Harley's Pool

[harleyl7]

You may find that is a too high of a salt level for the intex unit. They can be finicky with salt levels over 3k ppm - be prepared to dilute the pool to satisfy the unit and rid yourself of the dreaded high salt light. I found all my units were happy around 2800-2900 ppm but ymmv. Strips & meters have a variance of +/- 500ppm while the Taylor k1766 drop test’s variance is +/- 200ppm.
I found the drop test essential with the Intex unit to prevent the high/low salt lights. With colder water you may get away with a higher salt level but as the water temp increases the unit may become unhappy.

Your unit can only be set to operate normally for 12 hours max.
“Boost” will run the unit 8x’s the set amount then return to normal operation. I never used boost - liquid chlorine is much simpler and faster and preserves the life of the cell.
With that size pool & swg unit I fluctuated between 6-8 hours depending upon the time of season. Possibly 10hrs in the dog days of summer. Having cya in the 70/80 range in the heat/uv of summer helps.
It’s built in timer will just turn it on again at the same time tomorrow. So long as the pump is set to run while the swcg is on you’re good to go.
always sure your bets with liquid chlorine before parties etc as the swg takes too long so you never want to try to use it to make up for a deficit in fc.
One other note- incase of power failure/gfci trip the intex units must be reset- they will not just resume normal operation once power has been restored.

Oh okay that makes sense. Yeah I went off the salt table in the manual for an 18x48 so might've overshot a little. I'm using the drop test that I got from TF Testkits in the salt bundle.

I also picked up some more CYA so I can get up to 70/80. I'll test today when I get home from work and see what I need to add to get there.

 

[harleyl7]

You may find that is a too high of a salt level for the intex unit. They can be finicky with salt levels over 3k ppm - be prepared to dilute the pool to satisfy the unit and rid yourself of the dreaded high salt light. I found all my units were happy around 2800-2900 ppm but ymmv. Strips & meters have a variance of +/- 500ppm while the Taylor k1766 drop test’s variance is +/- 200ppm.
I found the drop test essential with the Intex unit to prevent the high/low salt lights. With colder water you may get away with a higher salt level but as the water temp increases the unit may become unhappy.

Your unit can only be set to operate normally for 12 hours max.
“Boost” will run the unit 8x’s the set amount then return to normal operation. I never used boost - liquid chlorine is much simpler and faster and preserves the life of the cell.
With that size pool & swg unit I fluctuated between 6-8 hours depending upon the time of season. Possibly 10hrs in the dog days of summer. Having cya in the 70/80 range in the heat/uv of summer helps.
It’s built in timer will just turn it on again at the same time tomorrow. So long as the pump is set to run while the swcg is on you’re good to go.
always sure your bets with liquid chlorine before parties etc as the swg takes too long so you never want to try to use it to make up for a deficit in fc.
One other note- incase of power failure/gfci trip the intex units must be reset- they will not just resume normal operation once power has been restored.

Is the only way to make the run time to a specific time of day by starting it at that exact time?

Like if I want to run it starting at 11am, I just have to start it at 11am that day?

 

[Mdragger88]

Is the only way to make the run time to a specific time of day by starting it at that exact time?

Like if I want to run it starting at 11am, I just have to start it at 11am that day?

Yes that’s exactly how it works

 

[Newdude]

*cough cough*

Water drained out below skimmer output drain due to tube coming loose from the pool

I am new to above ground pool ownership. My skimmer hose came loose from my pool and water drained out to below the skimmer hose attached to the pool. I have an intex above ground pool 12 X 24 ultra XTR pool with the salt water system. Should I be concerned that my pump and filter system is...

www.troublefreepool.com

*cough*


We see them all the time. Ya did good Harley. Future you says thanks.

 

[harleyl7]

*cough cough*

Water drained out below skimmer output drain due to tube coming loose from the pool

I am new to above ground pool ownership. My skimmer hose came loose from my pool and water drained out to below the skimmer hose attached to the pool. I have an intex above ground pool 12 X 24 ultra XTR pool with the salt water system. Should I be concerned that my pump and filter system is...

www.troublefreepool.com

*cough*


We see them all the time. Ya did good Harley. Future you says thanks.

Oof yeah, I'm glad I did it. I think flow is better too even on the low speed. Now I just need to finish the landscaping around the pool!

 

[harleyl7]

Soo gonna run a OCLT tonight. Like water is clear, but want to pass it to move on lol.

RIght now chlorine is at 15ppm. With swg running 8 hours a day. Should I just turn the swg off until I bring FC to 5-7ppm? I was gonna raise cya once I was moving that direction.

 

[Newdude]

RIght now chlorine is at 15ppm. With swg running 8 hours a day. Should I just turn the swg off until I bring FC to 5-7ppm?

If you're asking for the OCLT, the FC level doesn't matter as long as you are free and clear above minimum. If you lose X FC, you'd lose it at 7ppm or 15ppm.

If you're asking about drifting down for regular maintenance, then yeah, you can either shut the cell off and get to where you want to be sooner, or lower the runtime and fall more gradually.

I was gonna raise cya once I was moving that direction.

Pass the OCLT and the FC falling is its own seperate thing so you dont have to wait. If anything, raising the CYA raises the FC targets and helps with less fall to target range.

 

[Mdragger88]

Be sure the swcg is off for the
Overnight Chlorine Loss Test
It is always a good idea to do an oclt before increasing cya a significant amount so great thinking!

