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    Pump chamber won't fill completely, cavitating all week, no more full pull

    The problem was a clogged impeller. I cleared that then swapped the pumps so the filter pump which ran every day for ten years is now the spa jets pump which runs maybe ten days a year. I should be good for a while now.
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    Pump chamber won't fill completely, cavitating all week, no more full pull

    In-ground 24000 gallon pool Spa with spillover Water level 1 inch low but still plenty for skimmer ports Pump behavior the same whether pulling from all pool or all spa I cleaned and re-lubed the O-ring plus cleaned the cover plate and mating surface on pump housing Unusual in the last week: I...
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    Ortega Flo-Chk rattles

    When I pulled the seat assembly, I found the rubber was badly out-of-round. Silicone lube didn't help. Next, I swapped parts from another valve and that didn't help either. Finally, I screwed the cap on with no guts and that made it quiet. So, I'll go with new innards and hope that works.
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    Ortega Flo-Chk rattles

    I have a noisy check valve. The spring costs about $12 and the seat assembly is about $50. Which should I replace to quiet the noise? Thanks.
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    Protecting the Finish of Fiberglass Sand Filter

    I installed a Pentair Tagelus filter (fiberglass body) last weekend. Before I tidy up the work area and replace the fence boards around the equipment pad, I was wondering if I should apply a finish to the filter exterior to protect it from the elements. Ideas? Experiences?
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    Where to buy 1/8 - 1/4 pea gravel

    Solution: I washed one bag of pea pebbles (0.5 cubic feet, ~50 lbs., $4) and poured it in first. This formed a layer under the laterals. Then, I poured in 100 lbs. of aquarium gravel. Walmart sells it for about $12 per 25 lbs. bag. In total, my gravel mix was not much more expensive than the...
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    Chlorine sale

    I just bought a twin pack (2 gallons total) of 10% at Lowe's for $6.86 yesterday in SoCal. That's a little better than 8% Costco Clorox or Walmart Great Value.
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    Where to buy 1/8 - 1/4 pea gravel

    I'm replacing a sand filter and I want to do it right. I can get pea pebbles at Home Depot or Lowes but they are larger than the size specified by Pentair. I can order the right size from Leslies or other pool stores in town but delivery is two weeks. No place locally seems to stock it. I'm...
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    Silica Sand #20: Lowes vs. Pool Stores

    Next weekend I will install a Pentair Tagelus TA 100D sand filter. It requires 600 pounds of media. I plan to use a pea gravel base of 150 pounds and top that with 450 pounds of silica. Pool stores (Leslies and mom/pops) around town want $10-$12 for a 50 pound bag. Lowes charges $9 for a 100...
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    Sand filter shape: sphere or cylinder

    Thanks Jason, I hope I didn't imply that cylinders were inferior, I just want to make sure I don't under-spec on the replacement. My current Jacuzzi TM31 has these specs. 31" / 500 lbs media / 4.8 sq ft filter area Maxes: 50 PSI / 95 GPM filter / 72 GPM backwash
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    Sand filter shape: sphere or cylinder

    My spherical Jacuzzi TM31 sand filter srpung a leak and I need to replace it. Right now, Plast-Aid is holding the leak down but that won't last long. Is there any good reason to replace the TM31 with another sphere? That model is discontinued and the other spheres I have seen advertised are...
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    Pool Size Dilemma

    I have a 512 square foot pool that is basically two 16 x 16 sections, angled, with a spillover spa on one side and a grotto at the deep end. It is the perfect size for me to look at, casually swim in, and for entertaining. But for more serious swimming I can see how 18 x 36 could give a better...
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    reasonable price for hooking up electrical to a pump?

