Pool vacuum newb here and I wanted to know if this is normal... since I'm not really sure on how all the connections interplay in a pool loop yet, but these 2 effects seems odd...

1) After I Vacuum-to-waste there is a big blast of filth/scum that shoots out of the jet... so should I do something before I turn the pool back to filter?

2) In an attempt to conserve water but continue cleaning I attempted to Vacuum-to-filter. However, as I am vacuuming I can see the jet shooting out plumes of filth but I was under the impression the filter would be getting all of this out. I checked the pressure on the filter and it was not high, nor was I vacuuming to filter for more than a few minutes before noticing this. The pool is very dirty however.

With my pool in "auto" mode, the % chlorine production on my PDA is set to 90%; however, on the Power Center display board, it shows 0%. I've cleaned the salt cell and the tri-sensor. I powered down the system at the breaker and left it off for 5 minutes, then restarted. No change. I replaced the batteries in my PDA. No change. Right now I have my pool in service mode with chlorine set to 90%. What am I missing? Any suggestions?

New member, first post. Glad to be here.
I will try to provide as much background as possible for everyone.

Pool is 14k gallon, Pebbletec, Hayward components/Aquarite salt system, VS pump running high for 5 hours then low for 8 hours, in floor cleaning, cyclone pre-filter (I will add all my pool info to my signature)

I consider myself fairly competent in electrical and maintaining my own pool. Some backstory, chemistry is generally always in check with the exception of calcium given our ridiculously hard water where I am at. This includes salt level which is currently 3800 tested by Taylor drop kit.

We have gone through I believe 4-5 salt cells within the 8 years of owning the pool. I just contributed it to the cost of salt pools. Apparently, these should last 5-7 years. 2 SWGs were Hayward and the rest were generic brands which typically get great reviews. Current SWG, Blue Works T15 is on its way out again, only reading 1900 salt and not generating. This cell is only 14 months old.

I have previously checked everything including the thermistor on the Hayward board. I even bought a new board and replaced mine to no avail so put the old board back in and kept the new board for the future. There are no typical tell tail signs of anything on the board itself causing issues from what I've read here and online through troubleshooting the board.

The ONLY thing I can think of which is killing my SWGs I just read yesterday the pump and salt system should be on dedicated power feeds. Well, mine is not, power comes into the Aquarite box which pigtails to the board then continues onto the pump. Do you think any spikes from the pump turning on could be killing the cells? Is there enough safety built into the board to prevent that? I'm tempted to just pull a dedicated feed for the pump and see what happens.

When the salt cells are new there are no issues whatsoever, they just do not last. Current cell is a Blue Works T15 which is only 14 months old and failing as mentioned above. As I read here, I changed the Aquarite system to a T5 and now it is reading a salt level of 3100 and generating without issue.

Cell is always routinely cleaned with MA. I was originally using a 4:1 ratio of water/MA but read that can impact plate life so I started doing even less MA yet the cells still don't last. I read on here that a cleaning vinegar can be used as well so I'm going to move to that as well.

Also read that the SWG should be mounted vertically with VS pumps, is that something I should do? It's horizontal and I keep the belly of it towards the ground so the plates are hopefully covered while the pump is in low mode.

Here's system info while pump is running:

4200
91
26.6
5.76
45P
-4300
AL-0
r1.59
T-5 (cell is actually a T15)

Sorry for the ridiculous long post and info. I'm literally at a loss at this point. My wife wants me to just convert the pool to normal chlorine tablets, but I really don't want to at this point. Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Has anyone tiled their whole Baja step? Any input?

Hi. When my Pentair Mastertemp 250 goes to light, the gas valve opens then if it doesn't light right away BANG!! a backfire out the exhaust. Then it will cycle again and light normally about 5 seconds later. Does NOT set any error codes.
This is usually only the first light of the day, maybe a second time if it's been off for a while. I have a new ignitor coming today, but any other ideas?

Got new motor installed in pump&None of the valves have been labelled so I’m struggling to get pump primed. If I can’t attach a pic of the system,I’ll include descriptions.

Hi. Pool owner for 10 years, plus as a kid my parents had a pool for 12 years and I often helped with maintenance. Current pool is 18x36 with walk in stairs, 42" shallow and 8' deep end (sloped), diving board. Sand filter, Pentair Mastertemp NG heater.

Hello all, we are new here. We are looking to get started on our pool building journey. So happy to have found this forum!

We just moved to Austin and I was wondering if there are any Austin area people here who could recommend your pool builder? We have been having problems just getting quotes.

