Recent content by peterl1365

For me, it varies wildly due to a multitude of factors. Basically I adjust it upwards or downwards based on testing. Very generally, though, I increase the pump time by about 30 percent between winter and summer, and I increase the SWG duty cycle from ~40% to ~50%. I target an FC level of...

Thanks. That's what I thought. I presume the threaded plug is properly glued into PVC pipe.

I want to replace this auto-fill valve, but I'm concerned about the corrosion around the threads. Anyone know what the material is that the valve is threaded into? I'm guessing it's a threaded PVC plug, but I don't want to risk damaging it by unscrewing the valve. Would it make sense to...

Well, green to red is the problem. That is the most common form of color blindness. I can generally distinguish between bright red and bright green, but when they are both light pastels they are very difficult to distinguish.

You may be right. I've constantly fought rising pH over the years. I generally add acid on a weekly basis to keep pH in the 7.5-7.8 range, and I've added borates to establish a buffer. It could probably use some more borates, which I hope to bolster with the addition of 20 Mule Borax after the...

Unfortunately, I don't use a proper test kit. I'm color blind, so I just use a TruTest strip reader to get keep my FC and PH in range. It's generally good enough for my purposes.

Maybe, but my autofill comes from a separate water supply. The main is branched to an irrigation line before the water enters the house. I don't really want a softener just for the pool, and it would take a fair bit of plumbing to install the softener between the sprinkler manifold and the...

Yeah, their results are pretty questionable. I basically use their tests as a rough guide and sanity check for my own testing (which is also suspect). I generally just shoot for a range and I don't really have any problems. Still, it's nice to know that the fill water is relatively low. The...

I had the same problem when I first got my pool ~17 years ago. I purchased an AquaChek TruTest meter. It's pretty basic in that it only measures FC, PH, and TA. However, I find that those three are sufficient for basic day-to-day pool maintenance. I go to the pool store about once a month or so...

You're probably right. Just not sure because So. Cal. gets water from a number of different sources, and the CO river has been cutting back deliveries because of the western drought. FWIW, I found the water quality report for my agency, but they don't list iron levels. My Leslies pool store...

Thank you for the insights. I guess I will try a sequestering agent first. What type of concentration rise do you think I might see without doing anything. I had my water measured at Leslies (I know, I know, but I don't have any other way or measuring metals), and it came back as 0.1 ppm each of...

I did a spot test with AA from Duda, and it seems to be effective. I'm gonna wait about another week to let my FC drop near zero, and I figured I could do some prep in the meantime. I've read through the guide a couple of times and will reread it a few more times. I'd prefer to pull the metals...

As far as I remember, the warranty on cells is only 12 months. Fortunately, it appears that the cell is still functioning properly. That's interesting about the hydrogen. I might have to play with that a bit.

I usually only have to clean it once a year. I typically do that in late November after the annual Santa Ana winds in California. Those winds tend to blow a lot of dust and debris into the pool. Once a year might seem insufficient, but my pressure rise barely changes from clean to dirty. Might...