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Help me double-check my replacement equipment.

ajw22
mangoose said:
For now, I wanted to connect the IO board to the heater and SWG yes. I believe between the pump and the heater built-in automation, I may be able to avoid a full blown automation system for $2k or more.
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Instead of spending money to avoid that full blown automation system, use it to put in a full featured system.

You are not going to save yourself much by building a mutt of pool equipment from different manufacturers.

You need an electrical subpanel that comes with the IntelliCenter. Forget the IO Board and get a MasterTemp heater and IntelliChlor Plus SWG.

You will have better equipment, that is easier to operate, and maintain.

You are buying enough Pentair equipment that you should ensure you qualify for their 3 year warranty bundle.

Pentair Bundled Warranty

Can anyone confirm the pentair warranty when you buy from 3 different product areas? I've gotten quotes from a few dealers and they all say it goes to 3 years if buy from 3 different areas.....but the pentair website is a little more precise and says the following: "Select Bundled Products...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
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Liquid Chlorine vs Baquacil - Can someone provide the pros and cons?

JJ_Tex
My mother in law is a perfect example of this. She is "allergic" to chlorine because their pool at home is a typical Leslie's pool and she says her skin is itchy after swimming so she never uses their pool.

When they come to my house, they use it all the time. Its a salt water pool, so she claims it doesn't break her out like a "chlorine" pool. Spoiler alert, a salt water pool uses chlorine too, and my pool has way more chlorine in it than theirs so it can adequately combat the germs, algae, and other contaminants and does not have as many of the chlorine byproducts that a lower chlorine pool has (causing the chlorine smell, burning eyes, itchy skin, etc.).

I tried explaining it to them once, but their eyes glossed over. They still compliment me on my "no chlorine" pool, so now I just say thank you and grab another drink.
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What’s the Best Way to Troubleshoot Low Pool Pump Pressure?

ajw22
Welcome to TFP.

What is your normal filter pressure and what is it now?

Low pressure can be good. High pressure indicates restriction in the water flow and the pump needing to work harder.

Focus on water flow rates to judge performance, not pressure.

Check for debris in the pump impleller.

Check for valves miss set.

Does the pump have strong suction? What does the water in the pump basket look like?
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Liquid Chlorine vs Baquacil - Can someone provide the pros and cons?

P
Bperry said:
Stay as far away from baquacil as you can. 😉

99% of the time, people who think they are allergic to chlorine are actually just allergic to the byproducts of inadequate chlorine breaking down waste in the water. The amount of active chlorine in a TFP pool is less than the chlorine found in tap water. If your friend can’t take a shower because of chlorine in the water then maybe it’s good to look at chlorine alternatives.

If you start out with chlorine and follow the TFP recommendations, your friend can try it out and see how it works out. If they really are allergic to chlorine, you can convert to something else easily. But note It’s really hard to convert from baquacil to anything else.
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Great ideas! Thank you!
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Liquid Chlorine vs Baquacil - Can someone provide the pros and cons?

P
JoyfulNoise said:
Chlorine can not trigger the formation of antibodies which is what defines an “allergy”. One can get chemical contact dermatitis (itchy skin rash) but that occurs when one is exposed to a chemical irritant (like chlorine bleach used in laundry cleaning). In those cases, the exposure level is many thousands of time more concentrated than the level of chlorine in a pool. If a person were truly allergic to chlorine, they’d likely die because the human body uses chlorine as both a chloride ion (nerve conduction) and as a reactive chlorine species in immune mediated responses to pathogens. It’s simply not a thing.

As others have alluded to, people can developed respiratory and dermal sensitivities to chlorinated by-products of disinfection and oxidation. Chloramines can be very irritating to most people.

Swimming pools that are improperly cared for, especially true in water parks and community swimming pools, can have high loads of chloramines. That is the “nasty chlorinated swimming pool” smell that everyone detests. Go to an indoor water park like a Great Wolf Lodge or similar and you will be overpowered by that smell. I find it incredibly irritating and nauseating which is why I rarely go to indoor water facilities.

