I am new here and have questions about my pH and Alk. Pool came with house we just bought in Dec. It is 14000 gal plaster. Looks like it was not maintained well in past. Minimal staining on bottom, considerable paint loss on bottom, beige build up on sides that will not brush off even with metal bristles. Treated twice for yellow algae, hope I have it under control now. Currently using cal hypo, will switch to beach when I run out of my current stock. Removed floating tab duckies 2 months ago. Partial draining is not really an option so I am riding out the 90 CYA until fall when we plan to have pool resurfaced.My alk is consistently 110, pH is constantly 8. Keeping FC at 7 and above, I shoot for 11. CH 280. Water temp 88. I use pool math to calculate. I do my own testing but do confirm these numbers at the pool store. I live in Texas. My questions are as follows:
Is it normal to add 1 qt muratic acid everyday? pH comes down but by next day it is always back to 8
Is it normal to add 2 lbs shock every other day?
When using Pool Math calculator should I be using the true alk number of 110 or the cya corrected number of 80?
Why will my pH not stay down in the recommended range for any length of time?

Thanks for any help provided.

Hello all,

I recently resurfaced my pool with NPT Stonescapes mini pebble. My pool is about 11,000 gallons and a skinny 'free shape' looking, about 30' x 8'. I replaced my old Sand Filter with a new Pentair Clean & Clear 420 Plus Cartridge. In addition, I upgraded all my 14 pop-up heads with the new Venturi G2 and the G2 non-Venturi 'adjustable' for the steps (low pressure).

My current pump schedule is as follows:

4 hours (11am-3pm) on 3,000 RPM
8 hours (3:01pm - 11pm) on 1,600 RPM
Then from 11:01pm - 10:59am on 1,300 RPM.

Question: Is the schedule above good enough with the new Venturi pop-ups, or should I make a change, perhaps decrease the 3K RPM to something lower?

Thanks all.

Did some research and was not 100% sure whether an old pool heater (Rome Industries, AquaComfort S95) can cause rusty water (e.g., the heat exchanger is rotted) - I thought I "fixed" the issue by repairing rusty wall behind my liner last year but the rusty water is worse this year - posted by repair here last year.

Also, we do not use the heater at all (but we do run it once in awhile as maintenance), and whether the water runs through the heat exchanger regardless of the heater being on vs. off (just the heater core is not "hot", perhaps?)

Since we find ourselves dumping pounds of ascrobic acid almost on a daily basis, we are also wondering whether I can simply get rid of it. Is this a simply DIY to "reconnect" the piping?

Thanks!

Hi!

My aqua rite was producing chlorine as expected and was displaying 2800-3300 salt which is accurate to my salt test strips. Suddenly and overnight, my cell is no longer producing chlorine and my salt reading dropped from 2800-3300 to 300.

Is this consistent with a dead cell ? Serial number is 3E15062-202851 if this helps determine age.

Thanks

Pool had a relatively new Polaris booster installed When I purchased it. I’m switching to a robotic cleaner…
Can the booster be repourposed as a dedicated spa pump or maybe the bubbler instead?

Hi all!

I'm a bit new to the pool world....

I have an enormous crack/leak by the bulkhead/o-ring going into the sand filter however I don't know what model number my sand filter is but I've been able to see the product number for the bulk head which is "de360fb." I've attached pics of the situation.

Question 1 - any1 know what the model number of my filter is? (it's a hayword filter know that much)

Question 2 - how do I go about the fix? Just replace the o-ring?

thanks to everyone who helps in advance!

My pool has high alkalinity, but I don't want to buy a pump to aerate the water, so I want to install a return fountain (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PYRL67X). I started to remove the return fittings, and managed to get the lock and the eyeball itself out, but it seems I also need to remove the seat, which is stuck.

I bought a metal SP1419T Removal Tool (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B56LC3NG), but it seems like the eyeball seat itself was installed directly into the plaster. When I try to turn the tool in either direction, I heard a snap, and then plastic flecks float out of the seat.

Before I completely destroy the seat, I was hoping you guys could check if I should keep trying, or maybe wait until I need to replaster the pool and have those guys break these out and replace them. Let me know if I need better pictures...

