It appears one of the skimmers suction/water flow is slower, but, when I put my hand down, the suction is strong (about the same as the other one). The hatch door seems to be operating normally. The water level was higher due to the massive rain recently (but now about 3/4 to the skimmer hatch) as I drained some with a sump pump, I will drain it so it's 1/2 to the hatch opening. The PSI is about 4 to 5 higher than baseline (not yet 10) so I am not sure if a backwash is warranted? It seems that instead of the water flowing in, it's more like its idling there (but the skimmer does accumulate similar amount of leaves/debris ).

Any ideas what this could be?

So my Dolphin S300i is just over two years old and has recently developed a tendency to “lose” the rubber flap on the bottom front of the unit. Three times in the past couple of weeks this black rubber piece has turned up in my skimmer. I’ve popped it back in every time (not very easy), but I’ve had enough of this game. Anyone else ever had this issue? Any tips for a permanent solution?

Hi All - There's various spots in my 6 year old liner that have become sort of pitted and rough. I took an underwater picture, look toward the bottom right. Is this a sign that the liner might fail and should be replaced? Also the top of the liner is starting to fade in spots to white. The differences from last year to this year are 1) My FC is more consistent at about 11 now that I just put in a SWG and 2) I'm using a 2 speed pump on low a lot and not sure how well the water is moving around. Thinking maybe the Chlorine is just sitting at the bottom of the pool? Could be wrong. Maybe it's high calcium since I was using a lot of cal hypo last year before the SWG? My numbers are also as follows
FC - 12
CYA - was 40 bumped to 60 a few days ago
PH - was 7.8 lowered to 7.5
Calcium - 250
TA - 70
Salt 3800

My vacuum hose has become detached from the collar which attaches to the vacuum head. There are adhesive remnants so it was glued in somehow before. What kind of adhesive can I use to reattach it? Salt water in-ground pool.

Hi,

I have just completed an ascorbic acid treatment to get rid of my iron stains. I have raised water as much as possible and the treatment so far is successful. That being said, I still have a waterline stain which I tried to remove with magic eraser to no success. The stain is light but you can definitely see a line all round the pool at water line level. Assuming it's not IRON has I just did a AA treatment, what do you suggest to remove the waterline stain ?

Would acid muratic do the trick ?

Thanks,

I had to level my driveway in preparation for the pool - which I did with mason sand (took me weeks).
Now I'm about to put up my pool and I'm getting from Intex's support a very stern "We are not recommending sand in any shape or form". Do I need to be concerned?

Hello,
I believe my vinyl liner has the medium blue color that is susceptible to fading. Regarding the FC/CYA chart, is there any information to support it's better to be on either the low end, or high end of the chart to prevent fading?

Thanks!

Hi, just joined TFP today. I live in Houston and have been struggling with green algae in the pool. Leslie's pool supply wants to sell me ammonium sulfate but I've read that this can do more harm than good in the long run. I like the idea of SLAM but I have one question. Using the calculator for a CYA reading of 50, I get a result of 20. Is this the desired FC shock level or the amount of liquid chlorine in fl oz to add to the pool? I assume it is the desired shock level. Seems VERY high to me. How much liquid chlorine would I need with 13000 galloons pool water to raise the FC level to 20 ppm?

Not sure what’s going with our pool light. On the Intellibrite pool light box there is 2 small dots that are flashing green and our pool lights won’t come on. I tried to google search the problem but can’t find anything on it. It’s 2 lights that are above hold and recall button that are flashing green.

Got some algae, doing a SLAM. Maintaining FC @ 20. Can I enter the pool, to vacuum and brush? I find it difficult to do a thorough job outside our above ground pool. Thank you!

We are having a issue with plaster just installed in our pool. There are no stains anywhere, the water is perfectly clear, it's just having a green tint to the water.

