New contract / New build - SE Pennsylvania, Gunite free form pool and spa

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83,

If you have two VS pumps you have to make sure that they have difference bus addresses.. One should be 1 and the other 2... You can only set the bus address from the pump's control panel.

You have a misunderstanding of how the EasyTouch controls the pump's speeds... In your ScreenLogic set up page you have the same "Circuit" with a bunch of different speeds. When you do that the EasyTouch will just use the highest speed..

You need to assign a different "circuit" to each of the speeds you want to use..

Here is an old one of mine...

97994


Let's say you do this... Schedule your "pool" circuit from 7 am until 7 pm.. Then you can schedule a Feature circuit called "Skim Low" to come on at 10 am until 11 am. The pump will run at 1250 from 7 am until 10 am, when it will ramp up to 1500 RPM for an hour and at 11 am the speed will drop back to 1250..

I only have one pump, so when my waterfall is selected, it will ramp the pump up to 2800..

ping me if this does not make sense..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
83,

If you have two VS pumps you have to make sure that they have difference bus addresses.. One should be 1 and the other 2... You can only set the bus address from the pump's control panel.

You have a misunderstanding of how the EasyTouch controls the pump's speeds... In your ScreenLogic set up page you have the same "Circuit" with a bunch of different speeds. When you do that the EasyTouch will just use the highest speed..

You need to assign a different "circuit" to each of the speeds you want to use..

Here is an old one of mine...

View attachment 97994


Let's say you do this... Schedule your "pool" circuit from 7 am until 7 pm.. Then you can schedule a Feature circuit called "Skim Low" to come on at 10 am until 11 am. The pump will run at 1250 from 7 am until 10 am, when it will ramp up to 1500 RPM for an hour and at 11 am the speed will drop back to 1250..

I only have one pump, so when my waterfall is selected, it will ramp the pump up to 2800..

ping me if this does not make sense..

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jim! I'll fix that right now. I did set the pump addresses on the panel as 1 and 2 per the manual. Even with my speed/circuit assingnments off, it should still be communicating right?
 

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Gorilla83 said:
did set the pump addresses on the panel as 1 and 2
Click to expand...

If you mean you set the addresses on the pump's control panel that is correct.. If you meant you set the address in the EasyTouch, that cannot be done.

When the EasyTouch is communicating with the pump, the pump's display will say "Display not Active".. Obviously you need the com cable between the ET and the pump and you CANNOT be in the Service Mode.. When in the Service mode, you basically shut off the ET's ability to communicate with the pump.

Also.. I don't believe that the pump will run via the ET unless you have either Pool or Spa scheduled... It does not run because it has a speed, it needs a reason.. For instance your waterfall must be either turned on manually with an icon or scheduled to run for the pump to figure out that it is time to turn on the waterfall at x speed.

Looking at your set up.. The "Circuit" on the left must be on in order for the pump to run the "speed" on the right..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
If you mean you set the addresses on the pump's control panel that is correct.. If you meant you set the address in the EasyTouch, that cannot be done.

When the EasyTouch is communicating with the pump, the pump's display will say "Display not Active".. Obviously you need the com cable between the ET and the pump and you CANNOT be in the Service Mode.. When in the Service mode, you basically shut off the ET's ability to communicate with the pump.

Also.. I don't believe that the pump will run via the ET unless you have either Pool or Spa scheduled... It does not run because it has a speed, it needs a reason.. For instance your waterfall must be either turned on manually with an icon or scheduled to run for the pump to figure out that it is time to turn on the waterfall at x speed.

Looking at your set up.. The "Circuit" on the left must be on in order for the pump to run the "speed" on the right..

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...

Correct - I set them on the pump's control panel. I haven't seen the "display not active" message yet - I'm beginning to think the electrician did not wire the com ports correctly in the panel. Even when I have Pool or Spa active in a schedule and circuits are turned on, I still cannot control the pumps speed. I can turn the circuit on and off, but that's it.

Did a quick PH check this morning, and already off the charts at 8.2+. Added about 3/4 gallon of MA per pool math, will check again in a couple hours when I get my first brushing in for the day. Speaking of brushing, the second session yesterday was a bit easier than the first. Starting to get a technique figured out. Haven't used my whale tail brush yet either. :)
 
Finally PH in check this morning :) Measured 7.3-ish. Added some chlorine finally in the form of pucks (3 x 3" in a floater) with conditioner per the PB recommendation since they said not to touch CYA specifically yet outside of pucks.

Did a quick check on TA and it was lower (30 vs 50 at fill), I'm assuming because of all the acid that went in the last 2 days. I added a small amount of 8lbs (relatively) of baking soda before brushing to see the effects, will measure later.
 
kimkats said:
Seems like you really have a handle on the testing and fixing! Good job!!

Kim:kim:
Click to expand...

Eh, I'm learning, but only thanks to you guys! We used almost 3.5 gallons of acid over the last 2 days. :eek:

Of course, I'm still green even after reading pool school a few times :)

How long should I wait before checking FC with the pucks/floater? Also, can I expect to be adding baking soda rapidly as well since we'll be using so much acid over the next few months?
 
