Mdragger88 said:

Is your cya above 80? If not it sounds like a bombing not a Slam. Not more effective just more risky and more expensive. Just trying to clarify for other readers that this is not recommended.
* The phenol red Ph test is inaccurate at fc levels above 10ppm so do not adjust until fc comes down.

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Yes, I overestimated the Liquid Chlorine requirement, but not by that much. According to the TFP SLAM Chart, at 60PPM CYA 24PPM should have been sufficient. Overnight that 33PPM was down to 19PPM. The next night was 17PPM. However, pool is crystal clear. I think I'll keep it around 20PPM for now until I only lose 1PPM overnight as recommended. The CYA has dropped to around 55PPM after vacuuming, cleaning and topping off the water.

Pictures will help if you can post an overall shot of pool and specifics of the coping and decking.

ethany said:

Thx for replies……. I have one skimmer and I guess not pulling water because I can’t get pump to prime. I poured a bucket of water in skimmer basket but the pump just runs.

I do get faint bubbles in further returns but mostly in the two closer returns.

You thinking it could be between skimmer and pump?

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OK, I thought the pump did prime based on your initial post. If the pump is not priming, I would put a hose in the skimmer to facilitate filling the lines up and prime the pump.

Mdragger88 said:

Also always lube your orings- that can stop most leaks.

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Yes, sir. Cerainly did. However, the big problem was that it was simply upside down. When facing the the right way, the O-Ring has protruded ridges that go into the holes to prevent leaking. 100% leak-free now.

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

Mdragger88 said:

Is your cya above 80? If not it sounds like a bombing not a Slam. Not more effective just more risky and more expensive. Just trying to clarify for other readers that this is not recommended.
* The phenol red Ph test is inaccurate at fc levels above 10ppm so do not adjust until fc comes down.

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Thank you. I wondered about the accuracy of the PH. However, my tap water's PH has been extremely high lately, so it's not all that surprising. Pool is looking great, but now I'm dealing with stains.

For anyone interested, the Pentair 520272 temperature sensor worked just fine on the Waterway Oasis Automation system. It was $14 on Amazon!!! Thanks all!

I'm pleased with the Beatbot Aquasense. I purchased the lower price model for $1,000. The newer ones are over $2K.

Here's my recent thread on my pool robots:

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

I think there are several good options that are cheaper, but I can only speak to my experience. The Beatbot Aquasense is super easy to set up out of the box and very simple to maintain.

Good luck in your search and please let us know what you eventually purchase.

trivetman said:

Ive always had trouble relying on my swg to bring fc up high enough upon opening, and Ive tried it a few times. While the cell should make enough fc running at 100%, it hasn’t accumulated. I’ve never been sure if this is because the water’s been cold, or because Ive got something growing in there (or both)

I’ve had much better luck using LC to bring FC up very high upon opening - approaching slam levels, making sure it passes an overnight chlorine loss test, and relying on the swg from that point on.

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Thanks. You are in the same area as me so that is helpful. I’m glad I got the liquid chlorine.

Above ground pools are typically taller than the shallow end of inground pools. If the heights line up, putting wedding cake stairs on an inground liner is no different than putting them on the same thickness above ground liner.

The Polaris P945 is a corded robot. What type of vacuum was built with the pool? Did it have a suction side or pressure side cleaner system or was it set up to use a robot from day 1?

You can add a waste line by modifying the plumbing between the pump and the filter to have a valve and Tee that becomes your waste line. Then use a manual vacuum connected to your skimmer to vacuum to waste.

I suggest that you experiment with resetting the system with some variation of this:

Thread 'CircuPool dreaded Check Salt / Cell Maint. lights' CircuPool dreaded Check Salt / Cell Maint. lights

RonR21711 said:

CYA seems low and chlorine is off the charts. I’ve opened the cover today to let some sunshine to it thinking that will help and then test again tomorrow. Thoughts?

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Welcome to TFP!!!
Cya will be low in spring as it degrades over the winter.
As for FC...
Your SWG is set for normal sun and you have had cover on, so FC rose, OR
Your reagents are old/degraded. When they are old degraded, it takes more drops for the reaction to occur, OR
You *might* have a little static charge on the tip, making the drops smaller. Wipe the tip once with wet paper towel before using liquid reagent.

