Hello,
I purchased
Automatic Suction Vacuum-generic Climb Wall Pool Cleaner Sweeper In-Ground Suction Side + Hose Set XtremepowerUS and have had it situated where it's attached to skimmer for the past 2 years.

I never realized, but my main drain is not suctioning. Reason I realized this is due to myself doing the pool work where shock granules on the bottom of the pool appears to be sitting on the ground.

So when I attach sweeper to the skimmer, I am afraid my only flow to my pool is now being relegated to the sweeper flow.

I did a little bit of research on main pool on and off, but my house doesn't have such a thing and it maybe one that feeds off the skimmer (?) but even when the sweeper is not attached to skimmer, I still see granules stuck on the bottom

So I am hoping you can help me to find if the "white" pipe that is on the side of the pool wall that has some knob is to be used for sweeper suction (attached picture)

thank you so much

Been in the house for 20 years, and periodically have had to patch up small cracks around the skimmers as they pull away from the gunite, so I know I have a settling problem. But this time, I keep leaking from somewhere else even after repair

I did some pressure testing today by closing off one or the other drain at the bottom of each skimmer, and I am able to draw air into the system from Below one of my skimmers, so I know the pipe running from that skimmer to the pump must have a crack.

This is consistent with my understanding of how this usually goes, as the ground settles, but skimmer is largely fixed to the pool, the pipe is pulled away and cracks, almost always very near the skimmer.

Will this require removal of my concrete deck in that area for Access and repair? Is there such a thing as an internal patch, especially if on fiber optic inspection there is not significant pipe displacement across the crack, ie, it is still largely planar?

Or is that wish for a minimalist repair just a "pipe" dream?

Hello everyone, I have a question regarding my auto leveler. Moved to AZ just in time for the hottest July ever. And of course it presents challenges for a new pool owner such as myself. Here is my question:
With temps over 110 for 24 days and counting my pool auto leveler doesn't keep up, my pool is down about 3/4". The question is should I add pool water via hose, bring it back up to it's normal level?
Water is still about 1/3 of the way above the skimmer, but concerned if it goes any lower it will affect my equipment.
No shade until later in the day, so the sun is on the pool from 6am till 6pm each day.
I have managed to keep all my chemicals in balance and the pool looks great, just concerned about fighting evaporation with this heat.

Thoughts?

It's a 15,000 gallon, pebbletech pool with Pentair SWG.

Thank you, look forward to hearing the group's thoughts.

Hi all, I’ve been a TFP lurker for several months and now a first time poster. I really enjoy the forum discussions and have learned a tremendous amount before deciding to install a pool.

Now the reason for this post. We are getting a fiberglass pool installed over what used to be gunite pool. The previous homeowner had a leak in the gunite pool and instead of pursuing repair, decided to punch holes in the bottom, cave in the sides and fill with dirt. Then gunite pool is unsalvageable, so I am looking to remove the pool to install the fiberglass pool in the same area. The pool builder sent a quote for pool removal that includes removing only portions of the gunite pool that interfere with new installation.

My question is should the pool builder remove the entire pool or is it sufficient to just remove enough to allow for the new pool? Do you for see any problems with doing either?

Thanks!

Hi there. I'm a small pool owner (intex Easy Set, 8x24) who just wants a clean pool for his kids to splash around in.
Located in Des Moines, Iowa.

Hi all,
I know the best way to measure water is with a test kit but with 2 small toddlers and a busy work life I’m unable to measure as often as I’d like. Local pool companies charge a ton and often don’t balance chemicals correctly, while Leslie’s is just a pain and they always talk me into more products I don’t need. So, I’m looking into smart pool monitors. Has anyone had experience with a smart pool water monitor? I’m thinking of getting the Water Guru Sense 2 or the Crystal Water Monitor. Any suggestions, advice, or other monitors I should look at?

I removed my light to clean behind it (algae). Now I can't get it back in. Its been sitting on the side of my pool for 2 months now. I am having trouble trying to keep my body from moving while holding the light down (it wants to float up) AND aligning the screw all at the same time. Any tips to make this easier? Is there anything that I can attach here to make this easier? Maybe make it a magnetic install?

