Just opened the pool - seems the app has gotten an update and is prompting me to sign up for premium, which I have had for several years. I should still have time left from last year - I have notice that it will renew on May 21 which I have OK'd.

Just stumbled across the answer, I'll leave this post for others going down the same path. You have to relink your subscription - hit Premium and you will see the link. I'm back in business.

Hello,

I have a five year old Mastertemp 400 Pool/Spa heater setup that was getting E06 error (first error ever with heater).
THEN:
Replaced Sensor with aftermarket, and cleared the E06 code, but heater would shut off with SFS code on back of control board after 1-2 minute run.
I ohm tested prior to and post install at 3.8Mohm. Wires running to control board at 3ohm.
Tested flue gas with meat thermometer and it was rising, but never got over 250 when running in those 1-2 minute spans.

NOW:
Getting E06 code before ignition. Air blower turns on, 20-30 seconds later, either while gas valve clicks, or about when it should, the heater goes into SFS error prior to ignition.
I have not tested Thermal Regulator, or Internal bypass.

I do not understand why the SFS sensor would be triggered prior to startup.
Breaker has been cycled multiple times, but the only thought I have is that the control board needs to be reset with the 10 second hold on membrane pad "OFF" button,,etc.
Without tearing into the manifold yet, is there anything else I am missing?

Thanks,

Hi! We bought house & pool in Dec. Pool was built in the 80s. We’re trying to learn all we can as quickly as we can!

Looking forward to learning from y’all!

Opened the pool today from its winter nap and got everything up and running. I did notice that the returns in the stairs were not blowing any air in the flow stream but other than that no issues. The plumbing in the cabana is showing no drips so thought all was good. After a few hours of circulation the pool level has dropped by an inch or so and has me wondering if the water is blowing out the airlines attached to the stair jets which by venturi are supposed to add air to the return jet stream. I have closed of the valve that directs water to these jets and so far no further level drop. Any troubleshooters out there wanna take a shot at this one?

Just started dabbling in outfitting custom built barns with golf simulators. Pretty fun side job. Lots to learn but coming together nicely! I’ll post more updates of the final results.

I recently installed Omni PL to replace an ancient AquaLogic system. In the configuration, I selected the obvious choice for the SWG, T-15 (940), but it's actually a CircuPool Gen-15. After configuartion, the SWG icon doesn't appear on the control panel so there's no way to set the % for the SWG, except in the app.

Is there something with the Omni PL that it won't work with any SWG brand besides Hayward?

I'm excited to have found this forum with accurate information on pool care. In 2021 I purchased a Coleman above ground power steel pool 18x48 and within 6 months began having stubborn algae issues. I spent way too much time and money adding shock, that never really remedied the algae issue. I remember numerous mornings waking up and feeling discouraged that the pool had not cleared after adding shock the night before and running the filter all night. I then bought a chlorine generator hoping that would help. However, the salt only contributed to the rusting of the pool supports, and the pool has was sent to the dump last week.
This past week I purchased a new Intex Ultra XTR (18x52) and am in the process of filling it ( we have 10K gallon rainwater catchment and I fill the pool in stages so as not to use up our catchment tank water). I also ordered the TF 100 test kit and have a supply of liquid chlorine and will stock up on other required chemicals to correctly maintain the new pool.
I believe that my use of Pool Time chlorine tablets and shock contributed to ongoing High CYA levels and inconsisitent chlorine levels. Of course I was using test strips, so I had poor pool chemistry level data to follow. Secondly, I live in East Hawaii (Hawaii Island) with over 140 inches of rain annually. Overall, we tend to have rain overnight that can accumulate to be 1 inch or more with larger storm systems. Since there was so much water in a short period of time filling the pool from rainstorms, the chlorine levels were reduced and algae began to grow.
The pool location has no overhanging branches and receives full sun from 10 AM-2PM and then partial sun until 4 PM.
Thank you to everyone who has worked on creating and maintaining this awesome website! I promise to test and correct my pool water daily going forward and to follow the instructions on this site!

