Small Pool Build - Brisbane, Australia [emoji1037]

[kimkats]

Liz it is all good. You have a good PB so trust him and move on.

Heater-PLEASE do not turn it on yet. You do NOT want any of that plaster dust to go through it. The dust can clog it up. Wait until you don't see any dust when you brush.

LOL on guard dogs on more---do they know how to "speak" on command? You can retrain them to at least bark when people come up.

Kim

 

[riley00dog]

Heater-PLEASE do not turn it on yet. You do NOT want any of that plaster dust to go through it. The dust can clog it up. Wait until you don't see any dust when you brush.

Kim

Thanks Kim. Heat pump is good to go when I want to use it. He talked me through how to use it and the solar cover (which is so easy to put on and off - thanks to the super ugly roller). I told him I didn’t want to run it until the water had cleared. He said it was absolutely fine to run and won’t damage the unit. Said once again, no thanks. I want it off until the pool has cleared. He also advised that I get a good test strip kit. Told him I had a ccl ready to go. He laughed so hard. Told me there are way less complicated tests kits I could get. I could be done in 10 seconds [emoji35]

A couple of very, very small leaks with other equipment plumbing. Will get pb to take a look if they continue. Also not sure on this whole auto ph thing. I know the container of acid is automatically fed to lower ph. But unsure how it raises the ph? Ph started at 6.9 and is now 7.3 just not sure how it got there! I asked the heat pump guy as he’s been working with pools for over 15 years ;he is completely unrelated to our pb) and he said that it was the chlorine generated from the salt cell? I am so confused right now! The only instruction manual I don’t have is the one I need. Will google and download and watch some YouTube videos. I feel like I’m good with the basics but this equipment is not what I’ve been reading about for the past 6 months... I probably should have done so. Oh well it’s not yet mine to take care of so still time to learn.

 

[CantSwim2047]

Also not sure on this whole auto ph thing. I know the container of acid is automatically fed to lower ph. But unsure how it raises the ph? Ph started at 6.9 and is now 7.3 just not sure how it got there!

My understanding is that pool pH tends to rise over time in general, and that aeration of the water can speed up pH rise. Also read that SWCG’s can tend to increase pH more than those dosing liquid chlorine (but I don’t recall the reasoning well enough to explain it). And finally, also read that curing plaster will cause pH to rise more quickly at first and that this should decrease over time.

Once my pool gets filled and running, I expect to be dealing with keeping the pH down at least for the first month or two but maybe even for the first year.

- - - Updated - - -

BTW, I’m excited for your pool. It looks great and it’s gotta be exciting to have it all running and let the kids take a swim!

 

[needsajet]

pH will always rise up to 7.8 or 8 ish without intervention. You won't need to raise pH, and your acid doser only looks after lowering it. Set it and see if it does the job, but don't set it any lower than 7.7 for now. Use your test kit result as the actual pH number, not what the unit says. If it's the same, great, but eventually it will drift away and need re-calibrating. The test kit never needs re-calibrating.

The delay on salt is mostly due to impurities in the salt. If you brush after adding salt, any bits of metal in the salt will get moved around and not stain. As they dissolve, the startup tech will sequester them, so not much to worry about. About the only thing I worry about with salt is turning off the SWC when adding salt. High salt level is not good for the SWG, so better to be sure no strong salty water ever gets to it.

Glad to hear Jeff is hard at work and I bet that water is sparkling very soon!

When that cover wears out, a grey one might be just normal cover-ugly and not hideous, lol

 

[riley00dog]

My understanding is that pool pH tends to rise over time in general, and that aeration of the water can speed up pH rise. Also read that SWCG’s can tend to increase pH more than those dosing liquid chlorine (but I don’t recall the reasoning well enough to explain it). And finally, also read that curing plaster will cause pH to rise more quickly at first and that this should decrease over time.

Once my pool gets filled and running, I expect to be dealing with keeping the pH down at least for the first month or two but maybe even for the first year.

- - - Updated - - -

BTW, I’m excited for your pool. It looks great and it’s gotta be exciting to have it all running and let the kids take a swim!

Thanks Can’t Swim. That was my understanding too about ph, although I I didn’t know that swg had a tendency to up the ph. It’s just strange as at 7am ph was 6.9 and only a matter of 2 or 3 hours later was 7.3. It’s now 7.5, which is what it’s set at. I guess the auto dosing MA will stop it getting any higher. I do expect that the system will have to work hard to keep the ph down once I let my boys loose in the pool lol. I will test later if I have a chance after brushing to see how close the numbers are to my test kit.

We are very excited, I am just so sore and tired from brushing. I knew it would be hard work but it’s so much harder than I thought. Hopefully my muscles will adjust soon!

 

[Costas > DownUnder]

I guess the auto dosing MA will stop it getting any higher.

Have you calibrated the PH probe using the PH standard supplied in the Clear Choice Labs test kit?

You can also disable the auto dosing feature simply by winding up the chosen PH level to say 9.0.

This way it will never auto dose out any acid - however you can still manually dose via the chlorinator via its mtce menu ie. dose out 'X' litres of acid and the perstaltic pump will then dose the amount you have manually selected.