This morning I took out the cell, soaked it in Diluted Muriatic acid, in a bucket and then rinsed , cleaned the Tri-Sensor, and put it back.
Right after the cell cleaning, for about an hour , or almost two hours I was getting Flow, the Cell was ON - so normal, desired operation.
Four hours later now, it shows "waiting", the "Flow" light is off (both on the LCD panel, and on outside indicator)
Now, It shows error code "185". Also shows "HH" when the temperature button is pressed.
I'm not sure why it starts of working normally after a cell clean, then stops working in about an hour or so.

If the Salinity tri-sensor was bad, why would it show normal working for about an hour after clean + restart. Is there something in the panel that I need to reset/calibrate?

My filter is quite clean. The pressure is also normal on the filter. Last week I added liquid chlorine and pool shock to get rid of Algae. (cleaned filter twice after & added DE) Now water looks good, with no algae, but I'd like to stop adding chlorine, and let the automated system take care of it. Ph is normal right around 7. I've already added stabilizer.

This is the latest status. On the Aquapure Display, Salinity shows as "- -". After this I measured Salinity with a separate meter.. It shows 3300. I've also added some salt , about 10 lbs of salt.


NOT WORKING.
Two hours l




Below are the pics after I had just cleaned the sensor and the cell. (WORKING)



Picture of my Salinity sensor and cell

Hi, I could really use some help from somebody who knows their chemicals when it comes to above ground pools. I have a BESTWAY vinyl pool with the steel bars. It is oval and 22 ft long by 12 ft wide. It has a sand filter pump. This is my third year with the pool and each year when I've taken it down I have used baby powder on both the inside and outside to keep it dry. The mistake is that this summer I put it up without rinsing the baby powder on the inside of the pool and filled it with water. All chemicals are fine. I know all about shock, clarifier, and pool maintenance. I have a test kit and tested every day. Come to find out baby powder is not water soluble. Even when it goes through the sand filter you can't get rid of it. Rather than empty the entire pool water what would be your best suggestion for getting the cloudy powder out of the pool. I know for a fact that's what it is. We use a handheld vacuum that has a net to catch the debris cuz we couldn't afford a fancy vacuum. I'm not sure if I can vacuum to waste with a vacuum that has a bag to catch the debris. I use a pool sock rather than the cheap bag that came with my handheld vacuum the vacuum is hooked to a hose. Can I vacuum to waste with this type of vacuum? Might of flocculent work better than a clarifier? The clarifier doesn't work. Could I safely add DE to the sand in my filter would that help? Any suggestions from anyone that actually has experience would be very helpful. Ty so much

Hi all,
Problem trying to figure out.
Opened pool and noticed a good bit of championing in the site glass for my pump. Also can bleed air from filter every 10 minutes. I do not see any leaks.
I replaced lid, seal, and o ring with new and it did not resolve the issue. After about two weeks pump motor went bad and pump was old so I replaced the entire pump. After replacing pump still have problem. Everything looks good but still championing a lot and filter gets air I can bleed off.

Any suggestions or help would be appreciated. Also will this hurt anything if left running this way? Thanks

Hey everyone,

I finally got an Intex Prism 12 X 30 pool setup this weekend. I had a Intex C1000 pump from a previous pool that I hooked up to it. Whenever I unplug the pump, I am having water flow out of the top of the pump. I wondered if at first I had overfilled the pool. I put three small paving blocks underneath the pump to make it higher and this did reduce the amount of water flowing out but it did not stop it.

While I am sure the electric company will be glad for me to leave the pump on 24/7...I would prefer not to do that.

Any ideas as to what might be going on? I thought I followed the directions correctly in hooking up the pump but maybe I did something backwards?

Thanks for your help.

Intex 12 x 24 x 52. Top of pool liner is fraying in the direction that the poles inside the liner run. I am sure that did not make any sense. And the fraying is happening right on top. I can't imagine this is a good thing. Is there anything I can do? It is storming right now but I will try to get a picture when I can.

Thanks!

