I have been a pool owner since 2019. I have opened / closed and done the weekly chemistry on my pool on my own. I got all my info from friends with pools and the pool store prior to me finding this place and getting super dialed in.

I purchased my Dolphin Nautilus CC plus summer of 2019. And for perspective I have my pool open mid April -mid September. I open my pool and scoop all I can with my net and then run the robot with standard filters 3x and switch over to fine filters and run until the filters come back clean. I’d say 5-7 cycles get me there. After the opening I run the robot every Saturday and Sunday early AM so the pool is perfect for when the family wakes. That’s it. So it is 40 cycles per regular season and maybe 10 on opening. So approximately 50 cycles per season.

I never leave the robot in the pool much past the end of the cycle. I always take the hose and rinse the filters, filter housings robot and cord every time. I take the propeller cover off monthly to clean in there but I hose the top each time , bottom, climb wheels tread, every opening and sides each time. I hose off the swivel and 2 blue floats.

When I wind up the cords I lay it out flat and coil it. If I get resistance I don’t force it. I lay coil down and get the kinks out of the rest of the cord and continue. I store the robot on a Maytronics caddy in my garage.

So why do I tell you this ? I hate to say it out loud bc it ensures a problem is headed my way but I think my OCD maintenance routine which took me longer to write bc it only takes a few extra minutes to do, saves me $ by keeping my Robot healthy and running.

Shared for others who have issues with current robots to consider with their new equipment.

Good luck and happy auto pool cleaning to all of us.

I am needing advice on if i can even repair this liner or if i just need to replace it. It's brand new installed around September. Im not even sure what caused it. I did find a dead possum floating in my pool so maybe it could've ripped the liner trying to escape but i don't see any scratch marks or punctures near the rip. I do think that the side the tears are on is in the side i felt i had to stretch the liner more because it was a little deeper on that side. When i do another liner in getting rid of the foam coves and going to go with sand coves. Any advice for this newbie would definitely help.

Hi all -
Was working on the pool this weekend and one of the things I did was pull my IC-40 and acid wash it. It wasn't bad but had quite a bit of pollen that made it past the filter in there. It cleaned up well and after I put it all back together I had a small drip on the pool side of the SWCG at the union. I pulled it off again, pulled, cleaned and lubed the o-rings and I think I've got the leak stopped. All that said, I now notice a steady stream of bubbles from one of my returns. I wouldn't think a small leak on the pressure side would cause air but other than that I don't notice anything wrong. Pool is full to half way up the skimmer (not sucking air), filter baskets are clean and only a tiny little bubble hanging out at the top of the pump basket. Any clue what to start looking at? Here's a pic of my pump setup and one of the leak (zoom in on the palm tree reflection and you can see the bubbles):

Hi, I’d like to introduce myself. I am a new inflatable small volume hot tub owner trying to get it right as quickly as possible. We went with bromine and I’ve been fussing with things like alkalinity, which have been a problem from the start and I think due to my hard water. Hoping this app in this forum/community will be helpful

Hello, The annoying red light is blinking. Usually this stops after cleaning the filters or putting in the adequate chemicals ie salt. I checked all the filters (3 of them) and they are all clean. The tri flow sensor has been replaced about two years ago and the cell about two years. I noticed that the computer is reading 0 volts (11.4 amps) on the cell? May be the cable to the cell?Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you

I’ve recently started having issues switching to spa mode on my pool. When I switch to spa mode the return valve is slow to respond. The intake valve starts moving immediately but the return valve is delayed. Sometimes it’s just a few seconds but other times it’s minutes. A couple of time I turned on spa mode only to go out later and find my spa was half empty before the valve finally switched. Any suggestions? Jandy automation system. I’ll attach an image of the valve.

Thank you all for the information in this thread. I've been looking at the Calimar to replace my Superpump. I don't have any automation, fountains, etc, so it seems like a good fit for my 30K gallon pool. I've got 1.5" pipes so I just wanted to make sure there's no issues using it. Thanks!

Hello everyone, I have recently had my pool servicer install a SWG and I am curious how to read/interpret what's going on with the IC40.

For reference, here is how my system is plumbed:

Pool Water Return -> Pump -> Filter -> Heater -> Check Valve -> IC40 SWG -> Pool Water Send

Note: At Pool Water Return I have 3-way valve that will turn this into Spa Water Return; the same situation at Pool Water Send, I have a 3-way valve that will this into Spa Water Send.

