WaterGuru Setup - New Owner

[SR56]

I ordered and received my new WaterGuru Sense this week. Arrived today and from the comments it looked to be an easy setup. I'm pretty familiar with IOT/wifi stuff and have several devices for automation already. Followed the Quick Start Guide and nothing works as they describe. It said the app would have the set-up but when I logged in no device was recognized. I tried the wifi setup "Change Wifi Settings" but I get a popup saying no pod in pool. It's in the skimmer, batteries inserted, ready to go. Phone set to 2g as well. It's not picking anything up from the Sense.

I watched the videos and hit their FAQ. Videos show older models. One has a nice battery compartment which the new one I have doesn't. Just a couple rubber flaps covering the edges to kind of keep the batteries in. I have a feeling it won't take much for them to fall out of place.

Tried to call and email the company. No response as of yet. Just wondering if anyone had difficult setups and if there's anything I'm missing. There's no LED indication that I see to say the batteries are in or device is on. Might have to multimeter them to see if they have juice. If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears!

Sorry if this is in the wrong area. It looked like all the WG threads were here in testing.

 

[mknauss]

Sorry if this is in the wrong area. It looked like all the WG threads were here in testing.

They are. But since it is not a recognized method of testing pool water chemistry in TFPC, we may have to think about that .....

 

[JoyfulNoise]

The company has spotty customer service but other WG users seem to have had fairly good results contacting them. I don’t know if they have a Facebook or Instagram or Twitter account but, if they do, customer service sometimes answers those faster because they are publicly viewable and they don’t want to look bad not answering a legitimate customer question. Maybe hit them up on Facebook and see if they respond. Like a lot of small pool hardware companies, I think their operations get swamped pretty easily and sometimes the CEO is also the CTO, CFO, COO, payroll processor, book keeper, mailroom clerk, chief tech support guy, HR manager, and janitor …

 

[SR56]

The company has spotty customer service but other WG users seem to have had fairly good results contacting them. I don’t know if they have a Facebook or Instagram or Twitter account but, if they do, customer service sometimes answers those faster because they are publicly viewable and they don’t want to look bad not answering a legitimate customer question. Maybe hit them up on Facebook and see if they respond. Like a lot of small pool hardware companies, I think their operations get swamped pretty easily and sometimes the CEO is also the CTO, CFO, COO, payroll processor, book keeper, mailroom clerk, chief tech support guy, HR manager, and janitor …

I hit them up yesterday on FB. I got a "sorry about that" response and they'd have someone reach out. Nothing yet. The Sense has been in the water since yesterday and have full flow vacuum routine on this morning, so not flow or water related. Batteries tested out good to go.

Probably the most unusual setup of an app based wifi IOT device that I've had. Nest, Rachio, Haiku, etc. Usually the first thing it does is walk you through how to discover the device. Didn't get any of that with Sense.

Is something on the cartridge pod supposed to light up? With the videos of the older "orb" model it had LEDs.

 

[joboo7777]

I hit them up yesterday on FB. I got a "sorry about that" response and they'd have someone reach out. Nothing yet. The Sense has been in the water since yesterday and have full flow vacuum routine on this morning, so not flow or water related. Batteries tested out good to go.

Probably the most unusual setup of an app based wifi IOT device that I've had. Nest, Rachio, Haiku, etc. Usually the first thing it does is walk you through how to discover the device. Didn't get any of that with Sense.

Is something on the cartridge pod supposed to light up? With the videos of the older "orb" model it had LEDs.

Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your phone and you are fairly close to the device. If I remember correctly the way you initiate setup after logging in to app is to “Add Pool” and then you will be walked through the process.
Hope this helps.

 

[botanica37]

My setup took couple of hours and several failed attempts. I can’t recall all the issues, just that I had to take off the batteries couple of times and then the connection to my phone kept timing out. I feel that I had to put the device in the water, before the app would look for it and then I had to download something that was supposed to take couple of minutes, and took about 2 hours with my phone on top of the skimmer. I did have issue with the app not finding the Sense, and that is when I took the batteries out. Overall, it was not as easy as the instructions made it sound. Especially in light that my sense was off on the chlorine and I ended up sending it back.

 

[SR56]

So far their customer support has been lacking. No one answers the phone or returns the call. I got one email that wasn't helpful. They still haven't responded to my reply.

I'm going to try deleting the pool tomorrow. Before the Sense arrived I registered and added the pool on my desktop PC. If adding the pool was meant to be part of the pairing you'd think it would say that somewhere. Or at least have a way to pair the devices separate from registration.

