I did a search on Bonding, but it seemed most of the posts are several years old.
I was upgrading my pool equipment for a IG fiberglass pool, and verified the appropriate bonding circuit, but noticed the bonding wire is also connected to the grounding pole. Is this correct? Is the bonding wire terminated anywhere, or is it basically a wire loop that connects all the equipment, metal bits, deck reinforcement mesh, etc., together, but not connected to anything outside of this loop?

I have a 2hp blower that I noticed recently stopped blowing bubbles. Today I realized that all of the jets blow air just fine when the blower is on but the spa pump is off. If I turn the spa pump on at 2500rpm, the jets furtherst away from the blower stop blowing air. And if I max the pump out at 3450rpm, all jets stop blowing air. It’s as if the pump is competing with the blower.

Any ideas on what could cause this or how to troubleshoot this further?

Thanks!

What’s up guys? I have a master temp 300 that’s around 10 ½ years old and it giving me some problems. At first it was starting and then would cycle off with an AGS l.e.d light. So I changed the cheap stuff that I haven’t changed in years, high flow, glue and the mister and I’m waiting for the AGS . Still same problem. Then I checked the thermal regulator and found it was not there. No spring, thermostat or clip. So I ordered put it in today. After installing it it started giving me an E01 code. I pulled off the board and found some rust. So after cleaning the board and putting it back, I get nothing now. If I hit the reset button, it will light up at 90 and that’s it. Whatta ya think, change the board?

My equipment was originally installed by previous homeowner in 2017 - in 2021 I replaced the original Pentair 2 HP 2 Speed WFDS-28 230 v with a Century 2 HP 2 speed partn no 7-196445-05. Over the past two years I have had a number of issues with the Century replacement including replacement of the capacitor twice, casing rust, a frayed wire and now the motor is overheating. I would like to replace with something that will last longer and I see that the original Pentair pump has been discontinued.

My system is controlled by an iaqualink RS Purelink panel. The pump side is a pentair whisperflo high performance pump with a Jandy Pro Series aqua pure system. Please let me know if I left out any pertinent information - which replacement pump would you reccomend?

I’m wondering how many of you have experience with heat pumps to heat a 18,000 gallon in-ground pool and 8 person spa. My current 11 year old Raypak 407 heater is nearing end of life, and - last year we installed 12KW solar system that’s generating almost double the amount of power we need - hence why I’m considering switching from gas to electric.

Our gas heater we use only on demand given the high cost to run it - hence we swim and use the spa less often than we’d like to. It’s fast to heat, but our moderately warm SoCal summers near the beach cool the pool down at night pretty quickly (our pool isn’t well suited for a pool cover given it’s very non linear shape and multiple coping heights, making placing and removing a cover tricky).

Yes, I know heat pumps are MUCH slower to heat than gas fired heaters, but - my hope - given our electricity is now virtually free - is that I can set the temperature on the heat pump to maintain the pool at 87 degrees from May thru Oct. yes it might be slow to get to the desired temp, but once there - we leave it running almost all day.

Heat pumps are almost non existent in SoCal, and all the installers I’ve e contacted speak negatively about them even though they have no experience with them. Given our ambient temps during swimming season range from 60 to 90 - it seems like a heat pump would be a great option.

Many thanks in advance!

This is my 3rd summer with an in ground pool. The first 2 summers I had minimal issues and a bout of cloudiness that cleared up with a shock treatment. I use a home test kit and test my water once a month at the local pool store.

However about 2 weeks ago I developed cloudy water that I couldn’t clear. The day it started to cloud the chlorine was really low. I tried multiple shock treatments and clarifiers but no luck. The water was just cloudy, no algae growth, no slimey water. I couldn’t see the bottom of the 3 ft shallow end cloudy.

I took a sample to the local pool store to get some advice (I will post a picture of the results). The results showed low chlorine, ph on the low side and sky high phosphates. I added their recommendations and after a week the pool was still extremely cloudy. I know it will be asked I typically backwash my sand filter weekly, but during this episode I backwashed and rinsed every morning. Also I replaced the sand mid summer 2022 with zeo sand.

After some googling I decided to try a flocculent. About 24-36 hours after the water was cleared. I then vacuumed to waste 2 times cleaning the flocculent from the bottom. Pool still ended up a little cloudy after the vacuums. I then double shocked and 3 days later the pool is now crystal clear.

