Hello, I had some yellow discoloration in the spa and I was able to brush it off. I noticed that it has started again in the same spot and also around a seat in the pool. My guess it is mustard algae. I am a new pool maintainer and have been using chlorine tabs since that is what the pool guy was using for past 6 years that I have owned the pool. My CYA levels are probably around 200. The water is crystal clear. I usually have couple of tabs always floating around. My FC level today, tested with Taylor 2006 was 1.6ppm. Draining pool right now during summer is not advisable so I have to just wait until cooler weather. What is my best option to get rid of the algae? I did order 8 gallons of 10% liquid chlorine from Walmart which arrives tomorrow. We hardly/never use the pool. My pH was adjusted to 7.6 today. Any advise will be appreciated.

When I first got my pool, about a year ago ( before getting onto TFP ) I went through that patch of buying everything the pool shop would throw at me.
I have a full tub of this, Oxysheen


I think it was sold to me to lower my chloramines at the time. It was then suggested to use regularly, weekly.

So, my questions are.. If I maintain my pool with the correct FC/CYA and there is never any abnormal bather load is it fair to say that CC's are not a problem and this product is not required.
also, even if my CC's were to exceed 0.5ppm then it could be combatted with raising the FC, so, also, this product is not required.

My original board went out on my pool. I ordered what I thought was the G1-011049F-1 but received the other. It would not run the pool. Came up communication error and wouldn’t clear. I’m being told by INYOpools.com that there is no difference. Did I do something wrong when I replaced it? Pretty cut and dry as to how to do it. Thanks

My AquaPure has pretty much stopped generating chlorine and I was hoping to get ideas for items to check. The system is original to the pool when I had it built, which was 3 years ago.

The "CELL ON" light rarely comes on, and it only stays lit for a few seconds when it does. I confirmed no chlorine generation by lack of bubbles in the returns (it used to generate bubbles when the SWG was working) and testing chlorine level with a dropper kit.

Here's what I've tested / tried:
* Tri sensor appears to be working. The "flow" indicator is light, and it's correctly set on Program A based on the firmware number.
* I removed the power cable to the cell and all three terminals are intact and clean. I added some dielectric grease and reinstalled but still no chlorine generation.
* The salt cell has minimal scale buildup. The plates are clean. There was just a little bit of scale at the ends.

I hate to start throwing new parts at this. If I did, I would probably start with a new control board, which is around $200.

Appreciate any thoughts or ideas on this.

AquaRite is reading 0.0 for salt. I test 3000 ppm with the Taylor sodium chloride test and the pool store tests 2900 ppm. The cell is a T15.

I installed an aftermarket board about two weeks ago (with the old board there was no power). After it was installed the temperature reading was stuck at 82F, but salt reading seemed close to correct. However a few days ago the salt reading went to zero and it seems no chlorine is being generated. As suggested in another thread I recorded the diagnostics with the switch at off, then at auto, then at off again:

• Salt 0.0, 0.0, 0.0
• Temperature 82, 82, 82
• Voltage 30.8, 31.0, 31.1
• Amperage 0.0, 0.0, 0.0
• Percent 51P, 51P, 51P
• Instant salt 0.0, 0.0, 0.0
• Product AL0, AL0, AL0 (although it looks like PL0 because part of the display seems to be messed up)
• Version r016, r016, r016
• Cell t15, t15, t15

There are two more items displayed if the diagnostic button continues to be pressed: E000 and - - EE. Those appeared with the aftermarket replacement board.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hello,
Currently I has a single speed pump (that's on its way out) that's wired to come on when the solar collectors are warmer then the pool water (Hayward GL-235).
I'm looking for a system where I can program the start/stop time for the pump, and to be able to open the solar valve and increase pump speed when the solar collector is hotter then the pool water.
Thanks for any guidance.
Jamie

My main drain will be blown and air-locked.

My skimmer lines will be blown out entirely and sealed.

My return lines will be blown out entirely and sealed.

