I have an inline chlorinator that I don't use that has a flow meter. I just had an aquacal heatpump/chiller installed that needs a 30-70gpm flow rate. I was hoping to use this flow meter to tell me how much I actually have pushing through. I can't read it though! I can barely see the numbers and I don't really understand them. It looks like one side tops out at 100gpm and the other at 12gpm but the increments in between are in .25. So confused! Please help me understand the flow based on this meter.

hi. i'm beginning to doubt the chlorine production of my ichlor 30. so i'm running a test using my hot tub (400gals). according to the Pool Math calculator, if i run the SWG for 1 hour at 100%, the FC should raise by 12. if it only raised by 3 (25% effective), does this mean it's going bad? thanks all

Hi There! First post as I’m somewhat baffled but always appreciate the info here at TFP forums so thought I give it a shot. I think I know the answer but wanted the experts to weigh in.

Recently my combined chlorine has gone from 0 to 3 and I’m not sure why. Water is clear, bright, no debris, algae or any other signs of concern. Not even a smell but it is an outdoor pool. My only conclusion is that there is a potential algae bloom I cannot see but I don’t believe this would create such a high CC. The weather here has turned from relatively mild to blistering hot in short order. Going from the 90’s to over 110. Filter is clean, pool is brushed, maintain chlorine levels in accordance with CYA level. Alkalinity is relatively low but the pool is less than 2 years old

I believe the solution is to SLAM and I have a Taylor FAS-DPD kit on the way. I’ve been adding liquid 12.5% and running the filter essentially non stop to aerate and and better oxidize and it seems to be coming down slightly, but it’s been 3 days now without much change.

Should I continue on as is or SLAM over the weekend? Water balance below

Taylor K2005
PH 7.6
FC 8
CC 3
CYA 50
TA 70
CH 300

Nice to meet everybody here. First pool ever for us; we have 3 months of maintenance as part of the build contract. After that, well, that's the reason I'm here now Maybe we can do it.

Gunite, 16x25, combined pool / 8x8 spa, maybe 12-13 K USG total, salt water with chlorine generator, autofill with water from our whole-house water softener. It's a loitering/party pool, so we claim it's not a pool, but a Roman Bath. It's also a way to lower body core temperature when 3-digit weather strikes. 3' deep shallow end, down to 5 1/2' for the deep end.

Pentair equipment, and I'm climbing my way through Pentair's fine print. It seems there's a logic board, and most peripherals of consequence attach to an RS485 bus. Bus discipline for RS485 is either daisy chain or repeater/duplicator for Y connection splits BUT grrr... there is always that common-mode ground problem. 4-wire Pentair's connection feeds carry A wire, B wire, ground and +15V.

I suppose that if you share the ground, the +15V power can be independent from the panel feed?

But I guess this is not the place to ask this or other Pentair automation related questions =:O -- which is the right place, please?

Anyway, here we go: another total n00b on board.

Cheers, and (soon enough) party on everybody!

After reading several posts I’m pretty sure I have iron stains in my pool. I’m going to try citric acid and a metal sequestrant. But, I don’t want to lower my chlorine. It’s a little bit high right now. But, I’m not sure how much product to buy. I know I’ll need more sequestrant with the chlorine high. But, I have no idea how much or what’s the best brand to get. Help, please.

In my opinion, the velcro closing system the Pentair Racer uses is a horrible design. After a very short time, the velcro has so much debris stuck to it that I cannot get a good seal. As a result,, the top of the bag opens up and everything the Racer sucks up is blown right out of the top of the bag, back into the pool. The replacement bag from Pentair is very pricey so I'm reluctant to spend that much on a new bag with the same design flaw. Has anyone found a good replacement bag that works with the Pentair Racer that does NOT use velcro? Maybe a drawstring design or zipper? Looking for suggestions. TIA

Hello!

I decided to try Green to Blue II. A friend that had owned pools for a long time highly recommended it. My pool this summer has been really clear and lovely. However, three weeks ago my robot, Pentair Prowler 920, died. I thought it was working and was throwing it in the pool and leaving and then coming back to fish it out after a few hours. The robot was really working for 2 minutes and then stopping. Too late (when the pool started to go just slightly green), I noted that the robot was not doing it's job. I raised the chlorine levels and tested often to try and keep things at bay, but the algae quickly moves in. I get a large amount of debris in the pool due to trees next to the pool, wind blowing, etc.

