I have been scouring the internet for a vinyl receiver track to install a vinyl liner into my already existing pool. I cannot seem to find a good receiver track brand available. Cinderella seems to be sold out everywhere and the Z-form process is a bit pricy.
My question is this: If I buy the z-form receiver track, can I re-lay the salvaged coping on top of it and not utilize the rest of the Z-form system? The coping stones are in decent shape and kind of vintage looking so I think they would add a retro vibe to the pool. If the zform tracks work for that I would like to know.

Hey! My husband and I are newish pool owners in Rochester, New York with 2 young toddlers. We inherited a 50yo 17x35’ vinyl lined “Shorehill” pool with the purchase of our house. The filter basket was cracked deep down at the joint and we discovered a major leak in the return line (300 gallons/day!) in spring 2023. We survived the summer by adding water daily and fortunately we have great drainage in our yard. Two weeks ago we had >1400SF of concrete demoed and we are re-plumbing & re-lining the pool, as well as installing vinyl-over steps and a Coverstar Eclipse autocover with “walk on” bluestone lid. (We aren’t planning to actually walk on it but wanted something that would be resilient for 2 wild toddlers.) We are doing thermaled bluestone coping and a bluestone patio. We are also adding an above ground hot tub. Pool pump, sand filter & heater all seem to be in good working order as they performed well all season.

We are actually decent (def not pros!) with pool chemistry. Our biggest questions are pretty detailed around the autocover install and final surface height for the landscaper, whether we should pour a concrete subdeck (no one thinks we need one bc of the pool age and soil is incredibly compacted around it but we don’t want to make the wrong decision by skipping it if it would be quite beneficial ), and generally about optimizing fit/finish, and then winterizing everything (we feel very on the clock here with the snow coming).
We also have coping questions as we’d like to cantilever it but aren’t sure how far over is safe/acceptable - both on the sides over the autocover track and on the back wall on the brackets where the autocover is being installed. The autocover box brackets at the deep end are also about 1” above the height of the side tracks. This is because we need the cover leading edge bar to fully retract otherwise we know our kids will be hanging on it (). The autocover guy (20y experience) agreed having it be able to fully retract is also preferable. How do we resolve this difference to a final height for our landscaper so the coping is all the same level…? What size should we ask for the bluestone coping to be cut to for the autocover box area? My husband wants to be able to move them himself for maintenance.

We have enjoyed lurking for a few weeks and we are looking forward to learning more from you and getting some of our burning questions answered with your shared experience!

Photos show some before reno & during autocover install.

We just started taking down our intex metal frame pool. We are having trouble getting that first piece to come apart(the connecting tee just won’t come apart). Any tips to get that first one off? Seems like the legs come off easy.

Hello pool folks. See you if you can make sense of this riddle below. Look forward to your insights on this puzzling matter.

Pump wasn't working so investigating with a multimeter.

1) Aqualink RS in service mode - filter pump button is the subject.
2) If i press the filter pump button, it clicks but about 1/3 as loud as all the other buttons.
3) relays are fine. I could actually just hook up the filter pump relay with the Aux 3 line (and other lines) and run the pump with Aux 3 button. (which is what i'm doing right now to keep the algae away)
4) but funny enough if i disconnect the filter pump 24v line and test with multimeter, i still get 24V actuation when i press the button. (again, softer than others)
5) but if connected to the relay and i test at the screws, does not show 24V when button on.

Questions:
- Do you know what this 'soft click' means and why it doesn't provide enough power to run the relay?
- If i can't figure this out or fix it, any risks in continuing to run the Filter Pump with the Aux 3 button?

Appreciate the Help!!!

I think my pool was built in about 1980, and it has some kind of metal coping. I noticed the other day that some of the seal between the flagstone and the coping is gone. I’m guessing I don’t want water getting down there and freezing/thawing all winter. Can I just re-caulk the parts that have come up? Or is there some other special something I should put there? In my search, most of the pictures and posts were for concrete or stone coping.

FC 5.5
CC 0
PH 7.7
CH 425ppm
TA 55
CYA 40

Pool was plastered with Barbados Blue quartzscape and filled 17 days ago. It has been brushed very thoroughly twice a day for 16 days. Much of the plaster is blotchy, especially the bottom, and I don't think we've made any progress getting it off. PB told me to go at it aggressively with a stainless/nylon brush, but I've seen a lot of people advise to not to do that to new plaster. I got 2 good quality nylon brushes and are using them. The first week and a half of brushing created a lot of sediment, but the amount has gone down considerably.

