An old 28k pool with a built in spa (no heater anymore). We are planing to replace concrete and coping around the pool and would like to eliminate the spa. Spa has 2 drains and 5 returns)
Can we just fill it up (cap the returns to spa)? Main pool has 3 returns

We just got a Water Guru*.

Water Guru is in our skimmer and Water Gura has been giving me Low Flow Warnings.
Pump is Heyward TriStar 900

Here is my Observaed Data:

250W At 1850 RPM, Filter 0 PSI, Water Guru Flow 14GPM

460W At 2300 RPM, Filter 2 PSI, Water Guru 17GPM

855W At 2875 RPM, Filter 8 PSI, Water Guru 19GPM

Does Water Guru suck at measuring flow or do I have a potential plumbing issue? Pool and equipment are all new as of last year.


*I understand they are not super accurate for measuring pool chemistry but we are away for up to a week at a time in the early and late season so I just wanted something that will give me a good sense if my FC is drifting way too high or way too low while I am away.

My M500 is about 4 years old and not climbing well. Th tracks looks a bit worn but are not loose. Since I am changing the climbing rings are there any other parts that I should change out?

So I bought a 2025 Master spa Twilight 8.2. . He said it did not come with a salt system but I could add it on for an additional $700 cost. Is it worth it to get it? Thanks

We closed our 18’ above ground pool for winter but it failed and the pool had so much nasty stuff in it we decided to drain and start over. We have now cleaned it and it is ready to fill. However, we are going to be gone on vacation for 7 weeks. I had originally thought we would fill and just leave the pump rink g 24/7 while we are gone, but I don’t have anyone to come check the chemicals and I am concerned it will get an algae bloom once the chemicals get out of balance. I thought about adding the winterizer and putting the winter cover back on and not turning on the pump. But we will want to use the pool soon after we return…. I read on this forum that is is t good to leave the pool empty. So I would appreciate your ideas on the best course of action at this point.

We are in Seattle so the weather over the next 8 weeks is a Crud shoot- we could get a heat wave or it could be cold and rainy the whole time.

Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Renovated our pool and had to fill for the pool guys to finish their work, had some issues with equipment which I’ve now fixed, but pool was sitting for almost two weeks. It wasn’t super green, just slightly green and cloudy. On day 9 of SLAM, it’s definitely better but still cloudy. I’ve passed two days in a row of the overnight chlorine test and not showing any combined chlorine, do I need to keep the FC at 20 until it runs clear? CYA at 45. I do have a sand filter and have been backwashing frequently, I know it takes longer just trying to figure out if I need to keep the high FC level. Thanks!

Got this no-brand pump I need to test out. Mainly I have two questions:

1. What parts do I need to install this? I think I need the below. Pipe image below so you can see what fits snugly into the adapter (but only into the inner half of it; see attached video in zip file).

• https://www.amazon.com/Spears-Fitting-Adapter-Schedule-Barbed/dp/B008I4CWZQ (1.5 inch variety) x 2
• https://www.amazon.com/4607-1-1-Degree-Elbow-Schedule/dp/B007Q2FXY8/ x 1

2. How exactly does the provided (came with pump) black adapter seal against the integral receiving pipe of the basket chamber? Does it just create a watertight seal due to the smooth plastic surfaces being compressed against each other? Video attached in zip file.




Pipe that fits:


Overview:

Hey everyone, I purchased a "new" PX300 off ebay and it came with a safety capacitor(I googled the numbers on it). Has anyone used something like this? I googled pictures of similar transformers and they don't have it. My new pool lights are 12v.

Hi, recently bought a house with an in ground pool and wanted to get some reliable information. Came here from a Reddit sub thread! Very early days, haven't taken the cover off yet but can already see issues of water getting in through poor drainage and doesn't look like the heater or pump were ever connected so think we've got a bit of a project on our hands. Will not be rushing into anything.

Hey there everyone,

I've been lurking for about a year and have learned so much from this community on maintaining the 15k gallon in ground pool we inherited when we moved. After maintaining with liquid chlorine the last year, I decided to put a SWG in for this season. Since I was already on the upgrade train and Duke increased their incentive for energy star pumps, I bought one and am looking to replace the 17-year-old Pentair pump they had in there. Looking at the manual for the new pump, it's telling me I should have 12.5 inches of straight pipe before the inlet (2.5" OD). How critical is this? The new pump has a coupler so I will need to modify the current pump inlet anyway but, it's currently a lot closer to that 3-way valve than the manufacturer recommends.

