I've been a bad boy and have been relying on flow switch for cell operation. Want to use the mechanical timer that is not in use as primary now. ChatGPT has given a great starting point but looking for any instruction from the smart folks here.

I’ve got some persistent CC and didn’t pass the OCLT so here we go!

Don’t see any green, no visible signs, but the OCLT tells me it’s there…

I’ve read all the guidelines and feel comfortable enough with the process. I’ve had my eye on a wall whale and a corner brush so those are on the way here tomorrow.

One question: I’ve got my Polaris pressure side (“Mr. Flowboto”) but no separate vacuum. Okay to use him to do the instructed vacuuming? Standard bag okay or should I grab the sand and silt version?

Our pool leaked for the second winter in a row, we opened and were still losing water, so we had divers come. They found a small leak by the stairs and patched it up. We are still losing water! Last night it was right above the arrow on the skimmers and this morning it is right below them so I’m assuming about an inch overnight.

The divers are going to come back out to check again.

We also have a lot of dirt on the bottom of the pool which they said could be from the rip. After it was patched, dirt kept coming in.

I’ve attached pictures from opening and after the rip was patched for reference.

Any thoughts? Could it be another liner tear or something bigger (i.e. in the pipes)?

Thanks for your help!

Does anyone have any experience with Pool Pure or Future Way replacement cartridges. When we installed the pool almost five years ago we used OEM Hayward filters. They have been great. Obviously the off-brand filters are much less expensive. I've often found you get what you pay for, and I can't really complain about getting 5 years out of the Haywards before they started falling apart, but just thought it might be worth asking about these brands because they get good reviews on Amazon. Thanks!

I bought 6 Jandy valves from Discount Pool Supplies Online | Pool Equipment & Parts 5 are fine & one looks like it is used or rebuilt. The surface is rough, looks like it is chipped from having the top popped off & the UPC symbol is smeared. I asked for an RMA and they told me to get lost. I'm simply concerned that I don't want to replumb my setup with a part that I don't trust.

4 yr old all Jandy system
Aftwr replacing the salt chlorinator i found i couldnt control my JXI heater with my iaqualink I could turn on the heater manually but when in remote mode nothing And the heater light wont turn on the motherboard /electrical panel i replaced the thermostat on the heater but nothing
Salt chlorinator wont turn on because it isn't getting message the water is warm enough to work
The Jandy support said it was likely the 7790 Temperature Sensor. (I checked all cables nothing frayed or broken so guessing just worn out inside)
Has anyone replaced these before? It sticks into the pipe - is it as easy as pulling out the old and sticking in the new? How do you ensure it doesnt leak? (I see how to do the electrical part and it looks easy)
will the non oem ones fit? They are about 1/4 the price but I just worry about leaking

Today I sign the purchase agreement for a new (to me) condo. Unfortunately, that means this will be my last few months with a pool and checking in with TFP. The pool has been good and bad but overall, I’ve enjoyed it. The bad is that I spent a lot of money to install it in the hope that it would be a gathering place in the summer and draw that family (grandchildren) toward us. Disappointing to report that it did not go as planned and it became something that mostly just me and my wife used. The good is that I did enjoy the times we did get together and enjoy the pool and the tinkerer in me enjoyed learning about the process of maintaining it. One significant pain point was dealing with the builder. Won’t go into details but the mistakes they made catch my eye and irritate me to this day, our sixth season.

I’m thankful that I found TFP early on in pool ownership. I only got “pool stored” for the first couple months of pool ownership and following TFP made keeping the water clear and safe a breeze. Seriously, with a SWG and a robot along with few minutes of brushing and skimming, the pool never took much time at all to maintain. I appreciate the help from the expert team here but I have to give a shout out to @Newdude who seemed to always be there to respond to my questions. Thank you!

So, over the next few months, I’ll move into a new home and sell this house to someone else. I’m thinking about how to transfer my knowledge of the pool over to a new person. I was thinking of offering a few hours of my time to get them going. There’s no doubt I’ll be recommending that they get on this site and buy the pool math app and use tftestkits for supplies.