Help! We closed our pool for the first time by ourselves last fall. I was excited/nervous to open it. All was going well until water hit the sand filter. It’s spraying out. I’m hoping this is an easy, quick fix we can handle ourselves.

Just opened pool today. Pressure much higher than normal (22) on Filter with weak jets; pressure 10 on Recirculate with strong jets, so it's the filter that's causing the high pressure. Filter usually runs about 10-15. I have a Hayward sand filter with 350 lbs. sand. Sand was replaced before last season & was fine last year.

Pool is 10 yrs. old & never had this issue before. Some algae on opening but not out of the ordinary.

I have seen in some older threads that algae in the sand filter could be causing the high pressure. So my question is, do you Slam on Recirculate and then when done put the valve back on Filter & pressure should go down gradually? Or do you want to "Slam" filter at the same time?

Thanks.

Budget preferably under $700-800. I am currently looking at the Evo 604iq but the one I had from a few years ago I remember the app not having a schedule feature just the ability to operate it from the app. I do not have wifi at the location so manually starting it from the app each time is a no go, I need one that I can set it up one time with a hotspot and program in the schedule and then allow it to basically clean ~twice a week unattended. I wonder if evo has updated their app since to allow this?

Any other recommendations that can do this? Thanks!

Just switched spa back on after it had been drained for a few months. Started up fine and then after an hour or so the breaker tripped. Stupidly I just switched the breaker back on to see what would happen and it seemed to start back up fine. Then noticed overnight it was circulating but not heating. Switched it off and opened the circuit board enclosure and the heater terminal and one of the hot terminals are completely melted. My question is, can I safely just replace the circuit board and heater or is something bad with the breaker? The GFCI test button on the breaker does seem to be working. I don’t really understand how the pump was still running with the circuit board looking like this. Photos attached.

Hello, looking for some more incite on an air problem I'm having with my system. Towards the end of the season last year, I was getting a lot of small air bubbles from from first in line return jet. This year upon opening the pool, it has gotten worse. I've had a hard time getting the pump to even prime and when it does, I have major air coming from the return. I have read the pool school blog on the subject and here is what I have done to try to remedy the situation and my equipment. side note: the only air I was able to find prior to the tried remedies was water coming from the fitting going into the basket when I would shut the pump off.

All new seals in basket, and back to the pump.
New pump (I redid my electric and when ahead and installed a brand new pump. Had air problem both before and after new pump).
Replaced portion of the above ground PVC going into the basket and from the basket up to the filter.
Lubed all seals, cranked down basket lid, flushed suction line going to basket.

After all this, I saw initial improvement when starting pump. After a several minutes, it returned to having the air issue and having a hard time priming. It is a Heyward sand filter system with no chlorinator. Just looking for something I'm possibly missing or something else to try. I do have air coming out where the pump mounts to the basket assembly, I have no idea if this is normal or not (seems to be coming from the external parts of the threaded holes). Free and open to answer any questions on anything I have posted. Attached are before and after pics of the plumbing and a video. Thanks in advance!

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Earlier this year I bought a Black & Decker 3HP VSP on poolpartstogo.com and have just finished its integration with the pool.



The pump is quiet and energy efficient. Here are some numbers:

2200 RPM (priming only) - 2.2A, 530W
1800 RPM (cleaning and/or intensive skimming) - 1.3A, 310W
1600 RPM (normal speed for chlorinating, 80% of running time) - 1A, 240W

Compare these numbers to my previous single-speed Jandy PHPM1.0, running always at 3450 RPM and consuming 1600 watts! When B+D is not running, its VSD drive draws 100mA, which is about 24W.

