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With the large amount of rains we have had since I first opened my pool a year and a half ago, my CYA levels have fluctuated between 60 and 90. I definitely notice that I have to turn my duty cycle (% runtime) down when I'm at the higher levels of CYA. Clearly, my chlorinator is working harder...

Over time, the industry has gotten smarter about how to get gas to swimming pools. Typical neighborhood gas service is delivered to your meter at ~50lb. pressure. Your meter has a regulator that drops the pressure down to ~7oz. to run all of your household gas utilities*. The maximum size...

Hi Shannon. I'm "right next door" to you in Katy. It sounds like our fill water comes from the same source. After my pool was built in 2014, I struggled to drop my TA for several months, but I finally got there. Nowadays, depending on amount of rain (or lack thereof), my TA bounces around in...

Wrong. Cl2 production is directly proportional to the total number of electrons (i.e. electrical current) that moves through the circuit. A "bigger" SWG simply has more electrode surface area (e.g. more plates) than a smaller one does. Consequently, the larger SWG can generate more chlorine...

Adding acid is less precise than having to manually chlorinate. With acid, if you miss a few days nothing bad can really happen. If you miss chlorine additions (or if cya gets too high) you've got real problems. SWG is easier to maintain!

I built my pool in late 2014. The autofill option was about $300. When I go on vacation, I simply shut off the valve that feeds the autofill.

OP seems to be wise to the game...but there's another thing to think about here: Follow the money. When I built my previous pool, the PB installed a mineral system that I didn't want. When I asked why, he said "the manufacturer gives them to me for free. They make up for this loss-leader...

Is this always an either/or? In my pool build (Houston-area), my decking was bonded just like it's shown in firehunter's pic above, and the steel cage of pool shell and water features was directly bonded.

The silver dates and Chinese fans came "full grown". The silver dates were probably 15' tall and have grown substantially since then. The Chinese fan grows slower, but I think it was already about 15 years old when it was harvested. It continues to grow fuller. I have 3 Mediterranean palms...

I used a local guy to recommend tropical-looking things that can handle the occasional frosty week we might see in Houston every few years. He planted silver date palms, Mediterranean palms, and Chinese fan palms in my yard, and they are all thriving. He had other recommendations as well. PM...

+1 Every time I've used my in-line puck chlorinator, my spa starts losing water overnight due to compromised innards on one of my check valves. I'm getting good at replacing them: Last time, the whole repair job took me about 3 minutes.

One that won't make my pool look too bad... One that will circulate real good... :punkrock:

Patents and keeping things as "trade secrets" are both ways of protecting intellectual property. When you apply for a patent, you explain in fine detail everything your product does, but you get a monopoly on your invention for a specified period of time. When you choose to keep something as a...

My previous pool did not have automation, and I got along just fine. When we built our current pool, the PB added automation to the quote. However, since it was such a small piece of the overall price tag, removing it would not have changed the financial footprint of the pool. Is it awesome...

Re: Why are SWC cell housings opaque in America and transparent in Aus? They do make clear PVC pipe and fittings. And there's always polycarbonate, too. Both of these materials would be quite durable, if not expensive, in a SWG housing application. But cheaper materials could work, since it...

I can chime in on #5. I chose to have an in-floor cleaning system as part of my pool design. I am completely happy with it. If low-maintenance is on your wish list, this is something you should strongly consider. "Cleaning" my pool bottom is as simple as emptying my skimmer baskets now.

+1 Your wife and my wife come from the same ilk.

When my house was built 2 years ago, I had them builder stub-in utilities (hot/cold, sewer, electric, gas) for a future outdoor kitchen on my back patio. A few days before closing, I failed city inspection because the exposed PVC for my water & sewer lines was not painted "to protect them from...

Sometime in the past, some Pebble Tec folks left their employer and started Wet Edge Technologies. At the most fundamental levels, comparable products from both suppliers are quite similar...although each one tends to brag that their unique sources of stones give prettier surfaces. My pool...

Good choice. I had pavers with a previous pool. It looks great. Cracks are, by definition, irrelevant. Pavers can have a natural non-slip surface. And you can rather easily get to your plumbing should you really need to dig it up. For me, pavers had the added advantage of not being...

I can imagine that the missing 2" of spa water might not be very easy to see in terms of rising pool level, so maybe you need a bit more time for the leak. My spa is elevated by 18"....when my check valves have failed, water level in spa drops to equilibrate with water level in pool. I am not...

Have you been able to eliminate check valves as the source of your leakage? Is your spa elevated in relation to the pool?

That's the first adjustment I made when the pool was new; the water only trickles over it now. However, the little water that does fall hits several rocks on the way down. I'm out of ideas....

Sometimes it is what it is. However, if you find the answer, I'm keen to apply it to my situation. A year and a half post construction, I continue fight the constantly-rising pH bogeyman due, in (large?) part, to SWG-chlorinated water cascading from the raised spa into my pool. Even with my...

Speed stir is a must. With my new pool, I have found that I go through my phenol red (pH measurement) and CYA-measurment reagents faster than everything else. This year, I ordered an extra supply of these 2 things.

I've built 2 pools in Houston in the last 5 years. Clearly, Centerpoint makes you pay for the gas meter upgrade in advance...but only after your pool has been filled. I've had estimates for the other items that were all over the map. For example, I had estimates to repair/reroute my...

Since we have the Paramount PCC2000 in-floor cleaning system, we call ours "The Invisible Man" as there is nothing to look at!

Are you building the pool yourself, or are you contracting someone to do it for you? Generally, Pool Builders are locked in to one of the various in-floor manufactures, so you might not have the choice you think. I have the Paramount PCC2000, because that's what my PB installs. I'm quite...

What's the TFP party-line on this.....do we blame all the extra pollen on global warming? Is this a sign of the apacolypse? Or is it all Obama's fault?

Do you know if you can salvage the existing system? I absolutely love my in-floor cleaner. Literally, the only maintenance I have with my pool is the weekly sojourn to the closet to get out the TF-100 and then make any chemical adjustments. And occasionally I brush everything. The...