They did mention an LED was supposed to be on the device. The cartridge holder seems to be the only possible place for an LED but since nothing is lit up and the instructions don't diagram it I'm lost there.

Maybe starting over will trigger the pairing. Not so sure I want to keep it just based on the lid not closing/sealing properly and the way the batteries seem like they'll fall out with the slightest vibration. Not too trusting of build quality & longevity. But I do want to see how it does with testing the water.

I'm a gadget and tech guy so I really want this to be a great device. I appreciate the responses!

 

[SR56]

Was able to get the thing working. Word to the wise if you order it - don't register on the desktop PC and set your pool before the Sense arrives.

I deleted the pool via app, then started over. Like magic, things started working. It actually paired pretty quickly from within my house 8-10 feet away from the skimmer. 2 bars on the Sense wifi with my 2g and the router is about 30 feet from the skimmer. Seems to be working fine.

Had a product developer call me today after I had already got it working, but we discussed the app and pairing issues. It seems few people there use Android products other than him so they had him call me. He was interested to learn the issues I had and wasn't aware it wouldn't pair up if I had logged in online first. Sounds like a bug they'll work out.

Now to get my FC up and my PH down...

 

[mbeezie]

Sorry to hijack the thread -- i just got my Sense and out of the box the top 'cap' thing doesn't fit right on the rim (that part that has the battery compartment). All of their videos show older models that have a different battery compartment, but the two pieces do not seem to sit flush with one another. there are three tabs that simply don't lock.

I don't want to put it near my pool yet because of i don't want any water to possibly splash into the gap there. I emailed support since it's a weekend, but i'm probably going to send it back. seems like a piece a junk!

 

[joboo7777]

Sorry to hijack the thread -- i just got my Sense and out of the box the top 'cap' thing doesn't fit right on the rim (that part that has the battery compartment). All of their videos show older models that have a different battery compartment, but the two pieces do not seem to sit flush with one another. there are three tabs that simply don't lock.

I don't want to put it near my pool yet because of i don't want any water to possibly splash into the gap there. I emailed support since it's a weekend, but i'm probably going to send it back. seems like a piece a junk!

When I tried the Waterguru The cover fit my skimmer with no issues. I have Hayward skimmers. What skimmer do you have?

as for testing performance and accuracy. I found them to be margjnally accurate. Difintely not as accurate as Taylor Drop test or my Exact iDip digital tester. They are also not NSF certified which in my opinion any well respected company that produces water testing equipment should have. I did end up returning it as well.

I will say that the company is young and is one of the first to explore automated water testing for pools. Sutro and Phin are others. In my opinion they are not quite there yet but are very close and wouldn’t be surprised to see an NSF certified solution within the next 2 years. The day is coming, no question about it.

 

[mbeezie]

When I tried the Waterguru The cover fit my skimmer with no issues. I have Hayward skimmers. What skimmer do you have?

as for testing performance and accuracy. I found them to be margjnally accurate. Difintely not as accurate as Taylor Drop test or my Exact iDip digital tester. They are also not NSF certified which in my opinion any well respected company that produces water testing equipment should have. I did end up returning it as well.

I will say that the company is young and is one of the first to explore automated water testing for pools. Sutro and Phin are others. In my opinion they are not quite there yet but are very close and wouldn’t be surprised to see an NSF certified solution within the next 2 years. The day is coming, no question about it.

Sorry if i wasn't clear. See the picture attached. it's not that it doesn't fit the skimmer box, i haven't even gotten that far. The thing doesn't even fit onto itself. There's two pieces that snap into each other, presumably, but they don't fully. there's three tabs, and i can only ever get 2 of the 3 to 'snap'. if two are, the last one simply doesn't. Seems like a manufacturing defect. i can't imagine they are all like this.

 

[joboo7777]

Sorry if i wasn't clear. See the picture attached. it's not that it doesn't fit the skimmer box, i haven't even gotten that far. The thing doesn't even fit onto itself. There's two pieces that snap into each other, presumably, but they don't fully. there's three tabs, and i can only ever get 2 of the 3 to 'snap'. if two are, the last one simply doesn't. Seems like a manufacturing defect. i can't imagine they are all like this.

Ah ok. The picture helps. Mine did not look like that. It won’t snap in? Sounds like a defect.

 

[mbeezie]

yeah it won't fully snap in, only two of the 3 tabs will lock. i sent support an email over the weekend, hopefully they'll get back to me soon.

 

[SR56]

Sorry if i wasn't clear. See the picture attached. it's not that it doesn't fit the skimmer box, i haven't even gotten that far. The thing doesn't even fit onto itself. There's two pieces that snap into each other, presumably, but they don't fully. there's three tabs, and i can only ever get 2 of the 3 to 'snap'. if two are, the last one simply doesn't. Seems like a manufacturing defect. i can't imagine they are all like this.