The controller is pretty simple. It runs node-red flows on Raspberry Pi with two Sequent Microsystems HATs: Building Automation and Eight Relays. High-power devices (Circupool RJ-60 SWCG and Polaris PB4-60 pump) are switched with Omron G7 relays installed in a separate relay box. Low-power contacts, such as for controlling B+D pump, are switched directly by the Eight Relays HAT.



An important part of the controller is the current transducer Senva C-2344. I have set it to 30A range and wired inside the electrical subpanel with 3 wraps of one of the lines off 20A 2-pole GFCI breaker feeding the B+D pump, so the transducer converts 0 - 10A current to 0 - 10V voltage, which is passed to one of 0 - 10V inputs (analog to digital converters) of the Building Automation HAT.

The transducer is pretty precise, with the output very close to the one derived from the B+D display by dividing power by 240V (or whatever voltage one has between the two lines ). The output from the transducer is used by the node-red flows to provide a safety mechanism preventing SWCG and Polaris booster pump from running when B+D pump is not running at appropriate speed. Here is a screenshot of the dashboard's Pool Status panel (the water temperature 10k sensor is not inserted into the pipe yet, it shows the air temperature):



Now a couple of notes on the B+D automation panel. The original panel is swapped with the automation one, which allows for 1) BAU programming of speeds 2) remote selection of one of the three preset speeds. The programming of speeds is easy: set mode to manual, press speed1 button and set it to a desired value, press speed2 and set the value, and so on. The speeds programmed this way are remembered after power disconnect. The speeds can be modified when the panel is in manual mode, but only if the pump is not currently running. (BTW, the manual mode is the only valid mode with the automation panel.)

One more thing, which is not mentioned in the automation manual.



The priorities of inputs in the above diagram, from the highest to the lowest, are: IN1, IN2, IN3. This allows for multiple speeds to be scheduled at the same time, the highest priority input being effectively selected. To lower the number of entries in the schedule, we can superimpose higher priority speeds on top of the lower ones, like in the schedule below:



Controller features:
[EDITED 9/30/2023]

• VSP scheduling at three preconfigured speeds, with one-click schedule disabling/enabling:
  • priming (Speed1 = 2200 rpm)
  • cleaning (Speed2 = 1800 rpm)
  • chlorinating (Speed3 = 1600 rpm)
• SWCG scheduling, with one-click schedule disabling/enabling.
• Polaris pump scheduling, with one-click schedule disabling/enabling.
• Allowing the user to manually start/stop the VSP (for any of the preconfigured speeds), Polaris pump and SWCG.
• Monitoring the VSP speed with a current transducer.
• Preventing the user and the scheduler from starting the Polaris pump when the VSP current transducer doesn't report Speed2.
• Automatic stopping of the Polaris pump if the VSP current transducer stops reporting Speed2.
• Preventing the user and the scheduler from starting SWCG if the VSP current transducer doesn't report any speed (reports just a 140mA standby current).
• Automatic stopping of SWCG when the VSP current transducer stops reporting any speed (reports just a 140mA standby current).
• Measuring pool water temperature.
• Measuring enclosure temperature.
• On-off controlling, with temperature hysteresis, of the enclosure fan.
• Charting temperatures of water, controller enclosure and Raspberry Pi CPU for the last 12 hours.
• Sending an email alarm when the VSP current exceeds expected values, indicating, for example, an obstruction in water flow.
• Sending an email alarm when the VSP current is close to 0, which may indicate a tripped circuit breaker.
• Sending "alarm cleared" email when the VSP current returns to normal levels.
• Secure, password protected and TLS-encrypted Internet-wide UI.

A link to this project's public repository on github:
[GitHub - hexabc/pool-ctrl: Raspberry Pi / node-red based pool controller]

Hello - one of my first posts, so go easy on me

My pool is ~5 years old, regular chlorine pool, and regular white plaster. About 3 weeks ago I noticed a rust spot that my pool guy said would not come off despite his tricks (i.e., vitamin c, little sandpaper, etc.). So I called the pool company that built the pool, and they sent out the company that plastered the pool. The plaster company said that improper water chemistry had caused the plaster to thin, which allowed water into the gunite (which is porous) that rusted the rebar. Then the rust came to the surface. The rest of the pool looks amazing to me, with no other trouble spots.

