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I plan on closing in the next few weeks. Water temp is about 67. My water level has dropped 3 inches from where I normally keep it during the season. This is due to no rain in many weeks, and I haven't been adding from the hose. The water level is high enough to just enter the skimmer, but the...

I recently removed the pool lights from their niches to check for algae growth. I noticed that there isn't a watertight seal around the lights when they are placed back into the niches, so this probably creates an area of stagnant water behind the lights. Can this cause an algae bloom? Or is...

It's time for a deep clean. I've never done this before. I read the sticky about deep cleaning a sand filter, but unsure which part I have to disassemble. Do the pipes have to come off? Or if I just unscrew the 6 bolts holding the multiport, will that reveal the sand?

Brief history: last week I had to SLAM my saltwater pool. One day I noticed sediment on the bottom, and thought it was dirt and pollen. The stuff would brush up in a yellowish green puff, and disappear. The next day the pool was cloudy and became increasingly yellow/green as the day went on. I...

This morning I cleaned the filter basket by my pump. When I put it back in, I noticed it would only stay about half full of water. Lots of air was coming out of the returns, and the pressure was very low coming out of one of the returns. When I turn OFF the pump, water leaks out of the filter...

How often do you perform the Chlorine drop test (with the DPD powder) from the TF-100? My target FC is 5. I use the simple Taylor chlorine/pH test kit for daily stuff - but it is nearly impossible for me to distinguish between the 2, 3, or 5 ppm levels with the yellow color comparison (not to...

I have a digital timer that looks like this: Amazon.com: Intermatic PB313E 24-Hour 16-Amps 120-Volt Electric Timer: Home Improvement The digital display stopped working today. It appears to be functioning, because pressing the on/off/auto button does turn the pump on or off. And the red power...

I rely on my SWG for regular use, and I've always used bleach if I need to slam the pool. However, a neighbor (who recently filled in their pool) gave me about 20 1-lb bags of "shock" - cal-hypo 73% Leslie's brand. Can I use this to SLAM my pool if I have an algae problem? I would like to be...

I have cloudy water and lots of yellow dust settled on the walls/floor of my vinyl pool. No trouble holding FC - the water just doesn't look clear and sparkly. I'm assuming this is pollen because we have a stand of pine trees in the lot next-door. My polaris just fluffs it around, since the...

I am planning on doing the overnight chlorine loss test tonight...couple questions. Background: I opened the pool six days ago. Water is clear. FC is holding ok but not great (I'm raising CYA now to help with that). I'm not SLAMing anymore now, but I want to make sure there are no problems...

Is it ok to use my Polaris while SLAMing at a FC level of 12-14? I thought it might help to distribute any organics in the water...but I don't want to risk damaging the unit. And during normal water conditions...can I just keep it in the water all the time? Or is it best to remove from the pool...

We opened the pool 5 days ago. Water was dark green. Followed SLAM process for a few days and kept pump running 24 hrs. Water is now pretty clear with some pollen settled around the bottom (not crystal clear, but can easily see bottom of deep end). Turned on SWG yesterday and set to "super...

This is my first year with a pool, so I have some questions about what to expect during the off-season. The pool was closed last month. We dropped the water level below the skimmer, blew the lines, and installed the gizmos. We've had a lot of rain in the past few weeks. The water level in the...

This is my first year with a pool. The pool is closed with safety cover on. At the time of closing, water level was dropped to below skimmer, lines were blown, and gizmos were installed. We've had 5 inches of rain in the past few weeks. The water is collecting a little bit in the middle of the...

This was my first season as a pool-owner, so I am preparing for my first closing. I've read the info here about closing, and I've talked to several other local pool owners. I am undecided on how to proceed with the closing. I live in North Alabama so we do have freezing temps in the winter, but...

Is it ok to leave the Polaris in the pool 24/7? It's certainly more convenient to leave it in, but I wonder if the constant exposure to the salt water and sunlight will damage it. Is this ok, or is it better to take it out when not in use?

I need to add a bag of salt to my pool. The salt I have on hand (left to me from the pool's previous owner) is water softener salt in a yellow bag. I was surprised by how huge the salt crystals are - some are over an inch in diameter. Is this safe to use? How quickly will it dissolve, i.e. when...

I decided to inspect my salt cell when the inspect light came on. My understanding is that it comes on after a certain number of hours. This is my first season owning the pool, and I am not sure when the previous owner inspected/cleaned it. When I loosened the rings and took the cell out, water...

I recently bought a house with a pool. The previous owner converted to a SWG about 3 years ago. So far, everything is going well. What is the typical life span of a salt cell? Are there any warning signs that indicate if it's nearing the end of its life? i.e., does it just die one day and you...

I need to add CYA to my pool. I've read about both methods - hanging a sock in front of a return, or mixing it in a bucket of water and adding it to the skimmer basket. Questions: 1) When they say to add it to the basket, is this the skimmer basket by the side of the pool, or the basket next...

Today I discovered that my Polaris pool cleaner lost a wheel. The wheel, along with a screw and small metal plate, were on the bottom of the deep end. While trying to scoop these small pieces off the bottom with a net, I thought to myself "I hope this won't tear or scratch the liner!" How...

New pool owner here. I inherited a Polaris pool robot with my vinyl pool. Today I discovered one of the Polaris wheels on the bottom of the deep end. There is also a screw, washer, and small metal plate (couldn't get those off the bottom with the net...will have to go swimming!) Is the wheel...

Hi TFP! I am having trouble retaining chlorine in my salt water pool. I bought the house a week ago, and tested the water for the first time to find 0 FC. I spoke with the previous owner and at his advice added bleach to raise FC to shock level of 20 (CYA is 50). The next day, it looked better...

I just bought a house with a pool. I started off with some algae issues due to a high ascorbic acid treatment the prior owner did, which caused the pool to have 0 FC for a few days without our knowledge. That seems to be resolving after a shock with bleach. I took a water sample to the pool...

I'm a brand new pool owner - I've read TFP pool school and this is my first post here. We just closed on our new house with a pool. The previous owner has taken great care of the pool and equipment, and generally followed TFP methods. Three weeks ago, he did a treatment with ascorbic acid to...