Thanks in advance for the help. Any feedback is appreciated. Ive changed the flute and a few misc other parts. No change. Immediate click to eo6 + sfs. Heater didn’t even try to turn over.

Is the pool calculator app still working, or has it been replaced by Poo Math?
thanks

I'm trying to clean out some brown silt (possibly dirt) that's on the bottom of my pool.
I'm able to keep the water clear with shock and/or chlorine, algaecide, etc. but I keep getting very fine brown particulates on the bottom of the pool. After a few minutes of me and my kids splashing around the silt gets churned up and makes the water kind of cloudy.
Using an 8 foot x 24 inch Intex Easy Set pool with a dual inlet connected to an Intex C1000 filtration pump.
Can I connect a vaccum to one of the inlets so suck that silt out of the pool?
Any recommendations on getting rid of this stuff would be appreciated.
Thanks

Good morning, everyone. I've read a ton on these forums over the years and figured I'd finally become a member to ask the all knowledgeable forum some questions. Glad to be here and can hopefully be a help to some as well.

Too follow up on my post from Friday where I mistakenly added salt before realizing that I was getting an erroneous reading from my AquaRite due to cell failure. We have been draining and refilling the pool since Friday. Getting the water down to the tile line, refilling and then doing it again via siphoning. I've been able to get the level from 5600 to 4400 ppm.
At what point can we install the new cell (same size as the old one) to see if the high salt light comes on? It's my understanding that it's actually high amps that will trigger the light? (current diagnostics says amps are at zero) If we install the new cell and the high salt warning comes on can we just turn it off and continue with the drain and refill or would we have to remove the new cell and put the old one back in?

I had to replace my pump this year so the pool got pretty bad before I could start cleaning it.

I have a CYA of 20 and have kept the FC between 12 and 20 since the end of June. Starting PH is 7.4 but my pool is still green.

It does seem to be slowly getting better i can see the bottom now but at this rate I'm still looking at weeks to go. What am I doing wrong?

I'm using the Taylor test kit to get my readings

Hey everyone

I found TFP awhile back, casual referencing over time. Recently revisited, due to issues with upgraded 24 ft Intex above ground. I'm now using a Taylor K-2006C for testing and running through a SLAM. Also upgraded the sand filter (Doheny 24 inch, 1.5 HP) for a bit more flow as the filter provided (14 inch, .6 HP) didn't seem robust enough. And just reviewed the need or not for calcium/hardness as related to vinyl pool liners, which alleviated some of my concerns, though not my previous spending for a 25 lb bucket of Calcium Chloride from Pool Mate.

All that being said, decided best to join and enjoy contributing where I can and learn as much as I can. The science is key and really appreciate the collective wisdom and experience presented by the members. My family (including 2 young granddaughters) appreciate it.

All the best, enjoy the swim.



-don

Just bought my first robot cleaner, an Aiper Smart 1500 cordless robotic pool cleaner. I saw a good deal on it from Costco for $650 so I picked it up. If it doesn't meet my needs, it is easy to return for a refund. It is also available from Amazon.

I have always wanted a robot cleaner, even though my pool has a screen enclosure which keeps out leaves and other big debris.
I don't vacuum as much as I should (especially in the hot Florida summer), and sometimes fine dirt settles on the bottom. I looked into getting a Dolphin S200 or Warrior SE from Marina, but I could never get hold of anyone there, and now their Dolphin S200 or Warrior SE robot supply is out of stock.

The Aiper came with an optional bottom wheel/roller attachment. The manual said it should be used if the robot got stuck on the main bottom drains, so I first tried it without the attachment. While the robot did not get stuck on the drains, it did get hung up on the stairs and sitting ledges. It did pick up a lot of dirt and paint flecks though. I had recently power washed the painted pool deck and this always kicks lots of paint flecks into the pool. A curse on the previous owners that painted the pool deck, that was a really bad idea.

So after running for a couple of days and getting stuck, I decided to install the optional bottom wheel/roller attachment. After running with this attachment, the robot did not get hung up anymore.

I'll keep using it daily and see how well it works. The pool does look really clean now, but I expect I will still have to brush the steps and ledges since the robot does not really clean them effectively. I think this a problem with all robots though.