Fast forward to my question. Noted that Green to Blue II is a flocculant. I followed the instructions...set the pool to recirculate, etc. But, now it looks like the floc has simply captured the algae at the bottom. The top of the pool is clear and there is sludge on the bottom that immediately clouds up if touched. I am keeping the pool up to SLAM levels at this point, and yesterday vacuumed to waste (with a shop vac) a huge amount of gross yellow/brown water from the bottom. Today the pool looks slightly better.

Is this the best course of action? Keep SLAMMing? And should I go ahead and start filtering the pool or keep it off to make sure all the floc is out first. I put it at recirculate right now after bringing the chlorine back up to get things mixing. Also, note to self that you cannot vacuum out floc with a robot. Arg. Never using floc again.

CYA: 40
FC: 25
ph: 7.2

I've searched and read everything I can find on TFP about cloudy pools after phosphate removal. Yes, first lesson was "don't do that." I sort-of did it to myself, and asked the pool store what I could do because my numbers were 4000+ ppm on phosphate. ( I found TFP after my pool store visit and subsequent effects. ) So, I dumped 1 qt. of BioGuard zero phos into the skimmer. ( Probably, the second mistake I made as I will not pour anything into the skimmer again. ) Bottle says that water will cloud up, but should clear over the next two days. Well, I'm going into the fourth week of cloudy water. I started a SLAM two days ago. Yes, I understand it is a process and may take a week.

Notes about pool if they did not appear in my signature: Indoor pool, 30,000 gal, vinyl, SWG.
Latest test results:
FC = 20
CYA = 50
PH = 7.4
TA = 140
CH = 225
NaCl = 3500

I am just asking if I am going in the right direction. I am holding FC at 20 ( CYA = 50 ). My OCLT is = 1 or less.

Any suggestions to bond the separation is much appreciated. I have researched how these liners are seamed at the top. I have 3 places of separation where the liner folds over the top rail and back onto itself. This is only my second season having this pool which I am still making payments on. Please send any suggestions.

Is Marina Pool and Spa still a good place to purchase robot? I emailed them yesterday morning and still have not heard back.

I have Dolphin Advantage, similar to E20, Dx3, etc.

After much searching and reading, I figured out how to set my Dolphin Advantage into Automation mode by hold down the Schedule button for 10+ seconds, then pressing Power On button, then unplugging.

Just one question, in order to make the robot go on the next time, do I have to first turn off the smart plug, then turn it back on.

Thanks,
Jeff

@TeenaTeens
I see you solved your issue! I am currently battling this problem. Lots of white
Flakes, my pool water is VERY warm right now. What is CSI? I’m working on lowering my TA but my fill water ph ALWAYS runs higher ph.

Moved from here.

This pool cleaner has been serving us well for the past 3 years. The only problem is that its movement through the pool causes the electrical cable to get twisted and wound up so badly that it cannot move freely. Every week I have to remove the cable from the control panel and unwind the cable by laying it on the ground.
It seems there is something wrong in its programming that it keeps going in circles to wind up the cable. What can I do to prevent this from happening?
EDIT: corrected error, every week, not 6 months.

Hey everyone, first post here!

So I'm a 5 year pool owner, and have gotten along pretty well with DIY mode so far. This last winter was a perfectly catastrophic sequence of events, first identified and fixed a leak in pool, massive numbers of branches and leaves fell during the treepocolypse we had in Austin this last winter (it was CRAZY). So pool went black green on me. I've gotten it quite a bit better, but can't seem to get prime when set to "waste" mode.

In-Ground, 23,000 gallons, older pool. I've got a 1 skimmer, 2 return jets, no main drain on the pool. Multiport valve set to "Waste." New O-ring in pump lid. Pentair DE Filter. Hayward 1 HP pump. I got my chemistry right, used flocculant as a pool contractor suggested, which made a huge amount of the gunk accumulate to the bottom, water is still quite cloudy, but much better than it was before.

I was able to vacuum for ~8 minutes earlier today, but have not been able to get the pump to prime again. Brand new hose, brand new vacuum head. Just used a rubber bladder to blow out the line from the pump to the skimmer, it was not clogged. Is is safe to put the bladder into the skimmer line, and blow out the whole system (through the pump and multiport valve) and have that pressure and potential junk come out of the waste water hose? I don't want to do anything that might damage the equipment, so want to ask here for trouble shooting before I try that. Could be clogged inside the multiport valve? Waste water hose is clear of obsturctions. I filled the hose with water before starting, but am at a loss. I know how to prime in "Filter" mode, but don't want to run all that crud through the grids. Any suggestions on how to get prime? I've also ordered a leaf canister, which will arrive later this week, so will use that in the future to trap the crud before heading to the pump and equipment.

