Our beloved WallE (Pentair Warrior SI) died about two months ago.

Because our 17 yo son has decided he wants to be a passenger airline pilot and we foresee needing to vomit cash for flight school, we thought we’d go old school for the rest of this season and drag out the ole manual vacuum. Turns out we are far too privileged and that’s not for us!

Decided to try a less expensive option and picked up a Betta SE for $375 (Amazon.com)

and a

Wybot Osprey 700 for $470 (Amazon.com).

Our line of thinking was the Wybot would only need to be ran a time or two per week with the Betta there to skim more from the top of the water.

Received the Wybot on Wed and have ran it four times now.

Just put Betta in about an hour ago.

Thus far, for our pool (which admittedly is different than most) if I had to make a decision right NOW, both bots would be going back to Amazon.

Wybot hasn’t been able to climb the angled floor walls (versus the vertical walls) of our deep end some areas. Oddly enough, it CAN climb all vertical walls it has been able to reach, and cleaned the water line with it.

It also has not been able to climb our wedding cake steps. But no judgment there as even WallE couldn’t do that.

It should also be noted that WallE had issues with one corner of our deep end. But because I could “drive” him, he got most of it when needed and forced.

As for Betta, it has “fought” three times thus far with our most powerful of the two intakes we have. Once it was stuck for a couple minutes until I pushed it back. The other three times it fought its way off.

However, initial look says that Betta can’t hold in the very small items it takes in. When it backs up after hitting a wall to go elsewhere the small stuff is allowed to escape.

We purposefully threw in some pine straw, leaves, and crepe Myrtle flowers we found in our yard. It has picked all that up, but a few CM flowers have escaped. Maybe it will be able to pick items back up before they sink?

Attaching photos of what the Wybot has failed to cross in four runs. I’ve tried to manipulate the photos so Wybot path can be seen more clearly.

Will follow up as we “play” with each robot to try and improve their abilities.

I have a solid cover and use a pump in the center to remove rain water. It works but accumulates leaves and looks a bit unsightly. I’m considering tying an inner tube in the middle of the pool so it will hold the center of the cover higher than the sides and let the water drain naturally. The only possible downside I can think of is that it may cause problems if we have high winds that get under the cover. Has anyone else tried this method and does it work?

We just had to drain and refill our pool. It was acid washed while empty and then immediately refilled using our hoses on the house.

Talked to our pool service company about chemicals for a "restart" of sorts.

They came out the day after it filled.

CYA was reading 60 already, but 0 free chlorine.

Is this a misreading? Is this CYA from our tabs in the in-line chlorinator? What am I missing here?

I just took over maintenance of my parent's pool; they live next door. They insist on Baquacil since opening it circa 1983. It is an 8,000 gallon above ground pool that has always had a dome on it. They drain it to just below the skimmer each year for the winter. They would go to a pool store every couple weeks for testing and follow instructions given to them. They were using store brand chemicals instead of bacquacil label and have a mix of different pool store stuff as pool stores opened and closed. They stopped using CDX years and years ago and had multiple issues with pink slime; at least 3 bad outbreaks I can remember. The pool also gets white mold; it has it now. The water has not been good for years. It was always cloudy, had a chemical smell, had a slick filmy feeling, and left a bad taste in your mouth. Nobody has been sick, but it just isn't right.

This summer, with my maintenance, is the first time that water is crystal clear (except the mold threads) that I can remember. But I've had to add 1 gallon of peroxide shock every single week and that is EXPENSIVE at $18 a gallon! Dad passed away in October last year, and mom doesn't go out to the pool so I am thinking of converting even though she probably would have a fit if she knew I did it. I know if I ask her she will say absolutely no because "this is the original liner and chlorine will destroy it." We're trying to think of a way to ease into convincing her. But who knows, she may throw a fit and take over maintenance again or just take the pool down.

Current regime as directed to me by my mom:
Test weekly with strips.
Adjust pH and alkalinity - rarely have to do, did it once this summer. We are on well water with basically nothing in it, very soft, and acidic.
Weekly add Poolmate Algecide 50
Weekly add BioGuard Pool Complete
Daily run 8-12 hours (this has been tough, she thinks it only needs to run a few hours)
Weekly or more often, backwash until clear running
It has a sand filter
They use a sock in skimmer

I don't see a problem with doing the conversion or maintenance once it is converted; I am a civil engineer and understand dilutions and solutions and have a little water chemistry background. The hardest part would be keeping it from her if we have to.

