filter and a single speed pump that runs on a timer approximately 7 hours each day. Using everything I've learned here, I have been able to keep my water crystal clear all summer long for the last few years -- so I thank you all immensely!
I am planning to purchase a CircuPool RJ-60, as I've read that it's better to upsize if possible. I've attached a photo showing my plan for the location of the cell, as I don't really see any other options since my piping is lacking long, straight runs. I'm assuming the return should be relatively easy to find underground with a little effort and digging.
Please let me know if you think this looks like a solid plan?
I'm planning to tie the controller to the load side of the timer, so it will turn on/off with my pump. Again, any possible concerns?
Thanks in advance for the help!

In the last months, I've complained about how hot it is in Houston, and having to travel to West TX (Midland/Odessa) for work where it's typically hotter and dusty.

So now? Being sent to work in Iraq for a month.

This might be a silly question but I am in the middle of a SLAM (day 3) making really good progress. I am testing frequently, every 1-3 hours. If any given FAS-DPD test shows 9ppm, do I need to immediately add the recommend amount of chlorine from Poolmath to try and get back to 10-12 or would you let it drop a little more than that?

Here’s my progress so far. That first photo shows how much gunk was on the bottom. After a good vacuum and keeping the chlorine up, it is now blue and fairly clear. Just need to keep brushing and vacuuming as there is another large pile of debris that has settled in the deep end.

When picking the finish for our pool we had a hard time finding a lot good online reviews, pictures and videos of StoneScapes Mini Pebble - Aqua White. We knew from the beginning we wanted Aqua White. But only based on what we saw from the the brochure and manufacture website. We were looking for something not too green and not too blue, leaning more toward the blue side. Something not too light and not too dark, leaning more toward the medium side. I guess you can say the Goldilock's of pool finishes. The only question was how to add more shimmer. Because based on what we had seen, StoneScapes Mini Pebble didn't seem to have any at all. I had read different reviews about Abalone Shell from not being smooth to becoming dislodged. Our plaster guy didn't recommend using it. That left us with the Touch of Glass decision. You buy what StoneScapes calls a "recipe". There is 1, 2, or 3 bag recipes. We threw around the idea of adding 1 bag in which our contractor told us would cost $800. If we were going to spend that much extra, we wanted to know cost of adding 2 bags. Plus, we found a comparison picture online of the 3 different "recipes" and one bag didn't seem to add much at all. Our contractor told us about $1000 for 2 bags. After he spoke to his actual plaster guy, he then said it cost a few hundred more. But he would eat the extra cost. We bit the bullet and decided to go with the 2 bag recipe. The plastering was just done yesterday, so I only have a picture of the sun shelf. Will post more later when everything is up and running.

So, it has been a long three two months of planning to get ready for our pool building. What is unique about this build is that I will be installing the Hotspot Energy FPH System as the primary mode of heading our 12,000 gallon fiberglass pool. It is my hope to provide some empirical insight as to the process involved in installing this system. I hope it helps someone else.

For the past few weeks we have done a lot of prework to prepare for the groundbreaking of our pool tomorrow. Our AC Unit is about 125 feet away from the pool pad and we have a 3 ton AC system. The three ton systems requires the FPH5 system. Attached are pictures of the trenching we did to run the 2 inch PCV from the AC unit to the pool pad.

More pictures to come.

This should be fun.
Stuff happened and I didn't have the time to work on the pool for quite some time. No pump running. Last chemicals and cleaning was almost 2 weeks ago. Considering the time left of swim season I debated on just closing however I have almost 20g of chlorine left sooooo I cleaned the top, let's see how long it takes to get TFP clear. It's a nice green. Surprised it isn't worse. Going to do a cya and FC test and run it from there.

ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – An Anderson County Hazmat team along with firefighters from the Homeland Park Fire Department responded to a home after an explosion occurred on Saturday.

Officials said that they responded to a home along Abbeville Highway near Clinkscales Road regarding the explosion just after 1 p.m.

According to officials, the residents were mixing chemicals for their pool in a bucket in their kitchen sink. According to hazmat, the chemicals were inappositely mixed and not meant to be put together which caused the loud explosion.