Here was the startup process- After plastering, the crew did an acid wash. They threw a hose in the deep end and left. I added another hose, put socks around them, and attached water bottles so they floated. The fill took about 28 hours and was not interrupted. Builder told us they would take care of balancing the water and their guy came the day after it was filled. He dumped in a lot of acid, taking it down to 6, added a bottle of conditioner and put a chlorine puck in the feeder. The construction manager told us not to mess with the chemicals for 7 days and that the ph would correct itself. I lasted about 4 days before I balanced it.

We're concerned at this point we're going to be stuck with blotchy plaster. We've brushed a lot and will continue to do so, but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. Is there another way to get off plaster dust? The builder isn't responding to messages anymore, so they won't be much help.

I opened them up they are filled with water?
I do not have an air blower.
The spa has 4 jets and 1 overflow jet.

I'm trying to close my pool DIY this year. From what I've been reading, it would make sense to lower the pool water to below my wall returns. I have a plaster on gunite inground pool which will have a mesh safety cover for the winter. In the past, our pool closing company has never asked us to lower the pool before closing. (As an aside the pool was almost overflowing when it was opened this past summer.)

It seems to me when emptying the pool, the skimmers should be closed once the pool gets down to the level of the bottom of the skimmer intake. Otherwise, you would be sucking air into the pumping system, no? I have my multiport on waste and am using my pool pump to pump water out of the pool.

I tried pumping water out exclusively from the main drain (i.e. with both skimmers closed). However, flow from just the main drain was exceedingly slow. Currently I have the main drain and my nearest skimmer open to the pump. In my skimmer I have a pool hose which is pulling water from the pool. Attached to the "pool end" of the hose I have tied a pool brush as weight so that that end doesn't come to the surface and suck air. (Jerryrigging photo attahched. Pool end of the hose can be seen near the pool light fixture.)

I have a feeling I'm making things more complicated than they need to be, so I'm looking for TFP feedback. Please.

This is our third time this summer where the water turns that slight teal green colour and our white walls turn yellow. Did the AA treatment each time, but this is the first time the water remains green. Brought TC to zero, put in some “HTH Extra 60%” algaecide, dumped in the AA and let it circulate until walls were white. Then put in a bottle of “Atlantis Metal Remover” and let it filter for 24h. Then put a Culator in the skimmer and even emptied out about a third of the pool to help eliminate some of the “bad” water and. It’s been 3 days and water colour has not changed one bit. Not worse, but not any better. After reading about 482 threads on here we also filled an old stocking with Polyfill and put that in the skimmer too today. Started to see a few spots of algae on the walls and water is slightly cloudy so we put the SWG back on and have it on the max setting. We also have no idea where the iron is coming from! We are in the suburbs of Montreal with city water (no well). Had the pool installed in 2021 and this is the first summer this happens. Have not been able to find any place here that does proper water testing and the strips we got on Amazon are worthless. How do we get the water blue again, and how can we find the source of this iron?? At this point we are considering converting this thing into a giant vegetable garden thanks in advance!

Hello, I have a recently remodeled pool with all new equipment and I don't think our pool builder did a very good job setting up the equipment. I'm not able to get the the salt cell to power on at all when running the pump on low speed. The equipment is a Pentair Intellichlor with a Pentair Intelliflo Gen3 VS pump and EasyTouch4 panel.

I'm not sure if it's relevant but the way they set it up the low speed is setup as a Feature.

Can anybody assist with what changes I need to make to get the salt cell to be active when running the pump on low?

Thank you and please let me know any other info that might be needed to help me out.

Pentair Ultra Temp Heat Pump installed 5 years ago. I have had the capacitor replaced twice (by technicians) and I just replaced the control board. Everything appears great. It turns on, the blower is spinning and moving air, but no hot water. Inside the house, you can actually "see" it pull electricity because we get like this 5 second mini-brown out like you do when there is a new big draw on the power. No errors messages. Flow seems fine. I guess it could still be the capacitor at this point...again...probably need to test the guys actually replaced it last time.

Pentair Pool Pump and panel as well. No spa. Self-cleaning. Chlorine not salt.

Been reading the manual to see if it's something stupid in the config but not exactly sure where to start.

