Good evening. I just stumbled onto this forum. I started my pool build 3 weeks ago tomorrow. 16x32 Inground liner pool. Sun ledge. Salt system Hayward everything. Omni hub automation. Heater, deck jets etc.
currently waiting on the concrete collar to be poured. Concrete work is the only thing I am subbing out. (Except for electrical work)

I have never built a swimming pool before so I might have a few questions

Cheers

I'm installing a Hayward Variable speed pump and boster pump for the cleaner and a heater. I will need a 230v 20 amp dual breaker. Siemens is the one that fits my old breaker box, but there are two versions

US2:QF220A


which is for personal protection and trips at 5ma.
and

US2:QE220A

Which is to protect equipment and trips at 30ma, well this is for my pool motor and heater.

I'm not looking to save money but to be on the safe side and order the correct breaker.
I called Siemens in Tennesse and they didn't even know which one.
Is the 5ma tripping to protect swimmers more important?

I am currently on my 3rd T-15 SWG cell for an 18 year old pool. The 1st cell lasted about 9 years and the 2nd about 4 years and just passed year 4 on the 3rd cell. I thought it might be useful to document this cell's behavior as it is going through the last stages of useful life. As time goes on I will update this post to reflect current status.

Early last year, I started to notice some odd readings from my "clean" cell. The average salt level was still reading close to what my Taylor test kit was reading (~3000 ppm) but after several minutes of running, the instantaneous salt level dropped to ~2500 ppm. Given the cell was close to 3 yrs old at the time, I suspected it was nearing end of life. Also, when I did an acid cleaning (1:5), I noticed that there was black dust left behind, perhaps some sort of oxidation. However, the cell did pass the pool store test so I could not file a warranty claim at that time and the warranty ran out soon after.

You might be asking yourself how the average salt can be that much higher than the instantaneous salt level. I believe this can be explained by the fact that when the SWG first starts, the amp level is initially much higher which means that the reported salt level is also higher and the unit probably takes a measurement sample shortly after SWG start. After 30 minutes of run time, the instantaneous salt level has dropped off significantly so there must be some type of adverse reaction (e.g. oxidation) going on at the cell plates that is reducing the current.

Jumping forward to this week, the average salt is now reading 2600 ppm with the test kit at 3200 ppm and instantaneous salt reading of 2000 ppm on both polarities. So definitely declining but not completely dead. Once the average salt decreases to 2400 ppm, the unit will alarm and shut off but by then I plan on changing the cell type to a T-5 to see if I can keep it going. Because the plate surface is failing which reduces current, less FC is being generated as time goes on. But at least I can compensate for this with longer SWG run times, up to a point.

But before continuing on with the 3rd cell, I thought I would first try to extend the life of my 2nd cell which is in even worse condition than the 3rd so I swapped these cells. On the plus polarity of the cell, the SWG has a instantaneous salt reading of 1800 ppm and with negative polarity, a 1400 ppm instantaneous salt level. I plan on running this cell until the T-5 mode no longer works. After this cell is completely done, I will swap back to the 3rd cell and do the same thing. I am interested in seeing how much extra life I can squeeze out of these two cells.

T-5 mode has been running for several days now and it seems to be working ok. The amps are +4.65/-3.5 which are quite low for 3200 ppm of salt level and the FC generated seems to be much lower than what I would expect from that amp level so I suspect the efficiency has reduced quite a bit which is to be expected.

[WEEK 2 - Cell#2]

T-5 Mode has been running for two weeks now without incident. The amps have dropped a bit to +4.2/-3.2. Run time is 12 hours at 50% with FC at around 5 ppm CYA at 70 ppm so I am upping that to a 75% setting to get it a little higher for margin.

[WEEK 4 - Cell#2]

Still on T-5 Mode with cell#2. Amps have dropped about 10% or so and efficiency has dropped as well. I am now running at 75% for 24hr with a FC at 6.5 so much less production than 2 weeks ago. Once I can no longer maintain FC of 10% CYA, I will need to move back to cell#3. I don't suspect it will be much longer.

[WEEK 6 - Cell#2]

Still on T-5 Mode with cell#2. Amps are now -2.5A/+3.5A and cell efficiency has dropped off significantly. The cell is maintaining a FC of 5.5 ppm with a CYA of 70 ppm or around 8%. This is at 90% setting with 24hr run time so a significant drop in production. I don't think I will be able to maintain sufficient FC levels for much longer. If it gets down to 5% of CYA or I start seeing water clarity issues, I will move on to cell #3 and call this one over and done.