Thank you in advance for your sage advice!

Hi there! I am new to TFP and completed Pool School while waiting for my TF-Pro Test Kit to arrive. It came in yesterday. This pool is new to me (1.5 months) and had been maintained by the previous owner. Prior to being directed to TFP, I was using Leslie's testing and chlorine tabs and shock.

Here are my results:

There was obvious algae when I took possession of the pool and keeping it chlorinated has been a beast. I recently switched to liquid chlorine (12.5%). It is now slightly cloudy and fighting tiny algae spots forming. FC of 0 no wonder, yikes! I suspected the high CYA from Leslie's test results and already have an RO treatment scheduled for the 26th.

I was wondering if the group could help me decide what to do until the RO? I'm worried it'll go haywire in the meantime. I'm in AZ, so the water is toasty at 92F.

I also would like the switch to a VS pump and add a SWCG. A local pool install company quoted $5K, but I was considering DIY. I do most of my own home and auto repairs. It's a solid maybe. I haven't spec'ed out equipment, but the quote provided was a 3HP Intelliflo VSF and 40K GAL INTELLICHLOR system. Does timing of this upgrade help or harm me at this point?

Thank you

Back Story: I've had this "newer" pool for a few years now... after having a terrible experience with the Coleman Power Steel Swim Vista pool (The first gen window pool from Walmart).

Anywho, my Summer Waves Elite pool has a seperation on the inside where the liner wraps around one of the horizontal beams at the top of the pool. This area is found between 2 vertical posts, it seems centralized. Somehow I did not find this issue until after there was already about a foot of water inside of the pool. I need to know if this is something that needs to be addressed right away, and if so... how?

New here. I have a 28,000 gal pool and my Haywood Super Pump (SP2610X15, single speed 1.5hp) is dead. It’s at least 10 years old (maybe a lot more), I’ve replaced the motor twice over the years and the housing had developed cracks so it’s time for a whole new pump. I have 115v power running to it and no water features, have a DE filter. Use a vacuum cleaner that plugs into the skimmer when needed. I’m planning on a VSP, my understanding is they are now required for replacements and the energy efficiency would be nice too. I’m just fairly new to pools and overwhelmed by the various options. I want to install myself, I think. I was considering a Haywood Super Pump XE 1.65 hp as it seemed like it would match up with my old equipment for easy installation but then I saw some not so friendly reviews of the XE and possibly warranty issue if I self install. Recommendations for brand/model or other info I need to know?

Yes, it's another one of those posts. My booster pump hums and shuts off. I've replaced the capacitor. I've taken off the back access cover and the shaft turns easily. Even tried spinning it fast as we turned on the power (as per a YouTube video suggestion).

Prior to it stopping working, if it was on for a while it would turn itself off and then come on on it's own. I figured it was due to overheating and we have had a hot summer.

Any suggestions on more troubleshooting steps to try?

Thanks in advance!

We have recently had our pool resurfaced and some areas in pics attached were visible since initial fill. However 8 weeks later there are more popping through. When questioning are so called start up tech for 4 week follow up he stated it may be black algae if it does not brush off. I cannot seem to at this time get a rep from the contractor we had for resurface to look at it. Looking for thoughts as to verify if this is/ or could be black algae or an issue with the resurface product 8 weeks post resurface.

Kindly Help

Holly

I’m looking for the 5 gears that are on one side of the 825. All five gears are the same. Polaris wants to sell the complete unit. The gears drive the track to drive the machine. Thanks

Following this - we have a new pool that has scale as well PH has been low, but by following the TFP and keeping CSI low, it should dissolve? It's probably too early for calcium buildup for us, as it's only 2 months old!

Moved from here.

Entire Pool was replastered and second drain added to spillover hot tub a couple months ago. I wanted to test for any leakage due to a large crack repair in the main pool, and thankfully found no losses in the main pool.

In the hot tub, I've tested with pump on and pump off for 24 hrs. Both times I drained it down below spillover height, and I've isolated the hot tub plumbing to recirculate for the pump on test.

Pump off: Outside of bucket lost 1.3" while inside lost 0.5".
Pump on: Outside of bucket lost 0.6" while inside lost 0.5".

Contractor will be coming in the morning, but wanted to see if this points to any specific type of leak?

Did some more reading.. seems to indicate suction side loss, pointing perhaps to drain modification. Will try to find with food coloring.

After days of troubleshooting and following the wonderful advice of this group and website I was able to narrow down where I believe I had a leak.