Good afternoon,

I recently tested my water and was told that the CYA ppm was 161 (normal range 30-100) and was told to drain it, so I did yesterday and just finished filling it up a few hours ago. Info on pool: I have an in ground plaster, medium gray color which holds approx. 15,000 gallons located in Southern CA. I called my local pool supply to ask what chemicals do I need to add for starters? They told me to add 2 gallons of chlorine and one gallon of muriatic acid which I have already done. Also, what water test kit would this forum recommend, one that includes a test for CYA ppm. I read a blog in which a test kit made by Taylor “Complete (FAS-DPD chlorine) M/N K-2006 was recommended

Please advise,

We have to replace the spider valve (yet again), but when we pulled it off, the manifold pipe came up with it. How can we reseat the manifold back into the sand??

This spring we had to redo our 24000 gallons plaster pool (removed all the old plaster, fixed some cracks, re-poured the bond beam, tile, coping, new plaster). After 30 days I installed a SWG chlorinator (Circulpool Universal 40) and added enough salt to get to a 3500 ppm salinity. This measurement is reported by both SWG and a salinity measurement pen like device. I've been in the past following the TFP method without too much stress. I checked the water with test strips, and balanced PH first, chlorine second and didn't worry too much about calcium or CSI. However, with the new pool, I want to make sure I stay on top of all chemicals, to give the plaster a long life. So, I got the TF-100 test kit and started to do daily PH and Chlorine tests, and weekly alkalinity and calcium hardness. I'm struggling a lot with the CYA test, but I'm relatively sure the value is about 60-62. My biggest issue is the PH, I'm having to add muriatic acid every 2 days. I only add 1/2 gallon at one time. I use the HomeDepot HDX brand (14.5% hydrogen chloride). One day my PH would be 7.5, the next is 7.8 and the next one is above 8.0. That's when I add another 1/2 gallon for 2 nights in a row (basically 1 gallon in total) to get it back to 7.5. Alkalinity has been decreasing steadily from 110 to currently 80.

Here are the results of today's tests:
FC: 5
TC: 5
PH: 7.5
TA: 80
CH:400
CYA: 62
SALT: 3500
TEMP: 79.5
CSI: -0.24

According to Pool Math, everything is good (CYA and TA are outside of ideal range, but that's about it). The water looks amazing, perfectly clear and blue.
However, based on experience I know tomorrow PH will be 7.8 and the day after >8.0 if I don't do anything.

I've also heard that new plaster and new SWG will quickly raise PH, but I'm not sure if this is in normal parameters. I'm currently adding 2 gallons of 14.5 muriatic acid to the pool every week.
Also the second part that's confusing for me, lots of non TFP people tell me that my TA is way to low and that's why the quick raises in PH, but Pool Math wants me to lower it more.

Also I've done a test at Leslies, just out of curiosity, and most results came back similar to mine, except they measured the TA at 53 and the CH at 300. I'm trusting my TF-100 kit for now, but I'm a bit confused on why I can't get a handle of my PH and the behavior I'm seeing does in a way match what the "non TFP" workflows suggest, my TA is too low and so I have no PH buffer.

And finally, if this matters, we are in SoCal, the pool is clean, brushed and vacuumed at least weekly.
This PH thing is driving me crazy, any ideas on this forum ?

New to TFP...stumbled upon the site a week or so ago after getting upset that pool store was trying to sell me baking soda for $60. Our pool was finished at the end of August last year and we are complete newbs trying to figure things out after the fact .

Current issue: I noticed black stuff on the bottom of the pool last week and after searching thought it might be black algae (we also had what I think was mustard algae as well). After receiving my TF-100 my initial numbers on 7/3 were:
FC- 0
pH- 8.0
TA- 100
CH 375
CYA- 50

I've been slamming (& addressed the pH and CH) & brushing daily w a wire brush since then. I have passed the OCLT the passed two nights and my numbers this morning are:
FC- 22
pH- 8.2 (I added the amount of MA suggested by PM)
TA- 100
CH- 450
CYA- 45

The other/mustard algae is gone, however the black stains persist (see pic), so I'm not sure if this is black algae or something else (I have not tried the scrape/smear).
Also of note my hubs thinks I'm nuts for trying these "home remedies" and that I should "leave this to the professionals", but I think that's part of our problem (being at the mercy of so-called pros).

