JamesW said:

The pumps measure volts and amps.

I do not know if they only measure volts and amps at the drive input of 240 volts or also the 3-Phase output.

You can get a wattmeter.

Check volts, amps and power factor to get VA (Apparent Power) and Real Power.

https://www.amazon.com/KETOTEK-Voltmeter-50-0-300-0V-Multimeter-Transformer/dp/B09MYY9Y5V

https://www.amazon.com/Current-Amperage-Voltmeter-Multimeter-Transformer/dp/B07JB9B2QL

https://www.amazon.com/80-260V-Multi-Function-Frequency-Voltmeter-Transformer/dp/B0CC51H1B8

https://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Ampermeter-Voltmeter-Frequency-Multimeter/dp/B094F98PYF

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James, can I just measure power (current in amps) using a cheap current clamp on the power wire feeding the pump and multiply it by 240v to calculate equivalent watts? or is this too rudimentary?

ajw22 said:

Taking a different view of this makes more sense....

Filtered water comes up the orange pipe.

This diverter is your 3 way valve that controls the solar heat. This valve is where the SolarTouch should be controlling with an actuator.

The brown pipe carries water to the solar panel.

The blue pipe has solar heated water.

At the T, either solar-heated water or un-heated water are carried by the green pipe back to the pool equipment.

View attachment 642240

Water flows back to the equipment pad on the green pipe and through the SWG.

I cannot understand the birds nest of pipes in the middle as they are a jumble of white pipes to me,

Where is the return pipe leading back to the pool?

That black three-way diverter with the actuator has three ports. I can only see two, and I'm not sure what the three ports connect to.

I still cannot connect all the dots. You have to fill in the blanks.

View attachment 642248

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I responded to you below ajw22

jerrodlv said:

I think that ship has sailed lol. Unless I strip it and do something else, but idk what the difference is if I do that now, or 4 years from now. The pool is already painted..

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For the new paint to have any luck of sticking, you need to strip all the old paint off anyway.

fsowells said:

can you post a picture of how you connected this. this is where i am struggling. do i just put it in the clip thats connected to my pump with the other wire? Thanks

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Hello there -- the connection I am referencing in this post is pictured below. I purchased this split bolt at Home Depot and then connected a new copper wire to the bonding grid here. The other end of this wire splits off and runs to the bonding lug on the SWG control panel. I'm not sure if this is what you're referencing but this is how I did it.

Aluminum can last a very long time, but it can also corrode very fast under specific conditions.

Arcpool13 said:

thanks for the tip on the price. This is the cheapest I have seen it, and purchased it at Leslie's.

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Really good deal!

zicklag said:

I've seen for clearing up cloudiness much faster is adding a floculant.

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Please, for the Love of Lucy, do not use flocc.

Yes, sand filters take the longest, particularly Above Ground pool filters.

I think @ajw22 had it right in post #2, at 4500 gallons, have you considered draining and replacing water?

The pumps measure volts and amps.

I do not know if they only measure volts and amps at the drive input of 240 volts or also the 3-Phase output.

You can get a wattmeter.

Check volts, amps and power factor to get VA (Apparent Power) and Real Power.

Sounds like a plan, thanks!

My parents are wanting to get the pool cleared up ASAP and are worried about how slow the cloudiness is going away. I'm wondering if the sand filter is just filtering things really slowly and I'm considering getting a filter bag ( as an inexpensive version of a slime bag ) and adding it to the outlet to try and catch the finer particles. Found the hint about diesel filter bags on this thread on the forum.

I've seen people mention adding DE to their sand filter, but in an above ground pool without a skimmer I don't think I have a good way to do that.

The other thing I've seen for clearing up cloudiness much faster is adding a floculant. I see a comment on the forum saying some people use it to clear the water faster. But this thread seems to convince me against it. Good thread.

Is the cloudiness really just something that needs to be waited for? I'm being told by my mom that lots of people managed to clear up pools that were just as dirty as ours in a few days or so. I'm not sure if it's just because we literally didn't vacuum / filter it for 12 months or something?