After we got the place I had to fix several suction side leaks including cracked 3-way valve housings and I basically replumbed the same way the builder had it but, added the 90 degree sweeps with new valves (please feel free to laugh at my horrible PVC cement job!).

I'm looking for some opinions on if I should just add the coupler to the short inlet pipe and be done with it? The new pump has the same inlet/outlet configuration so I would just have to add the coupler that came with the pump.

Alternatively, I am thinking about re-plumbing to extend the straight inlet section to 12.5" and move the 3-way valves back in line with the 3 supply lines from the main/skimmers. At the same time, I would replace the pump outlet plumbing to add sweeps, move the hose fitting, possibly get rid of the 2-way valve that goes to the vacuum port (seems redundant?), replace the canister that's leaking, and replace the coupling that goes to the spider valve.

See my pictures, hopefully they give a better picture of what's in my head. (The circuit on the left with the black jandy pump is separate for a waterfall. I have no idea why it was done that way but, that's what the owners did when they built the place. I have a bunch of other problems from the winter with this that I'll save for a separate post hah). Unfortunately, I think I would have to throw out those two new jandy valves I just replaced if I moved everything but, also seems like a good opportunity to streamline the plumbing?

My Hayward Astrolite is not working Has voltage but not continuity.
Any suggestions I have 120V but not much available in the that voltage so might convert to 12V.
Any recommended brands prefer non Hayward as I am not impressed with there products.

Hi all,

My water was crystal clear this morning but noticed the PH was a bit low. I guess I added more than necessary because it went very purple on my Taylor test kit (I assume over 8). The water got very cloudy.

I used a PH decreased and got it down to normal levels, but the water is still very cloudy.

Alkaline 60
Calcium 220
Chlorine 3

Should I just run the jets for a day? Or do I need to drain and refill?

Hello from warm Arizona! My family has purchased and built a 14 foot round, 48 inch deep pool. We purchased the HTH Pool Care Kit for Opening/Closing Pool, we used the test strips and HTH app to try to figure out how to get us to the appropraite levels for our 1st swim. We had it to where all but the FC (low) and TA (high) levels were good, we followed the HTH app recommendations of adding 1lb of Shock for the FC level and adding 13lbs of pH Down for the TA levels. After waiting about 20 hours, using another HTH Test Strip, FC is high, pH is low, TA is low, TH is normal and CYA is low. From everything I have read and after calling a local pool store, we are going to purchase a different Pool Test Kit so we can use actual water samples but I'll be honest - I barely passed chemistry/science. Any advice, support, prayers would be appreciated.

Getting ready for the 30 day mark after our plaster install last month. I will be adding salt the first week of May to our new pool I just built

Couple questions below regarding the first step of adding salt and maintenance to Pentair IC-15….

-The IC-15 should be set on a timer to correspond with the pump timer. Essentially, the IC-15 should only be powered on and “running” when the pump is running? Correct? I have a separate timer for the IC-15 that is on the same schedule as the built in pump timer

-How frequently should I be dissembling this thing and cleaning it out for maintenance? Is that a fairly easy task?

-Is there any specific math or calculation to know how much exact salt I should be adding to my 3,000 gallon pool? Are you essentially adding more every season/multiple times a season? Or is a once and done per year

-Will the PH level become sporadic again after adding salt? My plaster is 3 weeks cured right now and it seems that the PH level is just starting to become level and even day to day with minimal acid need

So I went out to check my levels and darn near zero reading on chlorine. Though maybe my reagent was bad so I took a sample to the pool store and same result. I cleaned my SWG a couple weeks ago and it looked fine. Salt level is 3300 and one of my returns spits out little bubbles when the SWG is "on" (tested this theory by turning it off and the bubbles stop). Don't the bubbles mean it's working? Any other way to test it? Thanks!!

