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It's funny you say that - I actually had to get a new car AND a new dishwasher in the past year. I think I got lucky, since we didn't have to wait too long for either, but I'm sure I paid a premium for the car. I guess I dodged a bullet by not ordering any furniture :). Anyway, thanks for...

Ok. It's good to know that equipment can last that long! I think that one of my concerns is that if the pump does break, given supply chain and workforce issues, I may not be able to get a good replacement for a while.

The pool I have came with the house I purchased about 6 years ago. Not sure when the equipment was installed, but probably close to 10 years prior to my buying the house. Everything seems to runs fine (although I think the pump is a little noisier this year than prior years), but I'm guessing...

As the pictures show - the top part of the skimmer is coming out of the concrete with the cover. Doesn't really affect the functionality of the skimmer, but does anyone have a suggestion for securing this? Thanks!

I used muriatic acid in previous seasons, not this year. The only thing that I'm aware of that changed since previous seasons is the new liner. My TA is 130 and doesn't change noticeably. But I'm also adding Borax every once in a while, which would tend to increase TA a little. I agree...

Thank you everyone for your input - this is one of the reasons I love TFP. I use tap water to fill (I checked and it's pH 7.5), although I’ve barely had to add any because of the relatively wet summer. Could it be due to acidity of the rain water? I chlorinate with liquid chlorine only (pool...

I'm finding that my pH tends to trend downward in general. I know it's generally supposed to trend upward, but it doesn't. The first couple of years it occasionally trended upward, but this year it pretty consistently trends slowly downward. It may be because we don't use the pool as much as...

Every once in a while I need to raise the pool's pH a little, but quickly. Aeration takes a long time and with the size of my pool it doesn't really work well. So I use Borax, which works pretty well, but is cumbersome. Would there be a problem with using a sodium hydroxide solution...

Just had a very old liner in the pool replaced last week. Overall, things look good, BUT...when I turned on the lights I noticed maybe a dozen small creases, predominantly in the shallow end (I've attached a couple of pictures). Am I right that the liner should be pretty much completely smooth...

Does anyone know if it is really necessary to remove the water pressure switch from the Pentair Mastertemp 250 heater when winterizing? The instructions say to do it, but looking at it - with my level of experience - I feel like I'm likely to break it when trying to remove it or to be unable to...

Since I originally posted, a couple of them have managed to find their way into the chipmunk afterlife via the pool. Maybe they couldn't live with the idea that I will be closing the pool soon, or maybe they had a falling out with the local chipmunk gang. In any case - maybe it will work as...

Hi all - thanks for all your suggestions, especially about the mice. I'll definitely get some of that peppermint oil or use drier sheets. It's also good to know that if I don't get around to covering the equipment it won't spontaneously combust. It does get some cover from the surrounding...

Hey all - sorry for the late reply, but I do really appreciate all of your input. Bottom of the returns is about 15", while the top of the light is about 26". Given a drain to about 4" below the return for closing, that would leave only about 7" of water above the light. In reality, by the...

I have a pool light in the shallow end of the pool and I’ve been thinking about whether or not to winterize it (first time closing pool). How many inches of water would you consider safe for leaving it in place? If I need to take it out, it sounds like my options are to put it on the deck and...

My pool equipment (filter, heater, and pump) is all located outside at the side of the house under a cover of some trees and bushes. This has made it a bit of a pain to access them during the summer, but I’m thinking it will provide some protection during the winter. My question is - Is it...

It's hard to find a definitive answer on the frost line, since upstate New York varies so much, but it looks like in my area the frost line is in the 36-48 inch range. Frankly, that sounds pretty deep - should I expect my water to freeze 3-4 feet from the surface of the water, or will the...

Going to try to close my pool by myself for the first time. A couple questions about blowing out my lines (I have two skimmers, 3 returns, and one main drain in the deep end) My impression from reading some posts and watching some videos is that I can plug my blower (I plan on using the...

I'm starting to work on a plan to close my pool. Some of the posts I read talk about taking into consideration the level of the water table when lowering the pool water level for closing. My question is - how do I figure out the level of my water table and what is "too high"? I don't have a...

Even though I see them scurrying around all the time, none has ended up in the pool yet. I've had a couple rats, something that was either a shrew or a mole, and a frog. But no chipmunks....yet.

How do I know when I need to replace my vinyl liner? What is the best time of the year to do it? Inherited the current one with the house and I’m not sure how old it is. Looks like it had a rough life. Scattered bleached spots, a few things that look like rust stains, a bunch of wrinkles and...