 

[kimkats]

He laughed about your having a GREAT test kit??? DUDE, come just a little closer..................SLAP and BAM! There, now I feel better! Oh and here are your guess strips............oh you can see them????? Nor can the sun! So there! Now I feel all the way better!

Liz you are getting a good handle on the whys and hows. Keep asking questions and thinking out loud.

Kim

 

[riley00dog]

Small Pool Build - Brisbane, Australia ??

Have you calibrated the PH probe using the PH standard supplied in the Clear Choice Labs test kit?

You can also disable the auto dosing feature simply by winding up the chosen PH level to say 9.0.

This way it will never auto dose out any acid - however you can still manually dose via the chlorinator via its mtce menu ie. dose out 'X' litres of acid and the perstaltic pump will then dose the amount you have manually selected.

Umm, no! I really don’t understand anything you just said [emoji31] I get what you mean about the manually dosing acid but not how to do it. No idea how to calibrate the probe to the ccl test with the standard.

Really hoping to gain some insight over the next week or two now that I actually have water in my pool.

There was a bit of a drama today. The pump kept shutting itself off. Twice I turned it back on to auto (a task to figure out how to do that) and it would run for a little while. Also noticed pressure looked what I thought was high but had no idea what it should have been. Pb took a little to get back to me but organised for plumbing guy to come back in the afternoon. All seems to be sorted as it’s running fine now and pressure is down. I wasn’t home when he came so have no details yet. Possibly a clog or something perhaps.

I just commented on your thread lol.

 

[Costas > DownUnder]

Re: Small Pool Build - Brisbane, Australia ??

Umm, no! I really don’t understand anything you just said [emoji31] I get what you mean about the manually dosing acid but not how to do it. No idea how to calibrate the probe to the ccl test with the standard.

Ok - it is actually fairly simple to calibrate.

Switch off the pump and then remove PH probe from its injection cell (Bit of PVC pipe that the PH probe is attached to).

Go into the MTCE menu of the chlorinator - Step through until you can see the 'CAL' option. You select this and then select 'PUMP OFF' (ensure you select OFF otherwise pump will start... during the calibration process).

Carefully wipe the probe clean/dry and dip it into the PH standard (7.2) for a minute or two. Then proceed with the calibration - Chlorinator will allow you to shift the reading up/down in 0.1 PH steps - adjust up/down until it reads 7.2 - Accept this value and you are done...!

I cannot quite see the PH probe in your previous photo so I am assuming it is there somewhere?

The pump kept shutting itself off.

Was it running at high speed when it cut out?[/QUOTE]

 

[riley00dog]

Re: Small Pool Build - Brisbane, Australia ??

Ok - it is actually fairly simple to calibrate.

Switch off the pump and then remove PH probe from its injection cell (Bit of PVC pipe that the PH probe is attached to).

Go into the MTCE menu of the chlorinator - Step through until you can see the 'CAL' option. You select this and then select 'PUMP OFF' (ensure you select OFF otherwise pump will start... during the calibration process).

Carefully wipe the probe clean/dry and dip it into the PH standard (7.2) for a minute or two. Then proceed with the calibration - Chlorinator will allow you to shift the reading up/down in 0.1 PH steps - adjust up/down until it reads 7.2 - Accept this value and you are done...!

I cannot quite see the PH probe in your previous photo so I am assuming it is there somewhere?




Was it running at high speed when it cut out?

[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the walk through on the calibration. Will come back to it in a few days and give it a try.

Right now I’m about to blow a gasket. The pump has shut itself off again. It’s saying no water again. Will call pb at 6.30am but right now I’m really concerned that my water has no circulation or filtration with all the start up chemicals. It has had probably a total of 8 hours today which I guess is better than nothing. Yes, it was running on high speed I think. It was running at 2850 when first set up. When I got home this evening after the plumber had been out to fix it was running at 3000. I’m not sure if I should try and put it on manually or on auto again like I did earlier? I don’t want to force it to run if there’s a problem but then I want my water circulating [emoji31]

 

[Costas > DownUnder]

Re: Small Pool Build - Brisbane, Australia ??

It’s saying no water again.

Just to gain an accurate understanding - Did the chlorinator report a 'No Flow' fault and shut off the pump or did the pump itself shut down on its own?

I had the 'No Flow' fault the other day where I switched off the pump via the pump's touch pad but forgot that the chlorinator was still on. I couldn't then switch the pump back on as the chlorinator's safety mechanism switched in detecting zero flow.

 

[riley00dog]

Re: Small Pool Build - Brisbane, Australia ??

Just to gain an accurate understanding - Did the chlorinator report a 'No Flow' fault and shut off the pump or did the pump itself shut down on its own?

I had the 'No Flow' fault the other day where I switched off the pump via the pump's touch pad but forgot that the chlorinator was still on. I couldn't then switch the pump back on as the chlorinator's safety mechanism switched in detecting zero flow.