TIA

Pool has been clear and balanced all season until last weekend when we had a little get together for the holiday. I didn’t shock around then but I bumped up the SWG to 100% the day before and during the party. Day after I went back to my normal setting and FC stayed the same throughout this. My CYA was a bit lower at 50 though so I added to get it to 60 and after about 3 days I noticed that the water was getting slightly cloudy and then yesterday there was a greenish powder on the bottom. I’m figuring start of algae bloom so I’m starting SLAM today with hopes to get this cleared quickly.

I’ve been going fine all season so far with CYA around 40-50 and FC has been 4-5 and water is clear. Like I said before, I added to get CYA up now that it’s getting super hot and sunny and now I’m noticing the algae bloom. Am I better off keeping CYA lower when I had a clear pool or am I just seeing the effect of not bumping up my FC level now that CYA was slightly higher? Or is it just a little bit of everything (party, lower CYA, warmer water, etc)?

Hello. I have sand entering my pool. I placed a duda filter bag over the return and saw sand. What is the possible cause of this? Any help would greatly be appreciated

Things worth mentioning; sand filter is 18 in, pump is 1.5hp, filter not level.

Could the pump be too powerful and blasting sand into the pool?
Would unlevel filter be an issue with sand entering the pool?

Hi everybody. I woke up to a green and cloudy pool this morning after flash flood type rain yesterday. I have been taking care of my pool for the past three summers and this has never happened. The last time this did happen was the first year I owned this house and I was not taking care of the pool. It happened twice that summer so I decided to educate myself.

Even the last three summers, after crazy rainstorms. I have never woken up to anything but a clear pool.

I am attaching a picture of the pool, and a snapshot of my last two chemical readings. The bottom chemical reading is from yesterday morning before any rain. The top reading is from this morning.

Please note that the CYA that I am reporting is from the pool store. When I test my CYA I get 40 to 50 using the taylor test. I have no confidence in my ability to do the dot test and I have read all the articles and looked at the photos.

Also, I do notice that my pool water looks a lot more crystal clear with my chlorine levels around 6, which leads me to believe that the CYA level from the pool store is the correct reading. I've taken my water to the pool store multiple times and the CYA test was consistent, it even increased proportionally based on a CYA add that I did at one point

No clue how a FC levels of 7.5 and balanced water could not handle a rain storm.

Would love to hear anyone's thoughts. Thank you.

Hi all, my in-ground pool install was completed a few months ago and I stumbled upon TFP while looking for some maintenance tips. Since then, I've gained a lot of valuable knowledge reading through so many great threads and have been able to keep my pool chemistry stable using not much more than my K-2006C, liquid chlorine, and muriatic acid. I'm now looking into automating as much of my pool maintenance as possible to make it a truly trouble free pool!

Hi all,
My dad passed away last week and he was unable to care for the pool before he passed, so they had an algae problem. We are following SLAM. The issue I’m seeing right now is the pool is not circulating well and the filter pressure is nearing 40psi. It is a DE filter. We have been spraying out the filter daily (2 days ago very milky green, yesterday not nearly as visibly dirty). We backwashed yesterday. I cleaned the baskets today (poolside and the basket at the impeller; also checked impeller for clogs). Can you please help me understand why pressure is so high? I am attaching photos of valves. Please be patient with me…I don’t have a pool myself, but am trying desperately to help my mom, since she doesn’t have enough money for significant repairs after the death of my father. THANK YOU!

