HermanTX said:

I do not have a drain nearby as it just flows into the rock covered area.

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This is how my pool guy did it, but eventually the river rock in front of my pad filled up with silt. Gross. I was going to do that hose bib thing, so I could connect a hose to it and drain the filter off to some area that could handle the crud. Then I "discovered" the drain hole with the towel-dam trick and that's probably the other reason I abandoned the valve idea. Yah, some trick alright, "Presto change-o, ta da! Where'd it go?!"

smithj51 said:

what is the safest way to make the switch?

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Take out chlorine, put in muriatic acid. It is only when you mix the liquids you have a problem.
If it makes you feel better leave the box open for 10 minutes.

Dragons Den said:

"Paralysis by Analysis".

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Oh, that's what it's called. Yep, I got that.

Jackson, NJ

PoolStored said:

Yup. What city are you in?

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Jackson, NJ

HermanTX said:

I wish Pentair would make an extender with a valve shut off for the drain hole. It is very difficult to reach as you pointed out. I do not have a drain nearby as it just flows into the rock covered area.

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I envisioned fabricating something like this years ago, then kinda gave up on the idea. I was going to put a hose bib on it. If @Newdude is right about the standard thread, I may revisit this today. Part of the problem is the amount of clearance to work with, between the threads and the pad. I took this pic in Feb 2018, so that's how long ago I "started" working on this idea:


I probably gave up because monkeying with such a mission-critical component can backfire. If this fails, that could cost me a pump. (There was a one-star Amazon review describing that very thing, when someone tried out a cheap 3rd-party plug and it came apart. That's why I'm going OEM.) Plus, I only clean my filter once a year. I swear at the plug each year until it comes off, then promptly forget about doing anything about it until next year! Blather, rinse, repeat.

TinFoilHat said:

I'm grateful my pool builder put this on for us. No plug to deal with. I know it's a ball valve but it went leak-free for 21 years before it started to barely drip.

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Something like that would be so great! But I don't know that I'd have room for a big elbow.

Newdude said:

It should be a 1.5 inch NPT plug widely available at the box stores. Who cares what it looks like ? You could always swap it out when the matching one comes, and keep the emergency plug. For those of us that winterize the return plug should fit.

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I didn't think of that. My plug has an o-ring, so I just assumed it wouldn't be NPT. I'll give that a try today and report back.

Newdude said:

I would have called the local pool stores because they'd probably have them and in this instance I wouldn't care it cost $8 more if the pool was back up and running yesterday with the actual part.

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I did think of that. They didn't have one, and I would have gladly paid plenty extra.

I'm guessing that with fireman's switch jumper in place I might be able to check Fenwal operation with another jumper for the blower?

MiScubaJeeper said:

Is the local guy charging too much? Are the items he is recommending overkill for the size of my pool? Hayward vs Pentair is like Ford vs Chevy... Also, I will be purchasing the TFP recommended pool test kit.

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I would have no trouble using the Circupool Pump. It is a medium head pump, and sells for about $1000. Probably would be fine.
The Hayward Tristar line are great, high head pumps. The VS 950 is the king, and the VS 900 is the queen. You likely will get no more benefit from the 950 vs. the 900 with regard to the energy efficiency. The 950 will be quieter, and may last longer. Toss up as to what is important to you. The price is reasonable.
You don't indicate WHICH omni. There is OmniLogic, Hayward OmniPL and Hayward OmniHub. Which is he installing?
Florida pool builders and installers waaaaay udersize the filter. It is actually a joke. When we see a 150 or 200 filter on a post, without looking we know you are in Florida. I would get a Hayward skim clear 325 or 425. You can likely go the year and clean them twice.
Ensure you get a T-9, or T-15 cell.

Get a complete quote, with all makes and model #s including the cell. Redact your name and post the quote. We'll confirm.

Your CYA of 60 is fine for your location.

Just add a bit of acid to lower pH to 7.8

Get some new reagents.

I want to chime in here for the Beatbot Aquasense. I recently posted a thread on it:

Thread 'My Robots Review - Beatbot and Bettabot' My Robots Review - Beatbot and Bettabot

This is my first robot. In a previous pool, I had a Polaris 260 with a booster pump. It did OK in our pool, but the Bettabot Aquasense is many times better.

I stick with tried and true technology for all my appliances. I wait for all the bugs to be worked out before I purchase. I've done this with cars, washers, dryers, computers, and now pool robots, with a very good success record thus far.

I think pool robots are rapidly evolving and are only going to get better over time. However, so many companies are entering the market presently, it's becoming increasingly confusing and difficult for the average consumer to sort through the massive amounts of information and "expert" reviews. This can result in "Paralysis by Analysis".

I think folks have come to expect FAR too much from these wireless robots. No appliance will ever relieve the pool owner of occasionally picking up your pool pole with a brush or skimmer and physically participating in making your pool water beautiful. My Beatbot Aquasense, along with the Bettabot skimmer relieves me of probably over 90% of my manual maintenance. The remaining 10% I view as aquatic therapy.

Now back to the Beatbot Aquasense. Since the model I purchased is a previous version, I paid less than I would for the latest and greatest. I think the current models are too expensive. As the OP stated, paraphrasing, sometimes manufacturers try and do too much with one product - like the newest Beatbots skimming function. A dedicated skimmer robot in addition to your bottom/wall/waterline cleaner is money better spent.

I've only had the Beatbot Aquasense for a few months, so more time is needed to evaluate its long-term performance. But right now? I am 100% pleased with its performance. It does everything the manufacturer claims. Sometimes it misses a spot. I'm good with that, and doubt ANY robot achieves 100% perfection 100% of the time.

Will I buy another Beatbot? No clue. We'll see how the 3-year warranty period goes and I'll let you know then.

Good luck to everyone and I hope you find the best robots for your $$$.

What is the model of your sand filter.

Start here, and follow the steps:

Yup. What city are you in?

PoolStored said:

Ace and paint stores have the good stuff.

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Thanks. What is the good stuff? Sorry, I'm new to this.
I don't have Ace nearby. Is it called 'Muriatic Acid' in the paint stores?

Then I think your chlorinator is working and you just had it set too high.
CYA degrades over winter. Normal.

Ace and paint stores have the good stuff.

Ok this is where I’m at……..I stuck a hose between skimmer (by the pool) toward the skimmer basket ( at the equip) turned water on and water passed through.

Next I blew the skimmer pipe with compresser from equip pad toward pool and got the air bubbles.

Next I plugged the two closest returns and blew toward far two returns……got strong air bubbles.

I still can’t get the pump basket fully primed. In fills up 3/4 and pump just runs and runs.

I also silicon all unions and connections at equip pad. No water leaks…….im at a loss

Hope someone can help me again: I'm trying to find muriatic acid. I see on Homedepot.com 1 gallon of Klean Strip muriatic acid for $9.98. It's advertised as a concrete product.
Is this the right thing for pools? I also can't seem to find the % acid contents on the product (14.5% or 29%).

The only other one I see online is this listing from Lowe's for 2 gallons of Muriatic Acid 14.5% for $15.98

Thanks all!

Note: I do not know this seller, so do your own due diligence on the seller.