So where exactly should I put anti-freeze?

Hi everyone. I have just registered. My background is Industrial Electrical and Electronic repairs/design.
Just wanted to ask a question regarding the mentioned unit. A family friend asked me to have a look at the unit. Basically she has the timer set to start at 09:00 for three hours. The problem is she sets it to auto...it starts at the preset time "09:00"...goes to 12:00 as expected but when it stops after 12 it goes into manual mode so it would not start the following morning. Her pool Tech wants her to replace the unit $1600. I had a look at checked the manual but i can't seem to find why it would revert back to manual after doing one timed cycle. There are no error messages. I would really appreciate any assistance from someone with exp with these units.

Many thanks
Erick

HI all,

I have high CYA (maybe 130-150) so I have been keeping my Chlorine level above 10ppm. The question is, is the high chlorine throwing off my ph reading? I have been trying to lower total alkalinity so I have been adding acid. I was a bit dismayed as PH was really high after I added liquid chlorine.

I then read a post on this forum about diluting pool water with distilled water 1:1 ratio if testing ph with chlorine above 10ppm. I did this on wednesday and found my ph to be lower than I expected so I aerated for a few hours.

the question is, do I need to use this distilled water dilution method again?

After a few years without a pool after we sold our house, we finally have an IG again, finished today.

Its closing time but we are going to run if a few weeks to make sure everything is good. Im used to the old pumps and a mechanical timer but this has the hayward super pump VS 700. Since im running a chlorinator for now (going salt is spring) I would like to ask if anyone has a 13k gallon pool and would have a starting setup that I can fine tune for us. The pool installer put it at 2400 for 12 hrs a day, Im reading I should be around 1100/24 instead maybe less with not having salt yet, I just dont know if this will be too much for a chlorinator turned down to not peg the cl readings. I dont really have time to play around to much as we will close it in 2 weeks. Just looking for a start point. Thanks.

As the title states I am new to all of this so please bear with me. The other day I noticed in my app it said “ check aquapure”. On the panel it says 50% no flow. This happened once before , and I reset the breakers and everything was fine. No such luck this time.

The pool and all equipment is about 3 months old. Filter is clean. Water is pulling from and returning to the pool fine. I even disconnected the aqua pure from the board reconnected it and it still says no flow. Any additional help would be appreciated. I did notice now that all these status lights on the board are not lit now accept for power. This pic was from earlier in the day.

Hi everyone,

I have a 33k Gal, plaster pool using liquid chlorine.

I just replaced enough pool water to get my CYA to 45. My FC is .6, CC .2, PH 7.6, TA 125, CH 350. The Pool Calculator said to add 2gal and 1cup of 12% chlorine to get my FC to 8. I plan on getting my FC between 6-8, then recheck levels before doing anything else. My question is should I be checking or doing anything else at this time like adjusting the TA, or wait until I get my FC to spec.

I am new to the forum, and glad it is here!

Hi! I'm a new pool owner as of a couple months ago and just wanted to say THANK YOU to this website and this forum! I am slowly making my way through pool school and have already used the forum to find help on many random topics. My TF-100 test kit is on the way thank to y'all and I plan to never get my water tested at a pool store ever again. I'm feeling far more confident since having found this community, so THANK YOU!

My son wants to switch out his trichlor based tablet feeder for a SWG after dealing with CYA levels that are now out of control. The pool is just over one year old. When he called his pool builder and inquired about making the switch, the builder replied:

"Don't do it. You'll be sorry. Everything will turn white and start delaminating the rocks."

Now, this same contractor built my pool 12 years ago (also with a trichlor feeder) and warned me not to switch to a salt system - again with the same warnings:

"Your plaster will delaminate and I will not honor the warranty if you switch to a salt system. Salt gets into crevices and expands, which causes cracks and delamination."

I made the switch anyway and my pool looks great after 12 years.