Questions:

1. My servicer installed the SWG downstream of the heater, which I believe is the correction orientation. This prevents highly concentrated salt water generator outputs from entering directly into the heating elements in the heater and prolongs the life of the heater. Is this correct?

2. My servicer installed a 1-way spring door check valve that allows flow from the heater through the IC40 SWG, but stops reverse flow. This is also to keep highly concentrated salt water generator outputs from entering the heater via backflow. Is this correct?

I have my pump set to 2 different schedules. 0800-1100 @2800RPM and 1100-1600 @1500RPM. Other than those schedules, the pump is off. When the pump is running at 2800RPM the IC40 seems to be running okay with all lights/functions working normally and the check valve is open a good amount, letting me know visually that water is flowing through the system appropriately.

3. At 1500RPM, the check valve is not fully open but water seems to be flowing since I see bubbles at the top of the check valve window. The IC40 has a red light for flow, meaning that the IC40 isn't receiving enough water to flow appropriately. Is this situation okay for 1100-1600 @1500RPM? Any adjustments needed?

4. When the pump is fully off, the IC40 has flashing red and green lights in the Salt Level readout section. But the pool has been verified to have appropriate salt content. Is this okay? Or should the pump be running to provide flow at all times?

5. The IC40 seems to be performing and doing its job when the pump is running the 0800-1100 @2800RPM schedule. Will 3 hours per day of appropriate function be enough to keep the pool in check?

I am new to the homeowner and pool life. Any tips or help is appreciated. I've lurked this forum a little bit and happy to be a member now!

Installed a new evo vgreen variable speed motor with a new seal plate (that came with shaft seal pre-installed). The pump is a whisperflo .75 (WFE-3).

It's leaking bad from the connection between motor and seal plate. Photo attached - water is pouring out where the arrow points.

Replace shaft seal?

I have a Gunite pool that hasn't been opened in 16 years. What is the appropriate plan of attack? I am assuming all new equipment, plumbing, tiles, coping, etc ...???

Hi - Just had new Pebble Sheen installed. The manufacturers start up procedure says to lower the TA to 80 - 100 (ours is currently at 120) before lowering the PH. Our PH is off the charts and cannot be measured. I used Pool Math to see how much acid I should add to lower the TA but it doesn't calculate and just says to lower the PH first.

Pool Math says to add 96 oz of acid to get the PH in balance. Just seems so much so am going to start slower with maybe 32 oz. Of course the pool start up company my plasterer hired has not done anything except dump in some sequestering agent (which I don't use anyway) so I am taking back control of this.

The manufactuer says to pre-dilute the acid in a 5 gallon bucket but doesn't say how to disperse. Should I evenly distribute it around the pool instead of just dumping it all in front of a jet. Any opinions are appreciated. Thank you.

Hey all, just to share as unfortunately the camera wasn't recording at the time.

I looked out the other day while Mr. Flowboto, our Polaris pressure side cleaner, was running. A big ripple was on the surface everywhere he went, and when I looked, I must not have gotten the bag on tight as it was mostly caught up in his wheel and all the flow was just pushing debris up to the surface. In a hurry to get to school carpool, I pulled the hose over to reattach it and wasn't thinking. Pulled him out of the water and, forgetting how he actually works, (insert America's Funniest Home Video here of a guy looking into the hose waiting for the water to come out) I got a violent and aggressive sinus wash / neti pot, my hat blown off into the landscaping, and just barely escaped a salty emergency eye wash as well.

Anyway, they're cute, they work hard, but know they are hiding in plain sight (just below the surface ) to attack!

How complicated is it to install a pool overflow drain. From what I have seen, you install a little grate next to the skimmer and run a pipe from that to the curb where the pop up drain will be. I am only doing this because my HOA requires it. My plumber is saying it is an additional 2k, but I already have existing French drains with a pop up at the street as well. Would it really be 2k? Or is it as simple as either running a pipe to the curb or tapping into the existing lines from the French drain?

Finishing final phase of construction on a chlorine gunite pool with loveseat grotto water feature. Need some help please selecting the right thickness of slab to span this bonded beam loveseat. Wanting to use oklahoma flagstone to match the coping. Max distance at the widest point is 7’. Local stone supply has slabs from 1” up to 8” or thicker. Don’t want to go too thin and risk cracking the slab (on top of someone’s head potentially), don’t want to go too thick and risk cracking the gunite. Anyone have experience sizing a grotto waterfall slab?