I called up a couple of big pool builders and so far they just blew us off. One guy came out to our house and said he would give me a design in 2 days but then, *crickets*.
Another sent me a long list of questions to answer via text and then never heard from him again. Is this typical behavior?

I am hoping to find someone to build a simple 18x40 saltwater lap pool with infinity edge. Is there something I should be telling the pool builders to get them to agree to come out for a quote even? We have never built a pool before. Thank you for any advice!!

I have Pentair 120V color pool and spa lights on separate relays inside an EasyTouch 8. The pool LED light has finally stopped working after years of slow decline. I was thinking about replacing it with a Pentair 12V color LED light (Pentair 601011). After reading on this forum and the web, I believe the procedure would be as follows:

• Install a 120VAC to 12VAC transformer on the exterior of my Pentair EasyTouch 8 box or hang it from the wall (e.g., an Intermatic PX100).
• Wire the 120VAC input on the transformer to the existing pool light relay being careful not to route it through the low voltage compartment of the EasyTouch.
• Run the 12VAC wire through the existing conduit to the underwater pool light location. As I understand it, if the spa 120VAC wires pass through the same conduit, I cannot do this because you are not supposed to run low voltage and high voltage wires inside the same conduit.

Do I have this right?
Am I right in thinking the transformer itself will switch on and off when I change the pool light color?

What is the general consensus on a solar system? Would like to ground mount since I have south facing area close to the pool equipment.

Hey all,

I'm a new pool owner. Pool has been running for a month-month and a half. Water has been crystal clear and still is, but I noticed this morning there is green stuff which I'm assuming is algae where the floor meets the wall. It's on the return jet/skimmer wall. Do I need to SLAM? All my levels checked out ok this morning for my weekly test. Everything is logged in pool math so I believe members can look at that, correct? This last week I didn't test chlorine everyday. I added a certain amount and wanted to see how it would be for my weekly test. FC tested at 4 this morning, so within range with cya at 40. Don't understand how algae could have formed as it doesn't seem like the FC would have tested at 4 if I wasn't adding enough chlorine throughout the week.

Should I be vacuuming on a regular basis, or brushing? I haven't brushed at all, and have only vacuumed once. Up to now, everything has been perfect. The water remains super clear. Not really sure how the brushing/vacuuming regiment is supposed to work. Pool gets full sun all day and rarely has any debris in it, besides a bug or three.

Do I brush the algae from the liner? Vacuum? SLAM?

Hello from NE Iowa We have the ground prepped and ready to put up our 26' round tonight. However, we just priced the pink foam board to go under the ground cloth, but it's going to be over $800. What are some alternatives?

Century's Vlink looks to be a dead project, which is sad, because their mobile app looks pretty cool, although I'm not sure why they chose to go client-server based through their own servers (which is likely why the whole thing is now defunct, or appears to soon be).

Thus, I am looking for a way to custom program my EVQ165 motor's speed and, hopefully, schedules. I've read posts regarding programming the older Vgreen motors, but it doesn't look like they apply to the Evo line because they refer to a certain set of onboard dip switches that the Evo does not have, although it does sport an RS-485 interface.

FWIW, while not a full-fledged programmer, I have some coding experience, and am willing to get my fingertips a little dirty, but I'm not sure if I can handle a "full time job". Please share if you know of anything that might point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance for any info.

My son was closing pool and not paying attention. The cover came out of the track on one side. The cover is under water. I need to get the remaining portion still in the track out but not sure how to do it without causing problems. Any advice on how to tackle this? Thanks

Hi everyone - new to the board and the pool .. and really starting from zero learning about pools, pool maintenance etc. Thanks for any input you can provide to help me getting started!!

As I just purchased the home the previous owner is still paying a pool guy to take care of the pool until the end of this month (He has been coming once a week but I haven't been there yet to ask some of the questions below, + I'd like a second opinion from the experts here). Going forward I'd like to DYI the pool maintenance.

There are a few things I noticed about the pool (Images of relevant things I found around the pool attached):

• The water looks a bit cloudy. I'm wondering if there is algea in the pool.
• I have a few plants in the backyard (especially one slightly pool-overhanging palm tree and bushes in close proximity that shed of plant-debris at least at this time of the season). Planning to cut those back a bit.
• I found some old containers with "Xtra blue - Chlorinating tablets" and "Phos free"
• There are a few things connected to the pool that I'm still trying to understand what they really are and if they are actually used. There are
  • 2 "timer-boxes" (not sure what the correct name for these is). I'd guess one was replaced but never removed (?)
  • One control panel "Nature Soft Water Purification System" from Pebble Technology Inc. - it appears to be dead.
  • Pump
  • Filter
  • At least visually I don't see anything else above ground attached to the pool other than a few pipes connecting things..