I put rubber grommets in each of the pipe fixtures, and went to town with dye. Lo and behold I was able to find that the dye gets drawn in at an astronomical rate from one light fixture conduit. Now, the challenge is that the conduit runs roughly 100’ downhill to the service area.

I saw some folks recommend rubber boots to plug the hole. Is there any advice on how I might locate the leak? Ideally I’d fix it at the source.

Hello,
I’m sort of new. I used TFP the last time I had a pool, but I guess I never had an account. Currently on my third “tubular frame” style pool. First one was a heavy duty quality one, and wasn’t common. The last two are the thin cheap ones. Currently a 32x16x52”. In reality closer to 31 and 44-46”. Also using a larger 26” sand filter and a salt water generator. Now that I am retire and no longer moving around the country, we would like to do a permanent pool, but cost may prohibit that. Some opinions on that would be appreciated.
We live in central OK.

New pool here, not real familiar with all the ins and outs, but have been lurking in the shadows here since I discovered TFP last fall and trying to learn. New fiberglass pool installed and opened late August 2023 and only had a short time to use it last summer. One thing I immediately noticed was a tanning around the entire pool below the waterline. I couldn't get any answers from anyone, dealer, pool store, etc. They all thought I was either delusional or sunlight was playing tricks on my vision. Pool shell is a light blue but below waterline it's a definite tan. I finally happened on a thread here at TFP that explained the iron staining and read all that I could find on it. We have red clay soil here and while they were building it there was dirty water in for several weeks. At opening they filtered, balanced and turned it over to me. If only I had known.
So, I did the AA treatment yesterday, followed the instructions to a T. I ended up using 2 pounds of AA, Jacks Purple, Polyquat 60, still a few rusty spots on the bottom that look like a piece of iron had laid there for a while, but the tanning disappeared and I am now in the process of bringing up the PH. I think I may have taken it too low to begin with (I got the Taylor 2006C Kit) but all seems fine so far. Since the PH test doesn't go below 7.0 I can only guess how low it went. Water is cloudy/milky as mentioned in some posts but yesterday it was sparkling clean and had never looked better.
My question is, when exactly do I put the polyfill in the skimmer basket to filter out the iron? Should I actually try to force the iron out of solution in order to capture it in the polyfill? Also, I put a solar cover on every night to preserve heat and chemistry and when I took it off this morning, the sides of the pool had once again taken on a tanning stain but a couple of hours later it seems to have disappeared again. Am I imagining that? My cover is clear, only slightly dirty from whatever falls in from the trees, bugs, frogs, salamanders, etc. What could possibly be going on?

Hello.
We have our pool installed over a year ago with Pentair equipment
Since then we had priming alert issues that were fixed by our pool company
Couple of days ago we woke up facing another issue
The ScreenLogic application show high temp ranking from 104F to 122F on and off
The pump will start but jets are not working, so the pump will then turn off, there is also low flow red light and blinking red light for the salt on the cell. Do not see any pressure going up on the filter
Can anyone recommend a solution?
Our pool company are not helpful
Thanks

I bought a salt cell at the end of season last year. 2023 summer installed new liner and cleaned/new sand in filter. Salt cell now displaying ‘check/inspect cell’. Hayward.
Why?
Set it on super chloration for 1 month at 30.
2nd month it is giving me issues… why?

Once I found the chorine was too high I turned it off and let it open to the sun.
May have added too much stabilizer earlier. All is well now… is the cell ok, or did I kill it?

I received confirmation from Google Play that my yearly fee for Pool Math was paid on 07/14/23. Today, I tried to enter test results into the Pool Math app and was deneed access. The message indicated that I need to renew and pay my membership via iTunes (When I joined TFP and Pool Math I had an Android Tablet, but have since switched to iPad).

The fee for Pool Math has already been paid, and I hope you can correct this so I can use the app again. Also, I really do not wish to use iTunes for anything. What would be an alternative I can use for next year’s fee?

Thank you, Christiane

Hello All,
I have a ten years old system with Pool Pilot Digital DIG-220 and RC-42 cell.

I'm getting the "verify cell!" error and after checking everything I think it's time to replace the cell.

Now comes the problem: nobody all over Europe seems to have a cell in stock and they are asking around 1k EUR to ship a replacement cell to me in about 2 weeks.

Considering that a new complete system like Hayward SALT & SWIM 3C or SALT & SWIM 2.0+ costs more or less as much as they asked for the PoolPilot cell... what should I do???

Any advise would be really appreciated.

Thank you and ciao!