Hazmat said the violent explosion of chlorine gas started to spread chemicals throughout the kitchen. The residents then ran outside and jumped into the pool to get the chemicals off of them.

Officials said that EMS transported three people to the hospital and their conditions are unknown at this time.

The Homeland Park Fire Department, Anderson County Hazmat, and EMS all responded to the scene.

WARNING: This post is bound to be controversial.

I know that we generally tell people to shock their pools with chlorine if they have algae and we tell them to dilute the water to lower high Cyanuric Acid (CYA) levels first before doing such shocking. However, there are some cases where there might be more expedient approaches that would be worthwhile. Specifically, if one gets yellow/mustard algae then higher CYA levels make the required chlorine levels quite high for getting rid of such algae. If one has a saltwater chlorine generator (SWG) pool where a higher CYA level is usually recommended or if one is in a very sunny area without a pool cover and has a higher CYA level to reduce chlorine loss, then fighting yellow/mustard algae with chlorine alone can become impractical or certainly cumbersome and no longer inexpensive. Also, there may be times when one has very high CYA levels but is unable or unwilling to dilute their water right away yet wants to clear their pool of algae.

So what can one do to fight algae other than using chlorine? We've all gone over the various alternatives before, but this time let's see if there is a lesser evil in terms of side effects. Some of this discussion would also be applicable to those who'd rather use Trichlor as a primary source of chlorine (presumably for convenience) and not worry much about the CYA level.

Copper -- this is one of the only algicides (other than chlorine itself) that will kill existing algae in addition to being able to prevent its growth. The downside, of course, is staining and greenish tinted hair if the copper levels or the pH (or sometimes TA) get too high. Copper is also persistent so this isn't a great candidate for a get-in-then-get-out approach. It would be great if one knew the copper levels needed for algae prevention or killing and the levels of pH and TA that can cause the copper to precipitate. The Taylor K-1730 will test for copper, but without knowing the "problem" levels, this is a risky approach.

Bromine -- this is usually created by adding sodium bromide into the pool that already has chlorine in it. Since the bromine doesn't bind to CYA, it is full-strength even at high CYA levels and can kill and oxidize algae. The downside is that one ends up with a bromine pool with a higher chlorine demand as bromine breaks down in sunlight than chlorine in a pool with CYA (bromine breaks down from sunlight more slowly than chlorine if there is no CYA present). Eventually, over weeks (or longer), the bromine dissipates if the levels aren't too high (does it outgas? does it combine with organics and get caught in the filter and then backwashed?)

Monochloramine -- this is usually created by adding an ammonium compound (or one could use ammonia itself) into the pool that already has chlorine in it. Monochloramine doesn't bind to CYA so is at full-strength even at high CYA levels. Though not as strong an oxidizer as chlorine, monochloramine looks similar to ammonia that most algae desire as a source of nitrogen. Once taken in, the monochloramine apparently disrupts algae growth.

Phosphate removers -- this is usually lanthanum chloride which ultimately precipitates the phosphate out as lanthanum phosphate. The main side effect is cloudy water from lanthanum carbonate that is eventually filtered out and replaced with lanthanum phosphate. The phosphate level must be brought down to very low levels below around 125 ppb in order to prevent most algae growth. This product is not very effective in killing existing algae since it is not an oxidizer and any oxidation of algae by chlorine will tend to break up the algae releasing phosphates back into the water. So a phosphate remover is best used as an algae preventative though could slow down an existing bloom if sufficient doses were used to account for the additional phosphates released from oxidized algae. The Taylor K-1106 will test for phosphate level.

PolyQuat 60 -- this prevents algae growth through rather slow mechanisms so isn't very good at killing existing algae. It must also be added weekly since it breaks down from chlorine and is also a clarifier so can get filtered out. It is not absolute and probably can only protect a pool from green algae growth up to around 200-250 ppm CYA (at around 3 ppm FC). I don't know how it does against yellow/mustard algae.

Borates -- this inhibits algae growth so is not suitable to add to try and kill existing algae. It is persistent and a pH buffer and the only apparent side effect is an increased toxicity of the water, mostly for animals (e.g. dogs) drinking cups of water every day from the pool. It may be rather weak so would take the edge off of algae growth but would not completely prevent it under extreme conditions. I also don't know how it does against yellow/mustard algae in terms of inhibition.

