Recent content by Jeff J.

Actually, it looks like there's a built-in gasket that I missed. I did run the water over the pump lid, I don't notice any bubbles. I don't know if it means anything, but the water level has dropped an inch or two since I opened the pool around June 28. I'm not sure how much rain we've had.

The weir door swings freely. I forgot that it's called that. The pump basket lid doesn't seem to have any rubber or plastic gasket. I guess that's a likely culprit. On a side note, I'm amazed that my water is still clear. The bottom has some dirt. If I had a robot, I don't even think anyone...

It's not the water level. How do I check the other things? Also, air bubbles are coming out of the two returns by the steps when I turn it on.

My pump was running fine when the pool guy opened it a couple of weeks ago. The pressure was a little high, so I was going to backwash it. Then it suddenly stopped sucking. I called the pool guy, he came by and fixed it. I don't know what he did. It ran fine for a few days, then it stopped...

I'm thinking about a pool cleaner, but I want to spend less than $500 on it. I have an in-ground vinyl 12x24 that goes to six feet. I'm thinking of buying on ebay, I don't care if it's used. If could get one for $300 something even better. What do you guys and gals think?

I'll post a picture when I get home. I don't know what happened, it was working fine, and the other day I turned on the sword, it hummed for a second, then nothing. Now it's totally dead. I'll check the circuit breaker in the basement, but everything else seems to work. [/FC_CYA_VIDEO]

My pump died about a week ago 😢. It's a Hayward Superpump 1.5 HP. We moved into the house about fifteen years ago, so I guess it had a good run. I'm closing soon, so I'm putting it off to spring. Should I try to get it repaired? If I buy a new one, any suggestions with my pool?

I use the OTO test and PH test daily. I try to keep the CL in the top band (5-10). When it drops to the next band (3-6), I assume it's 4.5 and use Poolmath to bring it up to my target (which is 7 with a CYA of 40). I do the other tests once per week. I find the OTO usually over-estimates the CL...

Hmm, maybe I'm glad I've stuck with bottles. Not that I've had a spare couple of grand lying around, anyway.

Be careful with store bleach. A lot of them have additives now. If it says no splash, Cloromax, a fragrance, or anything else suspicious, you shouldn't use it. If your pool bubbles in the rain, you'll know you got some polymers in there.

Regarding the cost comparison, do you have to run the pump more? If so, I would assume that shortens the lifespan of the pump, and raises the electric bill somewhat. How often do you have to replace the controller? Also, an economist would tell you you have to consider what return you would get...

Opened my pool a few days ago! Levels all look good. CYA dropped from 60 to 40 since November. I've been busy, so I let the chlorine drop to 1.5, I'll add some today. Bottom is dirty, back to work! What do people think about keeping one or two pucks in a floater? I check my CYA every week.

Finally closed the pool today. Went through the whole season adding nothing but chlorine. I started TFP last season, and I don't think I've ever had a season where I added nothing else. My PH basically stayed at 7.5-7.8. I started keeping one puck in a floater, and it drifted to 7.2, but came...

Anything less than 7.2 is too low. You can use borax to raise PH without raising TA. Most importantly, you have to get your CL and CYA up. Pucks won't raise CYA fast enough. You should add stabilizer. I'm assuming you read Pool School?

You still live here in Shaolin?