I'm clueless about this, so wanted to get your thoughts on water chemistry causing this problem. In my research, it seems these issues are caused by rebar poking through the gunite, or the plaster being too thin. Attached are some pics, which are after the plaster folks dug away some of the plaster. The circle spot is about the size of a quarter. I really don't want to spend the ~$1000 to patch the spot, or completely redo the plaster.

Is this caused by improper water chemistry? Is it normal for plaster to fail after 5 years? Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks.

My vinyl liner is leaking. Last fall I was hopeful I got the source when I found a small slice in the liner by the stairs and patched it. But the water dropped below that over the winter. It’s now at the light niche. I had plugged the back of the niche in the fall with putty. While there’s a chance that is leaking, the point where the liner is sealed to the niche is clearly leaking and now that I removed the outer ring I can see the cheap cardboard gasket behind is completely disintegrated. Will buying a replacement cardboard gasket really help to seal it or should I be using something else? (I’m pretty sure the gasket is Hayward Spx0506d) And how best to seal behind the liner? Butyl tape? Putty? I can see water going in behind the liner now that the ring is off. If the back of the niche is leaking I’ll need to fix this first anyway.

Thanks in advance!

So I’m “working” from home today, and got bored and decided to try making a reference CYA solution.

I did 12 grams of granules to 12 liters of RODI water, which should yield a 1000ppm solution I can then dilute to whatever target.

Has anyone else done this? If so, how’d it go?

Does it need to be fixed right away? If not, will it get much worse if I leave it alone?

Not sure how long I'll live here, would rather not spend the money unless it has to be fixed as soon as possible.

thanks.

P.S. Sorry for double post. Just found this section.

I've cleaned the salt cell with water/muriatic acid combo and all scale was dissolved. New pool construction, built in July 2024. Pentair Intellichlor model #IC20. It's still not generating chlorine......any ideas to get this issue resolved? It was generating chlorine until around January 2025.

Two of my jets, plus the main return, became unplugged at some point during the last 6 weeks. The water level came up to the level of the plugs and then above it. The layer of ice at the top was pretty solid (at least 1-2 inches) and it seems to have push off the rubber plugs, which fell to the bottom. I drained the level back down earlier today but I am wondering what to do next? Should I just insert new plugs of should I be concerned about a need to blow the lines again (which will not be easy as its an ice mess out there). I do have extra plugs. On the good side, the lines were blown bone dry to start the winter. Some water may have gotten in, but not a lot. I can post photos tomorrow if helpful.

Good Morning fellow concrete swimmin' hole enthusiasts! My dear old frankenfilter has finally bit the dust and needs replacing. I went to Leslie's yesterday and an adorable child with no experience indeed could not help me find the appropriate replacement. He said I should call a technician but I am not a quitter and am here seeking advice because the wait time is 1+ weeks and my pool is turning greener every second.

The weathered piece of paper on the side of the tank says TA 60 - 60 D with an ambiguous punch between letters of the model. It's a top mount sand filter that I believe is a Pentair Tagelus 60 60d sand filter. I have an 18k gallon in ground pool in central Texas. I have the Pentair 2.2 VST pump. I only have one skimmer and one main drain.

Any suggestions on replacement models would be lovely. I really don't want to switch to a cartridge because of the maintenance frequency - I am cool with backwashing and setting/forgetting and just regular old sand has worked extremely well for my water quality.

Your advice would be much, much appreciated. Thank you so much!