My concerns:

1. If she finds out how much of a throttling will I get? That's a me problem.
2. Any chance there is truth to the liner being so old a conversion to chlorine could damage or wreck it?
3. Another question on something that I don't understand. They have not had to add the biguanide for years. My testing all summer has it higher than 30 ppm (the strips have colors for 30 and 50, it's darker than 30 but not quite 50). The pool store testing had the same, never told them they needed it. I found a bottle of biguanide in the leftover chemicals and it looks pretty old and she can't tell me when they last had to add it. But if a third of the pool is drained every year, even if 100% of the biguanide lasts forever, how can the levels be the same year after year without adding any since we are losing it when we drain for the season and every time we backwash???

TIA

Hello everyone,
Had pool built 2 years ago, and had the company close it the first season. Decided to close it myself this year. I used the plugs the company used last year for the returns. Does this seem right, or should I buy larger plugs? Thanks

My sister runs a commercial pool and told me that Florida is considering banning CYA totally. She said it's already banned in hot tubs. Any truth to this?

Does anyone here use an AquaNaut 250 with hose weights? I’m trying to be able to keep the Aquanaut and Betta in the pool at the same time. I’ve tried a couple of weights from Amazon and they are too small or too large. No luck finding any Hayward sells.

Hello all,
I live in Orange County, Ca with San Diego Gas and Electric, SDGE. To make the pool more comfortable for swimming would you recommend a heat pump or solar heating. I use about 20-15 kw of energy a day and am producing easily twice that amount with my solar panels. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you,

Hi,

We had our pool put in about a year ago now. We have a flagstone beach entry, coping and a rock waterfall. We were talked into chlorine instead of SWCG by our builder originally due to the flagstone. They suggested tabs but it's been converted to have a liquid stenner pump for about 6 months now. While it does work it seems like I'm just pouring money into it with about a week's supply costing about $35. We have a hot tub we'd like to use year round and with the pool being one body of water it seems I'll need to chlorinate it year round.

I'm seriously considering converting to salt but I'm concerned about the flagstone deteriorating. I'm looking at sealing it with the Stonetech Salt Water Resistant Sealer (STONETECH Salt Water Resistant Sealer | LATICRETE) but it seems more designed for splashes not full time contact with the salt water.

Does anyone have any experience or recommendations going with salt and a flagstone beach entry? I attached a picture for reference.

Thanks

Brian

My Dolphin s200 doesn't have any slots in the brushes for climbing rings, so I assume i can't just buy the rings and throw them on. Is it possible to replace brushes on an s200 to one that has slots for climbing rings?

I recently picked up a cyclone. Without the hose and tip to fit Into the pipe. Can someone link me
the hose and tip I need to blow out the pipes.

Thanks

Hello my friends
I have problem with my pool&jacuzzi
My pool have 4 jets for jacuzzi
When last night I connected the pump to the jacuzzi line
I saw it was weak pressure
When I connected eye balljets more then one
Water start to coming out from air line
Maybe anyone know how to fix it ?

Wonder if anyone has tried this pin tool for eyeballs and bubbler plate removal?
Harbor freight $7

Hello gang!
New pool was Installed in 18’
OmniLogic
Tcell13
VS pump blah blah blah….

Everything was perfect for years super easy no hassle. Then one day chlorine gone. Test for phosphates none. Nitrates… a level of 1-2. Not enough to worry about I’m told.

Replace the cell with new TcellS340.
Never made chlorine that shows up in water test. I’m 3.5 months of liquid chlorine every Saturday.
Florida heat yes.
Typically stabilizer reading 60-70(this week I tried raising to 80)
PH 7.6
Salt reading 3300
Shows amps of 6.5
Voltage of 24.29
OmniLogic is up to date.

I did a bucket test and had a blank installed while pool runs and you can see the water boil out of the cell.

The pic is showing two different configurations of salt cell but the first pic is current

I’m having the same issue, robot works great and does its daily cleaning but anytime I try to manually run it I get the same error message in the app. Robot runs fine but for some reason the app thinks there is a communication issue.

Hi I’m Ryan from San Antonio Texas. We Have had a pool for 3 years. We have always had weekly pool service and have always been disappointed in the care. We have trouble with the pool chemistry not being properly balanced and recently seeing a lot calcium scale. The pool looks terrible. I’m hoping to learn a lot more about how to better care for our pool and get it looking good again.

Thanks for this resource.
Ryan

Okay, starting to feel a little more comfortable about things so diving in a little deeper (no pun intended) to ensure I have everything set up as optimal as possible.

So would love some help digesting the info, and maybe any suggestions on my variable speed pump settings. Screen shots below.

Equipment is all Jandy, with iAqualink RS3 (I believe) for great remote access and config.

Pool is about 18-20K gallons (I need to dig for the actual number, but this is very close), and includes a large tanning ledge and a large spa. Min/max depth of pool 3.5' -> 5'.

Location is north texas / DFW area.

We have a gas heater, in-line chlorine (uses tabs, metal filter insert removed and plug added), large DE filter system, and a heat/cool pump.