Thanks in advance!

Hey Again -

We seem to be having our fair share of start-up problems so far.

The latest is that we cannot get our Intellibrite lights to sync. Here's the setup:

One Intellibrite Pool light

One Intellibrite Spa light

Both wired together through a single 12v transformer.

Connected to Easy Touch panel through a single AUX relay. Circuit is labeled as Intellibrite for Aux2, is labeled as 'Lights' and is set up in the Lights/Config menu as 'Lights' under #1.

Lights come on and off no problem but are different colors. The Sync feature on the Easy Touch toggles the relay a few times but the end result is usually a red spa light and a blue pool light. The pool light seems to be following the commands from the Easy Touch panel. If I choose Green, the pool light turns green but the spa light goes into party mode with multiple colors flashing.

Any ideas on how to get these things in sync? I wanted them to be switched separately but our PB pretty much ignored it and wired them together. I'll redo them some day but for now, I would just like them to be the same color.

Thanks in advance.

Videos of the pump failing to start

Ordered from Pool Supply Unlimited in February.

Installed end of April.

Turned it off today to switch the filter to backwash and it will not come back on normally now. Just continually starting up for a few second, then shutting down.

Submitted an RMA request to Pool Supply Unlimited.

I was out floating around yesterday for three hours or so. Water was clear and warm. When I got out of the pool, my skin was very dry. My young daughter complained of itchy skin. Neither of us has particularly sensitive skin.

I had my solar cover on for a few days, so I allowed my FC to creep up a bit high for my CYA level. I've never given higher FC levels a second thought as I like the extra insurance against algae. Nothing else in my chemistry stands out as a contributing factor. Could the higher ratios of FC to CYA cause dry skin?

FC 9.5
CC 0
pH 7.5
TA 90
CH 300
CYA 70
Salt 3200
Temp 87
CSI -0.23

Hi all,

3 times now over the past month I have woken up to see the hot tub and heater running. one time I had used the spa the night before but it was 99% shut off as I grilled dinner later that night and would have noticed the spa on. The 2nd time teenage son use the spa the evening prior, said he turned it off, but I figured ok maybe not and didn't think further. Well this morning I woke it, pool was running and nobody use the spa last nite.

So first two times I said "probably wasn't something we did but maybe" but the 3rd time now I really think it has come on by itself.

If there any way programmatically to prevent this sort of thing? I just have 2 timers set in Intellicenter, one for the pool and one for the lights.

Hi All,

I’m preparing to add RS-485 Surge protection to my 2 IntelliPro VSF pumps, MasterTemp and IntelliChem data lines. I will use the SerialComm RS-485 Surge Protector as recommended here. My plan is to add a ground bus (top right in picture below) to handle all the additional ground wires (8, for the 4 surge suppressors), 12 awg (flexible, stranded) for ground wires and excess wire from my VSF communication cable to reconnect the surge suppressors back to the IntelliCenter control boards.

Is this plan the best way to go? I’m going to add many additional wires and the suppressors to a relatively small area. Is the ground bus approach and placement ok? Should I rather place the suppressors for the MasterTemp and IntelliChem in their units and not inside the IntelliCenter Control Power Center? Other considerations?

Thanks,

Tony

Need to replace current fixture ,got 22 years out of it.
Its a Hayward astrolight Sp-0580 series , 120Volt 500watt.
Want to install 12 volt LED (already have transformer, )
Can someone tell me what other brands of lights will fit in niche ?
35,000 gal liner pool. Thanks.

We currently have a Hayward Super Pump 2HP (SP2615X20). We think it's over 15+ years old and is making very loud noises which we believe are the bearings. We are looking to replace because of the age. We have added a SWG and a heat pump in the past few years and I think that may increase our need for the pump.

We did a TDH test with gauges and got a TDH of 83.

We were looking at a Hayward pump replacement: MaxFlo VS, SuperPump VS of Tristar VS. Our existing plumbing is 1.5" if that makes a difference. Any suggestions?