[WEEK 8 - Cell#2]
Amps have dropped to -1.5A/+3A and the salt level is now reading below 2400 ppm so the cell is now shutting off. An 8 week extension isn't too bad for a cell that was in pretty rough shape. The cell was collecting a lot of calcium mush and needed frequent cleaning. In the end, I am not sure it is worth the effort and the additional runtime cost since I am tier 4 at $0.40/kwh but we will see what cell #3 does. I will be running cell #3 in T-15 mode until the amps drop below 5.

Cell pics are here:


[WEEK 2 - Cell#3]

Cell #3 has now been operating in T-15 Mode @ 45%/24hr for about 2 weeks now and cell amps are at -4.7A/+4.9A so much more balanced than Cell #2. FC is 6 ppm so over twice the production rate as Cell #2 at EOL which is consistent with the amperage and % settings. This Cell #3 was in better starting condition than was Cell #2 and I suspect it will last longer than Cell #2 did.

[WEEK 6 - Cell#3]
Cell #3 has now shut off due to low salt on T-15 Mode. What is interesting is that during the past week, the average salt level has been toggling between 2400 and 2300 ppm depending on which polarity it was running on. So it appears that the unit does not shut down until both polarities are below the 2400 ppm threshold. Current right now is running about -3.8A/+4.2A. I have now switched over to T-5 Mode and it is running once again. I am not yet getting the calcium mush like I was with Cell#2 but I suspect that will eventually happen as the Cell#3 gets closer to EOL.

[WEEK 14 - Cell#3]
With the drop in temperatures and solar elevation, FC usage has gone way down so the cell is operating pretty much the same as it was 8 weeks ago. So I suspect that it will last well into next season.

[Month 10 - Cell#3]

The old T-15 cell running in T-5 mode has finally been replaced after about 10 months of operation in T-5 mode. At the time of replacement, it was operating at about 3.35A of current and salt readings from the unit were getting close to the shut down threshold of 2400 ppm so I wanted to replace the cell before it shut off to avoid operation without the SWG in order to assess production rates.

The operational age of the cell in T-15 mode was around 50 months so an additional 10 months of operation in T-5 mode increased the lifespan by 20% which is not too bad.

When I replaced the cell, current went from 3.35A up to 6.31A and a week later FC levels went from 7.5 ppm to 9 ppm even with a change in SWG setting from 90% for the old cell to 45% for the new cell with the same pump run time (24hr). With the old cell, FC/CYA was 12.5% while with the new cell, it FC/CYA now 15%. A couple of weeks before the transition, I intentionally targeted a higher FC/CYA than was really needed to make sure there was nothing growing in the water so I could better estimate the production rate change.

By my estimate the cell production rate ratio of old/new was about 0.42 and since the old/new cell current ratio was 0.53, the efficiency of the cell must have dropped by an additional 20% that cannot be explained by just the current alone. Probably additional side reactions that are favored with the plates losing some of the catalytic characteristics due to degradation.

We had a Christmas in July (in August) party today!

The idea originally came when, back in early April as we were taking the cover off the pool, my kid randomly started singing Wham's Last Christmas.

Things have been really difficult in our family this summer so we didn't plan as much as we'd have liked and didn't do all the ideas, but it was still fun!

I was able to cut some cedar trees so we had Christmas trees, I drug the Christmas decorations out of the attic, baked the traditional red velvet cake with green frosting along with key lime pie (was strange and fun listening to baseball on the radio while doing Christmas baking!) made a Jamaican rum punch and pina colada at the request of my kid- (adults had to add their own rum).

Asked guests to bring either summer-fied Christmas treats or Christmas-fied summer treats, and my mom wrapped up a bunch of pool toys to put under the tree so the kids could open the presents to play with in the pool.

It was a great time!

My favorite Christmas movie is Christmas Vacation, which inspired my wife and I's swim outfit choices for today.

We took down most of the decorations after the party, but I did decide to leave the lights along the fence up.

I picked up the ph meter that was recommended here because I'm a numbers guy. I dont do so well with the different shades on the ph tester.