Other methods -- am I leaving anything out?

The questions are 1) what is the best approach to killing yellow/mustard algae if one generally wants/needs a higher CYA level? and 2) what is the best approach to preventing yellow/mustard algae from returning if one does not want to maintain the higher FC that is 15% of the CYA level that is known to prevent such growth (say, when such algae is regularly re-introduced)?

For an existing yellow/mustard algae outbreak, looking at the above list it seems that intentionally creating monochloramine through addition of an ammonium product (or ammonia) carefully dosed would create a temporary, though possibly smelly (depending on dose), situation to kill algae in spite of a high CYA level. After the algae has been killed, the monochloramine can rather easily be removed through oxidation by additional chlorine. This meets the criteria of "get-in-get-out" and would allow one to keep the higher CYA level without dilution of the water. The main problem is that I don't know the proper level of monochloramine needed to kill algae nor how long it would take. Some level of shocking with chlorine would also be needed to more fully oxidize the algae itself if it were not filtered out or vacuumed up (perhaps with the aid of a flocculant if one is impatient or where circulation is poor).

For prevention of algae, especially in pools where it is difficult to completely kill yellow/mustard algae or where such algae is frequently reintroduced into the water, then one wants a persistent algicide. In this situation, it looks like borates might be the best bet except I don't know how effective it is against yellow/mustard algae and the level of chlorine one can then use to prevent its growth. PolyQuat 60 used weekly might work but as noted it must be added weekly without fail. Phosphate removers would very likely work and after the initial large expensive dose to remove higher phosphate levels, it's mostly a maintenance dose to get rid of phosphates introduced from fill water or blown-in fertilized soil. If we could figure out the right levels of copper and proper control of pH (perhaps even using borates to help prevent pH rise) then that could work but as noted would be risky (and expensive to fix) if copper levels or pH got too high.

When it comes to those pool owners who prefer the convenience of Trichlor over manual regular dosing of chlorinating liquid or bleach, it used to be that an algicide added weekly such as PolyQuat 60 would be part of "no algae, guaranteed" programs. These days, it seems that phosphate removers are promoted instead. Some Trichlor pucks have copper in them with such copper being the algicide. At least with Trichlor, it is likely for the pH to be on the low side which would reduce the risk of staining, but without copper testing and not knowing limits, this is risky.

Richard

I'm sorry - I know this has been addressed before - I'm just struggling here to choose.

We purchased a home in Washington DC and I will finally fulfill my long time dream of having a pool!

The pool is in desperate need of re-surfacing. It is a simple rectangular pool, about 26 feet in length, about 8 feet at its deepest.

I am trying the choose between Blue Granite, Blue Surf, Slate Blue, French Grey and Aqua Blue. Looking for a beautiful rich medium colored blue.

I am attaching a photo of the pool as it is now. I actually think it's a pretty color as it is now - not sure what Pebble Sheen color would come closest.

Thank you very much in advance for any opinions, photos etc!

I started a new project trying to level out the existing deck around our pool rather than trying to find a contractor to replace it. I guess all the concrete guys are rolling in cash right now cause they won’t call back.

Here’s the first one that I was able to raise up level with a hydraulic jack along with a tool I built to avoid digging out under the slabs. You can see the slab I raised is now a couple inches higher than the adjacent one at the back edge.


It gets worse as it goes towards the back of the pool which looks like it was built on fill dirt.

Here’s where I’m at now after raising 8 sections. There’s about a 6 inch drop at the back of the slabs in the worst area.


Plan is to get them all close to level, then a few of them need to be shifted back toward the edge of the pool since they’ve slid back a few inches. Once they’re in place where I want, I need to decide if I want to just try and backfill under them with gravel or try and fill the voids with non-shrink cement grout. Any advice on that front is welcomed.

Hello All,

I have been reading and searching for the solution to my problem and have tried most of the fixes to no avail. So... here's the problem, recent history, and what I've done to date.