Jimrahbe said:
If you mean you set the addresses on the pump's control panel that is correct.. If you meant you set the address in the EasyTouch, that cannot be done.

When the EasyTouch is communicating with the pump, the pump's display will say "Display not Active".. Obviously you need the com cable between the ET and the pump and you CANNOT be in the Service Mode.. When in the Service mode, you basically shut off the ET's ability to communicate with the pump.

Also.. I don't believe that the pump will run via the ET unless you have either Pool or Spa scheduled... It does not run because it has a speed, it needs a reason.. For instance your waterfall must be either turned on manually with an icon or scheduled to run for the pump to figure out that it is time to turn on the waterfall at x speed.

Looking at your set up.. The "Circuit" on the left must be on in order for the pump to run the "speed" on the right..

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...

Jim - good news! After some deeper digging I popped open the low voltage side of the ET and discovered that the electrician had flipped the green and yellow wires on the board! As soon as I fixed that and powered back up and immediately got "display not active" on both pumps. MAN I'm excited to have this part working. :) Thanks for your help with the scheduling, will be fine tuning that now..
 

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Chlorine from tablets is slow but steady. I would check each evening when the sun is off the pool to see how high it is getting each day.

Your TA and pH will be up and down for a while so, YES you will be keeping a close eye on both and adjust as needed.

SWEET on you finding and fixing the wires!!! GURRRRRRR on him doing it wrong :roll:

Kim:kim:
 
kimkats said:
Chlorine from tablets is slow but steady. I would check each evening when the sun is off the pool to see how high it is getting each day.

Your TA and pH will be up and down for a while so, YES you will be keeping a close eye on both and adjust as needed.

SWEET on you finding and fixing the wires!!! GURRRRRRR on him doing it wrong :roll:

Kim:kim:
Click to expand...

Did a quick FC test last night and man those yellows are hard to read. :) I think it was closer to 0.5 last night but checked again this morning before brushing and it was slightly darker, probably around 1. I did add one more puck in the feeder last night just to ensure I'm getting enough. I will try the more precise test this evening.

PH - Added a little acid this morning to knock it down from 7.5 to 7.2-ish.

TA - Good news my TA is back up to 60 or so, it was 30 yesterday morning. Will add a little more baking soda tonight when I brush again.

CH - Hovering around 150-175, will add some calcium hardness later this week to slowly move that up.
 
kimkats said:
What is your water temp right now?

Kim:kim:
Click to expand...

Water temp has been sitting around 62-63 the last few days. "Slightly" chilly but you can bet I'm going to have to test it out this week. Tomorrow is supposed to be close to 80 degrees air temp so thinking I might mow the lawn and jump in. 11 more days until we can use the heater. :)
 
My worry with your water temp getting into the the 60s is the algae growth. Might want to "trip" by the side of the pool while holding a bottle of chlorine. When you "spill" the chlorine it may just land in the water thus getting your FC up to the no algae allowed area if you catch my drift. LOL

Kim:kim:
 
kimkats said:
My worry with your water temp getting into the the 60s is the algae growth. Might want to "trip" by the side of the pool while holding a bottle of chlorine. When you "spill" the chlorine it may just land in the water thus getting your FC up to the no algae allowed area if you catch my drift. LOL

Kim:kim:
Click to expand...

Good point. Maybe I'll hit Lowes on the way home from work today and pick up a few gallons of their 10% liquid chlorine to supplement for now. Would be good to have it on hand anyway.

Also - a quick video shot of the WF in action yesterday:

 
kimkats said:
I love the sound of the waterfull! It would be on all of the time I was outside!!!

Make sure to check the date code on Lowes stuff!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reminder re: date codes. I also have walmart on the way home as an option if it looks to be old. From what I've read on here I should be looking for stuff <30-45 days old for 10% which is what they both carry. Hopefully the date codes are not too cryptic. :)

As for the waterfall - it's awesome, but i've been limiting usage for now as I'm already struggling to keep ph down. :eek:
 
More brushing, and more acid in the pool...

Also picked up several gallons of 10% liquid chlorine yesterday and put some in the pool to supplement the pucks. I was about 2-3 FC after adding last night, but back down this morning so added another 1/2 gallon or so this morning. I'll keep at it and will probably need to buy some more at this rate. :)

I've been testing FC and PH pretty much 2x a day every day since we started, is this overkill? Seems easier to add smaller amounts rather than letting things get further out of swing. I may need a reagent refill kit sooner than planned though, LOL.

I'll test for calcium and TA again Friday/Saturday and supplement as needed. I also picked up some CYA but will wait to add until after I backwash...so far the pressure on the gauge hasn't really risen at all from when we started on Friday.
 
I don't think it's overkill to test twice a day for new plaster. It was somewhat tedious for me to keep pH in line at the beginning, but the real issue was FC. I found that once FC got out of line, it was hard to get back in line and keep it that way. In fact I am still having trouble keeping FC in mine on the second season, but I pulled a TON of tree garbage out of the deep end skimmer yesterday so I think that's the culprit.

Another issue I am finding is that it's not that easy to find 10% liquid chlorine not only in stock, but still fresh! Hopefully it's easier in your area but I wouldn't hesitate to buy like three times as much as you think you'll need because you never know if it'll be there next time you do!
 

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