Pros:
In stock (no waiting for new shipments).
Reasonable price.
Cordless (uses a 12.6V, 8.6Ah rechargeable battery) so no cord in pool.
Has a nice big cleaning brush for scrubbing.
Has a strong impeller that really pushes the water out so it has good suction.
Climbs the walls and cleans the waterline.
Doesn't get stuck on the drains, stairs, or ledges (see comments though).
Has an easy to clean medium size very fine mesh filter basket that catches the fine dirt.

Cons:
Takes around 6-7 hours to charge.
Only runs for 90 minutes, so more suitable for a small to medium size pool (like mine).
Made in China, so its durability is questionable.
No control of the cleaning pattern, just an on/off switch.

We indicated to our pool designer that we absolutely didn't want any sharp edges in our pool.
The coping that was bought for us had sharp edges and we paid additional to have the bullnose done.

The bullnose section is not polished and obviously has a different color. I brought it up with the contractor and pool builder and they said that it will match the color over time. I somehow don't believe that.

A decking guy we consulted said it is not acceptable.

What do experts here think? What can I do to have them fix it? They keep insisting that the color and texture will even out over time.

Hello everyone! I've been reading this forum for a while now and have learned a lot of great information, though I'm having a problem that I cannot seem to find an exact answer to.

TL;DR: History

I have a rectangular in-ground pool about 3 years old, approximately 18,000 gallons. This was installed by the previous owner and this is the second season for me. It is chlorine, has a sand filter, retractable cover, chlorinator and UV filter. We keep the pool covered nearly all of the time, opening it when we swim and closing it afterwards. Last year the pool was maintained bi-weekly by the company that installed it, and they opened and closed it for the seasons each time. I had been doing the general chemical maintenance and checking last in between their visits and didn't really have any issues. This year they informed me that they just don't have the resources to do pool maintenance visits and to find someone else. Given my experience last year I figured I could handle it in the meantime while I found someone else.

This year when they opened the pool at the beginning of May after being covered since end of September it was pretty murky and teal colored. They added an algicide and a lot of shock and said to give it a few days and should be fine. It seemed to clear up after a few days though given the cooler spring the water just wasn't warm enough to swim so it got very little use in May. I did periodically test it with my test strips from the previous season but was getting somewhat erratic results so just figured they were no longer good and needed new ones.

During a particularly rainy week we were out of town for about 5 days and when I came back the pool was back to being murky and teal again. The PSI on the filter was 23 (should be max 20) and when I backwashed it, it had a noticeable smell. Afterwards the PSI was back down to normal. Over the course of a few steps, I added the recommended amount of HTC algicide, shock and clarifier and waited. After a several days it began to slowly clear up, however that's when the problem really started...

The problem (finally)...

In short, the pool does not and will not hold chlorine. Over the course of the past three weeks I have probably added 20+ gallons of liquid (10%) and 2 maybe 3 containers of granulated. Consistently after about 4-6 hours the free chlorine was down to below 1, sometimes looking like 0. The CC seems to remain proportional to the FC where when one is high the other is high and when low they both are.

I continued to pour 4 to 5 gallons per day seeing the same results. We brought in a new pool company and they reported on the first visit that the pH was also very low (below their lowest measurement on their strips). I had seen this as well but was very inconsistent across the different types/brands of test strips I had used.

Intestingly, the water is crystal clear. Like... glass clear. You can see the bottom of the deep end almost as though there's no water in it. The pool company left in their notes that the water looks "awesome" and "extremely clear".

Recently I started to keep much more detailed notes, but assume unless otherwise I added at least 10ppm's worth of chlorine a day. Here's what I have in writing:

6/23: Pool company
Reported: pH < 6.2, FC < 0.5, Alkalinity ~ 80, CYA 0 (This would have been after I had added 1 or 2 gallons of liquid chlorine earlier that day).
Added: 2 gal shock, 1 lb pH plus

6/29: Pool company
Reported: ph < 6.2, FC < 0.5, Alkalinity ~ 80, CYA 0 (same exactly as last time)
Added: 2lbs "yellow out", 1 lb ph plus, 2 gal shock, 1lb CYA.