It’s saying no water. It seems that the chlorinator switches off first then the pump but I can’t be sure as I’m not standing right beside it when it happens. When I checked it pump was off and chlorinator saying no water. It’s strange as when I checked it when I came home it said auto stop at 13:00. Now it’s saying manually off with the no water. I was told the pump is controlled by the chlorinator and not to touch the settings on the pump.

 

[riley00dog]

Could a leak in the pipe that comes up to the chlorinator cause this? I did notice a very small one earlier but can’t tell if the plumber fixed it when he was out this evening. I’m going to have to take a few deep breaths before and put a smile on my face before I call the pb in the morning. Right now I feel like crying.

 

[Costas > DownUnder]

Right now I feel like crying.

Nooo...

Lets take a logical look at it...

Ok - The fact that the chlorinator is saying 'Manually OFF' means that it is switched off and will never turn on... ie. timers etc are disabled.

If you press the 'Pool Mode' button you can cycle through 'Manually ON' (chlorinator will stay ON and will never switch off until you select 'Manually OFF') - This is just a manual way to control the chlorinator with NO timers being involved. You can also select 'Auto Sanitise" which is available if any of the 4 timers have been setup.

So if you go ahead and select Manually ON the pump will be powered up after 5 or seconds and should run continuously.

I'm not sure why you are receiving the No Water message but just simply check the chlorinator's SWG cell which is clear and check if water is running through it and that it is at least 90% full of flowing water.

You may want to go and try this now and report back.

Also check the basics - ie water in pump basket, water in SWG etc.

I was told the pump is controlled by the chlorinator and not to touch the settings on the pump.

This is only true if they have set it up correctly using the optional data cable (6 wire flat telephone style RJ6 cable) that plugs in between the chlorinator and pump.

If this cable is not present - Then you set the 3 speeds on the pump itself and the chlorinator simply turns the pump on and off as required but does NOT control the speed of the pump.

Also note that the pump will always switch on at high/priming speed (2850 RPM) for 5 mins (default). Once 5 minutes is up it will then switch to the last chosen speed the user had selected on its previous run ie. Low/Med or High.

Could a leak in the pipe that comes up to the chlorinator cause this?

Unless it was pouring out, small leaks will have no impact whatsoever.

 

[riley00dog]

Just set it to manual and working for now. It can stay on all night if it will run. The leak seems to have gone but will check again after it’s been running for a while (if it will run for a while). The display seems to be all over the place. The time is correct but when I checked early this evening it definitely said auto off 13:00. When I just went to investigate it said the no water with manually off at 09:00. Maybe it turned itself off at 9pm? Anyway, will check the pressure later and that it’s still running. This is very stressful.

Got to say that my equipment light has paid for itself already. Thanks TFP for the suggestion.

Now I’m going to go and brush then check on it again before trying to get to bed before midnight. Thanks for your help Costas [emoji4]

 

[Costas > DownUnder]

when I checked early this evening it definitely said auto off 13:00.

Auto off at XX:XX simply means that a timer event finished at that time.

They must have set up a timer which ended after running x amount of hours which happened to be at 13:00.

You can check to see what timers have been setup.

To do this - select Manually Off (must be in this mode to set and check timers) and then press the Timer button - You can scroll through all 4 timers - I think the default has the last two timers disabled.

To set a timer - you simply select the start time and then select how long the chlorinator runs for - no need to set a stop time etc.

Thanks for your help Costas

No problem - Anytime...

 

[riley00dog]

Auto off at XX:XX simply means that a timer event finished at that time.

They must have set up a timer which ended after running x amount of hours which happened to be at 13:00.

You can check to see what timers have been setup.

To do this - select Manually Off (must be in this mode to set and check timers) and then press the Timer button - You can scroll through all 4 timers - I think the default has the last two timers disabled.

To set a timer - you simply select the start time and then select how long the chlorinator runs for - no need to set a stop time etc.




No problem - Anytime...

I don’t think that’s the problem. It just turned itself off again with same no water warning. I turned it on manually and checked the pressure and it was high like it was earlier so I shut it off. Seems there is something causing the pressure to rise (clog or needing another backwash?) and and the pump doesn’t like operating under those conditions. Will call pb in morning and get him to come out as soon as he can. Annoying as I’ve just given it another brush. Once again the dust will all settle back where it was. At least brushing provides some sort of pathetic circulation. I really just want hand over. Be shown how everything works then be left to it. If they’re going to take care of the pool they need to take care of it. The did send someone fairly quickly today though I guess and it’s not like I could have called him at 9pm when it happened again. Someone needs to babysit this pool until it’s worked out. I keep referring to it as my baby and it really is as challenging as one! I’m off to bed and will hopefully wake up feeling more positive.

 

[riley00dog]

 

[Costas > DownUnder]

Are the valves correctly set? ie - you don't have any partially closed etc.

 

[Paigez0215]

Pool care is sorted! Just need to find a comfy chair for the pool area so I can make sure they don’t slack off.

The water is so murky. Can’t wait for the morning for equipment start up.

I will have to remember this when it comes to brushing my pool... Hopefully by 2020...lol Your pool turned out beautiful and I love the glass around it!