This is probably an odd question, but thought I'd ask anyway. I just replaced my pool because the wind destroyed my old one. When tearing down the old pool. A bird had built their nest under about every top rail cap on there.

Also, inside 9 of the actual leg frames that come down from the top rail to the ground, I killed 9 black widow spiders who were living life to the fullest completely concealed in there from view.

I noticed that my new pool also has the wide open gap areas under the caps. The gaps are too wide just to add something like silicone caulking to them. (one would think they'd improved over the years and built those to snap completely closed without a large gap).

I'd like to try to find a way to seal off that gap somehow before a repeat of what happened with the old pool occurs.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to close off these gaps so the birds and spiders cant set up home in them? Thank you.

It's happened 2-3 times already over the course of 6+ months maybe (with FC/CC, not with any of the other chemistry readings) and it's usually a weirdly low reading compared to what I should have so I do another test immediately to double check and find the 2nd test to show a higher, more accurate reading of where I'm supposed to be.

Yesterday:
FC 11.5 and < 0.5cc
pH 7.8 (added 1/4 gal of MA to drop it just a little)
TA 50
CYA 55 (I'll be adding stabilizer once it delivers in a couple of days)

Those readings were just before we had a few friends over yesterday (total bather load of 8 people) and the SWG ran the whole time plus our usual run time overnight so testing the water today I would assume to be a similar level or couple points lower.
Just now when I tested FC it showed 6 with a CC of 2. I knew immediately that couldn't be correct unless my new SWG was on the fritz so I
re-tested and got FC 9.5 w CC of < 0.5 which is what I would have expected.
How often do false readings come through on FC testing?

Posting since this Pentair pump lid problem is getting trickier with each attempt: 1. Cracked old lid by the handle by overtightening. 2 Lost priming. 3. Tried to open lid and broke one end of the lid/leaving a gaping hole. 4. Using wrenches - plain or strap - I just broke the lid dome down to thread base, I guess the age of the lid shows. 5 With only threaded rim left I had cut a fine gap trying not to cut oring or filter body. 6. Still cannot unscrew the leftover part of lid, so what is left? Should I chip it and get it in 2-3 pieces? I am worried I may cut filter body. 7. Think if I cool it I could break it easier? Ideas are welcome anytime. Flo

Customer has Easytouch with a Pentair Superflo which looks to be biting the dust. The motor will need bearings and is very loud/noisy besides the pump is old. They're upgrading everything around their house as the need arises to today's technology so why not move this project into that direction via a VSP. Screen logic already is on the horizon so just another reason to move forward. The question is which pump should I shop for that can fill this spot and are the connections all the same so it can be an easy swop without plumbing alterations. What is needed to make it work with the Easytouch?
Thanks in advance, Allan.

Hi all, I have a pool guy but the service isn't up to par. I regularly get green spots and from just the basic tests I've done the chlorine and PH are never where they are supposed to be. This got me wondering if everything else is out of balance too so I picked up the TF 100 (salt) test kit and I'm ready to take over.

This is my first time testing with this kit so please let me know of any tips or if I need to re-test.

FC 2 ppm
CC 0
TC 2
Calcium 800 ppm (not sure on this one, it turned purple first then eventually a shade of blue after adding more)
Total alkalinity 200 ppm
CYA 100 PPM (or more, it didn't reach the 100 line before I stopped seeing the black dot)
Sodium Chloride 4000 ppm

I think the calcium hardness test I need to double check because that measurement warrants at least a half drain and refill.

I normally use liquid bleach and muriatic acid routinely to maintain my pH and chlorine levels. I'm going to be away for three weeks, and I'm wondering if there's some way I can keep my water chemistry in an acceptable range without trying to find someone to test it for me.

On a typical day this time of year, I add 8 oz muriatic acid and about 28 oz of bleach to the pool. I keep a couple of chlorine tablets in the feeder shown, open only slightly, primarily to keep my CYA up above the recommended minimum. Each tablet lasts over a week at the current consumption rate.