We have an Aquaguard Electric pool cover with polymer side track ropes to open and close. The mechanism operates with a hydraulic pump. There is only one company that services / repairs Aquaguard in the UK and they are based hundreds of miles away. The cost of getting them here is extortionate! The cover was installed in 2007 and was serviced three yers ago, with a new cover and mechanism installed. From my research ( there seems to be little info about Aquaguard on You Tube) I believe there is a way to adjust the speed of opening & closing the cover. At the moment, it closes to about 1 metre short of the pool end. Only by going back & forth about 6 times can I get it to fully close. It opens fine. I have checked the obvious things such as debris in the tracks, water in the pit, oil in the pump etc. All is good. From looking at other units, some seem to have a pressure release valve that once released, allows you to use a wrench or screwdriver to adjust the speed of the cover. I wonder if anyone could see from the attached photos whether that is an option on this system as I am not sure what I am looking for? In my naivety I thought there wold be two torque adjustment options on the mechanism, one for opening & one for closing. But I can't see any. Unfortunately we inherited the pool with the house and there is no manual and I can't fine any on the web. Any pointers gratefully received as I am trying to avoid having to pay £1500 for a site visit!
Thanks Dougal

I have an Intex 20x48 above ground pool. No matter what I do, I cannot get it level to 3 in on one side or lower. Is it okay to fill it at like this, cuz everywhere I'm looking says it's not. I am so tired of digging dirt and packing dirt, I'm just ready to fill it and use it, anyone knows will you please let me know? Sometimes I don't believe everything Google says.

I have a ~30 year old inground concrete pool and deck. The deck has wood slat dividers between concrete slabs. The wood has deteriorated over the past several years and I am replacing it with PVC trim boards. My question is, should the trim boards be loose in the area between concrete sections or should it be more snug or even caulked in place? The few that I have done our loose enough that I can easily take them in and out of the spacing, or just leave them there and they lay perfectly well. Below the channel where the boards lay is crushed stone that the concrete was poured on many years ago. Snow and water can drain to this and I guess has been since the pool was built. Attached is a picture of the wood and a picture of the PVC board. Thanks in advance for the guidance!

What I have learned about removing filter part stuck in spa.
Jacuzzi Imperial model 75 made in 2000 by Gatsby Spa.
We have owned the house since 2006 and so far I have done all the maintenance myself, including replacing an ozonator, two pumps, and a thermostat.
My spa filters have previously come apart while I was changing them (I wouldn’t call them “broken”), but only this week did one leave a part stuck in the spa that I was unable to remove manually. Only after breaking two small pieces of plastic off with pliers did I look for help. My first thought was ordering a 1.5 inch tub drain extractor, which I am sure would have worked, but first I consulted this and another spa forum for a quicker answer. Sure enough, there were several ideas upon which I borrowed. Thank you to those who contributed ideas of homemade tools to shove inside the stuck plastic piece to unscrew it. The tiny baseball bat I acquired 70 years ago was too big on the hitting end and too small on the handle end. My hammer handle was too wide. I didn't try a caulking tube. One shovel handle was just right with a dishcloth over the end. I pushed it down and turned counterclockwise many times, then found the part mostly screwed out. A wiggle, and I could unscrew it the rest of the way with my hand.
Though I admit the pictured filter is old, I would still chalk up this issue to a filter manufacturing defect. Three of these have come apart cleanly: one thrown away last year and these two about to go into the trash. I would argue the plastic parts should outlast the filter part. I suspect I could use my favorite two-part epoxy glue to reconnect them, but since the filters are old, I will buy two new ones. Perhaps they would last longer if I use a thin layer of that glue on the new ones, but I won’t do that. Note that the pictured intact used one is losing a little of the layer of material that covers the seam where the separation always occurs.
Others have pointed out not to screw these filters on tight. I have never used a tool to do that, and this time I have backed them off a centimeter after they are completely, but loosely screwed on. I doubt weeks of vibrations will cause them to come unscrewed.

Hi guys,

I need to add a blower to my pool equipment. Is it possible to add a split on a circuit so it controls two Pentair relays instead of just one?

I found this splitter online:

Pentair - Adapter, Pentair, Compool, 2 Relays x 1 Circuit - RYALX​

Has anyone try this before?

Thanks