I'm having a strange issue with CYA level in my 26K gal pool: I am observing a steadily decreasing level of CYA over the past few days via the Taylor K-2006 CYA test.

The recent history of this pool is that I took over maintenance a couple weeks ago and found that it had no detectable CYA level, which neatly explains the phenomenon described by the prior 2 pool maintainers that claimed they couldn't get the pool to retain chlorine. I then raised the CYA to 40 by adding 8.2 lbs of granular CYA to it, performed a 6 day SLAM where I vacuumed to waste several times, and have been keeping the pool at 5-8 ppm FC for the past 5 days. After vacuuming to waste several times, I likely cycled ~20% of the water out of the pool and refilled it using a mix of untreated well water and softened water. The CYA level was 30 immediately after completing the SLAM 5 days ago.

Since completing the SLAM, I have been monitoring the FC loss and it was above 5 ppm / day at CYA of 30. I have added 2.05 lb of granular CYA twice in the past 5 days, with the goal of reducing the FC loss rate. At first, I saw the CYA go from 30 to 40 after adding the first 2 lbs, but since adding the second 2 lbs, the test kit shows CYA *dropping*, which I found very surprising. I tested this morning after adding the 2 x 2 lbs of CYA over the past 2 days, which I would expect to show CYA of 50 (30 + 10 + 10). Instead I'm seeing a CYA of 30. I am reticent to continue adding CYA since I know reducing CYA often requires a partial draining of the pool.

A potentially relevant piece of information here is that I have a Taylor K-2006 kit, which only came with enough test reagent for 6 CYA tests. I ordered a 16 oz refill container of the CYA test reagent and have been using this reagent for recent tests. Since my searches of the forum suggest that it's not possible to suddenly start losing 10 ppm CYA / day, is it possible that this reagent refill I ordered has gone bad? Is there a way I can test if the reagent is bad?

Any insights here are welcome, thanks for reading.

My set up has a light instead of a fuse and has lost power. Confirmed power to the unit but not past the board. Help!

Thanks
Kara

Hi all,

First time poster here.

My pool was built in 2010. The Aqualink PDA firmware says 5.0 on the display, so I am assuming that is the version. My old Stealth pump finally died (rusted out) and I have replaced it with the recommended ePump from Jandy (VSSHP270DV2A).

I am fully aware my Aqualink does not natively support variable speed pumps. The power hookup is straight forward, but my question is do I just attach the RS-485 connecter from pump to board? Is there anything else I need to set to get this to run properly?

Thanks in advance.

After a month or so of normal water conditions, I woke up to a cloudy pool yesterday and zero FC (also zero CC). Added liquid chlorine and turned salt cell up to 100% but was still losing ground. Failed OCLT last night (ugh). Guessing next step is to SLAM. CYA is between 60 and 70. Which do I use for SLAM FC level? Also, please confirm SLAM is the next logical step here.

Side note: We are supposed to be having a swim party for my son’s bday this evening. Is it safe to swim if I just add some liquid chlorine to get it up to 5-7 FC and then start SLAM after? Definitely don’t want anyone going home with any ill effects.

Hope we have as good a turn out as last year! I have raised FC pre-party per TFP protocol.

Hey folks -
I have a leak in my return under a concrete deck. I'm looking for advice on how to finish the job once the leak is repaired. Should I:
1) Just have them patch the concrete which will be a different color and may look weird?
2) Have them put some stone or something else over the patch, which may look weird?
3) Extend the stones from the coping over to the patched area, which may look weird? (assuming I can find those stones)
4) Something else that I haven't considered?

The leak detection guy suggested option 2 or 3 and he has a lot more familiarity with these things than me!

The leak is under the taped off area in the photos.