When I received the TF-100 (salt) test kit it seemed a bit overwhelming with the various chems so wanted to share my experience and thoughts, having used it for the first time today. It all really does make sense. In my opinion the instructions can be written a little differently, but I am a linear thinker which I know is not everyone's style. Either way, I compiled a chart that made sense to me and wanted to share it in the event it would benefit other first time TF-100 users. I seem to be unable to upload the Excel version so people could modify it to serve their needs. Sorry about that.

• Before starting the testing I found it helpful to have a towel (to dry my hands after getting the pool samples), a paper towel (upon which to set all the test containers after rinsing them) and a pen/pencil. And reading glasses if you are of a certain age! I also grouped the chemicals into the tests for which they were needed.
• To take a sample from a foot below the surface keep the test container upside down when dunking it in the pool and then turn it right side up at about the foot under water mark, which will fill the container. Shake it to splash out the water down to the necessary level.
• Before getting started on the CYA test, the top of the mixing bottle dropper needs to be cut off with a sharp knife. Also, the R-0013 solution has a seal on the top which must be removed by unscrewing the cap.
• Mixing the chemicals is not quite like swirling a wine glass. I found swirling it while on a table worked best.
• It helped me to think about how many potential drops of chemicals I would estimate to be needed on the FC, TA, CH & Salt tests as the final result calculation is based on the number of drops to have the solution change color. For example, my FC was unusually high and used 32 drops. We aren't talking one or two, but would normally expect about 10. Be patient though when you believe you are getting close to the solution turning the necessary color. Swirl a little extra before adding the next drop.

It took me about an hour the first time going through the testing, taking my time to understand everything and ensure I was doing the tests correctly. I expect when I am more comfortable it will all take under 10 minutes from taking out the test kit to putting it away.

I hope this is in some way helpful to people getting started with the TF-100 test kit.

View attachment 491520

Hi all,
I have started to get the pool going due to increasing temps in SW OH and wanting to avoid mosquito problems.
It's a cartridge Voyager SwimPro with 175sq ft and a 1.5hp single speed Hayward/AO Smith pump. 115V available only.

Pump still runs, but it's a single speed. Wiring looks sketchy at this point and frame very rusted. Not really comfortable doing another season with it.
It's unfortunately a thru bolt 48. I would like to get a VS pump for the efficiency and noise aspects.

For above ground with thru bolt, virtually no replacement motors exist (the pump wet end is in great shape).
I think I'm stuck going with whole new pump. For above ground, the 2 seemingly (under $900) options are the Black&Decker and Doheny's.

B&D:

Doheny's

Which would you recommend?
Which sand filter size should I get (given that I want to ditch the cartridge due to PITA in cleaning)?

Thanks!

Hey all,

I became a pool owner last year and have quickly turned into a full-blown pool nerd — and a TFP evangelist.

With the size of our pool, I couldn’t help but feel like the flow was just too dang low.

I wanted to share my experience doing some pad-side plumbing upgrades this past week, since it was something I contemplated over and over.

Background:

• Pool size: 44×22 ft, 50,000+ gallons, 11.5-12 ft deep
• Pool age: Built in the ’60s or ’70s (hybrid pool: gunite/plaster floor with fiberglass walls — still hanging in there!)
• Underground plumbing:
  • 1.5” skimmer line — One skimmer for the whole pool. It's rough with how many trees we have. Betta SE has been helpful.
  • 1.5” main drain line
  • 1.5" return line going to two returns
  • (Now previously) unused 1.5" line that was a pressure-side vacuum with booster.
• Pump: Pentair IntelliFlo3 1.5 HP (2” union slip fit, 1.5" inside fit)
• Filter: Triton sand filter (not sure what the model is, the sticker is wearing off)
• Heater: Pentair MasterTemp 400
• Starting flow: ~35 GPM at 99% RPM. 39 GPM on a really, really good day.