So if I may ask you pool professionals: is adding a salt system to a pool with (admittedly) a huge number of faux (concrete painted) rocks and water slide, grotto, etc. going to destroy them as claimed by the builder? I've added a couple of pics if that helps, and my son has outlined areas where calcium or efflorescence is already causing noticeable issues.

Many thanks.
MB

Has anyone found a variation in results as the reagent bottle comes to an end.
I had a chlorine titration reagent that was almost empty, I was getting 12 drops before the colour change happened.
I ditched the nearly empty bottle and opened a new one, it only took 10 drops before the colour changed.

Is this something that anyone else has noticed?

In the final stages of a new pool build. Deciding between Pebble Sheen or Pebble Fina. I need smooth surface but want to make sure it still looks awesome. Leaning towards Bella Blue. Any thoughts out there??

Hello, When I want to clean my pool pump basket, I set the pool pump to "service" mode. However, when I open the cap of the basket, water flows from the basket non-stop. Why is water flowing from it while the pump is in "service" mode? What should I do?
Btw - I also have the pump booster

Hello. We are new to pool ownership as well as Florida itself. We have a 4800 gallon exposed aggregate salt pool (INTELLICHLOR) and a VSP. The previous owner has a schedule for the pump and heat to run 8 am to 6 pm daily. The chlorinator is set to 50% and the pump is set to 2350 rpm. Everything is off the rest of the time. Does this sound like a good schedule, or should I increase the run time? Should the pump run 24 hours, but at a lower speed in the evening?

Thank you Wayne

Hi guys/gals,
My SWG is needing to be cleaned monthly at this point. I’ve been slacking on the acid but was still shocked at how fast it’s scaling up. I tested my fill water and was floored. The TA is 300 and the PH is 8.2!! What the heck can I do with that?

Just opened up for the season this week, and diagnosing a heater problem. It's a Max-E-Therm 400 NG heater, about 7 years old. New igniter was installed last year. Controlled by IntelliCenter ("IC") via Fireman's Switch, and running on 120v. Heater panel is set to max temp (104F). IC is set for 70F; current water temp is 55F (agreed by both IC sensor and heater).

When I turn heat on at IC, the heater goes through normal startup, and ignites as normal. LED8 ("heating") stays on. After anywhere from 2-5 minutes, the flame cuts off, LED8 goes into "heat demand" mode (flashing continuously). About 30 seconds later, it reignites, LED8 goes solid, but will only run for less than a minute. The cycles continue this way for at least four cycles (as long as I've let it go thus far). Behavior is the same after I shut off heat, give it a rest and start over calling for heat (i.e., initial multi-minute run, followed by half-minute cycles).

There are no diagnostic lights at any point on the control board nor on the Fenwal ICM. The Service light never comes on, nor any of the specific sensor fault indicators. The ICM does not go into lockout, as it appears it is happy with each ignition. There is definitely air flow through the blower (I can feel the suction when I bring my hand to cover the intake). Tubes to the AFS seem to be clear. Heating canister seems to be intact (I can see no heavy corrosion areas at least in what's visible).

Any thoughts on the likely faults here? Is it likely that the igniter loses flame sense and shuts down (if so, would there be a diagnostic at the ICM or control board)? I haven't pulled the igniter yet for a visual, but as I mentioned above, it's quite new. I wonder if the shortened cycles after the initial one are due to the fact that the igniter is more fully heated from the first on cycle?

Good morning!
I purchased a new to us house...andddd it has a pool. I had no idea what I was doing. After lurking around here for a few months, I sort of (but not really) got the hang of it. I purchased pool math and look around in here often. I wanted to say hi and start contributing to the community.

I’m getting a spa installed and was told that all residential blowers have a time limit, typically 30 minutes, then need to be off for 30 minutes. This seems absurd to me if you’re going to have a party and different people are in and out of the spa. I was told commercial blowers are made to operate continuously. Obviously the cost will be higher. Is there anything barring someone from using a commercial blower? Are they a lot louder? Are there any other negatives to this? Thank you in advance!