 

[harleyl7]

I should have time tonight to do the test. Water is very clear now like it used to be lol.

I have some debris on the bottom. Like fine dirt from getting in out of the pool. The only stuff that ends up in the pool is that or bugs. Should I get an electric vacuum or just grab one of the ones that my garden hose attaches to with the net?

 

[Mdragger88]

I should have time tonight to do the test. Water is very clear now like it used to be lol.

I have some debris on the bottom. Like fine dirt from getting in out of the pool. The only stuff that ends up in the pool is that or bugs. Should I get an electric vacuum or just grab one of the ones that my garden hose attaches to with the net?

You have a real skimmer so you should have a manual vac . A regular one not the waterhose kind. Even if you get another cleaner & don’t need to use it often.
A Hose, vac head, and pole.
They are indispensable when required.

I’m a fan of the intex auto cleaners (pressure side cleaner) myself for the price with that pool size but if the budget allows for a powered bot the cheapest dolphin would do. There’s also the battery powered ones like aiper at various price points- the longevity is hit or miss so far but people seem to be able to get warranty replacements.

 

[harleyl7]

You have a real skimmer so you should have a manual vac . A regular one not the waterhose kind. Even if you get another cleaner & don’t need to use it often.
A Hose, vac head, and pole.
They are indispensable when required.

I’m a fan of the intex auto cleaners (pressure side cleaner) myself for the price with that pool size but if the budget allows for a powered bot the cheapest dolphin would do. There’s also the battery powered ones like aiper at various price points- the longevity is hit or miss so far but people seem to be able to get warranty replacements.

Do you have a link to the Intex auto cleaner? I'm thinking of grabbing a hose and vac head as the main option since it's barely any debris.

 

[Mdragger88]

Do you have a link to the Intex auto cleaner? I'm thinking of grabbing a hose and vac head as the main option since it's barely any debris.

There are a couple different models- i have the original version on the left. It’s probably 10 years old. I used it in my small pool and I still use it in my big pool if my dolphin goes on the fritz.
Word on the street is the one on the far right climbs the walls.
It also has a brush.
They all just have a fine screen basket and venturi action propels the debris to get caught in it. They are hooked to the return jet so that’s what propels them around the pool. I use a valve before my return to control how fast it goes. If you have intex style returns the fittings that come with it should work- if you have regular above ground type returns you may to modify the intex hose end (that’s what i did for my big pool)

 

[harleyl7]

There are a couple different models- i have the original version on the left. It’s probably 10 years old. I used it in my small pool and I still use it in my big pool if my dolphin goes on the fritz.
Word on the street is the one on the far right climbs the walls.
It also has a brush.
They all just have a fine screen basket and venturi action propels the debris to get caught in it. They are hooked to the return jet so that’s what propels them around the pool. I use a valve before my return to control how fast it goes. If you have intex style returns the fittings that come with it should work- if you have regular above ground type returns you may to modify the intex hose end (that’s what i did for my big pool)
View attachment 638868

I like those, but does my pool warrant that vs just a manual hose?

Like for reference this is the debris I have after being almost open for a year.

 

[Newdude]

Pffffft. Get this manual vac on sale for $3

 

[harleyl7]

Pffffft. Get this manual vac on sale for $3

Lol waters too cold for me to get in there and use that haha.

But for a manual vac head, with it being a vinyl liner, is there a specific one to get?

 

[Newdude]

I like the triangle brush one to kill two birds with one swipe.

 

[Mdragger88]

I like those, but does my pool warrant that vs just a manual hose?

Like for reference this is the debris I have after being almost open for a year.

View attachment 638880

I just don’t like to manually vac unless i have to
I also like my pool to be pretty spotless daily without having to do it myself.
In my current pool I cannot reach the middle with the manual vac without actually being in the pool so I need a bot/cleaner for when the water is cold
I would suggest at bare minimum you have a manual vac then decide if you want a robot/auto cleaner as a supplement.
Its kinda like dishwashers- technically you don’t need one, a vessel, some soap & a rag will do. But they are very convenient devices.

 

[harleyl7]

I just don’t like to manually vac unless i have to
I also like my pool to be pretty spotless daily without having to do it myself.
In my current pool I cannot reach the middle with the manual vac without actually being in the pool so I need a bot/cleaner for when the water is cold
I would suggest at bare minimum you have a manual vac then decide if you want a robot/auto cleaner as a supplement.
Its kinda like dishwashers- technically you don’t need one, a vessel, some soap & a rag will do. But they are very convenient devices.

I was able to pick up a hose and vac head at Lowe's. Found a video on YouTube and figured it out. Gotta say yeah that would be annoying to do often and for an extra 20 bucks I could've gotten one of the ones you sent lol

I'll have to check them out more if the debris is heavy this season. I do like the idea of it being spotless.

Side note: I ordered some skimmer socks and these things are great lol. I found a post about them on the forums to help with white pollen. I didn't even know white pollen existed, but saw it floating around my pool and now it's all gone.

 

[Mdragger88]

A manual vac hooked to your filter will be able to do a more thorough job than an automatic cleaner which is sometimes necessary. It also allows you to vac to waste if needed. They both have their pros and cons but you’ll be glad you have a manual one when you need it.
You’ll be collecting cool pool stuffs like the rest of us soon enough

 

[harleyl7]

How long is it recommend to leave a skimmer sock on?