Brand New Pool - So many questions

You'll have to tell us the readings, also - something isn't quite right in getting your PoolMath results to show here.

Did you buy and add stabilizer (CYA) in the last couple of days?
We posted about the same time.
If you really were at 30 before, yes 15 pounds would move you up to near 100. I think PoolMath may have said "150 ounces" which got misread.

Work with @Newdude and he'll validate the readings with you, as well a coach you on what to do next.

Brand New Pool - So many questions

I have done badly…….. I will reprimand myself.

I think I was unclear how to read the CYA test results last night when I did it the first time. I read the instructions here earlier today. And I am guessing this is bad????

I tried uploading pics but it wouldn’t let me bc they are too large. But it only took 5-6 drops to make the dot unseen. So that’s more than 100 ppm for CYA????

Please help me identify these pipes

If that blower is for a floor bubbler in the spa, those open lines are likely the air intake for the spa jets. Seeing Ortega valves indicates the pool was built at a time that was a common way of constructing a spa.
Better (and cheaper) than cutting off a 90 is to get two 2" couplers, cut the pipe, run water into it and see where it goes, then just push the coupler and pipe back together. Or just have someone hold a garden hose with a rag stuffed around it in the 90, turn it on and watch to see what happens.
Yes, the bubblers are in the floor of the hot tub. I will try the hose idea and turn it on and see where the water comes out :)
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Jandy Sheer Descent Crack/Leak in Top

Twenty two months after construction completion, one of my 36" sheers developed a leak due to a small crack in the top where an epoxy or other sealant was applied during the manufacturing stage. It's only 1/2" in length. Can anyone advise regarding the best repair method for hopefully a permanent fix?

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3+ year old iChlor 30 leaking from where power cord meets the unit

30K cell in a 17K pool I would expect to least about 3 years in Florida.

Run the numbers and I think you will find the SWG costs less than 3 years of liquid chlorine. Using tablets and you will have to watch your CYA level and drain the water as needed.

The iChlor cells are a low quality budget product.

Consider the new IntelliChlor LT cell when it becomes available.

Help with new Timer and twi speed pump

But, if the high and low pump connections are wired to the NO and NC contacts (on the same relay). it would be impossible for the relay to be in both the NO and NC positions at the same time.
You will not be able to turn the pump OFF wiring it that way.

The pump will run either low speed or high speed.

That would also be against the NEC which requires an emergency disconnect within reach of the pump if the pump CB is not within reach. And CBs should not be used for on/off switches unless rated for that use.

Please help me identify these pipes

If we are really worried about the 90s popping off, the OP can set up a surveillance camera and then post a link and we can take turns watching to make sure the 90s do not pop off.

Here is a sign up sheet for people to take turns watching the video.

View attachment 630646
Train your new buddy Claude to monitor the cameras.
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2016 Pentair Intellichlor IC40 & Power Center -- time to replace?

bj,

Your pool guy probably gets a better mark-up than from Pentair..

A 10 year old IntelliChlor Power Center is no more likely to go bad than a brand new one.. They tend to last forever..

The cell plates being corroded away has nothing to do with the IntelliChlor, or Power Center being 'bad'.. It is more likely water chemistry.. Does the cell shut off when the pump is not running???

If you have an 18K pool, you need a 40K cell.. Like the IC40

Both Hayward and Pentair make great salt systems..

If you do not have a Pentair automation system, it does not really matter which salt system you have.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Help with new Timer and twi speed pump

poolman..

The OP's timer has two relays... The 2-speed pump would only use one relay.. I agree that you can't try to use one relay to control the High speed and the other relay to control the Low speed.. That would lead to disaster..

But, if the high and low pump connections are wired to the NO and NC contacts (on the same relay). it would be impossible for the relay to be in both the NO and NC positions at the same time.

Kind of why I asked the OP what else the timer was controlling besides the 2-speed pump, but I have yet to see the answer.

If the OP is trying to use both relays to control the 2-speed pump, then that is totally the wrong way to do it.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Please help me identify these pipes

Hi. I recently purchased a home with a pool and hot tub. I replaced most of the equipment as most if it was inoperable or dying. But there are 2 pipes that are open at the top, and I have no idea what they do. I am hoping one is a drain that I can use when backflushing the DE filter. One is right next to the ground drain. But maybe they do some thing else? Thanks for such a great site!

