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    How to make this gate pool-safe?

    Also the fence must not be "climbable". If that second picture is from the exterior, the inspectors may consider the horizontal elements sufficient to allow a child to climb over.
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    What is the purpose of this ball valve?

    SPA mode enabled doesn't matter, without the check valve, that bypass would allow water to siphon from the spa returns to the pool returns once the pump shuts off. The siphon would continue until either the water levels equalize, or the spa level drops below the level of the returns in the SPA...
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    What is the purpose of this ball valve?

    That's correct, and it would have to be a bigger check valve as well (looks like 2"). The assumption of the builder was that the automated valves (both suction and return) would always be fully turned to either SPA mode or Pool mode and so the check valve isn't needed if that is the case...
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    What is the purpose of this ball valve?

    In this particular case that valve can be eliminated an it's functionality replaced by adjusting the cams on the return diverter valve to leave the spa return a bit open. This would require the addition of a check valve in the spa return line (assuming the spa is above the pool.) but still...
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    New plaster, aerate with spa bubblers?

    How are you measuring pH and TA? If those are pool-store numbers I wouldn't trust them too much. If the TA is really over 200 the pH will not stay at 7.2 very long in any case. And a TA of 200 won't do any harm in the short run. But yes running the system in SPA overflow mode works well...
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    Issue with salt meter readings?

    Digital salt level meters do not directly measure salt content. They measure the electrical conductivity of the water and can only correlate that to the amount of salt by making assumptions about the rest of the water's dissolved chemistry. If you just want just a salt test get a Taylor...
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    Pebble Tec vs. Plaster

    Your contractor will have samples of the various Pebbletec finishes to choose from it you go that route. I would also vote for Pebble Sheen as well. We have that in our pool and it is still a bit rough, but not much smoother than the original Pebbletec. If budget is not an issue you can opt...
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    Pool Water Filtering Services

    I've use RO on my Pool twice now with good results both times. The "uses only 15% of the water" is a bit optimistic, in my case both times the actual usage (as measured by my water meter) was closer to 25%. Cost last time around was $800 for my small (6500 Gallon) pool, so drain and refill...
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    Adding simple local controls to Jandy Aqualink RS

    I didn't 3d print it. It was fabricated from a bit of 1/4" ABS plastic stock that I had on hand. I cut the piece out on the table saw, and then drilled the hole pattern shown in my drawing. I temporarily glued a paper copy of the drawing to the plastic for accurate drilling in the drill press.
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    Trouble free high efficiency pool heater?

    If I were going to do a heat pump for year-round swimming I would seriously consider one of the modern inverter-driven units like these: https://www.arcticheatpumps.com/pool-spa-heat-pumps.html?gad_source=1 However I'll agree with James that the question will become who can you get to service...
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    Normal PSI at low rpm?

    I have the identical gauge on my filter and it reads zero at 1400 RPM. I also have a flow meter and can say that this is at ~45 GPM. As Jim said this is the whole point of running big pumps at low speed, much less energy lost to friction. To gauge whether the filter needs cleaning check the...
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    R-0011 drops

    I've had this same problem as well, and have had success by popping the dropper tip off the bottle and washing it under warm water. Now that I know that Isopropanol is the solvent I'll use that next time, but either way the main problem appears to be the indicator congealing in the dropper tip.
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    Jandy Valves Position

    Your picture is a bit too low resolution to read all the labels on your pipes, so a higher res picture would help. Your two automated valves (for pool vs spa mode) do not appear to be in the correct position for either mode. Do these valves move if you flip the little toggle on the bottom...
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    Two Different pH Test Blocks, Two Different Readings

    I agree with @dereksanders the TF-kits block in the picture is clearly either defective or has been left in the sun too long and has faded. The 7.2 block is way too yellow.
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    Autocover owners - Should we be concerned about the lid pavers moving / falling?

