Search results

  1. J

    Localised itching on back - from the jets?

    Yes testallwater is a better option, have used them plenty of times but couldn't remember the site name. The time taken to crush the tablet and start the measurement is the biggest influencer of results at high FC, the longer you take the worse the accuracy.
  2. J

    Localised itching on back - from the jets?

    @HottubTim Noticed your mention of the PoolLab 2 and thought I would add that my Taylor test kit and the PoolLab 2 pretty much always agree especially on CYA - with the exception of FC above 5. Once you get above 5 FC the results become unreliable and the PoolLab does not show the OR...
  3. J

    Anyone else from the UK in here?

    Hi @Andi1965 This is one of those cases where Amazon is the only real option. It's very hard to buy a good test kit in the UK and Amazon takes care of the difficult paperwork of importing it from the US - Amazon.co.uk There are certainly other test kits that are available in the UK but they...
  4. J

    "Pearluster" (ie embossed) finish on liner - worth it? or a headache to keep clean?

    I considered the embossed liners when I replaced mine a couple years ago. I had some samples and really liked the look and texture/finish, but my installer only did them as weld-on-site which was quite a bit more expensive so I didn't go with them in the end. I don't think it'll be hard to keep...
  5. J

    Indoor pool chemical troubles

    @rgs36 I've used the Palintest DPD tablets before and the main problem is they have a very limited test range "Range: 0 - 5 mg/L Cl2". As you've probably found if you go over 4 there's no way to know how far over you might be. The FAS-DPD chlorine test in the Taylor kit doesn't have this...
  6. J

    Indoor pool chemical troubles

    I normally buy a 4 pack (20 litres) of liquid chlorine at the start of the year and that's enough for my 26,000 litre pool - Amazon.co.uk
  7. J

    Indoor pool chemical troubles

    If you follow the Trouble Free Pool philosophy that was linked above (Pool Care Basics Archives) you won't ever shock your pool. I add liquid chlorine once a week, or every other weeks when the pool isn't used much and nothing else (other than when I refill the pool with a lot of hard water)...
  8. J

    Indoor pool chemical troubles

    Hi @rgs36 I'm in the UK with an indoor pool and can recommend getting hold of the Taylor K2006 kit from Amazon linked above. The availability of test kits here is very limited and I've tried almost all of them (here's an older thread where I detailed what I tried UK Pool Test Kits) The Taylor...
  9. J

    Homemade sodium thiosulphate solution?

    @PoolStored A couple of years ago they changed the law in the UK to require a licence to purchase various acids. To buy Muriatic acid here you have to have an EPP licence: Licensing for home users of poisons and explosive precursors Dry Acid is basically the only realistic option here because...
  10. J

    Homemade sodium thiosulphate solution?

    @skybloke are you referring to the Salifert Calcium Profi-Test Kit? It's one of the tests I picked up while researching the various test kits and reagents available in the UK. I have hard water and an indoor pool so evaporation tends to cause my CH to rise over time unless I drain and refill a...
  11. J

    Metal awning over pool deck

    I'm having the roof replaced over my pool at the moment, they've installed a scaffold platform covering everything to work from. There's a layer of fire-resistant plastic in there to catch anything dropped between the boards. Probably overkill unless work is happening over the water, temporary...
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  13. J

    Test Kits for Over the Pond? (UK)

    @HarrisonHRG This is currently your best bet - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004BGF7TI/ - it's the "smaller" Taylor kit that's normally recommended around here. You can buy refills for the main tests you'll use up from Amazon.com. It's a slight gamble on what the expiry date is going to...
  14. J

    6 Days Into Slam - Still Losing FC

    From my own experience I lose 0.3 to 0.4ppm a day consistently if the pool remains covered. I can be reasonably sure if I've tested it at 6ppm (with CYA at 30) and the pool doesn't get much use I will need to add more chlorine in 6-7 days to stay well within the recommended values. As your FC...
  15. J

    Are there any "cheap" flow meters for DIY metering with an Arduino/ESP32?

    @gkoulomz Sounds very interesting, makes me more tempted to buy one to mess with. I am interested in a more effective way to measure my heatpump output. I currently just estimate the heating efficiency using a temperature sensor in the pool and use the rate of temperature change converted into...
  16. J

    Vinyl Liner and Armed PVC Liner

    It was installed in December 2022 and not had any issues since. Not sure about the black shadows on the water line, do you have some photos of it? Do you have hard water/limescale?
  17. J

    Vinyl Liner and Armed PVC Liner

    Yes they are the same, Vinyl = PVC (Polyvinyl chloride). Either installed on-site or manufactured off-site and install. If you have the TOUCH collection they would have installed it on-site and cut/welded/stuck the parts directly in the pool. I considered using the TOUCH collection but ended up...
  18. J

    6 Days Into Slam - Still Losing FC

    Hi Steve, Try to continue the SLAM a few more days, it's not always a fast process. Just to check is there anything that's changed in the last few days? e.g. the cover is back on when it had been off before? Once you do get on top of it the ongoing maintenance will be much easier. I know what...
  19. J

    Green Pool ???

    @Lucywa Did you end up refilling and getting things back under control?
  20. J

    Green Pool ???

    Definitely empty and refill. You need to get the CYA down and the only way to do that is to replace water, there are no chemicals you can add that will reduce this. That would mean replacing almost 70% of the water to reduce the CYA so you might as well empty it all the way and not have to do...
  21. J

    Green Pool ???

    I don't know if you're on Thames Water or Affinity (or if you're metered). But on a meter it would be between £33 (Affinity) -£41 (Thames) to empty and refill. With a pool that green it might take quite a bit of chlorine to clear it up following SLAM and you'd likely need to get hold of a better...
  22. J

    Green Pool ???

    @Lucywa Do you have any CYA tablets for the Pool Lab? It should have come with some in the starter pack. The test strips are not considered accurate enough to trust the results, but I've found the Pool Lab CYA test to be reasonably accurate.
  23. J

    Green Pool ???

    Hi Lucy, Once you've tested your CYA with the PoolLab, if it's above 20 (which I'm guessing it will be) you'll be running into the limit of the maximum chlorine level the PoolLab 2.0 can't test for that would be needed to SLAM (their limit is 6ppm - you're almost certainly already higher than...
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  25. J

    Moved House - Now Have A Pool

    Just taken a look at your log, looks like you are burning a lot of chlorine, more than the sun would consume and likely have algae (even if you can't see it). You should continue to focus on the SLAM and adding chlorine as frequently as you can manage. The dirty pool cover can definitely...
  26. J

    pH and alkalinity are low and nothing seems to raise them

    The PoolLab tablet based reagents are good for 7 years rather than 1/2 years so it's a different tradeoff. Each test tablet is sealed in a medication style pack which gives that long life.
  27. J

    pH and alkalinity are low and nothing seems to raise them

    @TristanPT Are you able to get the PoolLab 2.0 in Portugal? It's probably the most available option in Europe even if it's limited compared to the Taylor kit.
  28. J

    Searching for thread about custom DIY automation & best temperature sensors IOS

    I've seen awk used for a lot of things but not baseball statistics :D A few years ago I probably wouldn't have steered people towards it, but Home Assistant has become a really great platform for anything home automation related with integrations with so many different systems. I'd recommend...
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