With our pool season coming to a close soon, I've got a few issues that I need to address before opening next spring. There are the issues:

• Deep end of pool has sunk 2-3" over the past few years
• One section of our concrete pad has separated
• New liner is required

What I'd like to do during closing this year is:

• Drain the pool
• Remove the liner
• Inspect the concrete structure for any areas that need repairing and fix them now or in the early spring. This would give me time to book a company if more serious structural repair is required (eg sinking issue).

Then, next spring I'd have the new liner installed.

Are there any issues with leaving the concrete pool exposed from Oct-Mar without a liner on top of it? Would the snow/rain etc during the winter season cause any issues I should be aware of?

So I'm almost ready to close my pool. This will be my first go at this. I know that I drain water below return and skimmer. I know that I detach hoses and store filter/pump indoors.

I will be using a winter cover with a pillow under it. I know to remove the steps also. Do I need to remove the return/jet fittings from the pool? Do I remove the skimmer? Also all I read was to bring water to SLAM levels. Is that all that's needed chemical wise?

I have the Hayward OmniLogic system. I have a schedule for the pool from 9am - 9pm and one for the spa from 3pm - 9pm. The pool schedule seems to work consistently but the spa schedule does not work at all. I can turn it on via the app and it works just fine so the spa pump does work. Any tips?

I will have a spa installed. Next to my pool. It has a waterfall. My contractor said that Hayward only does waterfall lights with a waterfall already in it, but I already have a waterfall (it is an acrylic spa with its own waterfall, see picture below for an example, I will put stones all around as in picture). I want to put a light on the exterior wall behind the waterfall, with option to change color and possibly dimming it. And I want it to have it connected to my HLPLUS4W Omnilogic. Any suggestion?

Hi all,

I have a new 10,000 gallon in ground fibreglass pool here in Charlotte.

This is my first winter and we are about to have 3/4 day cold snap, with night temps dipping into teens and even a day sub 32° temps.

After speaking to other pool owners here I was advised that closing and winterizing here is not needed, so I have been running my pump on low RPMs overnight. My omnilogic system and pump also have freeze protection which kicks in at 37° anyway.

But now we have this cold snap coming I am getting a little worried. I was going to tarp my equipment and add a work light just to keep the temps up, but maybe I should drain my equipment in case of power outage?

I have a simple set up - no drains or valves just a skimmer and 2 returns. Water in from the skimmer (right pipe on pics) and out from the heater/SWG (left pipe) to returns. I have a Hayward VSP pump, Hayward cartridge filter and Hayward heater (not in use). Should I drain these to be on the safe side?

I must admit I’m not familiar with how to do this but am researching as we speak. Thanks!

I get a FAULT- CHECK IGN CONTROL error on the display.

I followed the LXI Troubleshooting Guide all the way to step 12 (Check Blower). When I check the voltage between the F2 terminal on the Ignition Control and ground (A) I get nothing (same for F1). But, when I test the voltage between (A) and F2 coming from the power distribution board, I get 120V (same for F1). Shouldn't F2 from the PDB be 0? Does this suggest a bad/shorted blower/capacitor or bad PDB?

The Fenwal diagnostic LED only blinks once when restarted. Any ideas?

I'm in the middle of a build, and would love some opinions on the best way to go about this...

We want to get something around the pool in order to listen to music. I want anyone to be able to change the music... (Meaning I don't want my phone to be the ONLY way to do it)

I also want to be able to watch a sports ball game on the TV outside, and have the audio take over the speakers... for example I want to hear the football game I'm watching.

I have been doing a lot of research on creating a "home assistant" dashboard on a android tablet.

I am new to TroubleFreePool and grateful for any input. I have had my 28,000 gallon inground pool and 1,000 gallon inground hot tub for just over a year now. The pool and hot tub are separate bodies of water. I am just now learning how to adjust my iAqualink and noticed that both my 2.7hp Jandy epump pool pump and 2.7hp Jandy epump hot tub pump have been running at 3450 rpm 24/7. Any advice on a time schedule and rpms for the pool and hot tub?