Just received my TF-Pro kit and maybe I'm holding it wrong. First test I tried was the free chlorine test. Instructions say to fill 10ml of pool water and one scoop of R-0870 power. The water turns very dark pink and takes around 90-100 drops of R-0871 to turn clear. We're new pool owners, just moved in last fall and used the company the previous owners had used for closing/opening. They opened on Thursday (24th) and put in opening chemicals (I have since learned that might not have been great). Pool store test (I also know not great, hence the kit, but was there to get a new vacuum hose) came back with 6.0ppm of free chlorine. What am I doing wrong, and thanks in advance!

hello,
we bought a house (texas) with a pool and moving in soon. this will be our first pool so many things to read on. pool was built 2 years ago, vinyl, salt maybe, 20k gallon, service by local pool company. that’s all the info we got. thought i can get more info here. i’m planning to maintain it myself if it’s not too terrible. planning to buy the taylor kit and try it out. i included picture of the system. what do i have? where’s the pump, filter ( type?), generator? what can or should i control or change? is water loss a thing? do i replace the water loss with just water from the hose? any daily/weekly/monthly/yearly things to do will be greatly appreciated.

I’m wanting to purchase a nice pool water tester. Is it possible to purchase one like what they use at the pool stores? One that works with a computer and I can print out step by step instructions?

Spa return jets work in spa and spillway modes, but not in pool/auto mode. Valves in pool/auto mode are set to return water to the pool and the spa. I have to run my pump at 2100 rpms to get even a slight return to the spa in pool/auto mode.

First time poster but long time lurker.

I had to replace my 2 speed Jandy pump a month or so ago. Moved to Jandy PLUS HP 2.7 VSP. In the past all my work as been done by my builder but their prices went way up this year and a local pool repair company had much better rates so I had them come out and replace it. Unfortunately I think his tech had no idea or just didn't care how he setup the pump and had essentially every speed set to 2700. I do have a heat pump as well. We spend the majority of our time in the pool between 4 and 7 pm.

In addition this new pool group actually installed the wrong pump as I ordered the one with the speed set but they installed it without. The have offered to either refund the difference and/or come install a speed set.

1) Is there any real need for a speed set if I have aqualink?

2) After reviewing the site I think I got it but wanted to see if you all had any concerns or suggestions with this setup?

Settings:
1 Filter 1800
2 Low Speed 2000
3 Cleaner 2750
4 Mid Speed 2400
5 Temp 1 3000
6 Temp 2 2500
7 High Speed 2800
8 unused

Schedule (summer)
Filter 8:00 - 8:30
High Speed 8:31 - 11:00
Cleaner 8:45-10:45
Low Speed 11:01 - 4:00
Mid Speed 4:01 - 7:00
Filter 7:01 - 9:00

Schedule (Winter)
Filter 8:30 - 9:00
High Speed 9:01 - 11:00
Cleaner 9:15-10:45
Low Speed 11:01 - 4:00
Filter 4:01 - 5:30

We just bought a house with a pool and I'm on the learning curve to figure how to take care of it. TFP has been a great resource.

One item I recommend folks who bought a house with a pool do is to check in whether the prior owner replaced any items with an incorrect part number. I was completely unaware that the prior owners (or their pool service) replaced the skimmer float valve with the wrong part. This surfaced while trying to figure out what my particular pool components were with the help of @JamesW.

Turns out this is a particularly bad error. As the photo below shows, what I had was something with a smaller diameter. This makes it worse than useless as the edge of the disk actually covered the primary input line to the pool filter/heater pump (again thanks to @JamesW for helping me to know that)! For a while (since we first moved in) I had wondered why the waterfall from the spa into the pool was rather choppy. Turns out this was the problem: the pump had been working extra hard as it was being somewhat starved of water so the flow to the spa was reduced. Moreover, there was one occasion where the waterfall just mysteriously stopped. In hindsight, the water level dropped too much and the float valve was unable to do it's job (i.e. switch the water source from the skimmer to the main drain).

Once I replace this item (with the o-ring it came with -- which was also missing) the water fall started working beautifully with full force. Also I tested reducing water level ... this time the valve worked ... it dropped as designed to seal the skimmer from the input and all water was drawn from the 'equalizer' (main drain) with the waterfall still working. Although I can't hear a difference I'm sure my pump is working better as well.