My Intelliflo VS pump from the original build in fall of 2016 started to get noisier and noisier. Probably motor bearings, maybe impeller... either way she sounded like a 747 getting ready to take off.
I decided to buy a new VSF pump and got one from the Pentair store on Amazon. I plan to rebuild my VS and have a ready spare. Got the pumps swapped out and power on the VSF. Pump display showed "Not Active" and EasyTouch worked just like it did with the VS... lights, valves, and cleaner checked out.
A few days later I come home from a work trip and the pool is green and I have an error on the ScreenLogic App letting me know "Pump 1 Communication Lost". Tried the 'ol Off-On reset and no go. I started the VSF pump on Quick Clean and set for 23 hours. Cleaned and treated the pool and manually controlled the pump for a couple days.
On Saturday 3/19/22 I replaced the old comm cable. Figured "What the heck" can't hurt... and to my surprise I was back in business. Things working great. Today, Monday 3/21/22, I walk out back around 5pm and the pool is not running... it was running around 3pm. We had a storm come through during this time but never lost power. The same comm alert was back.
Read some more forums and changed the ScreenLogic to VSF and control to speed at 2700 RPM. Still no go. Decided I better use compressed air to blow out the comm cable to pump connection. Shut off power at the 50-amp breaker and disconnected the comm cable at the pump and blew out with compressed air.
Boom... back in business.

So, here's the rub. Was it the prolonged power off while I blew out the connector or was it the actual blowing out of the connector? Obviously, time will tell but my guess is there is some kind of issue beyond a wet connector.
So, I am posting this in anticipation of another Comms Lost alert and would appreciate any insight.

Thank you in advance and I hope I can someday answer some questions rather than asking them!

My TA is a bit high and the Pool Calculator is telling me to add MA to lower the pH to 7.0 - 7.2 and then aerate to bring up the pH. I don't have any water features to aerate with, but I do have a small 1/4 hp, 23 gpm submersible pump from Harbor Freight. If I put the pump on a step just under the surface (to minimize pumping losses) and put a fan spray head on the end of the hose with it angled up into the air and falling into the pool, would that be a very effective aerator?

Actually, I just put the pump on the first step and turned it on with no hose connected and it shoots a column of water about 3-4 feet in the air before splashing back down into the pool. Would this be good enough? I'm trying to get the TA from about 110 down to 80-90. Any rough idea how long I might have to leave it running - hours? days?

With Hurricane Hilary having SoCal in its sights, and 4 potential storms in the Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico, I wanted to resurrect these tips from Allen for those in the path. The full thread is below and hope everyone stays safe!


Precautions and Procedures During Heavy Floods
When the rain is coming down multiple inches by the hour, an overflow drain may not maintain the pool water level. For some people that could mean pool water overflowing into the the house.

Appropriate Water Level in the Pool

• Normal circumstances: halfway up the skimmer, give or take an inch or so.
• Torrential rains: WITH an overflow drain, keep watch on the rate of rainfall and water level rise. Often the overflow drain will keep up. If the water is lapping under the coping and is not holding, get busy preparing for another way to drain water from the pool.
• WITHOUT an overflow drain, don’t wait until the water level is lapping the coping.

It’s an individual call on when to act. Experience with your pool and with your area’s downpours makes it an easier decision.

Things to Consider
Hose bib/spigot to drain water from the pool
Open up the spigot between the filter and main pump. If that's an unwise place to drain, see below. Respect your neighbors and drain away from their property. If you need to drain faster to keep up with rain fall, attach hoses to each spigot from other pumps you may have.

Important***** pump must be on: with my equipment, we kept the pump on high to get the greatest flow out of the hose. When the pump was on low, it was very low flow out of the hose. Use the speed that gives you a margin of safety from the pool overflowing.

Where to drain
You can attach your garden hose to the spigot and drain to a better place - driveway, street, etc. In the Hurricane Harvey situations, we could not have used our deck drains to put the hose end (the deck drains that run to the street). Our street was a rushing river, so my logic (correct or not) said that water with no place to go would all back up in the deck drains. Then the rainfall on the deck couldn't drain. I could very likely be wrong about that. We ran the hoses to our long driveway which has a decent slope and no chance of pooling near the house. We didn't help the rushing street river.....

