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    Pump Failure Survey

    1) Pump make and model. Hayward Superpump 1.0 HP 2) Approximate age of pump at failure 4-1/2 years 3) Reason for pump failure. (e.g. motor, leak, housing crack, etc) Motor loud (bearings) last summer, wet end stuck now 4) Plumbing size (e.g. 1.5", 2", 2.5") 1.5" 5) Sheltered or exposed...
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    Municipal water PH level >8.5

    IF you put the water in your hand it would have contaminated any test, not to mention testing with strips is known to be inaccurate. You may/may not have a real problem, the key is a valid test with a drop-type test kit... Then you will know what type of problem you might have. Otherwise it's a...
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    Swamp to pool conversion

    A) Read Pool School! Jason posted an EXCELLENT process on changing a swamp into an oasis. It's at http://www.troublefreepool.com/turning-your-green-swamp-back-into-a-sparkling-oasis-t4147.html He's gone through the trouble of detailing each step. It's VERY important to remember to get as much...
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    New Pool -- Need Advice

    OK, lets start with the simple things... It sounds like you have algae so you need to shock the pool. Shocking is a process, not a chemical (read Pool School). Your SWG will not get you to the shock level needed, nor will "pucks". Use plain 6% bleach. A lot of us us Wal-Mart's Good Value...
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    Newbie ??? - Pool looks great but low FC and CYA; High PH

    Re: Newbie ??? - Pool looks great but low FC and CYA; High P First, my pressure doesn't rise that much either but that doesn't mean that i don't backwash; I just don't do it as much or for as long. Your pH needs to come down to 7.5! It'll rise back up, but a little muratic will keep it in...
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    my water is balanced but still cloudy & green

    How many gallons is your pool? It's at the bottom the Pool Calculator. http://www.poolcalculator.com/ That's the basis for all of the measurements; your pool size (in gallons), your current values, then your target values. The Pool Calculator will tell you how much of each chemical to add...
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    my water is balanced but still cloudy & green

    If it started to look cloudy and is now turning green you have algae... :!: Water that is really balanced doesn't turn green at all! 1) What are you using to test your water? 2) What are you using to chlorinate your pool? 3) Can you give us some specifics on your pool? 4) How much are you...
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    What is everyone's occupation/profession?

    I'm in the IT field, and have been for decades ( :roll: ): Too long for my sanity anyway! :rant: :blah: My title is "Architect", but I'm a Unix SA, Database Administrator, Storage Engineer, Network Engeer, and overall systems designer. My MUCH better-half is a very under-paid teacher (yep...
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    How many of you add de to sand filter?

    Nope, never have. Thought about it a couple of times as the cloudiness was clearing too slowly for my patience level (and the kids!), but added the proverbial skimmer sock and could not believe the CRUD that it picked up that had been going into my filter. So, NO on the DE. YES on the skimmer...
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    CYA dropping - add stabilizer w/ pucks?

    It can take up to a week to register any increases in CYA so the weekly check makes sense. Keep the CYA/Chlorine chart handy (as in your kit) http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/chlorine_cya_chart_shock. It'll show you the minimum chlorine levels and the shock levels for the various CYA...
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    Is my Chlorine too high??

    With the sun that HAD BEEN in NC the chlorine will burn off fast, especially with a CYA of 27. What CYA level were you shooting for ? It'll be difficult to do correct pH testing if the FC stays at 20... which it won't according to the weather forecasts! What part of NC are you in? Terry in...
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    What is in my water ?: Finally!!

    Re: What is in my water ?!: Now What? Hey, you ARE getting there! Sand filters just take longer to clear the water. You are keeping the FC at shock levels and are brushing the pool daily, right?
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    Newbie with a question......... please help

    Is the pump on when you are pressing the lever? Always turn the pump off BEFORE you change positions on the valve, otherwise you will tear the "spider-gasket" (the wagon-wheel gasket) in the valve. If the pump is turned off and the valve is lower than the water line there will be some water...
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    calcium hardness

    With properly balanced water (FC, CC, CYA, PH, TA, CH, filtering, brushing weekly, etc.) There are seldom reasons to add clarifiers OR algaecide, especially weekly! Most of us use chlorine (good old 6% bleach or liquid chlorine if it's available), acid for dropping PH, CYA for stabilizing the...
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    Chlorine brands

    I'd start the BBB process now, during the conversion! Just to echo what's already been said, plain 6% bleach is your best weapon in the conversion! It's available in the 184 ounce jugs at Wal-Mart (Good Value brand) for $2.54 and it works! It's contents are, for all intents and purposes: 6%...
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    Green won't go away!!