The condo has a community pool. I doubt we’ll use it. I’d want to test their water and I doubt they’d listen to my TFP suggestions but you never know, I may do that.

Thank you Trouble Free Pool.

Opened my pool a few days ago and added chlorine. Today I got around to doing a full test.

FC 14
pH 7.3 (somewhere between 7.2 and 7.5)
TA 50
CH 50
CYA 30
Salt 1800

Clearly I need to add stabilizer. I'll get on that first. I'll probably also get some salt in there. Not sure what to do about the pH. It stayed in the very low 7's all year - never naturally increased. I might add something to bring that up a bit this year. I'll have to read up on that because I believe it impacts alkalinity. First thing's first - to the store for CYA and Salt.

Second issue is a question about salt. My SWG says salt is 2900 and my test says 1800. I try to keep it around 3000 so no doubt I'll put in a bag, maybe two. Question is, does it matter? If the unit thinks it's at 2900, isn't that all that matters? Won't it still keep making chlorine as long as there is actually salt in the water, rather than be 2900 per the unit, or 1800 per my test kit? BTW, my test kit for salt is a 3 or 4 years old. It's always read different from the unit, but would it be worth getting a new test kit, or, basically rely on the unit and put in more salt based on that.

hi folks. I'm in Adelaide, Australia. We installed a pool 6 months ago. The installer talked me into a cartridge filter.

Well 6 months later, that filter is OUT! Sick of cleaning it twice per week. We are surrounded by trees. Even with a skimmer sock, the pressure would bounce. The pump go to LoFlow. Don't talk to me about adding clarifiers with a cartridge filter...just don't!

A week ago I have changed to a Hayward Pro Series 24" filter and specified we must use Dryden AFMng based on my research and recommendations. Observed the following

• Within 48 hours the clarity of water was off the charts. At night with the lights on, the little particles I would see were a third of what was there before. The shell of the pool now truly sparkles (it has a metallic fleck).
• The smell of the water. Let me be clear I was fastidious in maintenance and will continue to be but even so the water would still have a lingering chlorine smell even at 1-3ppm in spec. Not anymore. It is almost odourless like swimming in spring water.
• A week on and the pressure hasn't moved. No cleaning.

I am looking forward to the ongoing benefits and lifetime of filtration heaven!!

Hi all, after hours and hours of research, I finally found a replacement for my Hayward Colorlogic 12v AC pool lights. I thought I would post my solution here in case anyone is in a similar boat. There weren't many search results for my criteria, so hopefully this will help others find a solution. Please let me know if this is not the right place to post this.

I struggled to find anything suitable for my situation - I did not want to spend the $1,300 per light for a direct replacement since Hayward lights are finicky, and I do not trust Florida Sunseekers because of their lack of UL/ETL rating. Cheap Amazon lights were a definite no-go. Pentair Amerlite appears to be discontinued, Hayward Astrolite out of stock everywhere, and the majority of other listings were 120V or $800+. I already have a 120V -> 12/13/14v AC transformer installed and preferred to stay at 12v AC.

Buried under the Hayward Astrolite parts is the InyoPools Pureline 12v AC fixture:

I don't know why it doesn't show up as a result when searching, but the fixture is UL/ETL rated, a fraction of the price of other fixtures (hopefully only because of demand, not because of poor quality... I'll report back in a year), and is a drop-in replacement for the Hayward Colorlogic.

Now onto the hard part of running the new cord through the conduit... I have fish tape so we'll see how it goes. Open to advice!

