Recent content by reggiehammond

"Black algae" is actually a bacteria. Algae blooms occur when sanitation is improper, based on whatever algae is present in the environment.

You'd be wise to share more of what you are seeing, what you're testing shows, and your concerns here. There's many people here who can either give you peace of mind, or ammunition.

Perhaps he doesn't understand the math. That's sad. A larger pump is slightly more expensive, but will use drastically less energy to do the same job. It's foolish to follow this PB advice. You might consider no heat pump to save some money. It's going to be less than useful in your neck of the...

My lawn service weed-whacked my SWCG flow switch wiring while I was out of town. I've been completing a SLAM to recover and it reminds me just how much I love my SWCG.

NO! Don't do this as you're just falling for the pool industry BS of chlorine being a bad thing! High CYA protects your chlorine better, allowing your SWCG to work less. Your SWCG will last longer, costing you less money. When you attempt to run on the low end of SWCG CYA levels, you risk...

Seems to be two ways about it: 1) Spend a lot more $$ for Sunbrella fabric cushions and closed-cell foam 2) Spent a lot less and just replace every 1-2 years Since cushions can be so unique to each furniture piece, it's wise to get measurements and then start your search.

Sticky for Chlorine: How do I use Chlorine in my Spa or Hot Tub? Sticky for Bromine: How do I use Bromine in my Spa or Hot Tub?

K-1766 Salt Test kit from Taylor is the gold standard. Buy that...

You ought to sell off the Stenner setup before you put any use to it. You can likely get most of the $$ back. I would fill in my pool and burn down my house before I would ever consider giving up the SWCG. It makes pool ownership far easier than any other solution, and allows for TFP principles...

Depending on pump / controls - freeze protection might mean "full RPMs" which is not necessary as it burns exponentially more energy. You'd need to tell us more about your pool, but I just checked on my pool. Happily chugging along at 1200 rpms using very little power.

Usually the rule of thumb is that once you pay the final draw; it's your problem. A good idea is to get a second opinion or inspection by a neutral party before proceeding too far.

We can have very long pool seasons in Texas... My SWCG is running right now, in February. Why would I want to mess with pucks or liquid when this is the case?

One more vote - don't be fooled, a SWCG is the only answer for Texas pools.

One more huge vote for SWCG. Absolutely ZERO issues with any of the commonly cited myths around salt water pools. I'd fill in my pool, or move, before I'd give it up. I think it's table-stakes for pools in Texas.

The cartridges, when properly care for, will last many years. The DE is the means for trapping dirt/algae/debris. It lasts months. The difference between a DE filter and a Cartridge are negligible in my experience; but the cartridge filter will need to be cleaned as often as a DE filter. For...