My confusion is that it seems the ph meter is effected by light. the instructions say to swirl the meter in the water until it stabilizes. But it never does. every time you move it, it changes. I do the test in a tall clear shot glass. if I move my hands around the meter, the numbers change. If I let the meter just sit in the water, it will stabilize. but its still effected by shading it, or effecting the light around it in any way.

I picked up some standard solution to calibrate the meter, but with the behavior, its pretty confusing.

SO... What is the method to use to get a dependable reading from the meter.

Has anyone tried this brand yet. Amazon has a screaming deal on the seal model.

Can you tell I’m excited?

I received and installed my WaterGuru Sense 2 today. After the first test, some of the results differ greatly from my Taylor tests

WaterGuru
FC - 5.1
TA - 99
CYA - 86

Taylor
FC - 1.5
TA - 80
CYA - 60

Should I not trust WaterGuru? Should I not trust my own tests?

Thanks.

Anyone tried this hack?

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Hello, I've been slamming since last Friday (7/7) when I noticed some green algae spots in corners of the pool. I had previously been slacking a bit due to several rainy days and let my FC get below minimum unfortunately.

Today:
FC 12
CC 0
PH 7.2
TA 80
CH 180
CYA 40

Pump running 24/7 at 1725RPM. I have been brushing, haven't noticed any algae spots in a few days and made sure to brush under stairs, ladder etc. Robot runs daily and is emptied daily. Have been checking FC as often as possible (with an infant at home) and topping up to SLAM level as needed. Pool water is clear but I do get a lot of tree debris daily. Emptying skimmer basket multiple times a day and have backwashed once during the SLAM and added DE to my sand filter.

The last few days I have been noticing rapid FC loss as soon as sun hits the pool in the morning. Yesterday I went from 15 FC at 11am (when the sun came out from behind clouds) to 3 FC at 1:45pm. Today I went from 20.5 FC (overshot a bit last night) at 7:15am to 12 FC at 10:45am with sun out all morning.

I've done the CYA test over and over again on multiple days and I am as confident as I can be that it's 40. I am not passing OCLT so there is definitely something still consuming FC but the rapid loss due to sun is puzzling me.

As you all know, liquid chlorine prices are nuts this year so having to continually buy more is quite stressful. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!!

The following image contains two columns/series of pics taken of CYA tests. One series is a test of the 50ppm CYA Standard (R-7065) provided with the TF-100 test kit. The other series is a test of my pool water. I know which is which is which (I have a legend).

what I would like to do is compare interpretations/readings. In other words, in each column, which pic represents the "take this value" point?

(Each column is labeled from the top: L1, L2,... L7 for the left side; and R1,...etc for the right.)

For reference, here is a link to Taylor's CYA instructions with a few images of their test and what they indicate is a "reading": Taylor CYA Test.

I'll post the "answer" a little later (which column is the 50ppm Standard, and which pic contains the view tube filled to the "50" ppm line).

And, in the spirit of the Olympics, the first "winner" gets a gold colored looking smiley.
(sorry, no silver or bronze...)




Note: These pics were taken indoors, but near a large sliding glass door with plenty of light. However, it's not quite as much light shining thru the view tube as would be outdoors.


ETA: See post #29 for another series of pics comparing sun -vs- shade -vs- inside.

I'm in the planning stages for purchasing an agp for this summer. We have decided to purchase an Intex XTR 18' x 52" or a 12'x 24'x 52" pool. Right now I am leaning more towards the 18' round pool. Looks like its easier to install a wide mouth skimmer due to the walls being straighter. Any input on installing it on the rectangle pool?
I have been deep diving into past threads trying to learn everything about the pool and the upgrades we should do. There's so much info jumble up in my head I can't keep it straight. LOL
Here is my list in no particular order.
1. Hayward wide mouth skimmer (looks easy enough)
2. Upgrading the sand filter and pump to at least a 1HP pump, and a 2 speed would be a plus. The one that comes with the pool is really small (12in Filter Pump, 2100 gal Pump Flow Rate. I feel it is undersized at .30HP.) What size sand filter would be best 16", 18" or larger. Is it really necessary to go with a name brand like Hayward or Pentair? Are there other more affordable filter and pumps out there? Is it cheaper to piece mill the filter and pump instead of buying it already built together?
3. Purchasing upgraded steps for the pool. The ones that come with the pool really look wobbly!
4. hard pipe the plumbing. Is it necessary to enlarge the holes in the pole to the hard pipe?
I still haven't decided but am leaning to go saltwater instead of chlorine. We live less than 17 miles from the gulf coast and worried that adding the salt water to the pool will make to pool deteriorate faster? How well does the XTR pools hold up against the salt?