Another, perhaps less important item, was that the Wier gate was missing entirely. I bought one of those and installed it as well. The cost being a drop in the bucket of a very expensive home. Note: the Wier gate had rough sides that rubbed a little against the skimmer and didn't rotate smoothly (which is perhaps why the original was discarded) so I had to sand both sides ~1/16"... now it moves easily and works to pull surface debris much more effectivly than without one

Hello
I dropped water level around October. Took 1st pic Dec 9th and 2nd pic today. Due to the drop of my above ground 10k gallon pool here in east Tennessee, was wondering if you think i have a leak or is it evaporating? I was also adding 30min of water every 2 days last summer.

Hi all. I have an inground plaster pool/spa. One of the return jets in the spa moves sporadically up and down side to side etc. Not just the water but also the physical jet component. There is flow coming out of it. The other 4 return jets are working just fine. What’s causing this and how do I fix this issue?

Hello,

I live in Canada and my pool has now all the water melted. We didn’t covered it since in here they recommended us to leave it uncovered so that it fills in with the water from the snow. We only covered with a net in autum.

I have a question regarding the SWA. It is still too cold to turn it on, the water is around 5-6 degrees but I am concerned about the water developing bacteria. What do people usually do? Do they use chlorine tablets or liquid chlorine in the meantime? Or should I just not be concerned and turn my SWA on once the water is warm enough?

Any tips would be appreciated.

Thank you

I just happened to be hanging over the edge. Because my water isn’t moving yet, I was able to see all the black yuck behind this light! What do I do? Two of them are like this.

Hello all
I just completed a complete overhaul of my pool. About 10k gallon plaster pool that I had resurfaced with pebble tec. All new equipment which includes:
Pentair intellicenter i5PS
Pentair IC40 SWG
Pentair CC150 Cartridge Filter
Pentair Superflo 2.2HP VSP

I followed all the recommendations for the new pebble surface as in daily brushing and just using liquid chlorine to maintain the chemistry for the first month. I am now at about the six week mark and I am ready to start up the SWG. I should add that this is my first time working with a salt pool so I know nothing except what I have tried to read up on! The pool chemistry, using a Taylor test kit is as follows:
FC=4
CC=0
PH=7.9
TA=90
CH=260
CYA=34 (A bit low but deathly afraid of overshooting!)
Salt=3400

My question: When I energized the IC40 for the first time (about 10 minutes ago) it came back with a salt reading of 2800. Of course this is telling me I have a low salt condition as Pentair recommends 3600. Now I tend to think that the Taylor test result of 3400 is way more accurate than the onboard IC40 result of 2800. How do I proceed going forward? Add a bit more salt? I added 40lb bags of salt, one at a time, and tested after 24 hours with each bag to determine how much one 40lb bag would raise the salt ppm. Turns out each bag raised it by 600ppm, according to the Taylor test. Water temp is about 79 degrees. Why is there such a large divergence in the two salt readings? I really don’t want to over shoot the salt content but I do want the IC40 to be happier. How should I proceed? Will the two salt readings get closer together over time, as in does a brand new IC40 need a “break in period” to get better salt readings?
Again, newbie at this salt water stuff and any and all help is appreciated!
Thanks for your time.

I’ve always had pool company open and close. Last year I opened myself! I did have them close, but I discovered all the things that weren’t being done and that we should be doing. I took a lot of extra care last year to prep and finish up. They never winterized my laminars all these years. Each year, I’d open, and it would look like an animal imploded- sludge everywhere inside the housing. It was disgusting. Last season, I cleaned, drained, disconnected, and turned upside down for storage.

Opened my first one- nearly dry, pretty darn clean. No sludge. Yay!!

2nd. No sludge. But full of water. This lowes bucket is nearly 1/3 full of what I scooped out.

I would have done all of this after they closed.

Thoughts? Rainwater not draining?

Do you guys put anyone in the bottom of your laminars housing? Mine is just a hole to the earth with no clearance!

Hi, the pool company had the pump set up for me at 3400 because the pool equipment is about 70 to 80 feet away from the pool. I was playing around today trying to modify it so that I can have it run full speed during the day and then low speed overnight. I don’t know if I did it right does anybody have any experience with this and be able to help me set it up? Thank you so much for any input or help. right now I’m nervous. I just messed it all up by even trying to play with it.

Hi,

This year, when i opened my pool, when i try to backwash my pool, my sand filter pressure is high as usual. In the past when i backwash my pool, it is normally 21 psi, but this year when i backwash, i see it is going to 29. Could you let me know what wrong with my sand filter?