Also, my pool company seems to have a difficult time keeping the chlorine and pH levels within normal range. I have Powerclean Ultra off-line chlorinators for both pool and hot tub. Any advice if I attempt to manage the chemicals myself?

Thank you very much!

Replacing my 19 year old pool, going from a 27' to a 24' diameter. Installer said I need 2-1/2 tons each of mason sand and lime dust.

Do I really need more lime dust? The current pool bottom is no longer smooth, some cracks/ crevices. I know the sand will likely mostly be used but not sure I need more lime dust.

Thoughts or comments?

I finally got my pool to a sweet spot and then suddenly it started turning green. I had this trouble last fall, but it seemed much easier to get under control. The summer heat I am sure has something to do with it. I am out of a few parts of my TFP testing kit and so have had to rely on my local pool shop to run my tests (which of course I am unsure about ALL the chemcial recs their giving to get rid of green pool water - something called green to clean)

Here are my numbers:

FC - .13
TC - .13
pH - 7.8
TA - 89
CH - 280
CYA - 5

Alright, here's some background, after going through the SLAM process a couple of times before it "took" (clearly I missed something the first time despite passing the OCLT) I think that I've got the pool free of anything actively consuming my FC (evidenced by my passing the OCLT last night with 0 loss).

I'm having the most difficult time dialing in my SWG, it feels like my chorine demand is going up, but I don't see how that's possible if I'm passing the OCLT. The only thing that I can think of is maybe the UV reaching the pool through the auto cover is a lot stronger than I think it should be? If I had to guess I would have said little-to-no UV is reaching the water with the pool covered, however yesterday the cover was only removed before sun was on the pool (for testing) and after sunset (for testing) with no bather load at all for 48 hours. Let me break down those 48 hours:

1. Tested FC and found it to be at 6.5ppm (low end of target)
2. Added 165oz of bleach (adds 5.9ppm FC per poolmath)
3. Increased SWG Percentage (with cover on) to 40% up from 35%
4. Increased SWG Percentage (with cover off) to 70%...This is irrelevant because cover was on for all of this data
5. Waited 24 hours (adds 4.4ppm FC per poolmath)
6. Tested FC and found it to be at 11.5 (with bleach and SWG we should have had a cumulative addition of 10.3ppm FC from bleach + SWG, so if we round that down to 10 that means we had a daily loss of 5ppm which seems on the extreme end even for an uncovered pool, let alone one that was covered 100% of the daylight hours).
7. Waited 14 hours (adds 2.5ppm FC per poolmath)
8. Turned off SWG
9. Waited 2 hours
10. Tested FC and found it to be at 9.5 (which means we had a loss of 4.5 over the preceding 16 hours when factoring in the 2.5 added by the SWG)
11. Waited 8 hours
12. Tested FC and found it to be at 9.5 (which means nothing was lost overnight)
13. Turned on the SWG

So here's where I'm stuck. It feels like my pool is currently burning through ~5ppm of FC per day while covered which feels excessive, but on the other hand I passed an OCLT last night. So should I be turning up my SWG to ~50% when the cover is closed to be making 5.4ppm FC per day? Is it possible that little-to-no UV is being blocked by the safety cover and that this is all UV related loss (even with 70 CYA)? Is something else going on?

This pool is new, just finished in May, I've been adhering to the TFP method as diligently as possible, but between the weirdness that caused my SLAMs previously and the pool being new I've never felt like I truly had my SWG dialed in. I do have the Cover Expansion Card for the Intellicenter which allows me to set different SWG percentages for when the cover is open vs when it is closed. All lights on the SWG are working as expected, and there are small bubbles visible from the returns when the SWG indicates the cell is on, so I don't (as of now) suspect that anything is wrong with the cell...