Today I took another sample to the pool store and the results are very similar to those a little over 2 weeks ago. The phosphates still show 3000 even after over 2 quarts of phosphate remover. My question for the experts is, what caused the cloudiness? The water samples are similar and one was extremely cloudy water and the other sample is crystal clear.

Here is a picture of the test results. The result column is from today.

I needed a bag of salt and was curious if WM would deliver it since I joined WM+
I ordered 2 bags or salt for $7.99 and said no delivery fee and they brought it the same day!
Pretty good to know if your like me and hate getting out.

I also took one for the team and tried Clorox salt ( only thing in stock ) to see if it was better and actually liked it. Looked like a big bag of table salt and dissolved almost instantly. I poured into the spill over spa incase I got stains but so fare no issues

I have a saltwater fiberglass pool and am having trouble getting my free chlorine above 1ppm. My cya level is between 30-40ppm and my saltwater generator is only a year old and set at 100%. The sun has been brutal here but I assumed the free chlorine level would still be higher with the cya in its current range.

Anyone experience similar issues?

Howdy TFP Fam!

We are closing in on the end of our first season as pool owners. We have an in ground, fiberglass pool that is roughly 16x35.
I’d love some advice from those more experienced on pool covers vs uncovered and winterized vs keeping the pool open.

We live in Arkansas so there are probably 2-14 weeks of sub freezing temps tires possible.

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge and insights!

Plat

I have a very old Sealed Air solar panel setup (8 panels) one of the panels must be replaced, I'd like to replace all of them but cant afford it right now. The SA panels are 1.5 inch headers but I have access to a new Fafco SunSaver panel with a 2 inch header. I'm wondering if there are any issues I might run into by installing mixed header sizes?

I am in the beginning of fixing my disaster of a pool and vacuuming to waste, however the visibility is terrible. Even in the shallow end I cannot see the bottom. However, on the deep end I believe there may be something in there. I typically run a robot vac so I am not very in tune with how a vacuum brush should feel around the slopes, but I believe there is something there.

1 - What is the proper protocol here?

2 - How much more do I vacuum before I start the pump again and use chemicals? The tadpools are depressing... beyond that I simply cannot tell if I am vacuuming effectively given my inexperience with the tool.

Hey everyone,
I started having issues with my FC over the last few days and I'm concerned that I may have a bigger issue.
My FC reading have been pretty consistent for the last several months, usually around 4-5ppm with my SWG set to 30%.
On June 25 my test results were:
FC 5,
CC 0,
PH 7.6,
TA 70,
CH 335,
CYA 70,
Salt 3400,
Temp 83,
CSI -.30
On the 26th I reran CC and PH with the following results:
FC 5,
CC 0,
PH 7.8,
CSI -012
In preparing for the weekend, I tested on Jun 30 and go the following:
FC 1.5,
CC.5,
PH 8,
TA 75,
CH 335,
CYA 80,
Salt 3400,
Temp 90,
CSI .16
I boosted my SWG overnight and got my FC readings up to 4 the next morning with CC of .5.

On July 2, FC dropped again to 2.5, so I increased my SWG to 65% and added bleach to get my FC up, but unfortunatley I'm sure the bleach was no longer effective because 101 oz of bleach only increased my FC to 3.

On July 4, my FC was back down to 1.5 so I added 104 oz of new bleach and got my FC up to 7.5 on the morning of the 4th. I tested again before my party started and FC was at an 8, which I was happy with considering the bathing load.

Last night I tested for OCLT and the results were:
FC 6.5,
CC .5.

This morning at 7:10 FC was at 5.5, CC .5. I raised the SWG to 70%.
At 12:01 FC was holding steady at 5.5 with CC of .5.

My SWG is reporting salt level of 3300 (the other day it was 3200 with no change in actual salt).
The Taylor test returns a salt level of 3400. The ideal level is 3600.

1)Could salt a couple hundred ppm below ideal cause low chlorine output?
2) Considering FC held steady at 5.5 through the morning with the SWG at 70%, does the SWG output seem too high to only maintain that FC?
3) Is there anything else I should check?
4)This afternoon I plan to pull the SWG off and clean it. I did inspect it the other day, and there was only minor scaling on it.