Willerd

Thank you to everyone who helped me get off the ground a few weeks ago. Now it's time to fine-tune this relic as much as I can. First and foremost, I have to try and get a handle on that classic hot-tub "smell" that irritates my wife's sensitive olfactory senses (because ultimately, that's who this is for and all about, right?). I'm extremely confident and well versed in TFP techniques regarding pools, and my pools have been spotless and non-irritating to even the most sensitive of swimmers. But this hot tub, which gave off a chlorine/bromine (I found their stash of tablets) odor even before we filled it, is giving me fits. Both in terms of the smell bothering her and my inability to keep ahead of the chlorine use (I followed to the letter the sticky instructions on dichlor to chlorine). I just want us to be able to enjoy the spa without it irritating anyone.

And now I'm seeing information about a possible negative interaction between chlorine and an ozonator, which I believe I have but I have no indication if/when it works because I have no manual left by the previous owner. But I see labels on the internal workings that say ozone, and some online schematics include info about an ozonator (Jacuzzi model Z145). Could this interaction between the two be the cause of excess irritants or my low FC levels? Would disconnecting the ozonator be a good idea?

This past winter’s storms and near-zero freezes damaged the “wall” around my outdoor pool’s spa. Initially I thought that I just needed to re-attach and re/grout the spa tiles using Leslie’s Patch-It, but as I removed tile after tile I noticed that a small amount of the “substrate” beneath some of the tiles is damaged. By substrate, I’m referring to the structure beneath the tiles - which appears to be concrete.
There are several spots where the “concrete” beneath the tiles is cracked, and several 1/2” chunks simply fell out.
I’m not in financial position to pay big $$ for an expert’s repair.
Can I use concrete to fill the damaged areas and cracks, then allow that to cure, and then proceed to use Patch-It to secure the tiles? If so, is there a specific product recommended?
I have no experience with this specific type of repair; however, I did build my own pool equipment pad several years ago, using rock, rebar, etc, which has held up 100% for several years, but this damaged spa wall needs a very smooth surface on which to re-seat tiles.
I’m looking for professional-quality answers: what specific material would be best to repair/replace the damaged area beneath the tiles.
Thanks in advance!
I covered the damaged area with a tarp, so closeup pics are not currently available as it is raining hard today in Texas. Included one pic, but can provide more after things dry up over the next few days.
I appreciate your help!
John in DFW

I don't contribute much (read: at all), but I just wanted to chime in to say thank you to all who contribute to this site!

I have had my pool for just over 4 years now (it's a ~15k gal Blue Haven gunite/pebble plaster/salt water/cartridge filter pool). From the time I filled in up in early April of 2021, it has NEVER been anything but crystal clear--this even with a dog that routinely likes to jump onto the sun ledge. And yes, that includes all 365 each year. When we got our rare snow fall this year, I have a beautiful picture of our crystal-clear pool surrounded by a blanket of white (when I find the pic I'll be sure to come back and post it). That is all a credit to you all!

I recommend this site to all my pool-owning coworkers and friends--and pretty much anytime someone brings up pool maintenance.

To anyone new pool ownership. Read Pool School and follow it! You won't be sorry!

Thanks again!

-Tommy

Hello!

I’m hoping someone can help me figure out what’s going on with my spa. As you can see in the photos, there’s noticeable discoloration and blotchy staining in the spa area of my pool. What’s odd is that the main pool doesn’t have this issue—it’s isolated to the spa only.

I’ve tried scrubbing with a brush and even rubbing a chlorine tablet on some of the spots, but it didn’t really make a difference. That makes me wonder:

• Could this be a plaster issue (like mottling or mineral staining)?
• Could it be due to water chemistry differences between the spa and pool?
• Is there anything I can do to treat or reduce the appearance of these stains?

The plaster is about 6-7 years old, and I try to keep my water chemistry in check. Any thoughts or experiences would be really appreciated!

4 years ago we built a 20,000 gallon In ground Gunite chlorine cartridge pool with a variable speed jandy pump. Over the weekend we drained it (cya was high) and cleaned the filters. I have spent most of today trying to get it going again. I have attempted to prime the pump no less than 20 times. The water level is over halfway up the skimmers. I’ve got the 2 skimmer lines open and the main drain. I have tried getting it to work with the pressure gauge open and with it closed. We did get it going for about an hour and it seemed great (water never quite filled the pump basket, but was close). We had the bubbler and all the fountains going. Then the pressure/flow went back down without warning. Tried to prime it again without luck. At my wits end. Ideas?