I'm thinking of loading up the tablet feeder and hoping for the best while I'm away. If anyone has thoughts on a better approach--I'm not going to ask my neighbors to add chemicals--I'd appreciate any advice in terms of pH and chlorine management during time away. Thanks!

I turned off the water to my autofill for a couple of days to address a non-pool related issue. Before I turned it back on I took the cover off and looked inside. The water was disgusting. I did the OCLT on the pool and I did not lose any chlorine so I don’t think the algae has taken hold in the pool (yet).

I know I can close off the line into the pool and clean it out with bleach and scrubbing. I may have to a mini-SLAM on it to make sure it is all gone. I can regularly fill it with bleach and hand pump out the excess.

The question what do about it going forward since water sets in there all the time? Even when the water to the autofill is on there is a lot of time when it is stagnant. I don’t know if any appreciable chlorine gets in there from the pool.

Here is a picture of the autofill and a comparison of the water within and the pool water.

Hello!

We recently purchased our home with 18k in-ground vinyl pool, no water features.

I’ve read all the basics, great resources thanks.

We had been using chlorine tabs, but those resulted in super high CYA levels. I drained a few in while vacuuming and am filling back up now, took the floater out and but it seems like a huge hassle to have to pour in a gallon of liquid chlorine every day instead! Is that really the only way? At $7/gal it seems crazy expensive, not to mention the hassle of actually picking up all that chlorine all the time.

We have also been using cal-hypo to shock, CH isn’t too high and it’s vinyl so I think not an issue anyways. But even mixing cal-hypo every day or every other day also would be such a chore!

Otherwise it seems like TFP method is really only low-maintenance for SWG, which is not in the budget right now.

Am I missing anything? Anyone in a similar situation figured a better way to get chlorine?

TK-2006 test kit (from yesterday before draining, I know it’s not balanced yet)
FC 4.5
PH 7.6
TA 120
CH 220
CYA 100

This black notched plastic piece from the 3way diverter has dry rotted and cracked. I cant find a replacement part. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Hey all. The pool has been looking great this year, which is why I haven't checked in here for a while.

TFP recently released a memo that, among other things, says that the ideal Calcium level for an in-ground vinyl pool is 50-550, while 0 to 650 is "acceptable."

I stopped testing for Calcium Hardness, and stopped adding Calcium Chloride, when I joined TFP and was advised that there's no need, in a vinyl pool. That it's a concern with plaster pools, but not vinyl.

Is there a compelling reason why I should raise the Ca level to the "ideal range"?

Thanks!

I noticed the air relief valve on top my starite system 3 cartridge filter is leaking. Looking into replacing and discovered someone previously installed a line from the air relief back to the return side (bypassing the heater). Is this normal practice? Do I not need to open this line to remove air from the system after servicing (as the manual states)? Perhaps this was installed to remove the need to do so.

It's hard to tell from the photo but the black line running from the top of the filter on the left is routed to near the automation valve near the heater on the right.

Hello all! First time poster here!

I have done lots of searching on google as well as this forum to see if I could find a fix for a problem my Polaris P825 cleaner is having. No luck yet.

When I turn the cleaner on (regardless of whether its on floor or wall+floor cleaning mode), the impeller starts up but the bot does not move. The tracks never turn and it just sits in one spot for at least 20 minutes (at which point I just turn it off). During this time the pump turns off and. on every so often, like it thinks its working properly, but again, it never moves. However, if i reach in and start to rotate the brushes/tracks by hand, they begin spinning and the cleaner will start to work. It will move along the bottom and even reverse directions sometimes but never runs for more than a couple of minutes before stalling again. At that point, if i reach in and rotate the tracks again it will start back up.

I get no error light when this happens and it seems like the brushes and tracks spin pretty normally when powered off.

Any ideas about what could be causing this issue? It almost seems like the drive motor is jamming or like the motor gets stuck between poles sometimes. I have disassembled the tracks and geartrain multiple times now (not the sealed motor unit though) and havent seen anything out of the ordinary.

Thanks in advance for any help!