Thanks in advance!
Bart

A week before we opened the pool for the summer we fixed a broker lateral and put new sand in. Now. About 2 months after changing everything the jets no longer are blowing and the filter has no pressure. I need any tips possible. I have a company that’s suppose to come out but they have yet to give me a date. TIA

Hello,
I’m trying to rewrite my pentair pump to the breaker box as the current wires have melted and caused a short. The wires currently are going from the motor to the clock and from the clock to the breaker 20amp double (this is the breaker box by the pool not the main)
Since I don’t use the clock, can I just run new wires straight from the pump motor to the breaker?
Any feed back is appreciated

I have a leak in a inground pool with a vinyl liner where I am losing up to a 1/2” to 3/4” of water per day the cannot be attributed to evaporation. Last fall during seasonal closing, I somehow put a hole in the liner while using a pool brush. Because of a lack of proper repair materials, I used Flex Seal Tape to try to close the hole. Well IMO, that stuff is garbage. Great if the surface is dry but, it does not stick well if the surface is wet. Anyway, I still have a leak somewhere. I used food coloring to detect leaks where I could and discovered I had some leaking cracks in one of the skimmer boxes which I sealed with marine epoxy putty. I have isolated the skimmer boxes by turning off the valve and sealing the opening. I still lost about 1/4“ to 3/8” over night in both the pool and skimmer box.
I still have to put a proper patch on the liner.
I am at a loss because of the equal overnight loss in the pool and isolated skimmer boxes. Any ideas where I can look next?

I'm getting conflicting opinions on setting up my pool / spa with a specific spillover mode vs having an "always on" spill over mode, which is how it is currently set. Hoping to get a second opinion on here on which is "better". My pool has an integrated / recessed spa, where the water spills over 2 full walls of the spa (~16 linear feet). My plumbing map out is attached.

The company that did my pool startup and set up my automation set it up to have an "always on" spillover. When my filter runs, water comes from main pool skimmer/drains, and returns to pool and spa @ 30% open. No water comes from the spa drain. They suggested running spa mode (no heat) for an hour a day to help run water through the spa main drain to help keep it clean.

The pool builder said he typically sets up his pools to have a specific spillover mode (aqualink dip switch S1-3). Water comes from Pool drain/skimmer and returns only to pool returns. A separate spillover mode would have to be set up to run in the day (not certain on water flow for this -- water from Pool Drain/Skimmer goes 100% to spa returns?) in order to recycle the spa water into the pool.

The pool maintenance company said its easier to keep the spa clear of algae with the "always on" spillover mode since its always recycling with pool water for my type of spa.

Any thoughts on this? I tried searching and didn't find this exact discussion covered.

Hello, my Pentair Intellichlor ic20 is reading very low salt level. The automation system is showing 0 salt level. Had water tested and 4200 is the current salt level in the pool. Cell light is off so the unit is not producing chlorine at all due to very low salt level reading.

I’ve replaced the flow-temperature switch. In diagnostic mode it reads the correct water temperature and says that only 20% of the cells life has been used.

I started by clean the cell. With no luck.

Any suggestions of what more can be done to identify the issue?

When testing TA you're ultimately adding drops to turn your sample from green to red then count the drops and multiply by ten for TA reading. Here is my question, when the sample starts to transition to red..... I get a very light red/ pink color....do you stop and record or do you add one more drop (+10 ppm) and turn the sample bright red?

Just opened her up. Water is crystal clear. However my railings are burnt or color transfered from the winter cover. Anyone experience this before or know of a way to get it off. Tried magic eraser and 91proof rubbing alcohol and both didn't work. Pool is only 2 years old. Looks awful.

Am I starting to see a pattern of when my FC is low I don't have as much uv loss as when it is high? EXAMPLE : Say I start out in the morning with a FC of 20 and loose 7-8 ppm by sunset..........but if I start at FC of 10 in the morning I only loose 4-5 by sunset. cya, ambient temp, uv index all would be the same for both scenarios in the example. Thanks

After watching my pool guy have a very easy time managing my pool for 2 years I wanted to start doing it myself so I really understood what was going on (& help keep costs down).

Just a bit of background. I have a 10,000 gallon pool with cartridge filters & an electric heat pump located in Phoenix AZ.

I know the summers out here can be a bit challenging on pool care with the temperature & the sun but I figured why not take on a little challnege for myself.