Hey folks,

So I, like an idiot, put phosphate remover in my pool because my phosphates were incredibly high (3000+ ppb).

This clouded the water, as expected, and I cleaned my filter cartridges everyday for the last couple of days.

I noticed today that my filter pressure was still +10 psi higher than it should be, even after cleaning. After removing the cartridges and running the pump on its own the PSI went back down to the normal level it should be...meaning that my cartridges are clogged AF with lanthanum phosphate.

The filters are basically brand new (installed them 5 months ago). They still look like they just came out of the box, but when I look into the pleats I can see that there is a ton of lanthanum phosphate right in the inner most part of the pleats that my hose cannot seem to wash out.

I am soaking them in 1:20 muriatic acid for 2 hours to see if this clears the issue, but it got me wondering:

Is the 1:20 muriatic acid treatment going to help out?
Is there some other chemical that will dissolve these stuff that is safe to use?
Perhaps a different procedure that I can do to remove this stuff?

Or are my cartridges just ruined and I need to get new ones?

I have a pool that is about 11 years old and I would like to update the automation side of things. I do not even know what I have, lol, but I will post pictures at the bottom of the post.

I know my system is all Jandy. I have the Handy PDA remote, a variable speed pump, a CS200 filter, Gulfstream 5 ton heater and a Jandy salt cell (1400 iirc) along with a couple of automated valves.

What I would like to achieve with this update is the following:
- Be able to control things with my phone instead of the old remote control
- Be able to easily program my variable speed pump to run at different speeds throughout the day. Say low speed for 8 hrs to keep the cell happy and then high speed for another 2 hrs to turn over the water.

What is the easiest/cheapest way to accomplish this? iAqualink? Do I need an add on or a whole new control system?

Thanks!

My barracuda keeps getting stuck on the pool drain (photo attached). What can I do to stop it getting stuck on this drain?

So our cover is completely dead. No little kids, nobody goes on the back over winter. Don't want to spend too much- saw Dohenys has solid covers for inground for under 2k. Anyone use this brand? The company that installed our pool is outrageous for anything cost wise. I just want something that can last 5 or so years before we sell the house. Any input is appreciated.
I do know that the anchors will not necessarily be in the same spots, but half of the anchors are currently busted anyways. The concrete is our spring project- we had the safety cover with the elephant in the ad.
TBH I am so over the pool, or kid are older and don't use it. This summer has been an utter waste of the pool.. just want to get it covered

So the pump has its own timer settings so what does adding to the Prologic benefit me? Does it offer heater protection if flow too low? Any advantage at all?

Hi all,I am thinking about just running my pool all year. What are some you your thoughts on this?

Hello! I have a Pentair Clean and Clear Cartridge Filter and was reading that some people bring their cartridge filters inside for the winter. (I live in NY). I've never done that and its been OK as far as I can tell but now Im wondering if I should take them inside this season?

Is there any pool equipment that you recommend be moved inside for the winter?

Thank you!

Hello. New pool owner here. I have a 4500 gal above ground pool. We have tried everything to get our pool un cloudy. We upgraded the pump to a sand filter pump which is working great but the pool is still cloudy. So upon testing it the ph and alkalinity is zero. So I added baking soda. Well I added way to much. I put the entire 10lb bag in. Yep way to much. Now I don't know what to do. It's been almost 24hrs since I added it and the pool is still really cloudy. Can someone please advise me on what to do. I'm at a loss and don't know what to do.

I’ve got a 1 week old Pebble pool. I’ve been using a TF Pro every day to familiarize myself and to keep a close eye on test results. It seems like the last few days I’ve had stable CH and TA levels. CYA is a slow work in progress to get up to an ideal level so will check that every couple of days I think. Just added enough stabilizer via the sock method last night to bring me up to 30.

Am I ok to check PH and FC every day and perform the rest of the tests weekly? Or is it too soon and I still need to run them all?

Also, if I use the OTO test, how do I know how much liquid chlorine to add? I can run FAS-DPD every day but not sure if it’s necessary?