I like Alexa, but I dislike how you need to remember the exact special phrase to get something to work. Therefore, I setup some routines that understand my simplistic linguistics (i.e. "Alexa, Hot Tub On"). I am sharing them here with y'all in the event there are other simpletons out there like me who just want the waterfall to turn on when we ask for it...

Alexa, Pool Status (Alexa Routines)
Alexa, Clean the pool (Alexa Routines)
Alexa, Turn on the pool lights (Alexa Routines)
Alexa, Turn off the pool lights (Alexa Routines)
Alexa, Turn on the Hot Tub (Alexa Routines)
Alexa, Turn off the Hot Tub (Alexa Routines)
Alexa, Turn on the waterfall (Alexa Routines)
Alexa, Turn off the waterfall (Alexa Routines)

A couple notes on these routines:
-Several of them have multiple activation phrases setup (i.e. "Alex, Pool status" and "Alexa, what's my pool status" both work). You can dig into the routine once you install it to see the activation phrases.

-Your circuits may have different names than mine, so you'll need to look at your ScreenLogic application to determine your circuits and adjust the routine as needed.

We'll see how long these work. Pentair has broken the Alexa integration more times than I can count, and at one point was broken for 6+ months.

I apologize… I know this has been covered. But nothing I’ve read has helped. My SWG display says 3300. Leslie’s tested it at 2100. That’s a huge difference. It has always seemed to be high though. I tried to recalibrate it and stayed the same. It’s a new pool (November 2022).


I have a 11,000 gallon pool with a Hayward pump and SWG. Aquarite 900. TCell940 extended.
4E21211-201022
Readings:
3600
88
25.4
6.77
46p
-3200
AL-0
R 1.59
T-15

NOTE: I originally said 3300 and display now says 3600. I added some salt in between but wanted to show what it said at the time I sampled and took to Leslie’s.

Thank you for any advice!

I have a SWG and plaster pool with tile at the water line so, based on what I have read, it is important for me to keep the CSI within the -.3 to .3 range. Unfortunately, my CSI has been lower than -.3 for a couple of weeks now.

Most recent test results:
FC 8.5
pH 7.4
TA 70
CH 425
CYA 70
SALT 3600
CSI -.41

I put a solar cover on the pool during the night and morning when the kids aren't swimming in the pool (to help keep the pool warmish) which, based on what I've read and are experiencing, is causing the pH not to raise naturally. Therefore, should I raise the pH with Borax?

Hello wonderfully helpful pool community,
I understand that the guidance for passing the OCLT says a loss of 1.0 or less is ok, but why is that - how can you lose 1.0 FC if there's no sun/algae on/in the pool?
My next question is about my particular situation. You can see the pic of my pool, it's about 3.5' on one end and tapers to about 9', and the floor drain in the deep end does not work. I have 2 returns, each is about 4' from either side of my skimmer, and they both point towards the ends of the pool and a bit downward, especially the one in the deep end, in hopes of getting a bit more circulation with it. I suspect my deep end doesn't circulate perfectly because of the broken drain/lack of suction, but I run my Polaris daily for 2 hrs to help the circulation. The question is... can my weak circulation in the deep end be impacting my OCLT if I run my OCLT with the pump ON but the Polaris is OFF? I take my water sample very consistently, elbow deep from the same place in the pool, which is on the side opposite the skimmer, about 1/3 of the way from the shallow end to the deep end, so it's maybe 4-4.5' deep there. I'm curious because my overnight FC loss is consistently around .6-1, and yes, I do both tests when no sun is up. 2 weeks ago I removed the drain cover, vacuumed it out very well then took 10% bleach down there in a few baggies and slowly poured it in, where it sat for 3-4 days before my Polaris eventually found it & sucked it all out (it stayed there given its density over that of water), so my drain hole should be extremely clean.
Maybe tonight I'll make sure the pool is thoroughly mixed (by running the pump & Polaris for a couple hours) before taking the water sample, then do the OCLT with the pump off to see if that reveals anything different.
Any thoughts on if this is passing the OCLT and how a broken drain plays into it?
Thank you so much!