Anyway, I'm thinking the filter bag can't hurt anything and cost about $12 on Amazon, and it seems like the get almost universally good reviews, so I'm hoping that can help my sand filter get things clear faster.

Does that sound reasonable?

Bo mode got it to work! Thank you so much!!

Adding a drain valve would mitigate freeze damage but it means someone needs to go up on the roof and open it. Not something I would want.

The other issue is if water sits in the pipe when the panels are off, it can heat up so hot it will soften the pvc pipe and could deform.

The only consideration for VRV location is the VRV height, the lower it is and the closer to the pump (supply side), the lower the RPM the pump can run.

jark87 said:

I’m not sure what position to put the valve in. The main drain and east skimmer both go through the same valve. If I move that valve to 7 o’clock and 2 o’clock, does that restrict both the east skimmer and the main drain? Same question for 10 o’clock/4 o’clock. Thanks!

View attachment 648164

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If you turn the right handle (east skimmer) clockwise 90 degrees, it’ll shut the main drain off. Turn it slightly less than 90 to not shut it off completely.

What type of pump do you have?

The flow sensor on a SWCG is a backup safety to turn off the SWCG with no flow. The primary feature is to have the pump and SWCG powered on or off together.

What is your schedule on your pump?

Hammond said:

I love my SE Plus too. I noticed it is on sale for $349 at Leslies. Also Leslies gives you a 2 year warranty

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thanks for the tip on the price. This is the cheapest I have seen it, and purchased it at Leslie's.

I ordered one from Pool Supply Unlimited last Saturday, the 17th and almost immediately received an email that it was backordered. I emailed today to check in and got the following reply:
“Thank you for your patience. The vendor has advised that the estimated ship date is roughlyaround mid-June.
As soon as the order ships, you’ll receive an email notification with the tracking details.”

nuttyp said:

Not surprising - my neighbor was quoted $1800, and the local pool store wants over $1200 for a J&J version, plus labor. To be fair, labor can be tough to quote, some old lights can lead to a full days' work, others done in an hour.

Some alternatives documented throughout TFP and last week, here: pool lighting

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Thanks, for sure my 120v is going to limit me even further, unless i want to get an electrician to install some sort of transformer, etc.... It just feels like every light I look up is around $1000 and pulling that through an existing conduit seems like it should be easy enough....I would do it myself if I was something i'd done before or watched someone do. Don't feel like screwing it up, but also dont feel like paying $2200.

Bill1974 said:

Just wanted to make sure a low CSI would not erode the salt cell sooner or something

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It will not. It will keep your cell clean!

Try applying Plastaid to the crack. If that doesn’t work, I would consider replumbing from the ground up to the pump.

MossyMan said:

then FC/CYA,

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The only thing I would add is to purchase liquid chlorine at Walmart or Home Depot. This will increase FC quickly.

For 35k gal, 1 gal of 10% LC will raise FC by nearly 3ppm - so add 2 gallons now while your stablizer is dissolving. This will get you to 5+ppm on FC.

8lbs of stabilizer will raise the CYA by 27ppm - so adding all 8lbs will get you close to 30ppm for CYA. As a minimum you want to be at 30 ppm CYA and FC at 5ppm.
If your pool is green or has algae then having 30 CYA will be good for
SLAM Process

Once you test your salt with a proper kit ref K1766 as a standalone kit, you can add more salt if needed to the level needed for your SWCG.

First address CYA and FC. Use liquid chlorine initially.

PoolStored said:

Nothing in a vinyl liner pool. CSI is used to predict calcium erosion/leaching from plaster pool (low CSI) or scaling (high CSI). A low CSI in a vinyl pool just means the chance of scaling is low

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I was fiddling with the pH, TA, CH and temp values in Poolmath to see what I would need to change to get to a -.03 or 0 CSI, and I would need to raise the CH a lot get there. Just wanted to make sure a low CSI would not erode the salt cell sooner or something

Nfrisa said:

Should I be checking it every day and adding acid every day for a week to try to keep it that low?

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Try that to get the TA down.