Recent content by mikelehen

Thanks for the advice guys! I'll try a few plumbers and see if I have better luck.

So I posted a while ago about tracking down a suction side leak, and unfortunately it ended up being a leak in one of the pipes under the concrete. I had American Leak Detection find the spot, but I'm having a horrible time getting a pool repair company to help me. I've had a couple people...

Welp, American Leak Detection came out, pressure tested the skimmer line, found that it was leaking, and (hopefully) pinpointed the spot under the concrete where the leak is. Took about an hour and a half for them to find the spot (they said it was a tough one). They charged $650 for testing...

Thanks guys. I left my pump off for two days with the solar cover on and lost almost an inch of water, so I think unfortunately I probably have a suction-side leak in the pipes under the concrete. :-/ So I'm thinking it may be time to give American Leak Detection a call. Hopefully they can...

I actually get similar flow (well, filter psi anyway) regardless of whether I set the suction-side valve to pull from the pool or the spa, so I think it's probably okay? The valve that makes a difference is the return side (whether I'm pushing to the spa or the pool), which I think can be...

Thanks guys! I'll do the "pump off water level" test and experiment with shaving cream over the next few days and report back. Both good ideas. An obstruction is an interesting idea I hadn't considered. I can't think of anything that would have caused an obstruction. My skimmer basket and...

In case anybody reads this post later, I ended up going for the metal roof and had solar installed using the clamps that attach to the standing seams. Metal roof was the most expensive option, but it should last a long time and the peace of mind of having zero penetrations in my roof for the...

I seem to have a significant suction side leak this year and I'm worried it's underground, but I can't quite make sense of all my symptoms. For background, I had my pump and valves replaced last year by a pool professional and everything ran great last season. I kept my pool "open" over the...

Cool, thanks for the reply!

The house I bought earlier this year had a failing roof and defunct solar pool heater. I'm planning to replace both this year. This puts me in the semi-unusual position of being able to plan for the solar system while having the roof re-done. So I'm wondering if anybody has any tips or...

[I know this is super old, but in case anybody else has this problem and ends up here...] I had the same issue. I guess I must have torqued it too much one day, because the next day it was stuck tight. I tried everything (wetting, banging, heating, WD40, strap wrenches, etc.). I could not...

Next question (related to my silly "spa")... It has two return jets, and both have these air tubes sticking straight up on the outside that I guess pull air and turn the returns into aerated jets (if I cover the hole with my finger, I stop getting bubbles out of the return jet). Anybody know...

Thanks! There is no direct connection between them. There are just the suction and return pipes that meet each other in the equipment room. Perhaps the intention was to just run the pool during the summer and spa during the other months. The actuator / automation system sounds interesting...

After having to clean pine needles out of my completely clogged pump impeller, I picked up one of these and threw it in my skimmer. It's been about a month now, and I'm a fan! It catches tons of pine needles, which used to go right through the skimmer most of the time. Time will tell if it...