Heater has been working okay, last night we had a major storm. No electrical damage noted anywhere and we never lost power. However...

Today I noticed the heater had thrown an E01 code. The control board only has LED11 (Service Heater) and LED7 (Not sure what this is, it's right in the corner).

I had varying degrees of getting it to come on. It would come on and fire for a second then throw the code, then it would just throw the code almost immediately and wouldn't even try to fire.

Then I let it sit for a bit after opening everything to look at the ICM and lo and behold, it came on and started running. For maybe 15 minutes, then it threw the code again.

There is some old stuff from rodents in there, but just some shells. Nothing major noticed.

What are my likely culprits?
Thermistor (replaced in 2017, but it had different symptoms, just read a really high temperature IIRC)?
Thermal regulator?
Control Board?

Thanks in advance!

I am in MI and take down my pool around Labor Day. Current readings are FC 8, pH 7.7, with a little bit of green on the bottom of the pool. I don’t really want to go thru SLAM process with only a few weeks left. Any suggestions for limping along til the end would be appreciated. TIA

Hi All,

I am looking at either the Latham 5000M PoolTux Mesh 91% density mesh or the Latham 7000MS PoolTux upgraded 99% density.

My current Loop Loc has shredded so I need a replacement and Latham is currently offering free shipping and templating. Does anyone have any pros/cons of the two densities? I am in NY, so closed from about late September to early April, but do not get much debris from trees, etc. Thank you in advance for your opinions.

How many feet of pipe do I need between the unit and the pool?
Can I run 1.5" the whole way or should it be 2" after the swg and then reduce to 1.5" into the pool?

We have super clean water in West TN and this salt cell has honestly given us problems from day 1. Having to replace every 2-3 years even though internals are crystal clean and I'm meticulous about watching chemical levels. Latest go around, I went through Jandy's technician guide step-by-step pushing test buttons on main control board & measuring point voltages. Everything was well within spec as shown in guide. We're simply not getting any chlorine. Like NONE. Here are highlights of most recent bout:

• Controller set at 90%-100%. Off and on throughout day it shows as fine, but multiple times per day pops voltage error 123. Is this typically a BOARD or CELL problem? My gut says cell as when it's in normal operation @ 100%, cell terminals are receiving north of 25VDC. Hope this is the case as I already have (yet another) replacement cell on order!
• 
  
• More recently I can set to 100% and it will show fine for a few hours, but now it doesn’t show intermittent 123 error. Somehow resets itself to 0% setpoint without showing any errors, I guess since it’s not calling for the cell to operate. Again, BOARD or CELL? No idea what’s causing random reset to 0% as it’s never done that before.
• 
  
• Previous replacement was done by pool contractor under warranty around 2 years ago. New Jandy cell looks identical but shows a weird “R” model number with “N/A” for the serial. I was advised this is just how warranty pieces are delivered. But contractor had to completely re-pipe to install it. All 3 connections on old unit were exact same size, but this one has inlet/outlet connections *slightly* smaller than bottom tri-sensor connection, ballpark 1/8” smaller, but enough to require different size threaded collar. Was that a permanent global product design change, or something specific to warranty replacements? Now that I’ve ordered new off-the-shelf unit, I don’t want to re-pipe all over again because connectors don’t fit!

New poster, but any help greatly appreciated!

~Vol

I have trouble unscrewing the screws that hold my Polaris 280 wheels on. The slot is so shallow that I find myself demolishing them when using a flat-head screwdriver or even a utility knife. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

HI Everyone,
I am a newbie to the pool maintenance. Need some help to figure out a schedule for the pool and cleaner.

My setup:
2016 Built pool + spa (Approx 10000 gal) with IC40 Intellichlor SWG with Pentair Intelliflo VSF Variable speed pump controlled through Screenlogic.
Screenlogic has POOL and CLEANER option which trigger the pump. Pool triggers the intellichlor ON and Cleaner just keeps the pump running but doesnt turn on the intellichlor.

My schedules on the screenlogic got reset so not sure what schedule and RPM/GPM the pool and cleaner options were running.