Hey everyone,

I’m sure there is a simple answer here, but just found one junction point near my filter that has a small drip going on. What’s the best way to fix this. It’s very very slow drip. Do I need to cut the pipe off and redo it or is there another solution?

Thanks

I need to take down both my AGP and wooden deck (surrounding it at top level). It is a steel 33' oval with 45-degree braces at the sides.

I have no idea on who I should talk to about doing this (pool contractors just seem interested in taking down the pool part and cite removing some "pins" as adding expense to it).

In addition to the pool and deck, it all sits along 40 or so feet of a cinder block retaining wall that I think may be pushing toward the pool. I'm trying to get ahead of all this before a possible collapse. So big safety concerns that I don't want to necessarily attempt DIY.

To date: I've removed about half of the steel wall and a few boards off top of the deck. Dumb move as this has just bought a ton of weed/briar growth in the mix.

I also need full haul away.

Can anyone suggest a good contractor-based approach? Just need it all gone and leveled neatly.

Thank you!

I currently have a Teledyne Laars EPC 325 (Model No. EPCII325BN) pool heater which could possibly be from the 70's or 80's. It works fine and heats both my pool and spa; however, it's very inefficient. Heating the spa is quick and okay, but heating the pool costs a small fortune. My pool is about 21k gallons. This heater is a tank and just keeps running (they don't make things like they use to). I've lived in the house for 6 years and it's worked pretty much flawlessly. My question here is if it's worth it to upgrade to a newer model in hopes that it doesn't cost $300-$500 in gas cost to heat my pool ONE time in November (I live in Southern California and those are legit costs I pay to run this heater for about 2 days which is what it takes to heat my pool in the colder months). Or do I just say "if it ain't broke, then don't fix it"? I've also thought about going electric as well, but even with solar, I still end up with a hefty bill at the end of the year, and that's without an electric pool heater (gotta love California!!).

I did an Ahh-Some treatment on my hot tub/spa today. The fourth time in 3 years. The first time cleaned out a lot of gunk. The next 2 times came out with less and less. This time virtually nothing, very little scum ring. So I must be something right as far as spa maintenance goes. We have had this Hot Springs spa 4 years. We abandoned the recommended chemicals after the first year because of poor results. TFP recommendations for the spa and my swimming pool. They work.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for something digital that's accurate and can test as much as possible (mainly caring about free chlorine, total chlorine, ph, alkalinity, cyanuric acid, and calcium hardness). I have the hardest time with test strips and color matching. It's difficult knowing which of the digital instruments out there are actually good since so many of them have mixed reviews on Amazon. Context: I have a 13,000 gallon plaster pool that I just had to drain and refill due to calcium and CYA levels off the charts, so I care deeply about getting accurate and precise readings so that I can keep a close eye on calcium and CYA accumulation as well as make good use of the great PoolMath calculator to keep everything balanced.

Thanks so much in advance!

-Kurt

Background: my “workflow” for adjusting pH is tested pH is higher than I want, use a different step to figure how low I can adjust pH without making CSI excessively low and make a mental note of estimated resulting TA, go back to PoolMath and enter that lower pH as target. Add the suggested amount of acid and hit the log addition button.

The ask: have the pH adjustment screen display resulting estimated CSI and TA using the entered target pH. If it did this, I could enter a hypothetical target pH and immediately see what that would be expected to do to the CSI and TA (what the target pH would do to the CSI and what the suggested amount of acid needed to hit that target would do to TA).

Thank you.

Hi - new here and have new salt water, vinyl pool owner. Closing pool in 3 weeks but salt down to 2020ppm. Should I add this close to end of season.

I have solid red check salt, solid yellow check cell, and CL is stuck at 2000. Tried reset, cleaned cell etc. No joy. Just manually checked salt and it is at 3500, so must be the cell right ? Anyway, seems Hayward's are $700-850, I presume there must be good quality non OEM options for less money right ? If, so , any recommendations ? thx