I've got the same problem. Even took a little lube to it. I think it's not letting the air inside escape. It'll (mostly) seal then starts easing back up. I've stood on it with all my 250 and even bounced a little. No joy.

Mine is barely off, but it's still an issue.

 

[mrb12321]

I bought a WaterGuru Sense a few weeks ago. Same gap around the rim for me. I wondered if I broke something trying to put in the batteries since their video was for the old version and I had to figure it out myself. Seems like just a defect. Support is TERRIBLE. I had just slammed my pool when I first tried it and it showed 7ppm FC when actual was 21. I sent an email asking if there was an upper limit and the response was no. That was the last I ever heard from support. Seems like there used to be a phone number on their website but it seems to be gone now. Even now that my FC levels are near normal (5 ppm), the Sense is reading less than half of actual. I do run my pump at a low speed (8 gpm according to the Sense) 24x7 but the app says that is okay. Anyway, I'm trying to avail myself of the "45-day Risk-free Money-Back Guarantee" but not sure how to do that since they've ghosted me.

 

[mbeezie]

Agreed, support is absolutely terrible and nearly non-existent.

I initially contacted them for an exchange, but when i didn't hear from them for over 2 weeks i contacted them a few more times and changed it to a refund request because i didn't feel like i was getting anywhere. After hounding them on instragram and facebook, because they don't answer emails or phone calls, i finally got someone to send me a label to send it back for a refund. I was pretty close to just contacting my CC company to dispute the charge and then throw it in the trash. just awful. I'll stick to my Taylor kit!

Would never buy from them again.

 

[SR56]

I've given it a few weeks and I've submitted a support ticket to return the Sense. Lack of response from their support team is unacceptable. Device readings are all over the place for FC. PH is closer to accurate and in range so seem OK there. I haven't checked all of these to the drop test, but my FC is still running high from the slam at 12ppm on my test last Sunday. Everything else is in range right now.

6/15 Tuesday - 6.5
6/16 Wednesday - 7.5 (7.7ph)
6/17 Thursday - 3.5 (7.8ph)
6/18 Friday - 8.5 (7.9ph)
6/19 Saturday - No reading - no test ran for some reason
6/20 Sunday - 7.5 (test kit shows 12ppm) (7.8ph)
6/21 Monday - 5.5 (also showing 8.1 ph when test kit shows 7.8 on Sunday; Sense had same reading. No chem or water changes at all yesterday or today)
6/22 Tuesday - 7 (7.9 ph)

SWG Adjustments (Jandy TruClear):
6/13: Set at 60%
6/20: Set at 40%

 

[Dave68]

I am sorry about your negative experience with the WaterGuru but on the bright side (for me anyway) you just saved me a lot of time, money, and headache. We just installed a new pool and it's been a long time since we've had one so I don't remember much so I consider myself a newbie. My time is in short supply these days so I am looking for ways to minimize the chores and maximize enjoying the pool. Plus my eyes are no longer what they were and matching up colors is proving more difficult than in the past. I've been looking at the WaterGuru Sense, Sutro SmartMonitor, and Phin. I can't say that I'm sold on them. I was hoping that by now there would be "an app for that" that works i.e. analyses the water then tells me what and how much of each chemical to add and why. Any suggestions? I am thinking about the LaMotte 2056 ColorQ Pro 7 Digital Pool Water Test Kit but then I need a good chart to tell me what, why, and how much to add. I'll scour around here for a chart. Is there a better testing unit I should consider in the same price range?

 

[SR56]

I am sorry about your negative experience with the WaterGuru but on the bright side (for me anyway) you just saved me a lot of time, money, and headache.

I've been using the Pool Math app that TFP has, and the recommended test kit. I'm colorblind, so I have to recruit my girl to help sometimes. I hadn't really used drop kits like that since I was a kid, but they do the job nicely.

Not sure about any of the automated stuff yet. I might try one of the others you mentioned to see if they're any closer to accurate. PH seems close to the test kit with it, but free chlorine is up and down and the test kit still showing a few ppm higher.

The sad part is the customer service absolutely sucks with WaterGuru. They don't answer the phone or emails. Looks like I'll have to dispute the charge to get their attention.

 

[Bears fan]

I have experienced the same problems on initial set up as SR56. I have already sent one unit back and cannot get the second one to connect to the wifi. I have a call in to them and dont expect to hear from them for 2-3 weeks like the first time I had problems.