Few issues with the schedules I tried:
I tried to run the intellichlor with 100% everyday and chlorine levels were too high turned it down to 20% everyday but it generates white flakes in the pool and spa.
I am trying to run the CLEANER - high speed pump at night (super off peak rates for electricity) and POOL - low speed pump with IC40 ON in the morning to keep the consumption lower. Please suggest if this is a good idea.

1. What is the ideal GPH that POOL and CLEANER need to be set for my pool. I figured CLEANER with 30GPM doesn't move the pool vaccum but POOL with 30GPM does move the pool vaccum not sure why.
2. Can you please suggest a schedule for the pool setup that I have?
3. I made a mistake of leaving the water pipe in the pool overnight with water ON but the pool didn't overflow. There is one inlet just beside the skimmer where the water doesn't come out is that a water outlet to protect pool from overflowing?

Thanks in advance
Sunny

Hello, I have a small pool about 10,000 gallons. I brush it every day and out about 1/2- 1/4 gallon of chlorine everyday to keep it at 3-5 parts. I hit it with acid about once every week and a half to keep ph under 7.8.
and I test it every other week to make sure all other levels stay about the same.
TA 83
CH 326
CA 68
Iron and copper are at zero
I’ve read to never treat for phosphates but does that really mean never never? They seem to double every time I test. Currently at 1500.
If I miss one day of scrubbing and adding chlorine there is a thin layer of green over the walls of my pool. Does that sound right? Is there anything else I can do to keep the Algae more at bay?
I would appreciate any help.

I've asked before never figured it out so figured I would try again on here. I have an Aqualink PDA system with a Pentair Variable speed pool pump and Pentair Laminars, 2 of them. The problem I have is I turn on my laminars and they work great. For about 30 minutes or so. Then they start to get lower and lower. They also start to sputter so I'm guessing they don't get enough flow. One seems to be worse than the other although both aren't great, but one ends up with a little sputtering but is still basically working while the other ends up a pathetic mess that doesn't resemble a laminar stream. The thing is, if I turn the pump off and back on, they perform great again for about one minute while its in prime and then they also work but they are much lower because it drops out of prime. Weird if its a flow issue. If I turn off the laminars and turn off the pump and then turn it back on again and then turn on the laminars, they work great for whatever amount of time before going to Crud again. I'm at a loss with this. Its a Pentair 3hp VS pump BTW. It is set for basically top RPM when the laminars run and when blower is activated for the spa. Never notice an issue with the spa bubbles dropping out, but the blower does turn off after 30 minutes. Anyone have any ideas. its really starting to make me insane as I was about to start pulling apart the laminars to figure out what is wrong, but I realize they are only spitting when the flow starts to drop.

I also need to figure out how to angle these pentair laminars if anyone has any suggestions, As it is now, I can set them however I want, but once I drop them down in the hole, they basically just move to whatever position they want.

EDIT: after doing a bit of research, it seems that the variable speed pump is also variable flow and I'm thinking that somehow its dropping the speed to keep the flow constant or something? The Aqualink only has settings for RPM. Would maybe setting the RPM less than max give it more headroom or something?

I am confused as to whether or not sand needs to be changed in a 7 year old Hayward Pro Series 310t. Some websites say sand needs to be changed every 3-5 years, while others say sand will not ever wear out. We've had some issues this year with our water getting cloudy. It's been a rainy, humid summer in the northeast, so I'm not sure if that's par for the course, or if it's my sand. What are everyone's thoughts about sand replacement?

Finally, I saw a video that showed pulling out the screen at the bottom of the drain to let the sand and water out that way by flushing with hose. Anyone ever hear of this? Thanks so much!

Robot would turn in only one direction and then stop dead after a few minutes.
Nothing found in tracks or gears. thought it might be a dead motor drive.
Ran it without belts to take the load off the side of the motor drive that was getting stuck. it worked.
so looked closer underneath and found that the ball bearings on that end of the center active brush had broken loose and were creating a jam.
the ball bearings were still contained by the casing but the bracket that kept them separated had broken.
Replacement brush assembly ordered from Marina; installed and robot now working again. down time less than one week.
Cost less than 100 vs either 400 olus for motor or much more for new robot.
We'll see how much longer it runs before dying, but i'm optimistic.