Questions:

1. Being a complete novice, my take on it thus far has been that this pool maybe used to be an SWG pool but now is operated as a non-SWG pool (Reason: Dead water purification control panel and presence of chlorinating tablets). Am I on the right path from the images attached or is this still an SWG pool? Would it be worth restoring it to be an SWG pool?
2. I've been glancing over the Pool School articles here and am still doing it to learn more. As a first step I'd like to buy a test kit (Taylor 2006-C or TF-100, or those for SWG pools depending on what I have). From there I'd do the relevant testing to determine next steps; Potentially SLAM the pool if that's a recommended step. My wife has been pushing to acid wash the pool but I'm a bit hesitant if it's not really necessary. Are there any test results that would support a decision to acid wash?

Hey folks, I just bought an Intex Ultra pool " 16' X 32' X 52" and I have had to set it up, do the ground work, leveling, etc EVERYTHING by myself,
which makes things tough because if i had some help, maybe i could have do better with someone that has set one up before, anyways, mostly everything is level, it might be off an inch or 2 at the most on one corner, I have tried my best to stay by the book on this, 16"x16"x2" pavers, 10 yards of sand, it was a nightmare doing it by myself, especially digging out all the gravel and everything to make sure it was smooth, also I am 50 years old and smoke 2 packs a day, but here is a pic of what i have now, give me your opinion on this and maybe give me some piece of mind, I am ready to start filling but worried something might be off or wrong, I can't afford for a mistake to happen, especially a catastrophe, so please, check out the set up and let me know, 2 of the larger 16x16 pavers broke right off so i replace it with a smaller and a thicker one where it was off level a little bit in the corner. but this is what i have now (the middle pic is where i am with it)

We always have used a Bioguard winter floater which contains TRI CHLOR tabs . They don't make them anymore and did not replace it with anything. I want to use a regular chlorine floater to replace it (MUCH CHEAPER TOO) but don't know how many tabs were in the Bioguard one. Does anyone use a regular floater and can tell me how many tabs to put in it and how 'open' to set the floater . We have a Loop Loc cover so always put another Bioguard floater in there in Feb so I will have a spare floater to use since its impossible to retrieve the first one under the Loop Loc. Thanks in advance.

Best robotic vacuum for above ground pool that will vacuum dead algae

I just noticed my pool filter housing is leaking around the metal latch. How can I fix this? I believe I need to open the valve at the top to relieve pressure and certainly stop the pump first. However, I don't have any experience with this and was just looking for some guidance.

My pool guy recently replaced the filters, so I'm not sure if something happened then.

Thank you

Kevin started doing that forward-backwards-stop routine and I figured it was most likely the water intrusion
dance of death. Put him in today and slightly better but not moving too well. I was on the deck looking
at it and yep, there it was….the tread on one side was misaligned! It had managed to slip and re-seat
itself incorrectly only on the rear wheel. A little persuasive maneuvering and Kev is operating normally again.
Hoping to get a few more years before having to replace it.

It's always the little things, right? And since my pool is TFP clear….I could spot the problem in 5 feet of water!
But not right in front of me.

Hello to the wonderful people of this forum! I posted here last week about my super low chlorine, high pH, low CYA, etc levels last week and got super helpful advice. I just moved into a new house that has a salt water pool, and this is my first ever attempt at caring for a pool. I was recommended to shock the pool, which I did. Now just trying to get an idea of my next steps to getting this pool to safe swimming levels.

I retested and now here are my numbers:
Chlorine: 5ppm
pH: 8.2+
Free Chlorine: 10 ppm
Combined chlorine: 1 ppm
Total chlorine: 11 ppm
Calcium Hardness: 450 ppm
Total Alkalinity: 110
CYA: 20ppm (may be lower)
Salt test: 4000 ppm

Chlorine seems to be a little high now, but I'm just glad it's no longer super low. I have a 10 lb bag of dry CYA and will use pool math to figure out how much to put in to increase CYA levels. However, I was told I shouldn't just dump it in at the risk of damaging the surfaces of the pool. Should I mix it with some warm water and then dump it in?

I am also in the process of getting muriatic acid in order to lower the pool's pH, so that's in the works next as well.

Is there anything else I should do next? Do I buy salt for the salt water pool? Not sure how that works. Also, how often should my filter be running? It seems to be set to run constantly right now. I'm in PA and have a 19500 gallon salt water pool. I've read it should only run 8-10 hrs? And should I set it for day or night time? Out of curiosity, should I keep it running in the winter to prevent pipes from freezing?