Well, After 2 1/2 seasons our PAL lights have some big issues. We have four PAL Treo 4 wire 12 volt lights (Model #: 2T4). The are connected to two PAL 12 volt Driver / Receivers (2 lights on each) (Model #: PCR-2D-35). The drivers are connected to automation and we do not use the wireless remotes that came with the drivers. Instead, we use the Intellicenter app. All 4 lights are getting dim, and as of yesterday one of the drivers died. I took a multimeter to the power wires on the dead driver and was getting 118 volts, so it is getting power. Inside the dead driver there is a power LED which is not illuminated, so I am confident it's a dead driver. The research I have done shows the 2T4 lights are nicheless. I am thinking of slowly starting to replace this equipment. Seems like the 2T4 lights are discontinued, and the PAL Treo Max lights are the current replacement. The Treo Max lights are duel rated for 12 or 24 volt DC. The PAL 12 volt Driver / Receivers are currently hard to come by so when I replace them I will go 24 volts. Here are my questions.
1 - The lights seem to be replaceable with both the 2T4 and the Treo Max (without replacing the plug or cable). Both are 4 wire lights. Do you think I could just unplug the old 2T4's and plug in the new Treo Max on the same wire (thus not having to pull a new wire). (See link to brochure https://pallighting.com/brochure-files/PALTreoMax.pdf )
2 - Does the water in the pool need to be drained below the lights to do the replacement of nicheless lights? (I have a fiberglass pool and I am not crazy about that idea.)
3 - I noticed with Pool LED lights some are 2 wire and some are 4, how do they differ?

Thanks everyone.

Been in the pool biz about 33 years now and its amazing how much I still don't know! This is really a good site

Hello everyone, new pool owner here and the previous owner told me to run the pump 24/7. So I have a couple of questions, is this necessary and is there much of a rate difference to run 8-10 hours per day vs 24 hours for a whole month. Look forward to hearing the responses. Thanks.

I did a mustard algae shock last week. I pulled the light from the niche for the first time, and it looked like there was a lot of calcium deposit in the bottom of the niche. Basically it was taking up the whole bottom of the niche, maybe an inch deep. This is my second season with the pool, and I never looked behind the light before. I wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts on that. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture while the light was removed.

I have a plaster pool. When we moved in, the chemistry was a mess, so I wouldn't be surprised if there was long standing calcium hardness issues over the years. Or maybe the deposits could have settled there when the pool was replastered (no clue when that happened thought)? I now have the chemistry in line with the TFP guidelines. Last year CH was around 350. I have it at 400 this year.

I just put the light back in and left it alone. I don't have any other issues with the light or niche, so I figured this was a leave well enough alone situation. I wanted to reach out and see if anyone has any insights for me.

I just joined this forum on a recommendation from GJ
We have an older in ground 16 x 32 vinyl liner pool that was installed sometime in the 1970's

We have owned the property since 2007 and this last winter we upgraded to a Saltwater system.

All has been running VERY smoothly this summer and I am happy with the system, with chlorine prices rising it pushed me to do the upgrade I was looking at for years.

New vinyl Liner this spring (last liner was installed 2008)
New Wall Padding this spring
New Hayward Salt and Swim 3C this spring

Confused... have gone to two local pool stores and they both say this is okay. The water doesn't look terrible, but it's not as sparkly clear as usual.. almost has a bit of a haze recently.

Based on the pool school posts here, my CYA looks low. ALK looks high. Is that correct? Any help please?

I have a SWG. I'm aware I have to put some salt in, but I'm more concerned about the other numbers. Thank you.

Hi all -

What's the current-recommended Pentair pump for a spa. In the past I used Pentair IntelliFloXF Variable Speed Pump 3HP Max | Rotary Keypad Control | 022055

but now I see:

• This product is obsolete.
• The superceded product was not found.

1) What pump would you use for the spa 10x10 spa with 12 jets and 4-sided negative edge?
2) And what pump would you put for (3) bubblers + (2) magicflow laminars (all ~75' from the equipment)?