    Rule of thumb: $1,000 per day for contractors in the trades or specialty contractors like solar or finish carpentry. Drywall, flooring, painting, roofers, etc. charge a little less. This is based on my experience as a customer over the past eight years. Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
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    Chlorinator percentage mystery: 5% change drops FC rapidly

    Re: Chlorinator percentage mystery: 5% change drops FC rapid My water is almost crystal clear all year long. I say almost because at night with lights there are plainly visible specks in the water which I attibute to calcium. I sweep the pool sides once a week, vacuum the bottom twice a week...
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    Chlorinator percentage mystery: 5% change drops FC rapidly

    My Goldline PC-8 controller with T-Cell 15 works fine, i.e., no error messages, but free chlorine generation appears to cease if I drop the chlorinator percentage from 50 to 45. While at 50, my FC level holds at about 5 solid pink but if I change the controller to 45% the FC disappears in a day...
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    Where is the cheapest Place to Buy Muriatic Acid?

    Re: Re: Where is the cheapest Place to Buy Muriatic Acid? Dal, I like Tapatalk a lot. It is better and faster than the phone browser: no pinching or scrolling and very little lag time when moving about the posts. It is well worth the $4 cost... if enough of you favorite forums have enabled...
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    Where is the cheapest Place to Buy Muriatic Acid?

    Leslie's sells two gallons of 31.45% strength for about $12 in non-returnable jugs. Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
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    DPD (no FAS): the longer it sits the pinker it gets

    Hey Frogger, That's exactly what I needed to know. I'll probably go ahead and order the FAS kit and a magnetic stirrer. Thanks for the tip.
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    DPD (no FAS): the longer it sits the pinker it gets

    Thanks All, Yes, I use Leslie's basic DPD kit (R-0001, R-0002, R-0014) for FC testing and the HTH 6-way kit for TC and then using grade school algebra I can determine CC. :-D Someday I will get a "proper" kit but I think for now it would only get me FAS and a rather useless acid demand test...
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    DPD (no FAS): the longer it sits the pinker it gets

    After putting in the 5th drop of R-0002 and shaking, the color barely registers on the border of 0.5-1 / 1-2. But, if I let it sit five minutes or so it darkens and get to the 2-4 / 3-6 range. Which is true - the immediate color or the later color? OTO always seems to validate the 2-4 / 3-6...
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    Found a kitten in my skimmer

    What a great 'nine lives' story! I only find gophers in my skimmers... and I'm glad they only have one life to live.
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    How do you test for CYA?

    You could also get a $14 supply of test strips that show TC, FC, pH, TA, and CYA. Purists will argue they are not accurate but they are quick, easy and close enough for me in telling if things are trending up or down, or in your case if you have any CYA at all.
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    Stabilizer

    I've not tried the inexpensive stuff, but Pooltime Stabilizer at Home Depot is $4 per pound and dissolves quickly if you help it. The instructions say to just dump it in the skimmer but I put it in a sock and alternate between squeezing and teabaging and it turns milky soon. Within 10 minutes...
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    Aeration to raise PH

    Thanks, Chem Geek and beezar, Maybe I'm part of the way there as my CH is a ghastly 600+ ! My TA is ~ 120 so I will look into the factors needed to lower it. thepoolcalculator says add a bunch of MA and aerate. I will also look into reconfiguring the PS-8 to return the spillover to manual...
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    Aeration to raise PH

    My system is setup as spa spillover whenever pool pump is running. I guess I am aerating all that time? Maybe this is why (along with SWCG) my pH is always high :-( Do waterfalls and spa spillovers adversely affect the pH levels?
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    Noob can't figure out backwashing

    OK, that makes sense. I guess I'll find out shortly where the waste goes, or not. Maybe it was just vibration when I felt and listened to the pipe yesterday. I'll stop/start the pump once more and observe that nothing is flowing through the sight glass. Then, do the backwash routine...
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    Noob can't figure out backwashing

    Thanks Dave, Correct, there is no water visible through that bubble/sight glass when filter is on. I have not yet moved the selector to backwash mode and I will turn off the pump before doing so. What's next: do I just twist that bubble out and insert the male end of a garden hose or is there a...
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    Noob can't figure out backwashing

    We just got this house with a pool about two weeks ago. I've learned so much from this forum. But backwashing has got me confused. I've read the web, YouTubed, Googled, etc. but none of those situations seem to fit mine - specifically, where does the dirty water exit? Would you please take a...
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