When properly used in a residential outdoor swimming pool, you would never know that a chlorine pool actually has chlorine in it. At TFP, pool owners are taught how to properly take care of their pools. People are amazed at how my pool feels and they think that because I have a salt water chlorine generator that my “salt pool” isn’t a chlorinated pool. I just chuckle and let them believe what they want.

Baquacil is a money pit. It’s basically hand sanitizer for a swimming pool and it doesn’t work well. And when it fails to work, WHEN not IF, you will not be able to swim in your algae and white water mold infested swimming pool.

Look up Baquacil in the search bar and read horror story after horror story about it. And then be prepared to drain your bank account to use it.
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Great information! Thank you!
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Pump Upgrade How it affect my plumbing?

ajw22
Welcome to TFP.

silverdou said:
What benefits will I get if I replace my 1.5" suction above ground with 2" piping to pump suction?
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None.

silverdou said:
What other options exist for me?
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You have nothing to worry about.

The difference in pressure is marginal.

What model was your 1.5HP pump and your new 2.0HP pump?

There are 1.5 HP pumps that have higher flow rates than 2.0HP pumps. There is more to pump performance than HP.

What type of filter do you have?

What was the filter PSI with the old and new pump?

Pump Basics - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Pump Plumbing Head Curves and Operating Points - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
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Pressure testing a dry pool

ajw22
cj8896 said:
We realize we will have to sink a pretty penny into it, we just want to see how much. We are thinking if the cost will be 35k+ we might walk away. We are planning to have someone run a pressure test on the pool, but l wasn't sure if this can even be done in this condition (pictured above).
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I cannot tell what I am looking at in that picture.

Did someone recently drain the water from the pool?

It rains in St. Louis and a pool should hold water. A good pool should be holding water and be a wet swamp. Otherwise the liner is leaking and needs replacement. And you do not know what you will find in the condition of the shell when the liner is removed.

I do not see any returns or drains in the pool picture.

cj8896 said:
Will someone be able to access everything necessary to perform a pressure test in this condition?
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Is there pool equipment?

Do you have pictures of the equipment pad?

What access to pipes is there at the equipment pad?

cj8896 said:
Is there anything else we should be aware of besides performing a full inspection with a pressure test?
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Are the pool walls level?

Is the ground or deck surrounding the pool level?

Has any areas around the pool sunk down?

With a leaking pool the water can undermine the shell or deck.

What type of pipes are in the ground? Modern schedule 40 PVC? Black poly pipes? Copper or iron pipes?

What vintage is the pool? What timeframe was it built?
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Pressure testing a dry pool

C
PoolGate said:
When they pressure test the pool plumbing it's done with air. They should be able to test adequately in that condition. Make sure your tester is familiar with pool plumbing. Are you aware of any of the pool history such as when was the last time it was used?
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No, given the seller’s situation we weren’t able to get much information. However, using Google Maps history, it was definitely used in summer of 2023. I’m assuming that was the last time.
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Unexpected CYA test result

ajw22
Sws said:
Question everything...story of my life. Lol

I need to see things for myself, even if it means spending hours messing with stuff. I probably did 10 tests just to see how temperature affects CYA readings.

Im done for tonight. Ill play more tomorrow. Thanks again.
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Don’t obsess over it. The CYA test is a very coarse test. There are better things to do with your life.

+/- 10 ppm accuracy is just fine for our use of CYA. Make a call and move on.

You find a CYA reading and value that works in your pool and use the test to repeat it. It does not matter that someone else runs the test and calls it a different number then you.

Focus on the desired outcome, which is the daily FC consumption. Not on achieving some CYA number which is meaningless.
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Pressure testing a dry pool

C
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Hello! My wife and I had a contract accepted on a house with an in ground pool. It is concrete with a vinyl liner. The owner of the house passed away last year and the home is being sold by a parent who doesn't have any knowledge about the condition or maintenance of the pool. From what we can gather it has been empty for probably a year.