Ok I've posted this before - and no one seems to have experienced this but when I pull my Dolphin S200 out of the pool it releases a bunch of dirt. I hate it. My pool is clean today but I put the robot in to pick up the dirt IT RELEASED yesterday. not that that will help. anyway, Last year I texted marina pools and sent her photos and she told me to buy some replacement parts, did that, didn't fix it. I took it too my local pool store, and he had no idea. I finally decide to check the maytronics FAQ and this is what it says. If I have to remove it UPSIDE down, then I'm releasing all the water it's holding onto my deck? How is that reasonable? this makes me want to go back to my Polaris 280 but I've never had good luck with my booster pump and that's a lot. plus the 280 isn't a lot cheaper than the 799 I paid for my S200.

When I remove my Dolphin from the pool, dirty water and debris escapes back to the water​

When you remove your Dolphin from the water, gently pull it towards you using the cable. When it reaches the edge, remove it with the handle, never lift the robot out of the water by the cable.
Tilt the robot while placing it on the edge of the pool, and let the water drain out. If debris is still falling back into the water, try removing the robot from the water upside down.

We closed our 18’ above ground pool for winter but it failed and the pool had so much nasty stuff in it we decided to drain and start over. We have now cleaned it and it is ready to fill. However, we are going to be gone on vacation for 7 weeks. I had originally thought we would fill and just leave the pump rink g 24/7 while we are gone, but I don’t have anyone to come check the chemicals and I am concerned it will get an algae bloom once the chemicals get out of balance. I thought about adding the winterizer and putting the winter cover back on and not turning on the pump. But we will want to use the pool soon after we return…. I read on this forum that is is t good to leave the pool empty. So I would appreciate your ideas on the best course of action at this point.

We are in Seattle so the weather over the next 8 weeks is a Crud shoot- we could get a heat wave or it could be cold and rainy the whole time.

Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Well, we haven’t moved into the new place yet, but I booked someone to open the pool tomorrow.

My TFpro salt kit hasn’t come in yet.

Plus we’re in the middle of packing and moving.

Lol… wish me luck

Unfortunately I have been a pool.owner for over 40 years, but time crept up on me now have Pool Company. My pool now is a Anthony/ Sylvan in ground 23 year old granite pool. Unfortunately my pool people don't know much about a Compool #Cp3400. They suggested replace panel. Likel a good homeowner went right to Ebay. To my surprise found one at about $350.00 and brought it. My luck they had two different ones, a cp3400 and a cp3600. You guess it, ordered the cp3600 by mistake. Big question is are they still interchangeable . Only difference I notice it has two more control bottoms. Can I still used my cp3600.
Thanks Roy

We started setting up the pool today. I’ve decided I want to convert to salt. We haven’t added anything to the water yet. The pool is 2/3 full. Do I start be adding 3 bags of water softener salt to the pool and running the pump for 24 hours? How soon do I need the SWG? What else do I need to add? Stabilizer…

If you own a pool robot you can fill out this survey, takes around 30 minutes and you get a $30 Amazon card emailed to you- Pool Cleaner Study
I'm not affiliated with them, appears to be market research, just ran across it and and redeemed my gift card a few minutes ago.

Moving down in Jan, and wondering what a BASIC 16x32 IG pool will run me. No bells and whistles, just a basic one. I know I can get estimates once down there, but just want to get a ballpark figure, since we will be looking at homes without one.

I have a good motor from 2018, that has a bad control unit. I have a good control unit from 2023 with a bad motor. They are both superflo pumps that look identical, but the 2023 head unit plug connecter is different then the 2018 motor plug. Does anybody know if the orientation is the same? I can probably change the plug connecter, but I dont want to burn anything out if the orientation is different. Oh and of coarse the wire colors are different.