And while we're here...
3) What pump for the 20x30 pool with one of the 20' sides being a negative edge into a catch basin?

Thanks

Looks like previous owner plug one spa drain. When I called him (a good family friend) and ask for a reason, he assured me there was no leak just suction was too strong having 2 drains with such a small spa (3 people). There is only one valve controlling all main drains and skimmer suction and one valve controlling return pool/spa.

Now question….is it ok if I leave it plugged? I’m wondering if pump suction can destroy pipe? I assume these 2 drains are connected underground and it shouldn’t be a problem?

I’ve read a lot about slope, but wondering how “usable” that slope will be if it’s at the recommended slope of 3:1? For ex, can kids and most adults balance themselves? Play comfortably if they can only touch bottom on the top part of the slope? How gentle does a 3:1 slope feel when walking it? I read a few posts with statements like, “if a kid gets going on the slope and can’t stop their momentum” which has me worried. Is it comfortable to walk without losing balance/feeling like you’re falling down hill on a 3:1 slope? Here are our planned dimensions (with image attached), but still time to adjust since construction hasn’t started…

14x28 feet rectangle
3’4” shallow end (3’ water depth)
6’ deep end (5’8” water depth)
Slope from 3’4” to 6’ over 10’ run.
Goal is to maximize “usable” space for kids who typically play in shallow end now (at 8 & 10 years old) and occasionally like to dive for toys in deeper water.

Thanks for any input!

Where do you folks purchase basic parts for your pool equipment? What I mean is sub-$100 parts (misc cleaner parts, check valves, etc), not big/expensive equipment like robots or pumps.

I'm new to owning a pool, and in the last month have needed various parts for my equipment (e.g. Polaris 280 parts, check valves for plumbing, etc), and it has been much more difficult than I expected. My options seem to be:

1. Go to local pool store (Leslies or Pinch A Penny), where I will overpay significantly, and probably have to wait for them to order anyway. And let's be honest, who here at TFP wants to go to the pool store.
2. Order from Amazon which has become a complete cesspool of pop-up 3rd party companies selling low-quality knock-off parts being passed off as OEM parts. (I've already had to return a number of fake parts for my Polaris 280).
3. Order from some other online pool suppliers, and take the shipping hit on small orders. Even this seems hit or miss depending on what I'm looking for, either they don't have what I need or the shipping makes it cost prohibitive for small orders.

I don't even mind paying a reasonable shipping fee, because Amazon isn't really "free" if I have to spend 30 minutes sorting through sellers to find a decent one and/or have to make multiple trips for returns.

Case in point -- right now I'm looking for a replacement Jandy check valve flapper (Jandy 7056). If I search "Jandy 7056" on Amazon I get a list of no-name knock-offs. This one (Amazon.com) looks promising based on the description, but is only sold by shady looking resellers, overseas and/or brand new with zero ratings or history, and not fulfilled by Amazon which means returns are gonna be a hassle and likely at cost to me.

What gives? Where do you folks buy your parts? I don't want crappy knock-off parts that fail prematurely, I prefer to pay a little more for OEM parts that I know will work. Are there trustworthy online retailers in the pool world friendly to folks like us?

Can I get my pool clear with 3yr old sand? I have a green pool. My ex has it green and I’m watching it for the week and want to have it clear for when she gets back. I will begin slamming tonight

Hello, so we have gotten some heavy rain and I noticed the water level is almost to the top of the skimmer. More rain in the forecast for next 3-4 days. I have a Pentair Multiport valve, is it best to drain from rinse or from waste setting? Thanks.

New pool & setting on a 25lb bucket of "In the swim" 3" tabs. That said I have been asked when I'm adding salt as I have a Jandy true clear hooked up & on standby. I'm having a little fluctuation with FC for whatever reason but dont see the need to jump into the salt. It's gonna run about 8-9 hundred dollars for the salt so should I continue using up the 3" tabs? Or go ahead n drop the salt? - Opinions appreciated