Recent content by mattw221

On the leaf front what I can say is the AIPER Surfer S2 skimmer is worth the investment. I haven't had to recharge it in over 2 weeks and it does a good job skimming the water 24 hours. I had the Betta for several years and Aiper has done a better job on their skimmer. The only thing the Betta...

I had a Polaris 360 and just got an Aiper S1 Pro. While I’m impressed with the cleaning power what’s been most shocking to me is the pure weight of the unit and pulling it out of the pool every 3 hours for it to charge. I can see why the higher end models have the caddy/dolly. It’s really a...

I've done a lot of tile repair on my own pool in Michigan where we get extreme expansion and contraction over the winters. All you really need is "Megalite" thinset by custom building products usually at home depot. It's rated for swimming pool use. The key is removing all the old thinset.

The best material I've ever used is "Dow 790" It's pure silicone and I've seen it last 15+ years in expansion joints around pools. It will stay flexible indefinitely. You will have to tool it as it's not self leveling but you'll never have to touch it again. Over time most of the other caulks...

I once lost an Aqualink Transformer to an animal eating throu the Jandy Actuator cable. The Actuator survived but the transformer died.

Another Option is trying to use a shop vac and sucking it back out from the spa side while temporarily capping the other drain pipes.

I wouldn't use polyurethane caulk. It won't match well with the existing grout and will be a mess to remove if you want to do a better repair later. you can look at what's called "Siliconized Sanded Caulk". It will have a little more grit to match your existing grout and comes in a tube to make...

It's a shame when they installed the pavers they didn't put an expansion joint between the coping and pavers. I can't say 100% that caused the problem but if theirs any movement in the pavers it doesn't have anywhere to go. The good news is if the tiles are in good shape those bricks can be...

I think moisture is getting under the coping and popping them over the winter. Do you use a solid pool cover during the winter that sits on top of the water? The good news is it looks like a clean break. If you knock on the tiles in that area do they sound hollow? Any cracking in the grout...

Dschmick98 thanks for you detailed response. If you get several cloudy or rainy days does the battery seem to last several days if it doesn't have a sunny day?

I can't speak to replacing the board but 14 years from a Raypak I'd say you got your money's worth. Even if you replace the board at some point other components are going to fail so I'm not sure throwing $700 to fix it when you could put that money towards another that will probably last another...

I'd look at the Raypak ASME version. You will probably find them easier and they build that version with cast iron headers and a heavier duty exchanger.

Also remember that the heaters that are +84% efficiency usually have a fan motor to reach that efficiency and when eventually the fan fails their usually $500+ to replace. The Raypaks don't have an expensive fan assembly. The design is simpler and maybe slightly less efficient but it makes up...

It's safe to let the water evap down below the tiles. Just make sure you close off your skimmers at the point where they will run out of water. You don't want your pump running dry. Some skimmers are set low enough so they still have enough water to run right below the water line. You'll have to...