We realize we will have to sink a pretty penny into it, we just want to see how much. We are thinking if the cost will be 35k+ we might walk away. We are planning to have someone run a pressure test on the pool, but l wasn't sure if this can even be done in this condition (pictured above).


Will someone be able to access everything necessary to perform a pressure test in this condition?


Is there anything else we should be aware of besides performing a full inspection with a pressure test?


Thanks in advance for the help!
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Is this a good price ..

SunnyP2000
Mstrlucky74 said:
So I signed the contract and one thing I forgot was the liner thickness. They are giving me 20 mil which I believe is way too thin. Doesn't even make sense I believe. They said it would be an upcharge for thicker liner. Is there a middle ground of thickness I can go without going 28 that would make sense? It's loop loc.Thanks
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congratulations .. let the fun begin. who did you choose? i think go with thicker liner.
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Nautilus CC Plus cable replacement, Amazon?

djdonte
I was "gifted" one of these from my neighbor who didn't want to mess with it anymore. He said it needed a new power supply, but I diagnosed the cable as being bad at the swivel. I thought cleaning the contacts would fix it, but there is something wrong inside the connector. I lose continuity in one wire when I wiggle the cord where it goes into the swivel connector with the brass strips. Does anyone have experience with the knock off 2 prong cords on Amazon? I saw some for 80-150ish. OEM is about half what this thing is worth. I am going to do a waterproof splice to make sure the robot runs before even spending that much on it.
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What’s the Best Way to Troubleshoot Low Pool Pump Pressure?

M
Hi everyone,

I’ve been having some issues with my pool pump lately. The pressure seems to be lower than usual, and I’m not sure what might be causing it. I’ve checked the filter and it seems clean, but I’m wondering if there’s something else I’m missing.

Could it be an issue with the plumbing or pump itself? Are there any common problems or troubleshooting steps I should follow to get the pressure back up to normal?

Looking forward to the Suggestions!
For this kind of project, I’d personally go with a service that specializes in Concrete Repair Richmond VA, they really know how to get lasting results.
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pH & TA

pjt
Tattooed Nurse said:
Well I'm having to add acid every 2-3 days. Just going to be FOREVER fighting!
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Try to harvest as much rainwater as possible. I try to minimize my fill water (TA 330) usage. During the winter and spring we typically get enough rainfall that I don't need to use fill water. In a summer drought, I'm adding MA twice a week.
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Help me double-check my replacement equipment.

M
PoolStored said:
Welcome to TFP!!!

Those are all just fine. If you are good maintaining your water, the nitek isn't necessary. Plain copper works just fine.


Great

Check the capacity of the circuit with all your equipment...but should be fine.

You need to make sure the meter can handle the total flow of the house. You also need to ensure the piping is sized correctly. Need a knowledgeable plumber/HVAC to size it. 400K heaters typically need a larger meter and piping than a normal house has...


Make sure you have a way to ensure the SWG is off if the pump is not running. You can get a Pentair IntelliFlo3 VSF Optional Universal Relay Control Board Kit 356365Z for that pump and turn the cell on and off...or you can roll your own.

SWG How It Works - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Put a bypass on the heater:

Heater Bypass - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Equipment Pad Best Practices - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
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excellent information - i will be diving into these this week. Thank you for your reply!
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Help me double-check my replacement equipment.

M
Lake Placid said:
Do you have a light in the pool? I’m assuming you’re going to wire the IO board to control the heater and SWG?
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Yes there is an old light in the pool - its 12V, and I know nothing about it. except the pool contractor who came out to quote me on plaster said it was real old, and with a copper conduit, if it goes out he thought it would not be possible to replace.

For now, I wanted to connect the IO board to the heater and SWG yes. I believe between the pump and the heater built-in automation, I may be able to avoid a full blown automation system for $2k or more.
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