What I Changed:​

• Suction side:
  • Installed Jandy 4715 3-way valve to combine the skimmer and main drain into a 2” trunk (previously 1.5"). This replaced two seized up, basic ball valves that I'm sure restricted flow.
• Return side:
  • Converted unused pressure-side vacuum line into a new dedicated 1.5” return
  • Added a second Jandy 4715 3-way to split the 2” return trunk into two 1.5” returns (existing and converted vacuum line)
  • Installed full-port Jandy BVSU015 1.5” ball valves on each return line (no room on suction).
• Other:
  • Re-plumbed all pad piping to 2” PVC (pump ➔ filter ➔ heater ➔ returns)
  • Installed a flow meter (H2Flow) on the return trunk

Preliminary Results:​

• Flow
  • 65–72 GPM at 99% RPM (60-70% improvement)
  • 35 GPM at 65% RPM
• Filter pressure dropped:
  • From ~20-22 psi ➔ ~14–15 psi at the same RPM
• Turnover time:
  • I'd be lucky if I could get the pool to turnover once in 24 hours. Now, I can turn it over almost twice in a day if running full-blast.
• Usability:
  • I can now control the flow of both suction and returns much more easily.

----

At this point, I'm still dialing in the new return port's eyeball and the return Jandy BVSU015's to try to get a nice circulation pattern.

Since I’m still a pool novice, I’m not here to blindly recommend this — just wanted to share my numbers and experience as a bit of a “science experiment.”

Please feel free to pick this apart and tell me where I went wrong or what I could improve. In the future, I would love to add a SWG and go cartridge to save some space and make future plumbing projects easier.

Hey folks,

I am opening the pool for the first time and obviously the topic of algae is something I keep seeing and it's various forms (Green, Yellow, Black, etc.). It made me wonder, how does one algae bloom over the other? Are the colour/types of algae different stages of the same organism? Why would a pool have green algae instead of black? Does black require certain environmental conditions different than green? If left alone, does green algae become black algae?

Hey all, I wanted to document detailed steps for ordering items from TFTestkits.net into Canada using Shippsy to handle the cross-border stuff. This is a follow-up to these instructions so big thanks to @MostlyCanuck (I had never heard of Shippsy)!

For cost, my TFTestkits.net order came to $200 USD ($ 254.00 CAD). The tax and Shippsy handling fee came to $41.00 CAD (so $295.00 CAD all said and done). No duty as it is manufactured in the US. This all took about 2 weeks from when I ordered, to when I picked up.

1. Create a Shippsy account and note the US address (and your "SHP#")
2. Place your order on TFTestkits.net:

• For shipping address, use the US address from Shippsy. The SHP# is very important. I put it in the "Company" field but I was advised "Address 2" would also work.
• For payment, I used PayPal because, as @MostlyCanuck noted, the website doesn't accept non-us credit cards.

3. Once your package is received at the US Shippsy warehouse (in Niagara Falls, NY). You'll get an email and need to fill in some tax/duty-related information:

• For Description, I used "Pool Test Kit"
• Select that it was manufactured in the US, you'll need to attach proof. I downloaded the SDS PDF for one of the reagents included in my kit from Taylor's website. I was advised by Shippsy this would be sufficient as it shows the US factory address. Attached to this post is the one I used.
• For Product Category, I chose Category: "Other", Sub-Category: "Other". NOTE: doing this almost gave me a heart attack as it shows the "estimated duty and tax" to be ~$6000! I was told by Shippsy, for "Other", they show the maximum. As you can see above, there was no duty and the tax ended up being ~$33 CAD.
• For the Invoice, upload the PDF version of the invoice from TFTestkits.net
• For Pickup Location, you can choose either Mississauga or Markham (there might have been a location in BC but I can't remember). I chose Mississauga (I live about an hour away).
• Submit!

4. Once your item arrives at the warehouse in Canada, you'll get a notification. You can either go pick it up yourself or have it mailed to your house. For my kit, it was going to cost ~$15 CAD to mail. I opted to pickup but with the price of gas, I likely spent more than that... Not to mention the headache of driving in the GTA. Next time I'll have it mailed.