Looking for a list of things to try out, i.e. troubleshooting tests, things to wiggle, error messages on the panel diags, etc. I can handle minor electrical work if needed (like replacing capacitors and boards and doing testing).

It's just weird because on paper it looks fine...but it's obviously not.

Thanks for any help or info.

How do I know what firmware my system uses?

My pool is shaded by trees and has suffered a couple of green algae blooms. I have been able to get the water clear by repeated shocking and cleaning the filter. However, I am unable to get my Free Chlorine level up no matter what I do. CYA levels are fine. I have 7 jumbo tablets in my fully opened feeder. I can't seem to get rid of a cloudy sediment on the floor of the pool and stairs. Could this be mustard algae? I think I need to get the Free Chlorine up but no matter how many times I shock the pool the level stays low. Help me Mr. Wizard!

I have a AQUARITE 900 and a TCELL925. They are about 3.5 years old and my TCELL has gone out. I can't find a TCELL925 anywhere on the internet and Hayward's website isn't helpful. Has anyone else experienced this? Where can I get a TCELL925 or a suitable substitute that works with the AQUARITE 900, if it is no longer available? Thanks in advance for the help

In my head this is a simple problem to solve. Why can't Jandy/Pentair/etc have the variable speed pump automatically adjust RPM for solar heating. Or do they already? We already have a supply line temperature probe, I don't see why we can't have a return line temperature probe and set a min/max RPM for when there is a call for solar heat. If the input/supply water is say 8 degrees (or a user configurable threshold) or less than the output/return water, then run the pump at the min rpm (for solar). As the temperature differential ("Delta T") gets higher than 8 degrees, slowly increment the rpm say 200 RPM every Xminutes until the temperature differential is at that 8 degree threshold (plus or minus a degree or so), or until you reach the max RPM that was user set.

During spring I don't need to run the pump full blast because the solar panels aren't hot enough. And during summer, I CAN run full blast for shorter periods of time. That's just using a simple seasonal example. With proper logic in place, it would also work for time of day thermal supply, so we can collect some solar heat in the mid-morning (or cloudy day) without needing to be full speed, but the pump would ramp up later in the afternoon when their is more thermal energy available.

Seems like simple stuff to me. What am I missing?

Just trying to eek out every bit of efficiency since we live in California, and our power pricing is crazy.

So I go out to my pool this morning to check on things, and the pump is running, but there is no water flow at all. I go over and turn the pump off and open up the leaf catcher in the pump and the water is really hot. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

I'm trying to reconcile the various ideal CH ranges shown on TFP (plaster/LC)

Pool Math says 250<->350 target
Pool School blog says 350-550 ideal What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?
TFTestkit instructions show a different ideal range (Don't have instructions in front of me at the moment)

So the top of the Pool Math range stops at the bottom of the Pool School range. Perhaps Pool Math takes into account the levels of the other chemicals and adjusts suggested CH accordingly???

Normally I'd aim for the middle of the suggested range but that could be 300 or 450 depending on which suggestion I use.
Is water balancing so insensitive to CH that anywhere between 250 and 550 is equally ideal? With CH at 300, my CSI is always between +/-0.25 so maybe I shouldn't worry about adjusting CH.

I have a Blue Water salt cell, model BLW2T3HCS and I have no idea what the equivelant is T-3, T-5 etc., which doesnt allow me to properly program my hayward aquatrol

questions about salt water system

First time pool owner (installed myself from start to finish and turned out well with no major issues ) and want to make sure I don’t mess something up with winterizing

I want to walk myself thru this and make sure none of the experts here see anything incorrect. Have a 20x40 pool with salt chlorinator and de filter and heater/chiller. 2 aqua genie and one return. Apc365 auto cover. I don’t want to lower the water below the skimmer level bc of stretching and weight on the auto cover and don’t want the hassle in the spring with it not opening.

My plan:
1. Drain all the pumps, filter, heater
2. Install aqua genie winter covers and gizzmo and 90 degree pipe in one return so it’s above water level.
3. Blowout/suck out returns and suction sides and slide. Blowout heater
4. Rv antifreeze in gizzmo and aqua genie and in 90 degree return pipe and pump basket
5. Add winterizing chemicals with PH on the high side
6. Turn off all breakers to pool equipment

Planning to store all plugs in aqua genie basket so not to lose them.

Questions
1.Do most of you worry about taking the diving board off ?