Looking at my list I think I'm about to spend more money upgrading it, then what the pool actually cost! My husband is going to freak but I feel to make it worth while it has to be done!

Thanks everyone

Just replace a malfunctioning salt chlorinator. Free chlorine readings remain nil.

Large kidney shaped in ground. Approx 30k gallons.
salt level approx 3500ppm.
CYA 30-40
hardness 400-500
alkalinity 150.
Ph 7.5.

I assumed I had a high chlorine demand and the new salt generator wasn’t able to overcome alone. (Not chlorine lock b/c the CYA is not high). So…i put in 12 gallons of liquid shock (12.5%) last night. This morning when i tested the free chlorine level was barely reading…still less than 1ppm.

here’s another conundrum…I’ve battled low CYA all year as well. I’ve added several pounds of granular CYA. It failed to budge the CYA, so I decided to add liquid CYA. I’ve added 4 gallons of liquid CYA and it only raised to 30-40 (previously unmeasurable).


Does anyone have any ideas? What am I doing wrong?

I am in northwest Georgia, and our pool is nearly complete. It is in the process of filling today, and I am so happy with the way it has turned out. I agonized over material choices because I didn’t want my pool to have any hint of green. (almost went with Stonescapes Tahoe blue) I wanted a medium blue pebble finish, and I believe we achieved that with Stonescapes Aqua White mini pebbles with one bag per batch of cobalt blue glass and one bag per batch abalone shells. We chose silver travertine coping, and NPT Caldera blue azurite waterline tile. I second guessed every choice, but I think it turned out great.

After several months of debate and testing that has confirmed I have plumbing leak on both the pressure and suction sides, I've finally decided to go in. My priority is the suction line right now since I have a Frakenplug installed in my cracked return jet, but since I had to rent a concrete saw w/ a diamond blade and a 70 lb jackhammer, I decided to cut both areas of the deck to save $$$. I'll hold-off digging on the return jets until later. It's too blazing hot. My return jet diagnosis was confirmed in THIS THREAD. While working on my suction side, I have my original suction line bypassed with a temp above-ground line as noted in THIS THREAD.

Below are some starter pics as I begin my adventure. Even with the right tools, it's utterly exhausting. To say I'm beat is an understatement. I think I'll relax for the now and just cut-out the rebar and call it quits for today. More updates to follow.

I needed a bag of salt and was curious if WM would deliver it since I joined WM+
I ordered 2 bags or salt for $7.99 and said no delivery fee and they brought it the same day!
Pretty good to know if your like me and hate getting out.

I also took one for the team and tried Clorox salt ( only thing in stock ) to see if it was better and actually liked it. Looked like a big bag of table salt and dissolved almost instantly. I poured into the spill over spa incase I got stains but so fare no issues

FWIW, I’ve done several AA treatments over the last 2 years and have gotten pretty good at them where it’s become something I can do with my eyes closed.

In the past, I followed all the usual procedures and also waited until there was really heavy staining on my plaster, then bring FC to 0, add in about 6-8 pounds of Absorbic Acid (36,000 gallons roughly) because I found the .5 to 1 pound recommend dose per 10,000 gallons doesn’t come close to cutting it for my pool/staining (YMMV obviously), adding a sequester, and going through all the usual processes of circulating water and waiting 24 hours before adding any chlorine back in, and then, only adding it very slowly over a 3 day period before the chlorine starts to hold again (and with Polyquat 60 in the process to help protect against algae blooms) as the AA and chlorine react and neutralize each other over those several days. It’s very time consuming and drawn out as anyone knows who has been through this process.

I’m admittedly impatient at times so wanted to try something different this time around, and because the weather in the next few days is 80+ all week and I just don’t like doing AA treatments in the warmer weather. Furthermore, I can’t use Polyquat-60 during an AA treatment right now because I’m also dosing a mixture of Jack’s Purple and Jack’s Magenta (known at Jack’s at “PurGenta”), and if I were to add Polyquat-60 to the mix it will cause severe clouding because of the interaction with the Magenta sequestrant. So, I wanted to see if I could do an entire AA treatment in < 24 hours and get ALL chemical levels back to their normal amounts in that timeframe, -before- any chance of algae kicking in. So, I decided to give this AA treatment “speed run” a shot!