6/30: Added 4 lbs ph plus. After several hours the pH was still below scale on test strips.

(Finally purchased a Taylor K-2006 kit so started using it)

7/1: 1:30pm
pH < 6.8 (bottom of scale) took 17 drops of R0006 to get to pH 7.4. According to book that means ~10 lbs of pH up should be added.
FAS-DPD: 2 drops to colorless (0.4ppm FC), +5 drops to pink again, 5-6 drops to colorless again (1.0-1.2ppm CC).
CYA: approx 90 (not 100% sure what it means by "black dot 'just barely' disappears" though).
+ 2 gal 10% liquid chlorine

7/1 7:30pm
Test strip: pH ~6.4, CC ~3, FC ~3-5.
TA: 13 drops = 130 ?
Added: 4 lbs pH up

7/2 9:00am
pH: ~7.2
FAS-DPD: 2 drops to colorless (0.4ppm FC), 2 drops to pink again (0.8ppm CC)
Added: 4 lbs pH up

7/2 11:00am
Added: 1 gal 10%
pH: ~7.5

7/2 1:30pm
pH: ~7.4
FAS-DPD: 7.5 ppm FC, 1.0 ppm CC (at this point I felt like some progress because it was the longest I'd ever seen it hold chlorine).

7/2 3pm: small pool party, 3 swimmers for about an hour.

7/3 9:30am
ph: ~7.4
Test strip: FC/TC off scale low.
TA: 80-120
Added: 1 gal 10% liquid
Noted water level was at 1/3 skimmer height so added about 45 mins from hose and now up to just over 1/2 skimmer height.

Summary

While the pH seems to be holding steady still seeing chlorine fall. We have had relatively little swimming this season and this chlorine will fall regardless of whether or not anyone goes in so I don't think it's swimmer contamination. Also, the pool is covered nearly 24/7 so it isn't contaminated by rain, nor does it receive UV light. Chlorine also drops down over night. Being that I didn't feel confident in the results from the test strips I was reluctant to add additional stabilizer in case lock was a problem. Recent tests with the Taylor show it to be in the 70-90 range now. I wouldn't also say we've seen "excessive heat" yet this summer - hottest day might have been 89 degrees and there have been quite a few cool days too. Finally, since the water seems so perhaps not an algae issue... unless there are 100% perfectly clear algae? The only thing I haven't formally done is a "SLAM", though I have been adding 3-4 gallons (or granule equivalent) per day.

Help!

Anyway... extremely long story short. What could this be, and what else should I do? I mean, the pool is very clear and comfortable to swim in, it's just that it seems that I have to continue to add a gallon of chlorine every 4-6 hours to keep it above 0.5.

Thanks (and sorry for the super long message).

FK

Not a new pool owner but new to managing my pool. I am so grateful that I found this site. I have been doing a lot of reading and learning. Unfortunately, I was operating under the old mindset before I found this site. I purchased a 10# bucket of chlorine tablets. I was wondering if I could use both the chlorine tablets and liquid chlorine (at least until I use up all of the tablets). If the LC and tablets can be used interchangeably, when should I use the tablets? I have the waterguru sense 2, and have taken water samples to Leslie's pool to test the levels. I have ordered the K-2006 so I can test my own water. Below are my current levels from waterguru (WF) and Leslie's pool (LP).

WG (LP)
FC 3.6 (2.96)
TC - (3.23)
pH 7.5 (7.7)
TA 200 (121)
CYA 71 (70)
CH 219 (168)
Phos - (856)
Thanks for the assistance!

I get what looks like algae. It’s on the bottom of my pool. It’s dark green. It’s comes back to the same spots after a day or two after I vacuum. This has been happening since last summer. I did shock the pool several times last summer. after the shocks I saw it back I thought it had to be just buildup of dirt and maybe leaves, but now I’m not sure. my pool is well balanced always and looks clear. Not sure what to do.

Been a happy SWCG owner now for a couple of months, and pool life has been perfect.
My TFP test kit always has showed salt to be at 3600, since I did the initial startup. SWCG says ~3800.
It definitely tastes salty. The wife can't taste it. The dogs don't seem to care. It is not really any concern to me.

