I just installed a CircuPool Core55 in my 30,000 gallon Gunite pool, added about 560 lb salt, and within a few hours, I had measurable free and total chlorine! So far, so good, but I skipped the installation step where it says to balance your water first, and I decided my next step should be to address the low pH (~6.2) and alkalinity (undetectable). I had an ancient bucket of soda ash, not sure how old, at least 7 years old but possibly much older, and I dumped in all 35 pounds of it. The water instantly went from crystal clear to almost opaque, and it took a good 5-6 days before it cleared completely, and after all that, my pH had only increased to about 6.4, and alkalinity to about 15 ppm. I'm using test strips (I had a Taylor kit years ago but eventually abandoned it, I recognize I may need to go back to using it), and my salinity is about 2940 ppm.
Should I buy more soda ash and give it another try? I don't want to opacify my pool again. Is there a different additive I can try?

What is the best way to kill Black Algae?

Good morning. I became a first time pool owner about a year ago when we bought our current home. We kept the pool guy the previous owners recommended, but after the past few months of looking for tutorials on pool care, I decided to try it myself starting this week. TFP's articles went a long way toward encouraging me this is something I can do.

My first round of testing had the following results:
pH 7.5, FC 19.5, TC 20.5, CYA 40, TA 50

I understand CYA is low/FC is high, so I'll be adding to raise CYA. I'd appreciate if anyone has any other suggestions/observations based on this chemistry profile. Thank you!

FC:1.5 CC:2.0 TA:90 CYA:67 PH 7.6 CALC:523

Just wondering for those in very hot climates like Palm Springs area. Currently we are hitting 110+ weather now. My PH increases very rapidly each week and requires AT LEAST a half gallon of muriatic acid weekly (sometimes more). This of course is lowering my TA to where I then need to add baking soda for the first time due to the pool readings listed above. Due to CYA and adjusted TA, my pool calculator is saying I need to add 13 lbs of baking soda to bring the TA range up to an appropriate level.

1st Question: Does anyone else in similar environment have to add that much acid weekly?
2nd Question: Will I be chasing the add baking soda add muriatic acid cycle often to keep the adjusted TA level good?

Thoughts are welcome.

Looks like my motor went out on my Prowler 920 after 3 years. It's only running for a few minutes before it stops and subsequent attempts to start it has no effect (the light on the robot won't even turn on). I'd prefer not to drop $650+ on a new motor and would rather go another route if possible. The pool doesn't really get all that dirty, we just primarily use it for maintenance. Piping photo included for reference.

Our diving board needs a bit of renovation, the fiberglass has worn off along the middle and the wood is starting to be exposed. Here's an older picture from when we moved in.



I've since power-washed it to remove the algae and other scum on it, and the wood grain is now much more visible; sorry for the poor picture, but here's a post-power wash snip of the front corner of the board:



Despite the wood starting to be exposed, the board still appears to be in good condition, no warping, no apparent loss of strength, etc.

What can be done to revitalize the board? Can we just paint it with a marine or epoxy paint? I've also seen diving board repair & resurfacing kits, but not 100% sure how they work.

Hey guys,
I got lazy putting my power supply away this year it got water-logged and seems dead (it tripped gfci outlets after 10 sec last week, not trips instantly when plugged in). I'm resigned to buying a new one but wanted to ask: should I get one just like what I have now (9995670) or if there are benefits to or compatibility with one with a timer (9995671 or ...678), or these "Advanced 115" models?

I shouldn't take it apart and try to fix it, right?
Thanks!

We had a lightning strike the other day fairly close to the house. Checking to make sure everything was still fine. I noticed that when we try to start the heater, it starts up but it does not kick on the gas to heat it up. I flipped up the top of the display, and it shows only the Display firmware versions. Some thing is probably fried I just am not sure what does anyone have any history with this? Just to clarify, no buttons work at all power cycling. The unit only takes back to the same screen I can't get the UI off that page.

Hi
I live in Albuquerque NM and am new to TFP and pool chemistry..
This is my second pool season ever, and I have tons of questions...
Our inground plaster pool is about 18000 gallons, with a sand filter and single speed pump.
The water is always crystal clear, so I thought this chemistry thing was easy....
Then I got a water guru sense 2 and saw my free chorine was zero, CYA was 100, alkalinity was 120, and PH was 7.8.
I went to the pool store to confirm and the number were about the same.
So now what? What is what brought me to TFP

I was doing some regular pool maintenance when I noticed algae growing in the pool. It had rained a lot recently and I accidentally left a 5 gal of LC out in the sun so I figured that the rain combined with weakened chlorine probably caused it. So I brought the pool up to SLAM level and spent the day brushing all the walls and floors of the pool and cycled the robot 3 times. I kept the pump running overnight and left it at that. I came back out this morning and noticed some algae had come back, mainly on the edges where the slope of the pool meets the floor. Sorry, picture may not be the best.