My process was the following… (started at roughly 8am)

• Let my FC drift down to about 4, then dumped in enough Absorbic Acid to neutralize any remaining chlorine to drop it to 0 instantly.
• Normally I take my pH down to 7.0-7.2 during an AA treatment but I left it up around 7.4-7.6 because I was planning on dosing with MORE Absorbic Acid than usual (again because staining was bad, and because I wanted it to work FAST so I could get chemicals back to normal in <24 hours)
• I skipped Polyquat-60 (because of the cloudy reaction it would create with my Jack’s Magenta).
• Turned off my 2-SWGs and my Stenner pump that normally doses my MA
• Added in 2 quarts of Jack’s purple and 2 quarts of Jack’s magenta (this is my MINIMUM starting dosage for -my- pool with sequestrants, validating by Jack’s sales rep, who are awesome btw) and mixed.
• Switched -ON- my heater bypass mode (as I expected pH to temporarily drop to 6.4 or 6.6 roughly) once the AA was added.
• Added in roughly 12 pounds of Absorbic Acid into the pool (again, previously I -needed- 6-8 pounds for this to work over a 3 day period) --- and circulated water with 4 of my 6 pumps running.
• Within 30-60 minutes the heaviest stains on the floors and walls were 85% lifted and looking great.
• From that point on, over the next 8 hours, ON the hour, EVERY hour, I measured, pH and FC, and dosed accordingly to get them back into normal spec.
  • PH
    • pH dropped to roughly 6.4 to 6.6 initially so I had to use a substantial amount of Mule 20 Borax to get pH back in spec.
    • Every hour, I added in the necessary Mule 20 Borax, to keep bringing pH back up.
    • I ran my beach bubbler jets, my disappearing edge, and my slide, all the help create aeration to assist in bringing pH back up (I left both my waterfalls OFF, because they are made up of 4 vinyl later basins and I don’t need them to be part of the AA treatment).
  • FC
    • FC kept disappearing back down to 0-1 because the AA neutralizes the chlorine (and chlorine in turn neutralizes the AA)
    • Every hour, I needed to add appx .75 gallon to 1 gallon of chlorine

Within 6-8 hours of the extra-heavy AA treatment, I was starting to see FC levels start to stabilize a bit, and pH was back up to 7.0. Stains were 98% removed, and water was extremely clear and looking incredible. During hours 8-12 of the initial treatment, I continued to monitor pH and FC and dose accordingly, but was confident everything was going in the right direction. By the time I went to bed at about 16 hours in, my FC was holding around 2-4 FC when measured every hour with much less topping off with liquid chlorine.

I went to bed and woke up the next morning, testing pH and FC again, making some slight adjustments, but within 24 hours of the HEAVY AA treatment, everything was about as perfect as I could have hoped.

I’m sharing this because while I don’t recommend this this Speed Run for an AA treatment, for those of you who with the time and attention to detail, and who may not want to drag an AA treatment out over 24-72 hours, it seemed to work perfectly for me, and that’s WITHOUT using Polyquat-60 in the process (again, I didn’t want to deal with the water clouding from the reaction to Jack’s Magenta which might takes 1-2 weeks to filter out). The process DID work for me, but I think you really need to stay on top of it and be able to really dedicate the time/effort to it HOURLY.

Anyways, just wanted to share because I’ve talked to so many people who skip doing AA treatment because they know the side effects, etc. with pool chemicals and testing could drag on for up to 72 hours afterwards. Thought maybe someone out there could find some value in this if you’re willing to take the risk.

Caveat --- I would never recommend this method for someone who hasn’t ever completed an AA treatment before. But for those who are more experienced with it, it might be worth doing and I can at least say it does work. HTH !

April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse.

I have a Pentair Clean and Clear Plus 320 cartridge filter. Ever since I moved it while cleaning, I have a drip coming from the inlet bulkhead. I've tried just about everything I can find doing a search. I even replaced the o-ring and I think it's actually worse. What I find interesting is that the leak starts the instant the water starts to flow into the filter. There isn't any pressure at that point... With my older cartridges it seemed the leak got smaller as the pressure in the filter went up > 20psi. Since I now have new cartridges the pressure hasn't gotten above 8psi, so I don't know if that still holds true.

