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Thanks for checking-in! In the end, the company I bought the cleaner from took it back and exchanged it for a Dolphin M400 which is working perfectly. It's not cordless which is a shame, but does have wifi connectivity and is manually driveable which are both useful features that my old M4...

I bought a Dolphin Liberty 400 cordless pool cleaner last week to replace an ageing Dolphin Supreme M4 that has done sterling service for many years. I have a hopper style pool with a safety ledge, so the internal shape is a little complicated. I checked with the supplier before buying and was...

That's great, thanks for the advice, Pat! All the best.

Hi TFP, I'm replacing the MPV on my Tagellus TA-40 sand filter. On removing the old MPV I've discovered that the centre pipe is not a single piece, but appears to have been cut in two and then re-joined. There's a piece of centre pipe extending 2"-3" from the bottom of the MPV, then a...

Hey TFP - many congratulations on 200,000 from over here in the UK! Well deserved, and I'm surprised it's not more. We bought a house with a pool (first pool) 5 years ago and wasted LOADS of money on ridiculous chemical concoctions before discovering TFP about 2 years in. Now we follow your...

Thanks again. I'll drain and refill at the next opportunity (the British weather's being unusually good to us at the moment so every minute of swim time is precious!). I find TA and pH easy to control (ever since switching to the TFP methodology and ditching all those complicated 'water...

Many thanks for the response. So I really shouldn't bother measuring (and worrying about) TDS? CH of fill water was 300 last time I tested it (a year ago). I chlorinate with 15% liquid chlorine. All the best.

Thanks for the advice - much appreciated. - - - Updated - - - Oh, and CSI value is -0.04.

Hi there. My pool water CH and TDS always seem very high: today, CH=920, TDS=2,310. Combined with other measurements (see below) PoolMath shows the water CSI as 'balanced', and the water itself remains clear and sparkling (having learned how to look after it from you guys!). So no problems...

Hi, My suction pool cleaner (Zodiac MX8, connected via skimmer) is drawing in air such that the water under the glass on the pump trap looks like rapidly boiling water in a pan. Is this normal?! Will it damage/deteriorate my sand filter. I run the MX8 for a couple of hours 2 or 3 times a...

Thanks all for your advice. I'll mothball the photometer for now and see how I get on with the LaMotte 7022 drop test kit which, funnily enough, I bought just this week. All the best.

Many thanks pooldv, very helpful. So am I right in thinking that my CH level is largely irrelevant as long my CSI remains close to zero?

My CH seems to be getting out of control! Does this matter (CSI remains 'Balanced' according to PoolMath)? What might be causing it? TDS is also inexorably rising. I note that the recommended CH level is 0-350, and my air-source heat pump instructions recommend I keep it at 250 or less. I...

Thanks again JVTrain. I confess that I've only had my photometer calibrated once since I got it, so will do that more frequently. Also, I've just ordered a set of test solutions for it that will apparently tell me whether or not it needs calibration. Thanks for the advice!

Thanks JVTrain. I chose this photometer when I took on my first pool 4 years ago because I figured that it would provide more accurate and consistent readings than a manual kit. Also, it offers the capability to test all the elements of water balance I need with one device whereas other...

My photometer gives me the option of two readings when I test for CH or TA: CH: produces readings in CaCO3 and Ca TA: produces readings in CaCO3 and HCO3 Having read around TFP a bit, I think I should be paying attention to the Ca reading for CH and the HCO3 reading for TA - am I right?!

Brilliant. Thank you.

Thanks both. Very helpful! All the best.

I notice that the Pool School's recommended pH level is 7.5-7.8. Everything else I've ever seen (pool chemical labels, pool equipment manuals, web articles etc.) suggests it should be 7.2-7.6 with 7.4 being optimum, and have consequently spent a lot of time and money trying to keep my pH inside...

I use this photometer (actually a slightly earlier version of it) and love it. It measures CYA as well as all other tests you're likely to need. It's expensive though and requires annual re-calibration by the manufacturer (which also costs). Bought it in a moment of weakness ;) but haven't...

Joined TFP a couple of weeks ago and have already learned LOADS! Since moving to a house with a green, cloudy pool 4 years ago and bringing it back to a clear, swimmable state I was proudly thinking that I had become a bit of an 'expert' in pool maintenance. I'm a bit more humble now ;) TFP...