When I brush it, it's yellow-ish green. I also don't think it's pollen as I haven't noticed any pollen buildup since Spring. Is this mustard algae? And if so, what's the best approach? It seems I have to spike the FC above SLAM levels from what I've read. I tested CYA like 2 weeks ago and it was sitting around 35ppm.

Thanks all!

Hello,

I'd like to potentially replace my T20004R1 (60 amp control center/timer) with something that has Wi-Fi capabilities. The current config has the following circuits:

• (dual 15a) - pump
• (15a) - heater
• (20a) - lights and outlets

I have found these but they obviously won't work as a drop in replacement for my load:

There are ways I can just bolt this on but hoping that a product exists that has it all in one box like what I have but has wifi and digital timer capabilities. Any ideas?

Due to medical issues I let my pool get out of control and want to get back on the right track. When I started the slam the pool was green with algae(pretty sure mustard) with FC 1 , CC 2, CYA of under 10, pH 8, CH 800(very hard public fill water), TA 130.

The common way to lower TA as I understand it is to drop pH to 7 (which lowers TA) then aerate to raise pH up while the TA remains low. I believe that Matt says(on the vid) that aeration only minimally raises pH, if that's the case how does one achieve a lower TA without taking an inordinate amount of time? I just finished slamming my pool today, passed overnight chlorine loss test, and added CH to 24 which pool math tells me is correct for a CYA of 40. My TA before slam was 130 and I want to lower it.
I also understood Matt to say adding CYA raises TA, I added 5lbs of CYA to reach 40, be interesting to see the TA level when the pH drops to normal levels, if high pH even makes a difference in the TA reading.

thanks in advance, Brian

Hi all. I found TFP last month and I desperately need help! I’ve read dozens of threads here but am at a loss right now. Sorry this is lengthy.

I bought a new house last winter. It has an awesome pool that was winterized and covered. This May, we opened it to find a dark green pond. I found TFP and within two weeks, we had it blue and clear (thank you all!). Took a while with SLAM, vacuuming, etc but it worked.
Here’s where I’m feeling totally helpless - for the past 4 weeks, it constantly starts turning green every 3-4 days.

I feel like I’m overdoing things to try to prevent this, but it doesn’t matter. By that, I mean: I’m brushing the pool thoroughly 2x a day, running robot cleaner daily, skimming surface 3-4x daily, running filter 24/7, keeping FC at 5-7 (hasn’t dipped below 5 in 3 weeks), testing 2-3x daily (results below). After a shock treatment, it will be good for 2-3 days, then bam, back to turning green. I’m at a loss.

What else do I need to test for? What else do I need to do? Test results below are very similar over the past 3-4 weeks and the same thing keeps happening. I’m using 10% liquid chlorine - haven’t used any algaecides, clarifiers, etc. Filter pressure starts at 12 and hasn’t gone above 14.

Test results yesterday (blue and clear)

TA: 100
pH: 7.4
FC: 7.0
CC: 0-0.5, hard to tell difference
CYA: ~35
Hardness: 180

Test results this afternoon (light green starting, with obvious small patches of algae on floor and walls)

TA: 100
pH: 7.4
FC: 6.0
CC: 0-0.5, hard to tell difference
CYA: ~35
Hardness: 180

Can someone please help me before I turn this thing into a garden or a pickleball court?!?!

Thank you in advance!
Matt

Long story short.
My health has forced me to go back to pucks in a floating feeder. I can’t do the adding of liquid chlorine every 1 or 2 days unfortunately and a salt water chlorinator is not possible right now.
So as expected the ph is low.
Just checking with the pros if borax is the way to go now.

Cc. 4. Will add liquid chlorine tonight
Fc. Less than .05
Ph 7.0. Or less
Ta 40
Cya. 40. Will watch it

Thank you for your help!

Why is my aiper automatic pool vacuum flashing red and blue?

Hello all. I'm ready to move onto the TFP process. I've been dealing with white water mold on and off for the past 6-8. I have been researching and ready up on this website on your process and I'm ready to ditch e-z pool and go straight chlorine per the TFP process.

