Recent content by CeltiaK

One more factor to consider: clear vs color. A clear cover allows more light/heat to pass through. A colored cover blocks a bit more. Where I am, a clear cover works better than no cover and better than a colored cover. With no cover, evaporation and a breeze make my temperature drop even on a...

Fill it all the way. Releases the pressure and the corners will move freely.

Another option is a salt water chlorine generator. Once it’s dialed in, you can often check levels only 1-2 times a week. And you only need liquid chlorine to start up.

I also have to raise my pH monthly due to acid rain. I’ve contemplated bringing up the TA, but it usually levels off at 60 and so I leave it alone. I do have a few weeks of indecision at opening when TA is 50 and the CYA starts dropping the pH. But once I get some Borax in and pH is back up to...

I love PoolMath for the calculators and the easy access to the data, but I do miss my old log book. It was a freebie from work, with a beautiful blue cover and filled with graph paper. I used it diligently, recording my tests, my chemical additions, and also a lot of text about my observations...

You don't need an expensive "proper" winter cover. If you get leaves and ice, you really should get A cover. Years ago, i bought a mammoth tarp from Amazon or Walmart - big enough to cover our pool water surface, plus 2 feet to go UP the wall from the inside and 4 feet to go DOWN the wall on...

Nothing fancy! 1. We could easily see the overall level never changed. The waterline was, on average, the same height on the pool wall all the way around the sides. This was key to our decision to key it ride. 2. The worst paver cracks allowed sinking of those support legs. It was easy to see...

You're definitely not the first! We had 18 pavers like yours... and 7 cracked in our first year that pool was up. We hedged our bets and measured the sinking parts, and found they didn't shift any further (over 3 years). Our pavers were "well wedged" between the heavy foam pool foundation and...

I’m another one who has down-trending pH. We’ve had a pool for many years, and every summer is the same. - We do a partial drain for winter, and fill with tap water in spring. I think TA of the tap water is atound 50. - TA starts the season around 50ish, but as I bring up FC and Salt, it rises...

You piqued my curiosity. Last spring, with chlorine near impossible to find, I was very grateful for my SWG. But the poor thing was 5 years old and decided to retire. My first Intex SWG was around $100, but I wanted to go a bit bigger. Actually, I wanted to go commercial grade (in advance of...

Hi Mike, I've been following along as I also struggle to maintain control ast the season starts up. We have pollen in drifts, and farm fields all around, so I'm always a bit sensitive to high pollen load or even airborne fertilizer contamination (ammonia). But it's always fine - my Cl levels...

Nice looking installation! I wouldn’t worry too much about the air bubble as long as it doesn’t get bigger. Sometimes I have a bubble, sometimes I don’t. You’ll know if you’re cavitating - the pump makes a racket. I highly recommend you order a Hayward through-the-wall skimmer. The Intex...

I live in MA and I’ve owned an an above ground pool for 5 years. I have always opened to pristine water, never needed to slam on opening. 1. About 2 weeks before closing, start letting the chlorine drift up. I have a SWG and running 3-4 hrs per day in late September when no one’s in the pool...

Ok - that’s easy! Thank you ?

The advice I’ve gone by for the 4 years I’ve owned a pool is that CH doesn’t matter for vinyl pools. So is CSI at all important?? My tap water has a CH of 75, and that’s where the pool stays all summer. All other criteria are within recommended targets. So my CSI is often -1 or lower. Some...