In terms of chemicals I currently have a big bucket of Clorox chlorine tabs from Costco & the Clorox shock packets (both were handed down to me by a neighbor moving out).

Since I wanted to get a baseline I took a water sample to Leslie's & this was their attached report. His first recommendation was to lower the number of chrloine tabs I float from 3 to 1 (he said pool guys float 3 because they only come once a week) and floating 1 would help with chrloine numbers. He also mentioned that my CYA was high because of the Costco tabs (& their high concentration of CYA). I did notice that these chrloine tabs do seem to last less time than the ones my pool guy uses.

He sold me on some metal removal chemical (because we back up to state land and have lots of pollen falling into the pool on a daily basis). He said to use that & shock after the sun goes down, do a filter cleaning and I should see some improvement. Also recommended a drain & refill over the winter.

So my question is what chemicals (& other products) should I have (should I switch from tabs to liquid chlorine) in order to maintain my pool given the test results attached.

Please let me know if you have any questions & thanks in advance for your help here!

To make my Intex skimmer work better, I plugged the opposite intake, only to get pump cavition. The skimmer is not clogged. Any suggestions to make the skimmer stronger?

1200 gallon pool clarifier amount

So glad I found TFP a few years ago. New neighbor move next door three or four years ago. There was a very old pool next door with trees growing out of it. They spent lots of money with new liner and cleaning it up. Talked to them half dozen times they said we've owned pools for 20 years no problem. Only ever saw a chlorine puck holder floating around. 4th of July weekend comes along and I believe they are pool stored. Unfortunately they drunk the Kool-Aid nothing I can say to them will help.

As I'm swimming in my glass like swimming pool. I feel bad for them.

We have a spillover hot tub with glass tile. We have always had white efflourecense coming from the grout, but now it is turning blue (see pics). Any ideas what is causing this?

Hey everyone,

I'm in the process of installing my first semi-inground pool, and it's been a fun but challenging process. I'm almost done—just have plumbing and a little bit of decking to go.

I'll be doing research here to make sure I've got the pool care process down, and I hope to install a SWG eventually—it just wasn't in the budget to get the pool open in time for summer.

- Rob

Hi everyone! Finally getting a pool put in, so I’m researching all the options. Found this site after multiple searches of “salt water pool pros and cons” Haha!

Hey everyone!

I want to start out by saying how amazing this site is. I’ve spent a total of about 10 hours reading through the beginner info, and then subsequently diving off the deep end. I was previously using cal-hypo shock and my chlorinator tabs, which I was extremely inconsistent with the quality of the water and seemed to never get anything under control. Every 3 days I had to fight algae as I was assuming my chlorinator on wide open was keeping up with the terrible sun (SE Louisiana), spending a ton on algicide, clarifier, shock, tabs, etc..

Anyway, I quickly transitioned to 10% chlorinating liquid from Walmart and have had amazing results with the clarity and quality of the water, but I know I need to SLAM. I’ve ordered my TFP test kit and it just arrived today. I am beginning the SLAM and I had no idea how much chlorine my pool was eating up so quickly! I’ve attached my starting picture, which is a pretty good place to start.

My pool is 13000gal chlorine w/ sand filter and a single speed pump that I’m undoubtedly going to change out for a variable speed after I get back from Europe, as I’m sure my wallet will thank me. I also have a Dolphin Explorer E20, which saves me a ton compared to regular vacuuming to waste, which I have been doing for almost a year!

I’m sure I’ll have plenty of questions later on, like how to deal with flakes off of fiberglass pools, but I’ll worry about that later.

I just changed from a Hayward t-15 to a 940. Do I need to change pool math/TFP profile to reflect that change?

Opinions please.

My pool is 19 years old but the wall is only 15. It was replaced under warranty 4 years in.

My liner is 15 years old and on its last legs. Faded badly and yellow/brownish around the perimeter. The top seats started rusting a few years ago, mostly my fault due to pool being over full in winter and the edges were submerged too long. I’ve been repainting them but tired of that fight.