About 8 weeks ago, when the white mold first started, I bought a product call cloud out (same manufacture of e-z pool )along with 2 gallons of liquid chlorine. Followed the pool store instructions and even spoke to the manufacture representative to make sure I do it right so I wouldn't have to keep buying more chemicals. Well after about 5 days I could tell it wasn't completely gone. Spoke to the manufacture representative and he seemed stunned that it was completely gone. He said that there was probably some place that it was hiding and I should go through and scrub everything again. I went through and deep cleaned the 2 drains, skimmer, sand filter. I then realized that I hadn't deep cleaned behind the light. So, I pulled that sucker off and sure enough the mold was caked in there. I went ahead and cleaned it out with the manual cleaner and set the pump to waste. I reached out to the rep again and he indicated to add some cloud out, which I did. Everything seemed to be going good for about a week and then it started to come back.

I was getting tired of dealing with it and had done alot of research on this site and figured I might as well start the slam process. I completed the slam process per the requirements and the pool looked beautiful. I continued to us the e-z pool with liquid chlorine and (1) 3" puck in my Chlorinator for 3 weeks. I checked my all my levels everyday and added liquid chlorine as needed. Well, I have white mold starting to come back again.

Sorry for the long background information, but I'm done with e-z pool and ready to move onto just using the TFP process.

AM I GOOD TO JUST START THE SLAM PROCESS and stop using e-z pool? I do have a Taylor K-2006C test kit.

Thanks in advance as I know you guys will get me straightened out.

We have a main pump and a waterfeature pump We had a power outage and after that they both run with the main pumps schedule. It used to not be that way. All jandy gear with aqualink. 1 year old set up. Not sure what would have changed. TIA. -Matt

Hello,

How difficult would it be to convert my current set up to a variable speed pool pump and SWG? I want a more efficient pump to lower costs and SWG to help lower maintaince as right now I am having to get liquid chlorine.

Current pool pump is Jandy Flopro 1.5 HP pool pump and I have attached photo below of setup. I don't use the in line chlorinator or the polaris booster pump.

We recently finished our pool construction and it quickly became apparent that my plumbers either intentionally misled me, or simply made a mistake. I prefer to think the latter. We have a raised spa with a spillover into the pool. It is not a spillway, but a true spillover edge (see attached). The problem that has been created is that they never plumbed it for the pumps to be running while the pool cover is closed. Thus, if I have my pumps on, the water is being pumped through the in-floor system, into the spa, and spills over onto the pool cover, which doesn't work. The plumber has suggested we isolate the spa from the pool, but we are an in-floor system and the only water that returns to the spa is via the in-floor system, so no water would be circulating in the spa with his suggestion. So I don't love that.
My thought was to cut a 2" pipe into the waterline of the spa, run it through and down the bond beam to the dirt area where we will put turf. From there we'd run it into the skimmer. I would bury a valve in an irrigation box that would be connected to the easy touch so whenever we close the pool we just turn on "cover closed" mode which would open the valve and gravity feed the spa into the skimmer.
Anybody have any better ideas?

My CYA went low due to tons of rain causing my overflow to kick in. So I added stabilizer to raise it to 70 as measured by my Taylor kit. But now when I test my FC, it’s nearly unreadable. Maybe .5? The test result has next to no color.

After adding CYA, I didn’t change my SWG from 20% (where my FC has always held steady at 3) so increased it to 40% yesterday with no change.

Should I bump up my SWG even more? Reduce the CYA? I’m in central FL but the pool is on the north side of my house so it gets a good amount of shade.

I have a Jandy LRZ heater. The igniter shroud keeps melting and now the igniter has melted.
There are no obstructions in the flue or exchanger and none of the fusible links are tripping.

Randomly found my rapid drain flap floating in the water. Tried putting back with my fingers and didn’t last 5 min. Tried putting back using needle nose pliers to pull the notches through each hole and didn’t last one clean. I ordered a replacement and will install soon. BUT I have noticed the robot has next to nothing in the basket when I have run it without the flap attached as I await the part. Is it normal for it not to clean without the drain flap in? If so, I will have to buy a new machine if the replacement flap doesn’t fare any better. I was hoping I could just run the machine without the flap permanently but that doesn’t seem to be a good option. Anyone ever have the same issue with this small rubber drain flap, and if so have you had any luck with the robot cleaning even without it?

Does anyone know what brand channel drain this could be?

We are looking for an adapter that will allow me to connect a PVC pipe to extend it away from the house.

Thank you!

Hello,
I’m new to this thread, still pretty new to all things Internet and technical, and at the age of 68, kind of new to being elderly…
I’m hoping to learn to take care of my (also aging) 24,000 gallon pool here. I have a notebook dedicated to all things swimming pool water and, so far, haven’t gotten anything but confused.

Seriously, thanks for being here to help and I’m going to finally learn how to enjoy our pool!
Carolyn

Hi guys, 1st post and I have a few questions.

I only have an above ground pool. Not very big, under 7000 litres.