How does one know when this has gone bad? or is malfunctioning?

Rectangular outside and round inside.
Never had a basket or weir door.

I think i remember previous owner mentioning something about a round cover to seperate skimmer from pool.

Our pool pad has only one pipe in from pool. We don't have a diverter to choose drain or skimmer. When the pump is running it seems to suck from the suction line (makes sense).

Is there a round plate cover thing that forces water into the suction line from the main drain? Or how do i get that circulation from main drain moving?

And . Any idea on weir door setup based on my photos, or is that even needed?

Thanks bunches

new member here, going through pool quotes at this time. Looking at a 15 by 30 pool 3 feet to 6 feet deep. Choices of equipment are pentair or jandy. Also, have a hot tub going in that is 8 by 8 and a sunshelf with bubbler. Can any experts here point me in the right direction for pool equipment. I do not want to be underpowered or have issues running pool cleaner. I am leaning towards cartridge filter, intelliflow variable pool pump, any suggestions would be appreciated since this is not my expertise. I just want clear water and good engineering with equipment that works well with good design. thanks in advance.

I bought a house in November and just opened the pool and have not had one before. The previous owner's settings are no longer available so I am attempting to set up the epump speeds myself. My pump is a jandy epump vsfhp165qut and the heater is a jandy jxi260n. I think I have 2 inch pipes with 3 incoming and 2 returns. Images are included.

Everything is controlled through iAquaLink so need to figure out what speeds to program for when heater is on vs not on.

~23000 gallon 40x20 salt water pool.

Any help is very much appreciated

23k gal IG vinal salt water pool, Jandy VSFloPro pump, JXi Heater, Sand Filter, IAquaLink automation, Test with a combination of TF-Pro Salt and Leslie's..

Just started draining my pool today for a refill due to high CYA and high CH. During the process, I noticed some failing grout around the skimmer box throat….see picture. What is the best material to repair this area? Thanks.

Hello, just built a deck 10x12 by my pool. What type of paint do you guys recommend? I heard there is paint with sand that prevents slippage. I'm just trying to prevent people from slipping and getting hurt. Thanks!

Opened the pool a few weeks ago but it looks like I'll be getting a few hours of mid-to-high 20s tonight. I plan on running the pump over night. Is there anything else I should do to protect my system as much as possible?

Thanks!

I have an above ground pool. These are my current readings.

Fc 3.8
Cc .4
Ch 60
Ph 7.4
Ta 100
Cya 90

I am not losing chlorine overnight, possibly because my CYA is so high? Idk, at a loss for the first time in years. From everything I can tell over the past 12 years of having this pool CH is the only thing I normally ignore. There does seem to be a bit of some left over “something” organic in the bottom that I have not been able to get to, bc it is too cold for me to willingly get in and vacuum. Hopefully that is why it is still cloudy?

Hello TFPers,

I’ve started collecting quotes to resurface my plaster pool here in Southern California. It’s a 25,000-gallon pool, and so far, the estimates I’ve received are around $19,000 for plaster and $22,000 for either pebble or fiberglass composite.
The scope of work includes
- Resurfacing
- New tile,
- Splitting the drains
- New expansion sealer
- And startup
I plan to keep the existing coping. From what I can tell, the plumbing is copper, and one contractor mentioned that fiberglass composite might be the best option since it would prevent any copper from leaching into the surface.

I’ve heard of pre-made fiberglass pools, but not fiberglass composite surfaces.

I’m mainly wondering if these prices sound reasonable for Southern California, and whether fiberglass composite is a smart choice compared to plaster or pebble. Is maintenance harder than pebble?

thx

Hi everyone. My name is Bob. Semi new pool owner here. I owned an above ground pool last summer to hold the family over since this inground pool process took about a year and a half to break ground. So that was a crash course for me. I’ve never dealt with a salt system. And that’s what this one is. But I do have the pool math app. Which helped with the above ground setup. I just need to do my homework regarding salt systems. Waiting on French drain, concrete, electric. But the pool is in. So we’re excited over here.