As I thought about replacing the liner but tired of repainting the top seats I decided I’d have to get a new pool. Long story short $7K for a new pool turned me off. In addition, I’m about 5 years +/- from selling this house. Not excited to spend the money.

I’ve now found I can get new top seats for $500 and replace the liner for $1400. Am I being foolish to consider this option? My exterior pool wall and uprights are all rust free. I can feel some slight roughness running my hand along the liner on the inside of the pool, indicating some slight surface rust, but nothing feels horrible.

Will my $1900 investment buy me some years or should I bite the bullet and get a new pool.

Sorry so long but appreciate any ideas.

Greg

I have a question regarding this product. So, I was looking for the cheapest chlorine, and Walmart has it for $5.60/g 10% Pool Essesntials. As I looked around though, I found Rural King has a 4 pack of 10% CDS Liquid Chlorinator for $15/4g.

Reading the label on CDS though it says "One of the best options for lowering CYA levels".

I am under the impression chlorine does not lower CYA levels though. Does this product have something in it that causes this? Isn't dumping how you lower levels? Looking for help understanding this.

Hi, I'm in desperate need of help. My husband passed away and I'm kind of lost. I have a 5x22 above ground pool . Water way. I cannot get the vacuum to suck. I know I am doing something wrong. I went to backflush it and it only dribble out water. It used to spit out water when I plugged it in. Know it only comes out a little. I have a 7 thingy. The writing on the top which shows if it's on filter etc is almost worn out where can I get another decal? Help please, I don't want to let my grandkids down.

At my swimming pool I keep having problems with the (Sugar Valley) peristaltic pump for the PH-min (sulphuric acid solution). Because the pool is located lower than the technical room, the pipes empty when the filter pump is off. With the negative pressure that is created, the sulfuric acid is sucked in when the peristaltic pump is stopped in certain positions. Replacing the rotor and peristaltic tube had no effect.

Has anyone maybe dealt with this problem and knows a solution? Or could a magnetic pump be the solution (do they completely close, even at negative pressure)?

Thanks for the help!

My IntelliPh recently stopped working. Last month, I noticed that the pump was making a rough noise when running. Inspection revealed a very worn and hardened pump tube. Replaced the tube and the system went back to sounding normal while pumping.

Checked the system last night, and the screen for the IntelliPh wasn't on. No red LED either. Power was passing through the IntelliPh controller just fine though, as my IntelliChlor was running OK and communicating with automation.

I opened up the IntelliPh controller and discovered a board burned in 3 places. I've attached the picture here. This feels similar to a previous post by @Turbo1Ton. But where he had burned pins, I have numerous components on the board burned out. And similar to that post, the fuse in the IntelliChlor power center never popped.

Anyone know what is going on here!?!? Is Pentair just pumping out bad boards? Of course the laughable warranty is over.

My worst fear is that the hardened tube caused the motor windings to burn. If the motor is drawing too much current, and the board doesn't have appropriate protection, I'll just burn the replacement. Anyone know how to check the motor for spec?

@Dirk any thoughts?

Thanks all!

I tried setting up a new feature circuit “Pump Max” and programmed it for the pump maximum RPM of 3450 in the associated feature “Pump Max” in the pump settings. I get no response when enabling the feature. I’ve tried it a various speeds in case I was running up against some pump limitation but no response there either. I do have two other feature circuits, “Mix” and “Sheer Descent”, that will control to the selected speeds when active. The circuits all appear to be set for the same options. What could be preventing the new one from engaging when selected (no other features enabled, setting higher that pool default)? Anybody else run in to a similar issue?

Hi dear members,

I haven't been able to remove these stains from my pool since I bought my home less than a year ago, when I got my home the water was dark green and after clearing it up those stains remained, not sure if they were there before.

The water is balanced, I have already used Cal Hypo shock, daily brushing and I still didn't see a difference, a pool company even used phosphate remover. Any product that you could suggest that could help get rid of those stains?

A pool company suggests to drain the pool and acid wash it but it is already quite hot in Phoenix, AZ (between 85-110 degrees daily) so I wouldn't like to that the risk of getting cracks.

Thank you!
JR