JamesW said:

It looks mostly ok.

Plaster will probably make it look good.

Click to expand...

Thank you for your feedback! I really appreciate it.

It looks like it might have fibers in the plastic.

Let us know what the manufacturer says.

Thanks for the info, didn't realize manufacturers published material information! Will have to give them a call to ask when I get the chance.

Here's a video of the fiberglass: Login to view embedded media
It definitely looks embedded in the plastic. It's exposed everywhere the sun has weathered away. Did not find fiberglass anywhere else nearby like the power cord, hose and warning stickers. I'm puzzled.

It looks mostly ok.

Plaster will probably make it look good.

In my opinion, it is ridiculous that heaters do not come with a real flow switch.

This is currently your best bet - Amazon.co.uk - it's the "smaller" Taylor kit that's normally recommended around here. You can buy refills for the main tests you'll use up from Amazon.com. It's a slight gamble on what the expiry date is going to be buying these from Amazon but there aren't any other good options.

If you store them in a cool, dark location they can last a couple years. Also depends how long they have been sitting in the Amazon Warehouse.

Here is a summary from a few years ago...


@SteveSwims and @jakeblat are in the UK and may be able to help...

setsailsoon said:

• Use the right tool. A belt wrench is perfect. Use one like this that has gripping tread on the inside of the belt:

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A properly fitted union, with a proper, in good condition o-ring should be hand tightened.

If you do use this tool only use the strap wrench for an additional 1/16-turn of the nut.

Jimrahbe said:

Tim,

You have questions and we have plenty of people with the answers...

It is a Win.. Win..

Good job on getting the best test kit out there!!!

Can't believe you did not go with a saltwater pool in your location???

Thanks,

Jim R.

Click to expand...

We will more than likely be switching over to salt water next year

Tim,

You have questions and we have plenty of people with the answers...

It is a Win.. Win..

Good job on getting the best test kit out there!!!

Can't believe you did not go with a saltwater pool in your location???

Thanks,

Jim R.

DougJack said:

I see the recommended FC/CYA ratio increases with an SWG.

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Decreases.

Jerry,

Thanks for the pics... Things that I see..

Your 2nd pump is for the spa jets.. It is set up to run on a Feature Circuit called "Jets".. But... there is no corresponding Jets speed assigned to Pump #2.. On pump #2's speed set up page, you need to delete "High Speed" and replace it with the "jets" circuit. Also remove "Jets" from pump #1..

I never recommend running a combination of GPM and RPM.. I like all RPM, but never a mix... On pump #1 change Spa to 3400 or 3450 rpm.

You have a circuit called "Spillway" but it is not set up as the "Spillway mode".. The Spillway mode sets the Intake valve to suck water from the pool and sets the Return valve to send all the water to the spa.. This will cause the spa to spillover into the pool.. You control the amount of water flow by setting the pump speed..

You need to change the Spillway Circuit's "Function" to Spillway.. to set up the Spillway mode.

Then you would schedule the Spillway circuit to turn on for half an hour twice a day. This will keep the water in the spa fresh and chlorinated.

I suspect that 3000 rpm for the spillway mode will be way too fast.. Try it and see.

Fix those things and then we can go from there..

Thanks,

Jim R.

It is usually better to have a check valve coming out of the heater rather than a second Three-Way valve to prevent misconfiguration.

I would also want a Flow Switch added to prevent heater operation with no flow.

Thanks Jim! Ok, so it sounds like it was definitely the intake diverter valve that was bad AND possibly the check valve. I will open the spa return up like you and keep the suction spa closed off and see if it drains down overnight. I'll report my findings.

Guy,

We don't know yet.. Open the Spa Return valve and see what happens overnight. If the check valve is leaking, the spa will drain down.. If not, then you have fixed it!!

Sounds to me like you had more than one issue..

Thanks,

Jim R.

The key of course is knowing what each wire does, not what color it is...

Jim R.

If you ask him to change anything, maybe ask to clean up the glue joints a bit better. Having smeared glue all over the joint is easy to prevent and looks much nicer if its wiped clean when doing the glue up.

When there's 3 wires black red and white it would make more sense that the red and black are the hot legs and the white be the common. It depends if you kept the switch side with the red being the common or there it's a hot leg, Could be your problem.

Jim, I replaced the intake (suction) diverter valve internals like we spoke about. Afterwards, I turned both the return spa off and the suction spa off and then shut the system down completely. The spa was filled to the top at around 9pm that night and when I went check it this morning around 6am it really hadn't dropped at all over that 9 hour period! If anything, it was so very minimal...maybe 1/16" - 1/8" at most which I guess that little bit would just be normal evaporation? If I wasn't actually looking, I would have assumed it hadn't even dropped any at all. Do you think that was the problem all along?

sporf said:

Found this post that shows switching from hard 90s to sweep 90s reduces head and increases efficiency - "the difference is quantified and you can tell the difference on your electric bill.". I'd much rather my pump work less hard and use less electricity over the life of the pool and am skeptical of all the 90s given most seem unnecessary.

Click to expand...

If you read the details, the guys article just says that quote but doesn’t provide any details on how/what/why. Just saying reducing head loss saves money is too oversimplified. The replies after the post add some context that’s helpful.

The simple summary is that your system doesn’t need to be designed to push the maximum amount of water through at the fastest possible speed but that’s probably the only situation where you might care about headloss. You want to be pumping the minimum amount of water at the lowest possible pressure to do the job you’re asking because it takes exponentially less energy ($) to pump water slower than faster.

If you do decide to use sweep 90’s, make sure they aren’t DWV which aren’t designed for pressure. I’ve seen a few pictures where people made that mistake

sporf said:

The difference is quantified and you can tell the difference on your electric bill.".

Click to expand...

S,

My IntelliFlo pump runs 24/7/365, mostly at 1200 RPM. It costs me less than $20 bucks a month to do this... And my pump is about 12 years old, and new pumps are much more energy efficient. How much could I possible save my replacing a few sharp 90 degree fittings???

See the following quote from the same thread by someone that "knows everything"...

JamesW said:

The example shows a total system head loss difference of only 3.2 feet of head at 60 gpm.

That's a very minor difference.

In addition, a residential pool would rarely need to exceed 40 gpm.

At 40 gpm, the head loss difference drops to about 1.4 feet of head, which is insignificant.

Many pools can run at 20 gpm, which reduces the total head loss difference to about 0.35 feet.

Click to expand...

Thanks,

Jim R.

Jander316 said:

I used the panel mounted on the wall to switch from high to low.

Click to expand...

316,

We need to see pics of that panel, and how it is wired..

You may have wired the new pump 'perfectly'.... but the problem sounds like you did not.. We are just trying to either confirm if how you wired the pump is correct, or not..

Thanks,

Jim R.