SWG System
Turn off the salt system. There’s no point using up your cell as your pool water drains down the street. Some systems may allow you to turn it off; others you simply turn the % level down to zero.

Liquid Chlorine Pool
Don't forget if you have a SWG system turned off, you now need to watch the FC level. As others have said, take it up to SLAM level or at least high enough to give you wiggle room for timing of testing (using the band breaks from the storm to get out there and test or simply add more liquid chlorine)

Skimmers
If you're dealing with storms that have bands as with hurricanes or tropical storms, use the break periods from the rain to get the debris out of the skimmers and keep the pool water circulating.

Alternate Methods to Drain a Pool
DE or Sand filters with MPV that drain to waste

• Turn off the pump
• Turn MPV to WASTE
• Turn the pump on
• Monitor the pump and turn the pump off immediately if the water drops below the skimmers and the pump runs dry. Depending if you have an operational main drain your pump may continue to drain below the skimmer level
• When water is at the desired level turn the pump off
• Turn the MPV back to FILTER

Sump pump
If you have one available and have power, throw that into the pool

The old siphon method

• "You know, like you used to use when you stole gas from your neighbor's car"...
• Fill a garden hose with water and then put one end of a garden hose in the pool and the other end down hill somewhere.

Here is an aerator/bubbler that will run off your water return. Parts are cheap and ubiquitous. A plethora off bubbles!



Exploded view of parts



Parts List
NIBCO® 1-1/2" MIP x Socket PVC Adapter
NIBCO® 1-1/2" Spigot x 3/4" Socket PVC Reducer Bushing
1/2" pvc pipe (Length depends on depth of water return)
3/4" pvc pipe (Only 2" needed)
NIBCO® 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/2" Socket PVC Reducer Tee
PVC Primer and Glue

You will have to bore out the stop in the 1/2" opening in the tee so the 1/2" PVC used for air intake slides all the way through to the bottom of the tee. I used a rotary rasp similar to the image below. The 45 degree bevel cut on the 1/2" pipe is very important and must face out towards the pool (see exploded view). Don't glue the air 1/2" intake pipe into the tee, you may need to adjust it depending on your water pressure. I wouldn't glue the 3/4" pipe to the reducer bushing either (but glue the venturi side). That way you can use the assembly as a jet by pulling out the venturi portion.

Last summer my AC decided when it got too hot to go on strike due to unsafe working conditions. It has been fired, and now I am interviewing replacements.

Last summer when this all went down, i stumbled upon the Hotspot FPH heat reclaiming devise and was intrigued. I have since read through the big eight page thread here and am intrigued more than ever.

I live in a brick home with little shade on the south side of the house that is serviced by a 40 year old 4ton AC that is dying. One of the local HVAC contractors did a manual J load calculation for my house and my theoretical cooling load is 6.5 tons, but said my duct work is only large enough to handle 4tons. That came as no surprise considering my AC seems like it goes flat out 24/7 from mid-June until the end of August. It actually starts up in May and runs through September, so it puts on a fair number of hours every year.

My pool is an in ground 18x36 gunite pool on the east side of the house, so for a good portion of the day it is actually in full shade cast by the house. I have a big natural gas heater, but to maintain the temperature in the mid-80s, it has to run a lot. I figure last year, I used 100 therms for July and then another 100 in August to keep it warm just for the weekends. Without heat, the equalization temp is somewhere in the mid-70s. Yes, I have a cover...a dark blue automatic one.

i figure, i am a good candidate for one of these gizmos, and the time is right considering I have to rip out all the AC anyway.

So, I have some questions and thoughts:

Is the conventional wisdom that it would void the warranty of a new AC, despite what hotspot says under their FAQ? Have any of you had any problems where it has caused the AC to have a problem?

Hotspot says it will make the AC work more efficiently. Have any of you been able to see this? Is it enough to offset the power needed by the pump running all the time to keep water circulating?

Hotspot also says for every 12,000BTU of cooling capacity, there is actually 15,000BTU of energy out there being used. Has anyone done any sort of math to see how much they think they are harvesting?

Any other tips or things to think about?

Thanks-