How have you been chlorinating so far?

Check the weir door to make sure its not stuck.

Lube the pump lid gasket and union o ring before the pump.

If you have multiple suction legs (main drains ?), only pull from one leg.

ethany said:

do get faint bubbles in further returns but mostly in the two closer returns.

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Air escapes the easiest way out, so that part is normal for the circumstances

Welcome to TFP.

This is an Aquapure system?

172/185/186 are all flow sensor problems.

I would replace the Tri-sensor.

Show us pictures of your equipment pad, the Aquapure panel, and the cell and sensor.

Also I didn’t lose any water from pool

We're on our 4th Intex... never thought we'd keep buying a "starter" pool. But we started the same way - damage to our original (very affordable) 18-foot inflatable ring (with the ring, it functioned more like a 16'). The first upgrade was only slightly bigger (18-foot metal supports). That one also got damaged before the end of it's functional life. The second upgrade was significantly larger in usable space, but not much more water or annual chemicals (salt, CYA) (12x24). For that one, I also sourced a bigger Intex pump and sand filter. When it wore out, we tried really hard to get a "real" above-ground, but during Covid, none of the local suppliers would answer emails. So... Intex #4 (another 12x24) has been going strong.

We leave the pool up for the winter, draining half, and bringing the equipment inside. Each iteration of pool, we've improved our installation techniques and every year, we try to upgrade some piping or equipment. Going bigger is a good idea - you'll love the 18'! And even if your filter is a bit undersized, it will still work - you just need to backwash a bit more often.

One thing you may like to try - get the Hayward skimmer (we had the regular size on our 18' round) and DIY the install. It keeps the water surface cleaner, and you can use hair nets or skimmer socks to collect the pollen and fluff that will clog your sand prematurely.

Intex Skimmer Install

Thx for replies……. I have one skimmer and I guess not pulling water because I can’t get pump to prime. I poured a bucket of water in skimmer basket but the pump just runs.

I do get faint bubbles in further returns but mostly in the two closer returns.

You thinking it could be between skimmer and pump?

Your equipment was all purchased in the aftermath of the shortages, when every manufacturer of *anything* was rushing out garbage to stock the shelves. It has only improved some since then and not fully IMO.

Welcome to TFP.

Removing the surface may be what it takes.

Clean one area and see if the spots return.

Can your pool pass a Overnight Chlorine Loss Test? If not, you have algae and need to follow the SLAM Process.

When I did a search for River Roc I found several dealers in FL most of them being in mid and south FL. Dealer Locator - SGM, Inc.

Are you thinking of doing the work your self? I do know that many of them will not sell to the general public. I suggest you call some of the ones closest to you and see what they say. Sure can't hurt to ask!

jkbotki said:

We built our pool in 2021 and it feels like we have had a lot of equipment problems. I would love to know if this is "normal" and I should just budget for regular problems. We are about to replace our sand filter for the second time (tank leaks). This time will be under warranty or I would switch to a fiberglass tank. We used to have an ozone system that shorted out last year and killed the whole equipment pad. We did not replace that because I wouldn't have it if I had known better when we built the pool. Our heater has shorted out and needed to be fixed at least once every season so far. It is currently dead again. Is it typical to have to fix most of your equipment every season?

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All of that should last much more than 10 years easily. Except maybe the ozone, you don’t need that anyway.

RonR21711 said:

Hi. The 50k gallon salt water pool in VA has been open for three weeks. It’s been covered with an automatic safety cover 90% of the time due to cool weather. The water is very clear but I have some wonky test results and am new to this.
5/11/25 - CYA 38-40, Ph around 8, FC 26ppm, CC 0, TA 60

CYA seems low and chlorine is off the charts. I’ve opened the cover today to let some sunshine to it thinking that will help and then test again tomorrow. Thoughts?

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How are you testing? (The 38-40 specifically) the Taylor tests don’t have that kind of resolution.