I have a 20-year-old inground pool (38x18)that has been running a saltwater system since the beginning. I have been maintaining the system myself for the past 17 years and this is my second Pentair IC40 Intel Chlorinator. I replaced the IC40 Intel Chlorinator this spring, but not the control box. The unit began working fine, but suddenly the lights at the bottom of the unit began flashing. This area is what controls the level of chlorine produced by the unit and I have tried almost everything suggested to reset and stop the lights from flashing. I am thinking I need to replace the control box, does anyone on this forum have any experience with this system? Thanks

I know it has been a few months, but this is the thread with the most on-topic comments on what I am looking to find about. I have an easytouch PSL4 with firmware 1.050. Im pretty sure thats a fairly old version, and I dont know if that is too old for the J23 upgrade trick to work.

Did anyone know what the firmware version where they started combining firmware versions was?

Moved from here.

I've got a couple of lights that seem to be broken and I'm looking for replacements (as well as instructional videos about how to go about doing the swap). They're about 3 inches in diameter.

What kind of light is it?

I thought they were intellibrite, but the pictures I see online seem to have a silver border and not show the little notches I see on mine. It almost looks like spots for a tool to grab hold of.

If it can help identify them, my EasyTouch will offer me themes like Party, Romance, Caribbean, American, etc... as well as individual colors. When I switch to a different theme, the lights flash a couple of times before they settle into the new theme. They seem to be LED/low voltage.

Thanks in advance!

Hello Everyone,

Firstly, I'm grateful to TFP for having a free forum for pool discussions and seeking help from experts.

I recently purchased a home with a pool and we decided to drain old water, pressure wash it and filled with new water. We hired a pro to get this done and they've added required chemicals after filling the water. The pool was ok for a couple of weeks and for some reason the company didn't show up in the next two weeks and the pool turned into dark green color.

I researched online and purchased a Pool Rx (Black - 30K gallon) and put in the pump filter. The next two days, the water is still green, but started reducing the color. After 4 days, there isn't much change and I bought "In the swim 5-in-1 multi tabs" and added 3 of them to my chlorinator. The water started turning blueish the next 2 days, but very gloomy.

I took the water for sampling test today and its a total mess All the numbers were out of range (See attached). Seeking for help here to get back my pool in a good state. I'm still trying to learn the basics of pool and looking for recommendations here. Thank you very much for reading !

Hi,

Discovered the other day that my pump does not have a bonding wire attached and since my pool is over 20 years old, there has likely been no bonding done at all.
My question is this - without bonding, how much safer is it to just have the pump off while people are swimming in the pool?


P.s. I am doing my best to have an expert come out, but until I can find someone good I would like to know how I can best mitigate the risk.

I really appreciate your answers,
Alex

Hello all. Very happy to have stumbled onto this site.

We have a SWG swimming pond (pool) and are beginning the journey to take control of our pool and get away from our local pool store.

We just did our yearly "reset"- drain, pressure wash, refill, start over- after coming out of winter here in Central Oregon. We used all the recommended chemicals from the local pool store (hadn't found TFP yet) and levels seem to be in the rough ballpark using the test strips we have. I have ordered the TFP recommended test kit and am waiting for it to arrive so we can start to get more accurate numbers on our own.

In the past, we have struggled with algae blooms and high pH. We used to struggle with chlorine levels, but I think it was because our salt cell was too small for our pool. It seems to be holding better now.

So while waiting for our test kit to arrive so that I can get some "where do we go from here" advice, I'd like to get the app figured out. Does anyone know if there is a tutorial somewhere showing all the features and how best to utilize it? I am hoping that I can use it to track test results, and then have it tell me how much of each chemical needs to be added?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hello everyone!
This is my first post on the forum -- this seems like an awesome community and I'm excited to join!

Background
About a week ago, the bulkhead on my Jandy C460 (pre-2008 model) spa filter failed and developed a major leak. I drained the spa completely, removed the old bulkhead and O-ring. I ordered a new bulkhead and O-ring (part# R0358200) and have replaced in the unit but something seems off. When I go to reattach the new bulkhead to the old half union, it does not seem like it would be water tight, or even remotely close. Before I add the water and fill the pump, I wanted to check that I haven't missed anything major.

Questions
1. Am I missing something easy here? An O-ring, or other part that should be there?
2. Is it a good idea to replace the existing half union?

Thank you all for the help!
-George