Thanks again so much!!!

Hey all,

Looking for some expert advise on a pool install. Below are the specifications on the setup and last the big questions. See attached pictures for reference if needed.

15'x48" round above ground pool (5,600 Gal.)
Intex SF60110-2 3000GPH sand filter
glass sand media
1" 1/2" pvc plumbing
(3) suction inlets & (1) return outlet:
(1) closed off w/ ball joints - about 3ft or 4ft long from pump
(1) closed off w/ ball joint - about 8ft long from pump
(1) skimmer open full w/ ball joint - about 5ft long to pump
(1) return outlet open full w/ ball joint about 12ft from pump

After a good cleaning (backwash, rinse cycle) my PSI sits around 10PSI. when connecting the vacuum to a suction inlet, opening the ball joint, and closing the ball join on the skimmer, PSI sits at 10 psi.

Question 1: is 10 PSI too low for normal use, with no vacuum?

Question 2: Shouldnt the PSI differe when connecting the vacuum? (manual brush with telescopic pole, or extreme power suction vacuum connected to an open suction inlet)

Question 3: Is there something wrong or does this all sound about right?

Not sure if the pump is struggling or going out or what needs to be done in order to increase psi if needed - runs 12hrs/day. pool sees regular use by myself, and occasionally (rare) rest of fmaily.

Lowes does not have anymore of the blue label Kleen Strip muriatic acid. I had to get the green label. It’s not clear at all on the label or the MSDS what the concentration is.
What are you folks logging it as in PoolMath?
This stuff..

At one time, our house had an in-ground pool which has since been filled in. I've always been curious about the pool and lately I've gotten a bit of pool envy so it seems like a good time to start exploring!



I don't have many details, but I believe that it was installed somewhere around 1978. The 1 picture I have (above) is from that year and it's same year the garage bathroom/changing room was built. I believe that it was filled in around 2000, but I'm not 100% sure. I was told that the previous owner was getting older and just didn't want to take care of it. The area where the pool is gets muddy in the Spring, but seems to dry up quickly so I'm hoping that the sides are intact and I'm just looking at a couple of holes punched in the deep end.

I’ve done some digging and exposed a corner of the pool, a section of intact concrete walkway, and the top stair step. The pool appears to have concrete walls, I’m not sure if it’s plaster or had a liner yet. It looks like the plumbing is PVC. The pump house is still there, along with the pump, filter, and subpanel but I realize that all of that plumbing/equipment would need to be replaced if I ever get that far.



So, I think my next step is to continue digging by hand to find all of the edges/coping and see if that’s all still intact. I'll be digging by hand, so I expect to chip away at this part slowly but I'll try to post my progress here. As I'm exposing the edges, I'm curious what you would all look for- specifically anything that would be a show stopper.

Can I get help attaching pool plumbing photos?Is there an email where I can download my files. Every single one is denied bec to large for f regular forum link

I have Cicadas burrowing in the sand under my pool. HELP!

Hello,

Like many I’m getting tired of adding liquid chlorine every day and considering converting to a SWG system. However, I’ve see many discussions for and against SWG if you have a lot of natural stone in and/or around the pool. Since every pool is different I thought I would get some informed opinion from y’all. I have natural stone coping, stone on our spa spillway, and a natural stone wall (with a waterfall feature that’s rarely used) which actual sits below the water line.

With that said, should I stay away from SWG, or is the doom and gloom of a SWG with natural stone overstated? Hard to tell what is hyperbole and what is really true some times.

Here are some photos for consideration.

I noticed today that my tf100 PH test increases quickly if I let it sit. I put the drops in and mix to an equal color and it shows 7.2

Then instead of dumping it out immediately I let it sit and 30 seconds later it was 7.8 and another 30 seconds later it was 8.2

Is this normal?

Hello- I am new to owning a pool. We just built it and have been enjoying it for about 2 months but I'm still trying to figure out all of the workings of the pool. Question on the vacuum. I attached the hose to the vacuum port in my pool wall, turned on the vacuum valve and I have no suction so it does not move. Any thoughts?

Hi all, I am fairly confident I can upgrade my pool equipment but not sure exactly what parts to order. I've been looking at this compool to easytouch upgrade but there's a few different options and I want to do it right.


I have a Hayward salt system, Pentair Mastertemp 300 heater and a spill over spa. Only one pump. I have the compool CP3400 controller inside the house. Do I need the transformer kit? Can I add screen logic to my setup? Any advice is appreciated! Thanks so much!