    We have a similar setup, we used 24" deep pre-cast coping parts to match the coping around the rest of the pool. No issue what-so-ever with the stones shifting, they weigh ~50 lb each. The issue is the amount of work require to lift them to access the vault, which is needed a couple of...
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    Pool Backyard Layout

    I would fence just the pool area. That would allow the kids to play in the rest of the yard relatively unsupervised. As ajw said in some areas an auto cover can substitute for a fence (but for real protection it does need to be closed when the pool is not in use). I'm a fan of auto covers...
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    Acid tank connector

    It looks like one of the dozens of variants of what is referred to as a "pin header". Could you possibly post a closer picture? Preferably at an angle were we can see the pins? If you have a decent set of calipers measure the size of the pins (and note whether they are square or round) and...
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    Most common type of Disconnect Terminal used in Hot Tub Circulation pumps ?

    Yep those should work find. I was going to mention in my earlier posts that I prefer the fully insulated type, as providing a bit more safety (but are also a pain in the neck if you need to get your meter probes in to check voltages). Your crimp tool should also have a red dot to identify...
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    Most common type of Disconnect Terminal used in Hot Tub Circulation pumps ?

    The only difference is the gauge of wire the connector is designed to accept so you need to match the wire that you have to put the connectors on. Also be sure you have an appropriate crimp tool and match the connector to the corresponding jaw on the tool.
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    Question regarding the drop test for Borates

    The last few times I've check the borate level using the test developed by @JoyfulNoise I've noticed that after adding enough R-0009 to get straw yellow, and then adding R-0010 it usually takes two drops to get the mixture to "baby blue", but the if it is left stirring for a few seconds (about...
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    JoyfulNoise 2011 Recipe to Test Borates

    Maybe it's time that test got documented somewhere in the WIKI where it can be found and referenced more easily. (I have a printed copy that lives in my test kit..)
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    Ants on some parts around my above ground pool

    The Terro ant baits work well for indoor invasions of Argentine ants (the very tiny ones we have everywhere in Southern California), but have been totally ineffective against the same ants outside for me.
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    Pump below pool level, pump gushing out water and can’t clean basket / how to empty water out of filter

    These valves often have a stop intended to prevent you from from "dead heading" your pump by shutting off all flow. But in this situation that's exactly what you need to do to service the equipment. If you are hitting the stop before the handle will turn to the needed shutoff position you can...
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    Pump below pool level, pump gushing out water and can’t clean basket / how to empty water out of filter

    You will need to close off both the suction and the returns before opening up the plumbing. I'm assuming the valve in your pictures is on the suction line. Turn it so that the handle points away from the pump (and the little "closed" marker points towards the pump). On the return line...
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    Anyway to change a 1.25" port (for pool vacuum hose) to 1.50"

    They make adapter ends for pool hoses, I believe you can buy an 1 1/2 hose and then swap one of the ends for such an adapter.
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    Decisions on size and spa location

    I'm very happy with our flush with the pool spa, mainly because it allows an auto-cover to cover everything. It is true that if there is a lot of activity in the main part of the pool a fair amount of cool pool water ends up cooling down the SPA (ie when the grandchildren visit) but 99% of the...
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    Just did my first water test!

    With respect to removing the mineral cartridge, with a bit of luck you might still have the blank plug that came with the unit. If not however it is not hard to use a hack saw to remove the mineral beads from the cartridge, leaving the top bit in place to close the opening.
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    Just did my first water test!

    The Fusion Soft can be either a 700 or 1400 model. Likely adwhite0704 has a 1400 given the pool size but they should verify.
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    Is lower CYA okay for autocovered pool?

    My pool is always covered except for the 30-40 minutes per day that it is actually in use. I keep the CYA between 30 and 40 ppm and it seems to work just fine. I did briefly have the CYA level quite a bit higher for a while at 60 ppm but did not notice any significance difference in the...
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    Pump breaker tripping

    If the breaker is tripping instantly (less than a second) then it is likely that there is a short circuit in the wiring to the pump. If there is a bit of a longer pause (several seconds) and the pump hums that would point to either a seized rotor, or a failed start cap. Next debugging step...