Am I just lucky and have abilities far beyond those of mere mortals?

And hey - the other advantage - I can now float without an inner tube!

I have tried googling and image searching and even going to the pool store, and they weren't able to help me. I have a home built in 1991 and I believe the pool was put in not too long after. My booster pump has developed a leak and needs new seals, but I cannot for the life of me figure out what model/ manufacturer it is. I thought perhaps hayward as that's what is on the sticker, but I have looked and am thinking I have a replacement motor attached to the back of the volute. If anyone can point me in the right direction, it would be appreciated.

There doesn't seem to be any power in the generator. The LCD displays nothing. no lit buttons anywhere. The circuitbreakers are all okay. It worked a week ago.
What could the issue(s) be?
Thanks!

We are likely going with the Wet Edge Prism matrix to resurface our pool. We are also adding a tanning edge, but because my kids scoot aorund on their knees on tanning ledges, I don't want to use an aggregate finish on the tanning ledge. The PB said he could do Primera Stone just on the ledge, but I am leaning towards using 1x1 glass tiles for aesthetics, but I am concerned about it being a slip hazard for older grandparents.

Aquablu Mosaics sells an antilsip line of glass tiles by Vidrepur that I am considering. Has anyone used these on a tanning shelf or spa and can comment on their slipperiness?

I can’t get this rock out Tomorrow or Tuesday when somebody comes to help. Can I run my pump in the meantime? Have people coming over

Tried searching threads but really didn't see/find my question/answer.
I have a 23k gal vinyl free form pool, gas heater, Hayward pump. I use liquid chlorine, and rarely have to do anything else other than a little acid if pH starts rising. It has never been higher than 7.9. Hovers about 7.4 ish.

However over the course of the last 2 months my CYA has been steadily rising and I don't use tabs so why and where is it coming from? I have TFP kit and will also run a sample to the pool store to see how far off I am with my results.

I have drained water down to past skimmer door (opening drain line on the cartidge filter) and refilled with city water via hose. 2 x since June, but I don't see CYA dropping. What am I not doing or doing wrong?

Here are a few sample readings

Opening 4/14/23
FC 10.49*
TC 11.67*
* this is high due to initial shock of adding 5-6 gal liq Chlorine. Pool guy starts season by filling Rainbow feeder with pucks.
I NEVER REFILL IT AT ALL DURING THE SEASON!
CYA 37

5/5/23
FC 1.78
TC 1.93
CYA 59*

5/31/23
FC2.71
TC 2.99
CYA 81

6/23/23
FC 1.93
TC 2.18
CYA 92

7/6/23
FC 8.49*
TC 8.49*
I had added liquid and shocked due to all the grandkids in pool on 7/5
CYA 89

7/16/23
FC 1.24
TC 1.44
CYA 101

Hello all, in short I have an actuator valve the controls slide and fountain when I select slide the fountain sprays water before the the valve completely turns to slide. Is there a way in iAquaLink to program a short delay in the pump start while the actuator completes the switch to slide?

Thanks

After a backwash and new DE media I now have high pressure in the filter within a week. I also use a variable pump which I mainly run on low speeds. I have always been able to run the lowest speeds with no flow problems since I've had this setup. The problem I am having is after a while on the low speed the flow is so low that my SWG quits producing chlorine due to low flow. I backwashed and replaced media yesterday and the problem occur again within 12 hrs. Today after backwashing I took the filter apart and cleaned looking for a blockage but found none. The PSI now has been starting close to 20PSI. In the past it would of been around 14. I took some pics and have a few ?'s. The first pic of the filter shows the [finger], should it be covered with that hard yellow plastic? Does it even matter? The second pic shows me blowing air tru the elements with a vacuum. Should they bellow up like that? Is air bigger than water? I would think if air has a problem getting tru then so would water. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

A few weeks ago I installed a Circupool RJ60+. Then I went on vacation for 16 days. While away I had my daughter check salt levels and chlorine levels every other day and adjust as needed. She had to add one 40 pound bag of salt. And twice she added a gallon of chlorine.
My CYA is at 60. I had her try to keep the chlorine at about 6–8 ppm while I was gone just to be safe. She did that.
Now that I’m back home I did a full analysis. pH spiked up to 8.2. Is this expected with a SWCG? My pH was always very stable at about 7.5 prior. Another odd result was that my CH dropped from 350ppm to 250ppn.
What’s the explanation for that? She added no water to the pool. Between the normal evaporation and the rain, the water level remained fine.