Looking for any thoughts, ideas, commiseration, suggestions, smart-butt remarks, pretty much anything would be appreciated!!

Opened the pool in mid-June and promptly took the family on vacation in mid-July. I opted to cover our small above ground pool and leave my SWG running on a shorter than normal schedule, just to ensure the water wouldn't be overrun by algae upon my return. Three weeks later, the water was crystal clear except for a small amount of fine sediment at the bottom. Looks like I misjudged the potential chlorine loss though.

I'm sure it'll be fine in a couple days once the sun has had its way with the chemicals. Regardless, I was quite proud that I managed to stave off an algae/critter takeover with nothing more than a pool cover, some shrink wrap, and running the SWG for two hours a day.

My old single speed pump finally died, so I had to buy a new VS pump. My question is how to wire it and program it to work with the SWG and the Barracuda G3 suction cleaner. The old pump was controlled by a simple Intermatic timer and the SWG is wired to the same times so that if the pump runs, the SWG runs.

Now how do I wire and control the SWG to work at the right time? Does it just always have power and only generate when it senses flow? What kind of pump program/schedule works best for a suction cleaner like the Barracuda? Also, none of the stuff I've read online has talked at all about different pump programs/schedules for different seasons, but here in Phoenix I've always run my pump much less in the cool months and more in the swimming months.

About my system:

• Pool: about 30,000 gallons, no water features.
• Cleaner: Baracuda G3 connected though a Pentair Vac-Mate in the skimmer.
• New Pump: CaliMar Variable Speed Pool Pump | 3HP | CMARVSP3.0
• Filter: Pentair FNS Plus FNSP60 DE Filter
• SWG: Circupool RJ-60 Plus.

Also, will the Vac-Mate (which has a manual valve to balance the skimmer and cleaner) still work for me with the variable speed pump, or do I need some other solution? It needs to be in the skimmer because I only have one skimmer and no other vacuum port.

Thanks,
John

Hi
I need some help on the best way to approach this decking issue.

My PB told me they do not do pavers when I asked to upgrade to pavers for my decking. Originally we were going to do concrete and then once we got started we were advised by a high end pool builder friend of ours that in our situation we could get a lot of cracking and he strongly suggested us to use pavers and not brushed concrete.

We upgraded to a sandblasted marble coping and really want to do matching pavers for the decking. We are now set on the pavers look. What options do I have?

1. Ask the PB to work with us on this and look for a sub for us and contract with them ( they use subs from Dallas for everything as they are a small Waco company) we are between Dallas and Waco,

2. Look for a sub on our own and ask the PB to allow us to take care of the decking ? Is this risky having someone else come in for part of the job? Gotta think PB's don't like that

3. Deal with concrete ( really don't want to )

We are completed with our gunite and about to start coping and tile next week , next step after that would be the decking.

Grateful for any help and ideas .

It pays to plan ahead (I didn't) and it pays to search old threads (I did). My Power Flo pump pot o-ring stretched and I didn't plan ahead and order extra - I will now. BUT I searched old threads and thank you @Bama Rambler . This worked and I ordered two more. Cut at an angle for best adhering

Background: Mostly curiosity in the science with this question. Learning as much as possible helps things stick better when I'm learning something new. 5th season with our pool, but I took ownership of caring for it just this year. And this group is what finally got me to where I am only spending 15-30 minutes on my pool each day, rather than hours scrubbing, testing, brushing, crying, sweating, yada, yada!

Can someone explain, in layman's terms, why the "industry standard" for FC levels is always 1-4ppm when everything I read from actual owners & non-industry experts says it is based on CYA levels? Even my hayward aquarite says 1-3ppm inside the power box on the sticker with all of the various directions. Their recommended CYA levels are 60-80, yet I've learned it should actually be a percentage of my CYA. Even at the minimum CYA of 60, that would make my ideal FC level 4.5ppm (I believe...based on 7.5%, though that's just off the top of my head so I could be slightly off with that actual percentage...i did not go back & actually look up that # since I use the pool math app for ideal level #s).

And then there are the other questions that come into play with "shocking" & "superchlorinating". Using the pool math app & TFP methods, what gives me that shock level #? You can't find anything out there, industry-wise, that says "to shock your pool, you should bring your FC levels to XXppm" except a few sources here & there that say it should be your CC x10 (I think) or something to that effect.