That's it! Hopefully this helps someone. Feel free to hit me up with any questions/clarifications.

--Kevin

My first post here, I'm happy to have found this forum. I'm not exactly sure what is going on here so any help would be appreciated. I have pool lights and spa lights that trip the GFCI when the Jandy aqualink RS is in auto mode and the lights are scheduled to come on each night. The controller panel makes clicking sounds and the pool light and Spa light indicators on the controller panel flashes about 3 to 4 times then it trips the GFCI. When I put controller in Service Mode the lights turn on and off without issue from the controller panel, additionally they stay on without fault. Additionally, the lights when on, do not trip the GFCI in Service mode. The lights are less than 3 years old, they are LED Intellibrite 5G color.

️Any thoughts on trouble shooting?

️Does this have anything to with the relays/contactors?

️Do I possibly need a new Aqualink RS Controller panel?

️If I need a new Controller panel, are all the replacement RS controllers the same?

Comments, questions, appreciated. Thank you!

Hello everyone.

I won't pretend to know anything about fluid dynamics or whatever, so I figured I'd ask here.

My pump is currently plumbed like this:

In order to get enough suction to my Hayward The PoolCleaner to get to ~11rpm, I need to turn the 3 way valve to like 4:30-5:00, blocking off most of the flow to the skimmer and main drain. What happens when I do this though, is it appears that the negative pressure actually seems to cause the water to start degassing. It gets loud and I see a lot of bubbles forming in the pump basket cover.

I'm wondering if 1.5" pipe is just too small for the way it's plumbed here, and if perhaps setting it up like this would may any difference at all:


Like I said, I know nothing about this kind of stuff, but I feel like logically this just makes sense to me.

Thank You!

TL;DR
I can't for the life of me keep my FC up in my 12,000 gallon. Used to use tablets causing skyrocketing CYA. Just balanced everything best I could, and installed a SWCG rated for 25,000g, still waking up with 0 FC in the morning.

Hello TFP.

This is my first time here, but I probably should have joined a long time ago, and maybe saved myself a lot of headaches.

It's going to take a decent amount of history and details to fully describe my issues, so please bear with me.

My family and I moved into our house near Datyona, FL, with a 12,000 gallon inground plaster pool, in late 2019. The pool is screened in, but has two very large trees directly above the screen, which certainly contribute to my issues. We have well water, so I assume the original fill(s) were from the well, and the 2 subsequent refills since I've had it were also from the well, more on that later. The filter is a 36sqft Hayward DE filter. The pump used to be an older 1.0HP Hayward, but I upgraded to a 1.5HP Super II.

For the first ~3 years everything was fine. I would throw 2 tablets a week into the inline dispenser, test regularly with a Taylor K-2005, and balance as necessary.

Now, to when the issues started...

The first time the pool went totally green was a combination of equipment failure, and neglect. Around winter time, probably 2022, can't remember exactly, the old Hayward pump broke down. Now, my wife, bless her soul, told me not to worry about it right away, that her grandfather used to let their pool turn completely green over the winter, and always got it back up for summer. Unfortunately... that's exactly what I did. I put off replacing the pump right away, and let it turn into a swamp. Come spring time, I bought and plumbed in the Super II pump, and began the process of trying to get the pool back to swimmable conditions. That went about as good as you'd expect, so eventually I just drained it and refilled it, everything was "normal" again for several months.

Fast forward to fall 2023. I was hospitalized, had surgery, and was out of commission for a few months. The pool turned into a swamp once more, and when I was back on my feet, I drained and refilled it... again...

As before, things were "ok" for a couple months, but then the real problems seemed to start. I was using more and more chlorine tablets, eventually getting up to 5 a week, but I always seemed to have 0 free chlorine. I would shock with liquid chlorine, and every other type of shock you can imagine, and even with 5 tablets in the dispenser, I'd have 0 FC a couple days later. It was about this time that I learned that tablets contained CYA, which I did not know. After refilling, I added enough CYA to get to ~40ppm, and having put 5 tablets in per week, my CYA was off the charts. I'm assuming this was causing it to have extremely low effectiveness.