Here’s what I have:

Corinthian 16 -16x40 fiberglass pool
Jandy JXi260N - 260,000 BTU natural gas heater
Jandy VS FLOPRO 1.85 HP Variable speed pump
Jandy Top mount sand filter
Jandy TruClear salt chlorinator
2 Deck jets
Test kit K-2006 salt

but I've been making a mess of my pools for years! Maybe this year will be different.

Hi all,

I have a Prologic chlorination system (PL-P-4 model). I am looking to upgrade my salt cell at some point in the next 1-2 years. I want to upgrade with a Hayward product again. I have a turbocell T-9 now but want to upgrade to T-15 (40,000 gallon capacity). I notice that there are now multiple models to choose from and am not sure what are compatible with my prologic system. From what I can tell on the Hayward page, they all "could" be compatible with change in configuration at my control box.

My question - does anyone have any experience with the different models of salt cell and pros and cons of each:

model cell940 - 40000 gallons extended use


TcellS340 - 40000 clear view cell

W3t-cell-15 40000 standard - I think closest to what I have

Thanks

Hi, I'm getting Sand coming out of the return. I ordered a new lateral assembly. Does anyone know how those elbows remove from the bulkheads to get to the lateral assembly? There is zero info on You Tube or here on the S311SX Side Mount. The pool was installed in '10 and as far as I know, original sand. It looks like there are screws in the elbows, but really don't know, I didn't open it up yet. If I start to break things because they are probably brittle, I'll send back the assembly and just buy a new Pentair sand filter. I ordered 350lbs.of Mystic White II sand from Home Depot. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

My 2 year old Maytronics Dolphin now seems to move about 12" (6" when climbing wall) and pauses. When it pauses, the pump/suction stops too. Then everything starts again. This is kinda OK for the floor but prevents it from climbing the walls as it keeps sliding down and then forever gets stuck in that spot, going 6" forward, slide back down, repeat. Not sure what the issue is. Could it be a dirt sensor issue? I've tried thorough cleaning of the basket and even the impeller, and cycling power. Any clues would be helpful. First minute or two it seems fine, moving forward at normal pace and length.

Hi all! I just purchased a home and have started my journey of educating myself on poolchem.

I am really grateful for the guides here, especially the Ascorbic Acid guide.... See pics below for how it transformed my 30year old pool that had iron slowly deposit over the years.



Before pic, I noticed the equipment (nozzles) had an orange tint to them, and thought it was odd. I did a little test to see if it was Iron, by using an Emergen-C packet, and pouring it on one of the steps.




You can clearly see the blue circle where the vitamin C cleared the iron off. Mind you, this pools water is perfect, and I had scrubbed it with a brush. We were told by the sellers to get it replastered as "it was due".
Seeing the vitamin C work, I sourced and ordered about 4lhs of it, and using the Ascorbic Acid guide on TFP, I started the process.



At this point, I ran out of Ascorbic acid, and had to order another 4lbs. The iron stains were old and severe. I applied the second bucket, and make the decision to drain and refill after 24hrs instead of using a sequestering agent to contain the iron in solution. So, I drained the pool, rinsed it out, and patched a thin spot or two on the plaster, then refilled it.


When I got home from work yesterday, the pool was nearly filled, and honestly I was completely shocked by how severe the iron contamination was.



After the water filled, I balanced ph, added CYA, Chlorine, and salt. Today I'll check those balances, then add some calcium and call it good.


My next project will be replacing the 35 year old equipment, so I'll be taking some pics and making a thread for advice on that. Fortunately the previous owners kept all the documents for the pool, blueprints, dimensions, pipe sizes etc so that really takes out much of the guessing work. I'm aiming to either replace my SWC or upgrade the whole unit, replace the pump with a variable speed one, and am looking at if I need to replace the filter assembly or not.

Thanks for the guides here!

Hello all,

We opened our pool the other day and there is a crack inside the heat pump. Water began pouring out as soon as we turned it on. See attached photos and video.

VIDEO: IMG_3874.MOV

We do open/close it ourselves and have done so for the past few years without issue. I'm guessing we didn't drain the heater properly and it froze over the winter. Pool was installed in 2020.

I was able to find the part that is cracked, which appears to be the manifold bypass (also attached).

My question is - Do you think it's worth having that part replaced (quoted 1K) or could there be additional damage in other places from the freeze? Called one pool company and they quoted us almost 6k to replace the entire unit.

Thanks!