Questions:
1. Why the 1-3/4 ppm recommendation even by the companies that are not out to sell you chemicals? (i.e. Hayward & other salt cell manufacturers)
2. How is FC shock level calculated?
3. Why is my ideal TA so much lower with a salt pool? (I understand what the TA does as a pH buffer, but don't really understand the science behind it being a lower recommended # than industry standard. Same with CH really, except that recommendation seems to be high than industry standard)
4. With some of my higher FC "encapsulated" by stabilizer, does that really mean it's just sitting there, floating along until it's called up for duty, lol? If the excess (above what's getting used, at any given moment, to actually sanitize) is "locked up", how does it get released when it's needed?

Not looking to read more articles about chemistry, as I've read a TON. These questions are coming after reading all of those articles. Anyway, just curious mostly. No issues at the moment, (finally got the black algae under control after learning that the biggest culprit in keeping chlorine levels stable, after killing the algae, was actually an issue with our aquarite system not making chlorine AT ALL, and this forum's "more about..." links helped me realize it was not even making chlorine & pinpoint what was broken. I FINALLY got past the OCLT!) just looking for an opportunity to learn more so I have to ask less and can help others more effectively!

I can't thank the group here enough for getting me where I am today. Y'all have been AMAZING!

More unprecedented-ness cuz evidentally we haven't seen enough.

1. On the first of each month, a contest "theme" will be announced (i.e. water clarity, family fun, decking, custom features, lighting, scenery, etc)
2. Members have 10 days to UPLOAD ONE image for consideration; Photo must be related to the thread titled theme for that month.
3. Per general TFP rules, nothing profane, political, or insulting.
4. The first 10 days is the submission period. Posts are limited to ONE image ONLY. No discussion posts yet. This will make viewing much easier for all.
5. Days 11 - 15 the thread will be locked and is for voting only. No more uploads. Viewers now have a final opportunity to vote (or modify their selection) for their favorite upload.
6. Members are encouraged to use an emotion icon ("Like" or "Love") to vote for their favorite upload; it will be tough, but select only one favorite.
7. On day 16, emotion Likes/Loves will be tallied for a winner. In the event of a tie, we will create a poll on the thread to make a final selection.
8. Once a winner is announced, the thread will be unlocked and comments/discussions are welcomed. Winner and nominees can tell us all about their pool/photo/event.
9. A member can only be selected as winner once per calendar year.
10. Winner will receive a $50 gift certificate from tstestkits.net! Oh, and maybe some bragging rights.

Let's see those decking projects. Have fun and good luck to those who apply!

I have stamped concrete decking and it will burn your feet right off this time of year.

I have tried a couple different sandals, flip-flops and everything I tried was just a pain to use.

Then I tried these...


You can just swim with them on.. they don't hold water and you almost can't tell you are wearing them.

I can now just get out the pool and walk on the deck without having to find or put on something else.

I expected they would not to work, as they are about $12 bucks or so, but so far I am impressed.

Thanks,

Jim R.

In effect from 10 am this morning until Novenber 1.

This has been a public service announcement.

Hello everyone,

I just installed my Pentair VSF Intelliflo pump 2 weeks ago, then a few days ago it started squeaking intermittently. What could this be?

Please see a link of the video I took: Login to view embedded media
It used to be just on start up or shut off like the video below from another user: Login to view embedded media
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Dwight

I am finally getting around to installing the actuator valve I bought a couple of months ago. It is a 180-degree model (CVA-24 Compool which I think is Pentair? Doesn’t really matter, I guess).

I want to “automate” my fountain so when we want it on, I can make that happen. Currently, I have the return flowing into a 2” tee fitting where one side (2”) goes to the return jets with a two-way valve and the other side (1 ½”) is towards the fountain with a ball valve. Ideally, I’d like to have the option to have an option to select either return, fountain, or both, but I can’t seem to find an actuator that provides 3 stop positions, and I’m not sure if I need one. (Picture attached if it helps.)

Currently, (sometimes) I leave the ball valve open along with the return jet valve and when I want the fountain, I simply turn the two-way valve for the returns off (or close it partially) which allows me to leave the pump at 1200RPM with great flow at the fountain. So, here are my options, I THINK.



I’m not necessarily opposed to changing the RPMs if there is a better solution. Just looking to find all my options to make the best decision. I also don’t HAVE to skim every morning, but it seems to help keep the pool nice and pretty.

Thoughts for the group?