    Right now you are worried about nothing. There's no way you can loose all of your FC that fast! Keep it at shock level (or level +2!), keep the filter running, keep brushing (yea, stir the pot!), AND pop a bottle of POP (Pool Owners Patience)... The water didn't get this green super fast and...
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    Spike in CH from yesterday to today, is this a problem?

    Yes, the 96% works just fine. 8-) There are some posts where you can buy it online, but for getting CYA in the water and not having the sun burning up you chlorine this works great!! While I agree for the most part on the HTH comment, when you begin to understand the water and chemicals...
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    Spike in CH from yesterday to today, is this a problem?

    When you pickup the Great Value 6% head over to the pool section. Look for either Stabilizer of Conditioner in a cylindrical plastic bottle... It'll be 99% CYA and be about $11.95 for 3 pounds. It's the fast way to get the CYA in the water! Oh, and basically do not put things in the water that...
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    Bleach Hand Smell

    I have one of the "onion bars" and while it works great for onion smell, it doesn't do anything for the bleach smell. :cry: In addition, normal 6% bleach isn't anywhere near as bad as the 73% cal-hypo! Terry in NC
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    First test results water out of the faucet

    In case you don't have it handy, Walmart has CYA in their pool isle's for about $11.97 for a 3 lb. container. They call it "Conditioner", but it's the same thing. Just look at the ingredients for "99% Cyanuric Acid". Terry in NC 8-)
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    Liquid bleach question

    Right! Plus, the 6% bleach may have lost some of it's concentration, depending on how long it's been sitting on the store shelf or the warehouse. That's why I find that Wal-Mart generic bleach is good: This time of year it tends to "fly off of the shelves"! 8-) I don't even look at bleach in...
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    Hayward Valve Label :-(

    Thanks Ric. Those are the positions that I remembered. I've never even used anything but Filter, Backwash, and Rinse to date, but I have to get some more water out of the pool to fix a leak that got much worse over the winter. I'm going to be making my own label since you can't seem to buy...
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    Hayward Valve Label :-(

    Can anyone give the label names for the positions on a Hayward multi-port valve from a 210S sand filter. My label completely disintegrated over the winter! Thanks, Terry in NC
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    Help - ready to make it a tennis court instead!!

    OK, if there's a Wal-Mart nearby they may have CYA (conditioner, stabilizer), but the problem is "probably" that you have too much CYA since you were using pucks last year... 1. Read the articles in POOL SCHOOL 2. If you have green water, and a CC of over 0.5 you need to shock the pool. 3. Start...
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    Neighbor just got a new pool..

    All of the chlorine, if there is any, will be gone in a matter of hours on the days we've been having in NC. CYA is required for every SWG that I know of. I'd hit it with CYA (Wal-Mart or pool store), usually 70-90 for SWG pools, and BLEACH. The filter needs to be running 24x7 and don't bother...
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    Help - ready to make it a tennis court instead!!

    OK, DEEP BREATH!! Now, 1. The leaves , if they are still there, have to come out. Any organic matter in the pool has to come out. 2. The pool store should be able to give you the actual readings, CYA, FC, CC, PH, TA, & Calcium levels. 3. The 4 gallons of bleach, in a 28,000 gallon pool is...
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    When to Adjust CYA?

    Finish shocking the pool now and you'll have a trouble free summer. If you are not completely finished shocking you are going to have a "green episode" during the time that everyone is wanting to swim... Git it taken care of now! 8-)
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    Want to turn my pool to blue color.

    Can you provide more info about the pool specs/equipment? Go to User Control Panel, then Profile, then Edit Signature. 1. Read the articles in Pool School. 2. Whatever bleach/chlorine you've added can be burned up in a single day without CYA. CYA can be purchased at Wal-Mart (stabilizer or...
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    Going to saltwater

    Most SWG's cause pH increases so I'd bring it down to 7.4 before you get started. In addition, the TA can creep up so keeping your TA in line helps the pH stay a little bit more stabilized. I find that I need 1-2 cups of MA every 7-10 days, but that's for a 24,000 gallon pool. I run my SWG at a...
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    Pool cloudy, mostly in deep end

    Congratulations!!! That's even more of a reason to hang in there!