HI All,

Ive got a 13k gallon inground pool, had it newly plastered about a year ago now.
Im getting tired of the vacuum cleaner and the time it takes to brush the pool so im going to bite the bullet and get a robot.

Can anyone reccomend a good robot cleaner preferably under $1k?
Id like one that can brush as well as vacuum if that exists and does the waterline as well.

Ill probably turn this into a rental the next few years so set and forget would be a nice to have as well.

Thanks!

jandy aquapure not producing chlorine due to panel being blank
salt level within limits

• Located in McKinney, Texas
• Pool built in 2005 (18 years ago) and is 13,000 gallon chlorine in-ground
• All equipment is original with exception of pump which was replaced several years ago
• Walked out front door of house and heard water running, and upon inspection saw that it was flowing from a pipe in the landscaping bed that has a double elbow and dumps into a larger PVC pipe that I believe leads into the water sewage. Went into house and checked all sinks, toilets, showers, etc and nothing was running. Only water item running was the pool pump. Later in the day when the pump shut down I walked out front and the water had stopped flowing in the pipes. Same happened this morning, no water flow and then when the pump kicked in, the water started flowing.
• I went to the equipment pad and noticed that the little clear glass bubble on the backwash pipe was showing movement, which was odd as the valve is set to filtration. Also my fountains were running at normal strength into the pool so I assumed the valve was set to filter as I didn't think the fountains run when the water is backwashing into the exit
• I did backwash this weekend, and returned the valve to filtration position when I was done.
• Wondering if the valve is broken and water is running both through the filter and backwash???
• Any suggestions? I don't know the life expectancy of these valves.
• If it needs to be replaced, wondering if anyone knows of a reputable repair person in the McKinney/Frisco/Allen/Plano suburbs of Dallas.
• Also, with it being 100+ degrees, I can't risk not running the pump, but worried I'm going to have a heck of a water bill this month.

Thanks.

I noted small, elevated areas on the bottom of my abg pool 2 summers ago. At that time I couldn't figure out what was happening. Two years later, these have grown further into the pool and I figured out these must be tree roots. I have not noticed any leakage or lowing of the water level but think it is just a matter of time before the friction of brushing the pool and normal use from family playing in the pool will wear down the vinyl immediately above these roots. Other than cutting down the trees, which unfortunately are not on my property or digging around the perimeter of the pool to sever the roots, any suggestions to avoid the inevitable of needing to replace the liner, at which time the roots could be removed, but I assume will return. I have not seen this issue addressed before. Thank you in advance for any help.

Deal all, could anyone provide some advice on my issues? Would be much appreciated. When pump is off my water level in spa drops to the jets/ slightly below pool level. Pool does not seem to leak, but when I turn on the pump it needs to add a lot of water to compensate for the water slot in spa.

Bucket test on pool did not show anything, so it must be spa or pump side.

Please help.

I replaced a 1.5hp 2 speed Haywood after the bearings went out for the third time. I installed (DIY) a Pentair Superflo (342001) and it is now running. However, I have a pressure side Polaris 360 cleaner and it seems that the pump is not powering it adequately at the highest default speed of 3000. When I pick the Polaris out of the water it is obvious that the water flow from the rear nozzel is much less than with the Haywood. It does seem to do better at the Pentair's 'self priming' speed of 3450. The Haywood had no problem moving the Polaris around on its high setting. Anyway, I am wondering if I can set one of the variable speeds higher than 3000 - the speeds and timing of each speed is customizable - or if there would be issues with doing that. The manual does not address setting it above the highest default speed- the default speeds are 3000, 2200 and 1400).

OR, will this pump work better with a suction side cleaner. I have had the Polaris for 20+ years and with all the new parts and rebuilds it is sort of like new but a cleaner is so essential that I am willing to change if it makes sense. BTW: pool size is 36 L x 18 W by 4' at each end sloping to the middle at about 5 feet plus. Anyway. . . otherwise, pump seems fine and easy to manage the controls, but I am wondering about this issue, and over all power for filter and cleaner. (Filter is a quad 60 sq foot cartridge unit).

Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Ron

1) Sounds like I want to close and open the pool when water temp is below 60
2) pH should be 7.4-7.6
3) I will check my TA and CA to make sure they are ok
4) I think my cover is security mesh-not sure though-I do know it was @ $3000
5) Do not need to add Polyquat?
6) Question: should I shut down the pump and drain lines-or just let it keep circulating? If I do shut it down do I have to blow the lines? They didn't when they closed it the first time after installation.
7) And if I do shut it down should I be covering pump and everything with insulation blankets as I read someone advised?
8) I saw some references to a timer, etc-not sure what all that means.
9) And finally, sounds like I need to get chlorine level to where the chart tells me for my CYA level. Shock level? Will this be all I add?

As always thank you for your help-my first year pool has been beautiful all summer-and we are still swimming!

Hi! First, I just want to say that this forum/website is amazing-- I've learned so much from it, and am constantly impressed by the care and civility in all the discussions.

I was wondering if people could offer some advice on whether it is worth keeping old pool. We recently bought a house in Berkshire County, MA. It has a 30 year old pool, 39,000 gallon in-ground pool that was traditionally used during about 3 months of the year. We've had it looked at, and it would require about $5000 in plaster and stone repair to be functional. (The previous owners were somewhat negligent, didn't balance calcium, etc.) It would also need a heater, new pump, some above-ground pipe repair, and a new cover, all of which adds cost, which we might be willing to do. But my big concern is that it is not worth putting this kind of money into such an old pool, as I've been told that a broken pipe below ground or leak would be far more expensive (it is also really, really hard to find pool experts around here). So my question is whether people think it is worth it to get a 30 year old pool up and running. Or am I just going to spend $20K only to find myself facing much bigger problems in a few years.

I realize this may be more of a philosophical than practical question, but appreciate any responses. Thank you!

I’m sure this isn’t a common issue, but for ones with sons at home? May be more common than I realize, so figured I would post here.

This summer, I took over care of my SWG pool from former pool service co. For past couple years, would see a few dime sized brown spots at bottom, around edges of the pool. I assumed they were from pool guys dumping in chemicals and not brushing around after. I was wrong- sorry for blaming you for them, pool guys! (However, have found many other issues that were missteps on their part… fixed w the info here. But, I digress)

But I as continuing to find new additional brown spots- searched here for what it was and what to do.

Got Vit C tablets, cut in half and placed on some of the spots- took them right off… *then* while pushing tablets into place w my foot, standing in my spa? Hmmm? Are those little rocks down there? Nope! BBs. From our Red Ryder BB gun

Misfires/bad aiming by my older son while in the back yard- sank to the bottom and made the rust/iron spots (guessing also that “copper” BBs aren’t really copper since Vit C removed them)

But, for anyone w boys w a BB gun, seeing spots? May need to investigate as it could be the same for you, too!

Hi Everyone,

I’ve asked already about the general idea of renovating for rip out + new pool. The overwhelming feedback was to renovate which I can understand the logic here. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, in this don’t case rip it out.

However, I am having trouble coming to terms with the relative cost of both projects which makes me keep coming back to wanting a new pool.

The renovation project is nearly 6 figures while the new pool (not including rip out) is $25000 more.

Both projects would share all the new pool stuff - marble dusting, tile, coping, plumbing, all new equipment (no heater I have already, no automation either)

The renovation- has the added work of removing old plaster, tile - moving skimmers and returns, fixing main drain. We have an attached raised overflow spa that we are removing so this wall needs to be rebuilt. (Demo cost of spa separate).

Would you think the spread here is only 25000? Part of me thinks renovations are harder and a premium gets charged and there is better value in just letting them do a new pool.

Thoughts?