Sorry for the long post but I’m looking for some guidance.

The pool company has been receptive and working with me but I was wondering if there is anyone who has experienced this before. Last year a few times (maybe three) while the equipment / pool was in spa mode with the heater on and the blower on, one of the breakers at the pool pad would trip and turn off all the equipment. When I would go over to the pool pad to inspect, I noticed some water under the UV/Ozone box as if water leaked out of it. I would flip the breaker back on and not have any issues getting the equipment back up and running. I would monitor the UV/Ozone leak when I put the equipment back in pool mode and it would dry up and no longer be leaking. During the last time it happened last season, when I put the equipment back into pool mode it sounded like the pump was running on high (app showed it running at 100%) but the pump was hardly pumping any water into the pool (spa wasn’t overflowing, etc., the filters were cleaned and the pressure of the filter was not high). Pool company came out and we couldn’t get the equipment to replicate the issue I experienced.

Fast forward to this season, I have not experienced the breakers tripping at the pool pad and we have used the heater to heat the pool a few times with no issues.

We also used the heater three times to heat the spa and use the spa. The first time was on 05/29. During that time, the heater would continuously kick off but I would not get a notification on the OmniLogic App. When I would go over to the equipment pad I lifted the window on the heater and it had an orange light by the triangle and displayed Lo. Doing some research I came to the conclusion it was low water flow into the heater which didn’t make sense because the pump was on high and the pressure on the filters were not high and within range. Turning the heater off and back on would solve this problem, it would start up heating again for a few minutes before it would kick off again. We finished swimming that night and the next day (05/30) as a precaution I cleaned the filters which were not too dirty.

On 06/18 we used the heater to heat the pool and we also used the spa again to include the blower and the heater. While using the heater to heat the pool we did not have any issues with the heater kicking off and having that Lo reading. However, while using the heater to heat the spa, the heater would continuously kicked off, have that orange triangle illuminated and would read Lo. When it first happened, I went over to the pool pad to inspect and noticed water under the UV/Ozone box, the orange triangle lite up on the heater window and the error code of Lo. Turning off the heater and turning it back on solved the issue, it would start heating before kicking off again. We finished the night swimming and I left the pool in pool mode to end the night. I monitored the leak from the UV/Ozone box and it appeared to stop like it did last season when the equipment was put back into pool mode. Also, there has been some water under the heater when it’s on but I assume that condensation?
The pool company came out a few days later and could not get the equipment to replicate the issue but did advise they noticed a small leak coming from inside the UV/Ozone box.
Fast forward to this past weekend, on 07/22 we used the spa again and had the equipment in spa mode. At first, the breaker would continuously trip and I would go over to the equipment pad and flip the breaker back on. Eventually the breaker stopped tripping and then the heater
would continuously kick off and back on. The first time it tripped I noticed water under the UV/Ozone box, the second time it tripped I noticed water under the front right side of the heater, the third time it tripped I noticed water under the front left side of the heater. After the heater kicking off and back on a few times by itself I eventually turned it off to prevent any further issues.

Click to expand...

To note, the water/wet spot I’ve noticed under the UV/Ozone box & the heater are only there when the equipment is in spa mode with the heater on. It’s not a leak as water is continuously flowing, it appears to drip for a few minutes to create a wet spot under the equipment and then it stops. I’ve also previously used the heater to heat the pool in pool mode and the heater ran for 3ish hours with no issues (not kicking off, not leaking, not tripping the breaker) and brought the pool temperature up 9ish degrees.

Does anyone have any idea what’s going on? When the equipment is in spa mode is it creating to much pressure and causing a leak in the UV/Ozone box and the heater and there is some sort of safety feature that if those two units detects a water leak it trips the breaker?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.