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None of my usual spots have any over winter. I’ve started just buying regular bleach from Walmart, but I’m skeptical about the bleach contents as it doesn’t seem to be raising FC as much as it should be based on searching the percentage online. Unfortunately none of the “cleaning” bleach bottles...

I was recently reading about others draining their hot tub/spa into their pool, and also the reverse: refilling it from pool water (though it wasn’t the same person). Wondering about the pros and cons. The pro is definitely saving water. But in my mind, if the water in the hot tub is “dirty”...

I've decided to (what feels like) go out on a limb and try ordering a test kit refill to Canada via Shippsy (following: Order from TFTestkits.net into Canada (Step-by-Step)) I'm at the stage now where in the tftestkits website I need to enter my billing and shipping address. The latter is...

I just ran it through my almost-brand new tub and got the expected green scum. Decided to run it through again and got exactly the same result. Do I continue? It’s become obvious to me that the scum is, in fact, the gel (I assume it binds to the gunk and basically acts as a flocculant?). What...

I've got a brand new Master Spa tub, and I'm researching the idea of using a SWG in it. The sales person told me it's not a good idea in hot tubs because the heat exacerbates the corrosive effect of chemicals (salt in particular) on the metal parts, which is primarily the heater, obviously...

Hey all, given the logistical hassles of getting pool testing chemicals in Canada (that don't cost an absolute fortune) I'm using "expired" reagents from the tf-100 I bought a couple years ago (and had to jump through a ridiculous number of hoops to acquire). So far, all of the results seem to...

So I bought a new hot tub - Balance 7 Hot Tub Model from Clarity Spas The sales guy kept going on about how the "Eco Pur" charge filter would reduce chemical usage and maintenance, and how he "only adds a capfull of shock once a week" in his personal tub, yada yada yada. I was a bit skeptical...

A couple years ago our dual speed pump failed and we had it replaced by a variable speed pump. Ever since, we’ve been having suction issues while vacuuming. So to start, my process for vacuuming is as follows: 1) set the pump to pull ~50% from the main drain 2) put the vacuum plate & hose into...

Was late opening the pool this year, and for the first time since I started doing it myself, I took the cover off to find a green swamp. Lots of bleach, and a few hours later the water is blue but still cloudy. Will keep the SLAM process ongoing till the end. My big question though is on my...

I’ve been looking to get a robot cleaner for 2 years (on and off) and have yet to come to anything close to being ready to buy one. I don’t mind spending a bit but if I’m going to spend $1-2k (CAD) on a pool vac I don’t want to regret my decision. Here’s the issue- I go to the various vendor...

I find the Hayward site useless in terms of actually comparing their various models. Does anyone know the difference between the 230V MaxFlo VS (W3SP2303VSP) and the 230V Super Pump VS (W3SP2603VSP)? The links to the respective pages are...

Hey all, I'm in the market for a new pump (separate thread: So.... my pump is dead. Replacement recommendations?). As part of the process, I've emailed virtually every pool supplier I can find both locally and nationally (who ship pumps). A number of responses back so far suggest a VS pump...

Hey all, My existing pump (Model 15UTMF-S2) was only working in "high speed" mode. Took it into a local electric motor repair shop to have them look at why the low speed wasn't working. $75 later they called me to say that the end bells were completely worn and that it likely wouldn't be worth...

So the motor in my hot tub wouldn't turn on, so to try to isolate whether it was the motor or the control board, I took the pump out and hooked it up independently. Flipped the power on and it sparked (at which point I shut it off immediately). I'm 99% sure it was wired correctly (same as my...

Hey all, had a heavy bather load over the past week or so and neglected testing. Checked after they all left and FC is 0 so I threw all the chlorine I had leftover into the pool and cranked up the SWCG. Don’t think I have a problem now, but wanted to do the OCLT to be sure. First reading was 21...

I've noticed this year that I seem to be getting some minor cavitation in my returns (ie the stream is full of small bubbles). I only recall that happening last year when I put the pump on 100% skimmer while vacuuming the pool, the rest of the time was none. It's not enough to make me worry...

FC is 13, CC is 0, CYA 60-70ish in a SWCG pool. I’ve got the SWCG at 20% but I guess it’s still too much. Anyway, there’s no chlorine smell at all (because of the low CC I guess) but wondering what the risks are to swimming with a “higher than ideal” FC Thanks!

Hey all, wondering if anyone else has a T104 + T106 setup and/or has any experience wiring these timers. I wired it following this guide: How to wire Intermatic T10604R with the addition of an SWG connected to terminals 2 & 4 on the T104. I'm no electrician, but I like to think I have a working...

Anyone else having issues with bugs in their skimmer? I use socks in my skimmer basket, and even one night is enough to have a fairly disgusting amount of millipedes, centipedes, spiders and sow/pill bugs stuck inside. So much so that there's been more than once where I ended up throwing the...

I've currently got a single speed pump that runs 24/7 and is hardwired in, such that I have to go flip a breaker in the pool shed to turn it on/off. I was told by both the previous owners and the pool company who initially introduced me to the maintenance said that because of the size of the...

I see the recommended CYA level for a SWG pool is 70-80, but it begs the question if latitude should matter. For example, given two otherwise identical pools- one in northern Minnesota (49 deg) and one in Key West (24.5 deg)- does it make sense that they target the same CYA level? I guess the...

Just opened my pool this afternoon - looks fantastic (considering it took 1 month to get clear when the pool company did it last year...) https://i.ibb.co/QDCZt9J/IMG-4684.jpg Anyway, here are my initial readings (no chlorine added yet): FC: 0 CC: 0 pH: 7.5 TA: 120 CH: 200 CYA: <20 (couldn't...

Not a question, more of an observation. This past weekend I decided to deep clean my sand filter using youtube videos (which I see now were included in the stickied post in this forum). Went pretty much the same as others have shown, except the problem I ran into was that there was quite a bit...

I haven't visited the forum since I closed the pool in October, but I'm aiming to open late April - early May. In the meantime over the winter I ordered the TF-100, so I'll be starting off on the right track this year, but wanted to ask what the process is to balance the water starting out...

Hey all, I closed the pool a couple weeks ago (fingers crossed). Since then, we've had more rain than we've had all summer. Inevitably, some has either leaked under or through the tarp I covered the pool with, because when I took a look yesterday the water level has raised above the level of...

Hey all, have a few questions before I attempt my first closing this weekend: 1) 'm wondering what the recommended chemical levels are for closing (with a vinyl liner). I went to a free "pool closing seminar" at the local pool shop put on by their chem supplier, which was interesting but...

Hey all, I've been following most of the closing threads, including Catanzaro's excellent thread (should be stickied, perhaps?), however, I am still not completely clear on the concept of blowing out the main drain line. So the returns make sense - you lower the water level below the returns...

I've got a winter cover that fits into the second coping around the pool edge (essentially a large tarp). I took it out this weekend to make sure it's clean, and discovered that a mouse had burrowed a hole into the center of it and created a nest (complete with babies). In any case, there's a...

This is a bit early as I'm not planning to deep clean the filter until the end of the season - but wanted to think about how best to do it in advance. All my pool equipment is located in a shed beside the pool, which, to the extent possible, I'd like to avoid flooding during the process of deep...

Hey all, I recently started noticing a dark grey sludge/grime on the water line in the skimmer. It doesn't appear to be showing up on the water line elsewhere around the pool, though it's harder to tell because the pool walls aren't white. In any case, it's truly "greasy" and when I rub it off...