We also have a Betta bot that does our skimming (and it's phenomenal, apologies to my wife for waiting so long to buy this).

Pump 1 is for my pool in general (Filtration), with a max speed of 3450, priming at 2500, for 3 minutes

Pump 2 is for my Waterfalls/Sheer Descent, Qty 3, 24" each (Aux Pump), with a max speed of 3560, priming at 2500, for 3 minutes



Question about basic setup:

1) Do these seem right? Should I be validating this with my pump settings, or assume (yikes) they are accurate?

My main pump is the one I'm curious more about:



By the way I read this, if the pool is in the mode listed in "Speed Label" column, then the pump runs at "Speed Setting". So if I'm running the Cleaner, the pump runs at 2750. Normal pool mode is 1750, spa mode is 2750 also for example.

Questions on this:

1) Does it make sense the pool is slower than the spa because it runs more of the time and this is for efficiency?
2) Is spa too high? Or is this higher to keep circulation higher and motion in the spa?
3) Heat options are slower - this is to move it at a reasonable rate - but why is Heat Pump higher? (Note Heat Pump is heat and cool both)
4) Cleaner is higher - is this to run more through the filter, even though the cleaner (Quattro Sport) has its own pump?

On related question:

5) How can I determine the best schedule as well?
- How long should the pump run daily for moving water purposes?
- How long should the cleaner run daily for the robot vac?
- Anything else I should update for the sake of either cleanliness or efficiency?

If I missed any important info, please let me know.

Thanks!

I have a JANDY 3 WAY VALVE that when turned to any 90 degree position squirts a stream of wate r when turned to these positions. Once i turn it so all water inlets are in a (T Position valve stops spraying stream of water. What is this hole on back with rubber grommet or bushing for? All help appreciatted.

Waiting on a quote to replace the tile, coping, and replaster our gunite pool, and just trying to figure out the nuts and bolts of timing. We’re scheduled to close the pool for the season October 1 (yes, this Monday!) and planned for work to be done after.

Our original plan was to do the work in the spring, before opening. But the contractor said he could either do tile and coping this fall, then plaster in the spring, or do it all at once this fall (which is what he recommends since he foresees a price increase for plaster after the first of the year). But I'm assuming that the pool must be circulating water in order to properly cure the plaster, right? So we would, in effect, have to empty the pool, plaster, fill the pool back up, then reopen the pool long enough to do all the brushing and such to cure the plaster, then close the pool back up. All before the deep freeze hits.

If we just do the tile and coping now, I'm assuming it can be done while the pool is closed, right? And does the pool need to be completely emptied for this, or just a foot or two below the tile line (as it would normally be after closing)?

Or we can just wait until spring and do it all at the same time. What would be the downside to this (other than a potential price increase)? We do get a lot of spring pollen, so my only hesitation is dealing with the potential of pollen settling onto the uncured plaster. Is this a realistic concern? Oh, and since spring is the busiest time for pool builders, we may have some scheduling issues with this...

Sorry if these questions sound so basic, but I'm just really trying to wrap my head around the nuts and bolts of all this!

I need some advice.
My 40x18 oval above-ground pool was installed 2 years ago. Now, in the third season, it started having issues with the channels sticking out, and to cut the story short- no pressure plates have been installed.
It's either the installer was a colossal crook (likely), or the pool factory was shipping without pressure plates back then (unlikely).

In any case, I need to fix it now. Any suggestions for DIY pressure plates? I could probably order the original ones but that would run me about $1,000.
What gauge are generally the pressure plates?

Hi folks,
I’ve got a Jandy controlled pool with a Jandy spa jet pump and a pentair vsf filter pump. I run the filter pump on a 7am to 7pm schedule. For the past few months I often find the filter pump is off even though it should be running. The Jandy system correctly reports the filter pump status as off. On one occasion inhad the spa jet pump running and that also shut off unexpectedly in a similar fashion. I only have one program running on my schedule; I’ve confirmed that the “maintain pool temp” feature is not enabled, my anll off time is 11pm and I’ve confined that the Jandy clock is correct.

As a test I’ve disconnected my spa side controller which has no affect on the issue.

Any hints or suggestions of what else to look for would be appreciated. I’m confounded by this symptom.

Thanks in advance.