Hi, please look at this video and the photos. This is an unusual location for a leak isnt it? There is clearly a seam on both ports, but I am not sure how it could produce a leak. Is this a matter of needing o-rings, or tightening something? I do I need to get some marine epoxy and seal that seam up? any thoughts or experience with a plumbing leak at this location on a mastertemp heater? video of drip

I believe I have mustard algae, when I brush the sides or bottom , a cloud of yellowish dust is kicked up, it's been vacuumed but comes back, however the pool is pretty clear , I only noticed due to brushing and then checking if it was still there after vacuuming...
My question is , can we swim today before I go through SLAM + super shock next week to get rid of it?

I'm seriously considering purchasing a hot tub and considering acrylic tubs with speakers. Was told plastic is more durable than acrylic and tubs with speakers are pointless because you barely hear your music over the jets and pump. Is this true? Are tubs with BT speakers overrated? Please let me know what your experience has been.

So I was getting an FL 4, bad ignitor. Tested it and confirmed it had failed. Ordered a new one, installed it, turned it on... got FL 0.

Ran a backwash (it looked nasty in the filter glass), tried again... it fires, burns for a few seconds, then shuts off with no error code. Normally when it's firing, the little flame animation starts going, but in this case it doesn't.

Confirmed that the clock is set properly and the operation isn't stopped by schedule (it's 6:30pm; schedule is 8am to 8pm).

Any suggestions on what to check next? It was working fine before the ignitor went.

Does anyone own or have experience fixing Aquabot roller issues? Inherited this broken robot cleaner with our pool and house purchase. Was originally purchased in 2008, so I'm also wondering how long the thing will last and if it's worth trying to fix it.

Appears to be a broken WHEEL TUBE ASSY. - AS38253CGY. There are some sellers of parts, and I figure I can probably handle fixing it myself. If anyone has any insider knowledge, please share!

I’m new to this site. We’ve had our pool for two years and are basically doing ok. However, we are in the country and have a water well, not City water. The three things that are always needing attention are phosphate levels, chlorine stability, and alkalinity and Calcium hardness. Seems alkalinity and CA are somehow linked.

Anyway, I just ordered a Taylor test kit and will get it in Saturday. Hope I can learn from that kit and this site. Seems the pool store just wants my cash and isn’t too interested in helping me learn how to manage it.

Hey guys I have been dealing with a horrible thrips invasion since my neighbor brought in 4 truckloads of compost that they put on their lawn. They are everywhere not only killing my garden but in the pool too. I had hoped they would move on by now since it is so hot and dry but every time I clean the skimmer they are all over it. They bite like demons, worse than any fire ant bite.
Should I bring the FC level up to the SLAM level for 24 hours to see if I can get them to move on? Passed a OCLT the other night just to be sure and the pool is crystal clear.
Thanks

Hoping someone can help solve our issue with our solar system. We have Helicol solar panels (7), with a 3 way actuator. It's been working fine for about 6 years, but now on both heating and nocturnal cooling, the valve opens and the pump speed raises just fine. However, when the temp reaches the set point, the intellicenter app shows that the solar has stopped heating or cooling, but the pump speed stays up and the valve does not close. If we hard boot the intellicenter panel, the valve closes and stays closed and the pump speed comes back down.
We've checked the wires and they seem fine. It's seems as if the communication is good to open the valve and raise the pump, but not to close the valve and lower the pump speed. Could this be a bad actuator? It turns easily both ways manually. The shaft was replaced a few months ago.

Hello, I have a new pool and auto cover. My cover is binding up and stopping at the same spot in the track. Then my keypad won’t work. Is there a time out period to protect the system?

I just purchased a house in Florida with a small gunite/pebbletec pool (gulf coast near tampa). My guess is it's only about 8k gallons. I live in Houston and have a ~30k gallon gunite/pebbletec pool that I've maintained (with the help of TFP!) for 25 years. As I won't be at the new house much for the next few months while we close things out in TX, I hired a pool guy and he supposedly has been servicing the pool. I got to the house yesterday for the first time and there is a massive algae bloom with very tough green algae. I've been scrubbing with a wire brush and it's barely coming away. I have not seen algae like this in TX. Even when my aging plaster started pitting, the algae embedded in the pits was very small and localized. I bought a small Taylor 2-way kit and the chlorine was 1-2 with

The biggest question is, would this tough green algae really bloom in 4 days? I have never seen it grow that fast in TX. The pool guy, of course, blamed it on the weather and now wants to show up twice a week for double the $$$. Should I fire him and find somebody else?