I am experiencing elevated combined chlorine. It seems to fluctuate between 0.8 and 1.5ppm. I did a SLAM on it, albeit an incorrect one because I raised the FC to breakpoint and didnt maintain it there.
However, it had some success because I did manage to get the CC below 0.5ppm down to 0.39ppm.

My questions are this,

1) Can anyone give me some pointers why my CC rises despite seeing no obvious reasons for it to? Its gone up gradually this week despite nobody going in the pool. No visible signs, the water looks crystal clear.

2) I will do an overnight chlorine test however I have tested FC in evening and then early morning and FC was within expectations. Might have been slightly above 1ppm loss but the sun had risen for a few hours in the morning thus I believe accounts for the slight loss. Are there any other factors that can cause CC when nobody has been in the pool and no algae present?

3) I have been reluctant to SLAM because I havnt wanted the pool to be out of action. I just know that once I take it out of action the weather will turn good! My last question is after performing a SLAM, what level of FC would you let the pool come down to before deeming it safe to swim in?

Last test data looks like this.

FC - 4.45
CC 1.3
pH - 7.9
TA - 87
CYA - 50
CH - 207

I use Cal-Hypo 70% to maintain chlorine levels and im assuming its ok to SLAM using that instead of liquid chlorine?

Thanks.

I've had the Zodiac Baracuda G3 ever since I moved into this house about 2 years ago and it's been pretty effective at its job for what it is. For some reason a month or two ago, it suddenly always seems to get stuck on the stairs. This never happened before and I'm not sure how to prevent it. The deflector wheel happens to be at exactly the same height that it takes to get stuck on the stair... See attached for a picture. Has anyone dealt with this before? I can't get my mind around how to fix it or what would even suddenly cause this.

Hello everyone,
I will try and keep this brief.
Location: Vancouver Canada.
Pool size 24000 gallon vinyl inground pool. Rectangular.
Hayward sand filter
I am a very novice pool owner and I've only had my pool for approximately 6 months. I have been following this site religiously and I've had no issues thus far.
However, the pool recently began to get cloudy about 1 week ago (while I was out of the country). Which a friend have been managing slowly by adding extra chlorine and effectively slamming the pool consistently for the last 3 days. However I still am running into issues with it being cloudy (attempting to slam it). I was on vacation when this all began however suspecting it was a algae issue I had advised them to add generous amounts of chlorine following the pool math app to maintain chlorine levels of greater than 12. CYA was presently 30.
I checked the pool chemistry today and the results are below.
FC 12
CC 0
PH 7.5
CYA 50
TA 60
CH 75

I also recently removed the staircase from the pool which had some algae buildup on it approximately one cubic foot dispersed underneath the crevices of the actual staircase.

My question is is there anything else I should test in regards to this? such as an overnight FC lost test? Am I missing anything?

I also suspect the pool filter which is a Hayward sand filter is dirty and also requires cleaning as I have not cleaned it during my ownership period of 6 months. Furthermore, the PSI since I acquired ownership of the pool is always ranging from 15-17 despite numerous backwashing.

I am planning to clean the sand filter on Sunday. Just want to check if anyone recommends doing something else or if I am missing anything
Today I proceeded to backwash the filter as well as scrub the entire pool and vacuum it. as well as brush any crevices within the actual pool. There was some loose dust like algae on the bottom of the pool that "aerosolized" quickly with bruising the actual pool liner.
Thanks in advance!
I have also attached some useless pictures of the cloudy pool.

Paul

Hi Im Dale, thanks for having me. Ive been lurking here for the last week in search of knowledge which is quite abundant. First time pool owner and been dealing with a lot of problems. Ordered a taylor k-2006c which should be arriving tomorrow but today i woke up to a clear pool finally after putting in new cartridge filters and raising the chlorine up quite a bit preparing to slam it after the kit arrives. Looks like smooth sailing from here. Theres no dead algae or anything and my robot came up fairly clean today after a few hours of running. Only took me 6 weeks to get here but think the cartridges were the main culprit. Hope to gain more knowledge here

Hi, I need to install a rail for additional support for older family members getting in and out (especially in). Did some research and thought this one looks pretty good: Amazon.com I don't have a hammer drill however so would have to get one. I've never used one. Any thoughts or advice appreciated. No matter what I do, it'll have to be removed when it's time to put the mesh cover over the pool for winter.

TRC 100C, 600lb total media required

JVS270S THP 2.7

Total setup involves 2 TRC 100C's and 2 pumps that each have a 3.95 THP.

***
Follow up question, does anyone have a recommendation for a single or variable speed with a THP closer to 3.95?

Thank you. !!