Peter

Hayward DE filter:
I can't remember which to soak my filter fingers in first, TSP or muriatic.
Thanks,
Malcolm Papworth

I've been using PoolRX cartridges as an algae preventative for several years. They worked very well.
However, the last two summers they became ineffective after about 2-1/2 months.
Has anyone else seen this?
Thank you,
Malcolm Papworth

Have owned house and pool for 4 months. Cant say if anything happened between contract and closing (period of 3 months) but pool was clear at home inspection, and always has been sparkling clear since we have owned it. It is possible these stains have always existed in the recent past. We have not owned a house with a pool prior, and with pump running at high speed along with water features, the stains are not obvious. All I have collected during cleaning is a little organic (plant) debris now and then. FC is always beeen 5+, CC always zero, FC consumption overnight is zero, even during the day now is about 0.3 to 0.5 (guessing) now that crazy summer sun and heat behind us. The broad areas look like stains but the black / dark spots on floor, deep end at a tough corner to clean - could this be algae? It has always been there, may or may not have increased. Does not come off with nylon brush and the E70 dolphin is likely not reaching it well (i will test this further). Family enjoys pool, no complaints.

FC today 6 - but has been as high as 17 for a bit since i had IC40 running at 60% in the middle of the summer. CYA - roughly 50 to 60. Calcium 500.. it was 220 and I added a bunch, also expecting more rain in the hurricane season than we got. TA is about 50 but has been higher. When I have filled water in the summer, it has come from the whole house water softener treated with Morton water softener salt (40 lb bags).

How serious is this and what do I do?

Our PB is suggesting a Polaris 380 w/ booster pump because we have an auto cover. He says the robots typically require the cover open or cord ran through the skimmer.

Anyone have experience otherwise?

I really want to use a robot.

I plan to have the plumbing installed and capped for a booster so we could always add.

New plaster pool build was filled Aug 1. My TA has been high and my builder says my calcium is fine. My numbers using the Taylor 2006 test kit

FC 7.0
CC 0
PH 7.6
TA 120
CH 170
CYA 60
Salt 4000
CSI -0.30

I'm thinking of closing the pool end of Sept/early Oct but I'm worried that the lowish calcium might cause problems over the winter. Also I'm adding 3 cups of muriatic acid every 3-4 days I assume from what I've read that's normal for a SWG pool?

The builder uses test strips and the color does look closer to the 250 mark for CH than 100 but it's so hard to tell. I definitely like the Taylor kit more. But since my CSI is ok does that mean my pool should be fine?

Also they added way to much salt when starting. Will this level cause a problem with my electric heater in the long run?

Hi everyone

If not allowed please let me know to delete this post.

Can I get input on this quote?
Does it look good to go?

They are price matching a competitor by:
Removing the following:

Automation
2nd day of dig time
Matched the undersized heater
Removed UV Ozone
Moved Skimmer and auto fill to house side

Click to expand...

Hi Everyone,

I'm relatively new to pools (moved in a few months ago) so hoping you can point me in the right direction. The pool is quite old, as is the sand filter however the pump & chlorinator are only a few years old.

I recently bought a suction cleaner (Kreepy Krauly VTX-7) so I could leave it running overnight as our robot cleaner only does 1 hour cycles. The cleaner works well however significantly reduces the water flowing through the pump.

Tonight I cleaned the pump's filter basket as a few leaves were in there from the vacuum. Once the pump starts again, a cloud of what looks like sand is pumped through the return jet for about 30 seconds and then runs clear - however the cloud has now covered my whole pool (see photos). This is the second time it has happened - thought I would repeat the clean of the pump basket to see if it was related.

Hoping to get ideas on what may be the trouble... doesn't make the pool look great and takes a very long time to clear again. Could the filter be broken and causing sand to escape in the pool? I find it odd the sand stops coming from the return jet after about 30 sec (when the pump is back up to full flow after being off).

Any ideas appreciated!

Thank you

EDIT:
Found a couple of similar threads after posting so will try a backwash before opening the basket next time - Dirty Water Through Jets ONLY After Cleaning The Pump Basket

Well, Spring. If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, that is.

Hello to all at TFP!

I originally came across TFP about five years ago after buying our house that came with a pool. Too expensive to remove, so I begrudgingly accepted it and actually started to have a bit of fun working out what did what, but was relying on a pool shop for tests. Just before I decided to get a testing kit, I broke many bones and the pool was left to the pool shop to look after.

Over time, I've started to get a bit frustrated with how some things are being done to the pool. Just recently, it's been drained and repainted - wow what a difference - for what I assume was the first time since it was originally built. It's looking amazing and only in hindsight can I say it was a depressing, grey hole in the ground that was probably sucking all the fun out of owning a pool.

The new look has reignited my interest in DIY-ing the pool care. I've ordered myself a Taylor K-2006C test kit and am looking forward to giving it a red hot crack. Not to mention freeing myself of the pool shop.

See ya around.

Want to winterize my pool but the only way I’ve seen it done is watching professionals blow air into the pump which goes out to the jets, main, and skimmer. Want to do it myself and I’ve heard a Shop Vac is the way to go, but how do I hook a Shop Vac hose up to the pump?