View attachment 630610View attachment 630611
If that blower is for a floor bubbler in the spa, those open lines are likely the air intake for the spa jets. Seeing Ortega valves indicates the pool was built at a time that was a common way of constructing a spa.
Better (and cheaper) than cutting off a 90 is to get two 2" couplers, cut the pipe, run water into it and see where it goes, then just push the coupler and pipe back together. Or just have someone hold a garden hose with a rag stuffed around it in the 90, turn it on and watch to see what happens.

TA and pH rise vs CSI?

Your CSI is fine at -0.60 and above. Keep your TA where it's at to mitigate scaling and pH rise. Maintain pH above 7.8 to 8.0.
natedawg, you're getting a somewhat confusing range of answers. Mike's (Rancho Cost-a-Lotta) is the best one.

I'm still obsessed with my numbers, but a little less so since I first took over my pool. You'll get there. Here's a few tips that will help:

- CSI would need to be way below -0.6, or way above 0.6 for months, if not years, before it would have a noticeable impact on your plaster. A few weeks slightly low or slightly high is nothing to worry about.

- A TA of 70 is just about perfect. Leave that alone, for sure. If you need to move CSI for some reason (you don't, for now) then you adjust your pH. That's the easiest level to move, up or down, and will get you the fastest results.

- Mike's second bit of advice is even more important than the first. Create your signature right away. It's not just a showcase of your pool and equipment, it's something the experts here need. Every detail you provide will get you better answers. Use my signature as an example of what we're after.


My TA is 70. I let my pH rise to around 8 in the winter, and lower it to about 7.6-7.7 in the summer. I NEVER move my TA.

Welcome to TFP, glad you found us!
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Help with new Timer and twi speed pump

J,

That timer will work, because it has both a NO and a NC set of contacts..

Please tell me what is wired to the #1 set of contacts and then what is wired to the #2 set of contacts.. Is your timer currently wired to control two different things???

If you connect the wires wrong, your pump will be trashed in about half a second.. You can NEVER have the High speed and Low speed input hot at the same time..

We need to know the following..

Which wire is connected to the Common connection inside the pump
Which wire is connected to the Low speed connection inside the pump
Which wire is connected to the High speed connection inside the pump.

Thanks,

Jim R.
It can if the common is hardwired, high is to one side NO and low to the other NO and they are never allowed to be closed simultaneously.
That is far more likely than a SWG cell "exploding" if a flow switch fails.
Safer to say, "No, it can't" than "Yes, but under these safe conditions only," especially if one is not familiar enough with electricity to do the job safely.
Since that is a "dumb" Wi-Fi switch, there is no logic to prevent it in the device itself like in an Intermatic P1353ME, which is not Wi-Fi, unfortunately.
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3+ year old iChlor 30 leaking from where power cord meets the unit

I just got off the phone with Pentair. They said that sure is a shame, sir, but the unit is over three years old and you need to replace the whole thing. The expected lifespan of these units is 3 to 4 years so we can only recommend buying a new one. It's out of warranty so nothing we can do to help.

I'll go back to tablets if they expect me to throw out a SWG every three years for a new one. I'm not talking about replacing just the cell, they said the whole unit is done and get a new one.

Aqualogic problems

couldn't isolate anything loading down voltage - readings never changed as I disconnected everything one by one.
Question - is voltage at orange spades (input for rectifiers) supposed to always be 24 VAC, or only when SWG commanded on (so is K1 relay still possibly faulty?)? It reads about 6 VAC and then momentarily jumps (only to about 15 VAC) when I force a polarity change but then drops again with an immediate NO CELL POWER message. Diodes in bridge rectifiers check good - I just can't seem to get correct 24VAC to them! Is there anyway that my SWG is bad instead of the PCB? Is K1 upstream or downstream of 24VAC power path - or is it gatekeeping the VDC power that is coming off of the rectifiers?
AC from the transformer yellow wires, are switched through K1 and then travel to the rectifiers via the orange wires. So the orange wires are only energized when the K1 relay is turned on. After the rectifiers, the black and red wires go back to the board where the DC is filtered by the large capacitors and connect to the K2 & K3 relays.

One thing you can try is to remove the black and red wires from the board and put a DC meter on the leads. Then reset the cell so the K1 connects and measure the DC voltage. However, it will be transient as the board will detect no voltage and turn off the K1 relay.

As background, K1 relay was replaced and soldering fixed because there was the typical burnt/bad contact on back of board when this all started. I have the AquaLogic GLX-PCB-MAIN board.
That is the usual problem with these board.

Some more diagnostics:

Filter