I am leaving on Friday for several weeks again, so I'm at the mercy of relying on somebody until I get here full time.

Photo before and after much brushing.

I have a del aop 50 and it’s great but the red light comes on during my programmed scheduled cleaning every night. This is insufficient flow. When I manually use a higher rom the red light goes away. Currently the auto pool setting is like 2,200 rpm but I want to change that to 2,700 rpm. I don’t know how to re-program this. The mobile has a programming section but there’s nowhere to change the rpms of certain mode. But I don’t know how to make the Intellitouch change that auto setting. Any advice would help or any recommended videos too. Thanks.

I have some pool maintenance needs and thought I could find some helpful tips and info here at TFP - equally so for my new hot tub.

i have a jandy lxi 400p pool heater from roughly 2008 that will not start.

the history is that this heater did not work when i attempted to use it about 1.5 years ago, so i figured out that the low voltage cable connecting it to the aqualink rs control system was bad. after replacing and reterminating the wires for this connection, the heater worked for the next ~6 months. the heater is refusing to start again, presumably for different reasons that the first time because i've confirmed the low voltage connection between the controller and the heater is live.

i've searched the forum quite a bit to self-educate and found the extremely helpful wiki entry for jandy lxi heaters. from this page, i followed it to the jandy troubleshooting guide with the wiring diagram for the lxi heater series. i have followed these instructions and checked the first few steps, but i have found that at step 5 (page 6) that if i don't see 24 vac between the water pressure switch line and ground, it says

"Do a Back Pressure Test, if pressure is higher than 2 PSI, replace Water Pressure Switch, if less clean filter, baskets or repair pressure problem"

i'm guessing i have a bad water pressure switch, but i would like to confirm that before ordering a replacement part. i couldn't find documentation on how to perform a back pressure test and have no idea how involved this is.

input appreciated, thanks for reading!

Anyone have any advice…

FC. .11
CC. .25
PH. 7.2
TA. 107
CH. 515
CA. 45
Phosphates 2074

Water is crystal clear. Upon opening this season I cannot get FC to raise over .23. I am waiting on my TF pro test kit to arrive so have been taking samples over to Leslie’s several times per day/ week. I have shocked and slammed several times using pool math app equations.
Contributors could possible be??:
-Pool cover has been open for about a week waiting on company to fix in two days.
-person who closed the pool in fall did not put any chemicals in pool so when it was opened this season it looked worse than it ever has over 15 years.
Anyway, if anyone has any ideas, I’d appreciate it. My kids are dying to swim

Morning everyone

I have a Pentair Warrior SE pool cleaner (aka Maytronics 920 aka Prowler 920 aka 'Dory our robot pool cleaner'). She works fine, and has been living a comfortable life in and out of our new pool for the past almost 3 years.

The blue power cord is starting to break down in this horrible Houston heat and sun, and is leaving little blue flakes all over the surface of the water. This is more of an annoyance than anything, but I asked Pentair about a warranty replacement and they laughed and pointed me to a $213 new cable. Mind you, the entire robot was $699.

From past pool robots I know they tend to die a quick and painful death due to motor failure, so I'm wondering if anyone has one sitting in their shed and would be willing to part out the power cable. It's long and blue, tends to get tangled up pretty easily, and has a swivel joint on it that doesn't seem to do a heck of a lot <shrug>.

Alternatively, has anyone figured out a DIY way to fix the cable? I'm actually considering a couple cans of Plasti-dip and a messy afternoon, but I don't know how long that would last and if the end result would be worse than the current situation.

Hello all, I stumbled across TFP whilst researching a pool-related question (I'll post that separately). Looks like a great resource with a lot of knowledge in the group, so I signed up. I'm new on the forum but not a pool newbie; had an above-ground pool for the past 22 years before a big windstorm did it in this past spring. Purchased a new 21" round to replace it, currently waiting for the install to happen. I live in Rochester NY, so unfortunately it's always a short season!