My hubby opened the multiport head to empty our sand as we had sand going into the pool last year and he wanted to check the laterals. The head is a Pentair 261186. When he removed the head the cage like portion on the bottom remained inside the filter. Is this basket/cage supposed to be a separate or did.it break off?

Has anyone tried the Thermax Solar Pool Heating Panels? They're also under the name OKU Solar Pool Panels. Made in Germany but I can't seem to find a US dealer for these. Honestly, they appear to be the most durable panels out there. I've seen videos of people hitting them with a hammer, run over by a car...so I'm intrigued. I'd love to hear from someone who already has them about what they like or don't like about them and if they're aware of a US distributor. The only one I can find is in Canada. I'll leave the link so you can see what they look like. Looking forward to reading the replies!

Unglazed Solar Pool Panels | Northern Lights Solar Solutions

Second season over here and last year was uneventful, was going along with those strips, thinking I had things under control, boy was I wrong:

CC 0.2 ppm
FC 13.5 ppm (my Cell is on 90% power output and tests were taken at 9AM). Chlorine has been dropping to ~1 ppm by sun down (measured with strips).
pH 9.1!; added 83 fl Oz of Muriatic acid
TA 230 ppm!
CH 190 ppm
Salt 3100 ppm (reading from Hayward box)

and for the drum roll.....
.
.
.
CYA= 0! So now I know why my FC has been doing the yoyo thing for the past weeks! Little did I know about stabilizers! and needless to say, I am DONE with these stupid things telling me CYA was ~30-40 BS.

Of course my saturation index is near 2! and yes, I have white scale at the bottom of the pool.

Thanks to TFP for emphasizing the need for a solid testing kit! I feel I have things under control, or at least a basic understanding of what is currently wrong with the pool.

Plan (please correct me, and thank you for taking the time to do so).

Gonna add water, do a back wash and get cranking on the TFP app to calculate lbs of cyanuric acid to add to raise that number to ~70!

I will test again tomorrow and report back.

Thanks again!

jvanevery said:

I got it and recommend it. Does a real good job. Easy cleaning with no tools required. Element does seem to get dirty a little faster but I have had construction going on the entire time so it’s expected. Bought another element and just keep rotating them out. If paired with a pipeline pump manufacturer will extend warranty to 3 years.

Click to expand...

I got my AquaStar 35000 installed but my filter gets decompressed ( little leak from the bottom of the lid) when the pump turns off.
I checked the lid tightness, I checked O-ring and still same things. It’s only 4-5 drop but still bothers me.

Any ideas what I can do?

First post. I have the Taylor TF-100 test kit. For some reason, I get pretty different test results. See table below:


I am taking water samples from the same spot each time. I am using the Chlorine only test tube. I rinse it out with tap water and dry it with a paper towel after every test.

I'm new to testing the water myself so is this fairly normal? Is it within the expected MoE?

My pool is in the floodplain. This past February we got hit with a 100-yr storm event and my pool had 7.5' of water over top of it. We had our safety cover on so we didn't get a lot of flood mud in the pool but there is a fine layer of silt. And a ton of algae and frogs and tadpoles. I've had it uncovered for weeks because the safety cover was ripped.

Now, I'm getting ready to open it up soon as I get my CORE-55 chlorinator to stop leaking at the joints. My first question is do any of you use something other than teflon tape around the threaded joints to prevent leakage? I've replaced the rubber O-rings and it still leaks and I used Magic Lube II on them as well.

My second question is the big one. My plan is to scrub the walls, vacuum the floor to waste while refilling with water to keep it full, then SLAMing it. Do you think this will work with the algae and amphibians or should I bite the bullet and drain it and refill it?

Advice is much appreciated.

My concrete deck is in really good shape but the original paint is dull and somewhat stained. It could use a new coat of white paint. There are a lot of options but each one has problems. Is there a paint used often by the professionals that will last another 15 years?

Thanks,

Ali