2. How well does hooking up an air fitting to pump drain plug work for blowing out the system? Is it too much pressure on heater or anything to do it that way? I have Jandy valves on all lines so I can isolate each one to get good pressure.

3. Do you pour any rv antifreeze into pool equipment or valves other than pool pump?

Thanks for all the advice in advance

I'm thinking of switching from an Aquapure PDA to the iAqualink web-based control. I'm going to get a couple of estimates because I don't think I can do this myself ('cause I hate working with electrical stuff). What price range should I expect?

I noticed my pool this morning was starting turn green after being away on vacation. Checked the Hayward OmniLogic screen and my average salt reading is 65,486ppm and instant 65,475ppm (obviously both in accurate). My question is has anyone had this happen? If so did it indicate a bad cell or need recalibration? While I was on vacation the system did go haywire and started sending me a series of alerts (T-Cell sensor short, Relay K1 stuck open, K2 stuck open) then they automatically cleared. This happened several times. Any advice would be appreciated.

I am trying to connect Super pump VS 700 to the Omni PL. during setup nothing comes up on the HUA. Can anyone help?

I noticed yesterday that my ProGrid DE6020 filter has a crack in the wall of the upper filter body. The filter was there when my wife and I bought the house 9+ years ago. Should I consider buying a whole new filter based on the age of this one or just replace the upper body of the filter?

I think it's time to build some type of housing to protect the equipment from the Arizona sun.

I'm trying to replace a dying Hayward T-Cell 15. Looking for a T-Cell940 or just the 15.
I don't trust Amazon due to counterfeits, and all the other dealers I find on-line, get terrible ratings at ResellerRatings.com. Any recommendations ? Thanks

I'm looking at ordering a new cover for my hot tub and I notice that some of the vendors up here offer an alternative to the standard marine grade vinyl material that I'm used to using. One vendor calls it Weatherguard but the others I've looked at call it Atlantis and one vendor I've looked at doesn't offer it at all. From the pictures it looks like it's some sort of woven polyester or ripstop material, perhaps something similar to that Sunbrella fabric they use for making higher quality patio umbrellas. They, of course, charge extra for it over the standard marine grade vinyl but they say it's lighter weight, more durable, more resistant to UV, less prone to fading, yada, yada, yada than the standard vinyl material.

I'm wondering if any of you have tried out covers of this material and what your opinion of it is vs the tried and true marine grade vinyl. I'm especially interested to hear how well it works in the winter time. I'm wondering if maybe ice and snow sticks to it more and is harder to sweep/brush off vs vinyl since the fabric has a woven texture to it and isn't as smooth as vinyl.

Is it a gimmick or worth the cost of the upgrade from vinyl?

My service heater light is on and the guy who helps me with my pool came out and said my model is 1 year before they display error codes, he got Pentair on the phone and said its the control board.

So i ordered a new control board put it in and its doing the same thing

orange Heater light blinks 11-12 times then the serrtvice heater light turns red

Any ideas?

I've referred to this forum a few times over the last 9 years for help with my pool issues and this is the first time I was not able to find a prior thread with the same issue. I noticed this weekend that my Tristar VS 950 has a leak at the base of the outflow connection, but below the threads (please see attachments). I've had the pump a little over 4 years - just long enough to be out of warranty. Is this leak repairable?


To make matters worse, I felt a drip on my arm as I was taking the close-up picture of the pump and saw that my filter wall has a crack. I'll put that issue in a separate thread...

I'm not sure what the problem here is, but my main filter pump (Jandy 1.85 VS Pump) is unable to pull from my main drains. Theres a 3" line that runs from both main drains, and T's off into 2 pumps. 1 pump (a 2.7HP Waterways VS Pump) is ONLY fed by the main drain, and has zero issue (even at low RPMs) pulling from it.

On the filter pump, there is a 3 way valve that allows me to switch from skimmer, to main drain, or any combination of both. Anytime I introduce any amount of MD to the mix, it loses prime and is unable to pull water through the pipe. I've tried just about every combination of valving to get it to go, and nothing allows the pump to prime.

Anyone have any thoughts on what the issue may be?

Heres an older pic of the plumbing setup. The pump to the left is the waterfall pump, which is only plumbed to the 3" main drain line. The pump to the right, is the filter pump, which has a jandy 3 way valve split between main drain (left) and skimmer (right)

Can’t it buttons on front panel to respond; installer set to 100%