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Thanks SoCal. The pump was installed in 2011. One possible factor that could have led to an earlier demise: it lives outside in the winter, which is no small thing in Minnesota. I assume it's possible our extreme weather might have shortened its life? And yes, the suction valves are what I...

An update on this: I plugged my skimmers today with gizmos, opened all my lines (1 main, 2 skimmers but I don't know which line is which because they aren't labeled), backfilled the lines with water for 10 minutes, let the pump run for 4 minutes and I still couldn't achieve prime. I didn't even...

Thanks for the tips, SoCalGuy. (We used to live in San Diego.) I would guess our pump is 15' above the pool, so yes, even when all the equipment is working perfectly, it's a haul. Since the pump was working when we first opened, I don't think there's an air leak anywhere. But the motor is...

We opened our pool two weeks ago. Got everything up and running at the beginning, although the pump was really loud. I figured the motor is dying. So I closed our line valves and turned off the pump, so we could sleep at night. (The pump is right next to our bedroom window.) Enter this week...

OK. A few follow-up questions. I'm still confused about the dual-speed/variable-speed options. Our pump (as I understand it) is single speed, as is our motor. Can I replace the motor with a dual speed, even though the pump is single speed? (I'm not even sure if that makes sense.) I'd like to...

Hi all: Our pool is open as of this week; this will be my second year completely handling the pool care, thanks to TFP. This year's spring question: the pump/motor is REALLY loud. It's right outside our bedroom window, and even with all the windows shut, it sounds like a F16 plane is trying...

Our pool set-up is filter - SWG - heater. So maybe that's the problem? There's not enough flow coming from the SWG to allow the heater to fire? If so, not sure what I can do about that.

The pump was primed at the time of the squealing. It's a very loud grind with a high pitch whine. The pump is right next to our bedroom wall, and it was so loud, it woke me up. (Probably not related but I'lll ask anyway: I turned the pump off last night so I could sleep. And once again, I lost...

Pool will be closed tomorrow. Our lines are blown out, because we're in Minnesota. Once that is done, is it possible or advisable for me to take any of the pipes apart? I'd like to check the pipes into our heater. It consistently refuses to fire because the pressure isn't high enough, even after...

Hi all: We got 6+ inches of rain last week, and since we're closing our pool this week, I spent some time outside getting water off our cover and shaping things up for winter. Once I got the water off the cover, I found the pool water level had dropped several inches; not sure where it went...

We haven't had a lot of water displacement. Is the best route, then, to NOT add CYA right now and get the SWG and FC figured out? Maybe test CYA again in a week and make a judgement call about adding some then? I'm guessing the same would hold true for the PH. If the SWG will cause the PH to...

A month ago, I got my first Taylor kit. Back then, my CYA measured at 30. A few weeks later, after using the rest of some leftover dichlor I had sitting around (in addition to the bleach I used to SLAM my pool), I tested my CYA at 40. This week, I've slamming again. (Lesson learned: Don't let...

Hi all: I slammed my pool about three weeks ago. Had everything perfect. Then we had rain for a week, so the pool was neglected. (We have an automatic, non permeable cover, so when it rains, I can't get to the pool without clearing the water on the cover first, which doesn't make much sense...

Thanks Dan. The on-off switch has worked in the past. The heater had a lot of problems last summer; I can't say for sure this was one of them, but when a number of things are going wrong at the same time, it's hard to say if the on-off switch worked correctly last year or not. If this does NOT...

Checking the system for voltage and safety circuit breakdowns is beyond our pay grade. I might pay our local heating company $90 to come over and give the heater the once over. At least then we'll get a second opinion. I'm starting to seriously doubt the pool store's diagnosis of a new gas...

I recently bought and started using a TK-2006 test kit, which helped me successfully SLAM my pool. Years past, I always used the Pentair Rainbow kit that came with our house, which as everyone probably knows, only has an OTO chlorine test. My question: if the OTO tests for TC, why does it's...

I went out and looked, and I can't tell which type of heater we have. It's a Raypak RP 2100, if that helps. I know ours has a thermopile, because it was replaced a few years ago. Would the serial number help me make the final call? The cost seems a bit extreme, does't it, Pool Clown? It's a...

Hi all: We have a Raypak heater. It's old; I don't remember its exact age off the top of my head. Last year, it worked sporadically. At first, we thought the pressure switch was the issue. But we replaced it, and the heater continue to fire intermittently. We've been told we need a new gas...

THANK YOU! Are there any general guidelines for how long a SLAM should take - i.e. how many gallons of bleach I should have on hand?

Thanks Jason. I will definitely order some refills for the FAS-DPD and CYA tests. So, if I'm reading the Pool Calculator right, I should add 734 ounces of 6% bleach to raise my FC from .2 to 12, right? And then, according to Pool School, I should monitor my FC and keep it at 12 until the water...

Hi all: This is my first post, but I've been reading this board religiously for the past 12 months. We are relatively new pool owners; this year, I've appointed myself full-time pool girl, both to save money and to keep on top of issues. Last summer was a series of disasters: the pool had two...