Fast forward once more to October 2024. We're on vacation in Nashville when hurricane Milton hits. Thankfully we didn't have much damage, but upon returning, the pool was pretty green, especially from all the rain filtering down through the trees and debris on the screen. I realized the next day that the filter wasn't turning on, and found that the breaker had tripped. I visually inspected the pump, which looked fine, turned the breaker on, and the motor immediately exploded, shooting sparks 10 feet in every direction. I thought, not that big of a deal, stuff happens, and ordered a new motor.

It took over a week to get the new motor, so I was just pouring liquid chlorine and algaecide in as much as possible and stirring it up, but it stayed pretty green. Once I installed the motor, I shocked it with like 10 gal of LC, used drop-out flocculant, let it sit another week, then vacuumed all the sludge to waste. I started running the DE filter again, changing DE several times over the course of the day, and was making progress, until... I looked out the window and noticed the water level had dropped a foot. Three of the brass lugs where the motor connects to the pump housing had pulled out, and water was just spraying everywhere. Admittedly, this was my fault, I probably overtightened them and weakened the bond. So now I had to wait for a new pump housing. I also didn't have enough room to work with the pipes glued into the select-a-flow valve, so had to order a new one of those too. Of course, between waiting for all these parts and having the time to do the work, it got green again. I shocked, flocc'd, vacc'd, and got everything back to "normal" once more. This time though, I was dosing LC instead of tablets.

After replacing ALL of this equipment, and doing all this work, I decided that I wanted to convert to saltwater, in hopes that it would be easier, and I ordered a CircuPool Edge 25. I balanced everything to the manufacturer's specs, with the exception of TA which was at 160, and installed the SWCG on Friday, 4/25.

Before turning on the SWG my levels were as follows:
FC 3
CC No discernable difference
pH 7.6
TA 160
CH 380
Salt 3500
CYA 40
Borate 25

I set the chlorine level right in the middle to see how that would go, and ran it all day Saturday, 8 hrs. Unfortunately, I was unable to test Saturday evening, but on Sunday morning, my FC was 0, and CC was barely any different. I am pretty sure it is generating chlorine, because the cell is clear and I can see gasses coming off the titanium plates. Yesterday, I ran it on boost mode for the entire 8 hours, and in the evening FC was 0, and CC again was different, but barely.

Absolutely flabbergasted as to how this was happening, I thought it HAD to be something that required super chlorination. I threw in a bag of cal-hypo AND a gallon of 10% LC last night. That should have been enough to bring the FC to at least 20+. I also wanted to bring down my TA and raise my CYA, so I added 32oz of muriatic acid and 1.5lb of CYA granules.

This morning, less than 8 hours after adding all that chlorine, my levels were:
FC 3
CC 5
pH 7.2
TA 150
CYA still ~40 but ofc it dissolves slow
others same as above.

I should also mention that I took a sample to Leslie's and, per their test, I have no phosphates, 0.1ppm iron, and 0.2ppm copper. I got one of those CuLator metal absorbing packets and stuck it in my skimmer basket.

What could possibly be going on to make the chlorine disappear so fast. The water is clear, there's no visible algae, no excess debris. How can I be sure the SWCG is working properly?

I'm really lost here.

I don't know what to try next.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you, and I'm sorry for rambling for so long.

After searching the forums, could not find what I was looking for that was current.

My Jandy SWG got the dreaded 125/194 codes. Performed the acid wash, unit looks clean but sill throws errors. Guess I need to replace it. I looked on Amazon and see a direct replacement for $985. I was wondering if anyone else has had luck finding it at a lower price point.

Appreciate the help from this awesome group.