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I wish it all was. :-( So apparently I just got schooled over a basic assumption I've been using for the better part of thirty years. I was under the belief that a "fluid ounce" was defined as 1/128 of an US gallon and was one avoirdupois ounce (mass) of water at some specified purity...

When and if you find it necessary to kill bees/wasps/hornets/yellow jackets, I'd suggest a much less toxic solution - soapy water. A tablespoon of dish soap in a quart of water is quite effective. The soap reduces the surface tension enough so they can drown. A super soaker is a quite...

At the risk of causing Richard some dejavu, I found this discussion: http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=20137 and this one http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=16144 Added considerably to my reading list...

May not be the most effective, but.... :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sadxG-1BoeA

Do we have reference material for the electrical process in a SWG? I have nothing to back me up, but I thought they intentionally alternated the current between the plates to increase their lifespan. Which should result in something more neutral. As far as effecting the other metal parts in a...

Ok, I've not actually installed it yet, but I have the $12 ebay pump running on the bench. It seems to be a bit higher volume than the Stenner pumps I've read about, It seems to be moving about 8oz per minute - about 90 gallons per day. Since my pool's been needing about 1/2 gallon per day, it...

Let me start by saying that I don't have a metal problem. I've been reading a lot of forum posts on metals and it seems the standard response is maintain levels of sequesterant (cost $$$) but you can't actually remove the metal from the water. I've seen several posts of people trying various...

Glad to see you got your pH in range. My apologies for doubting your testing. Out of curiosity, how much of what did you have to add to finally bring it in range?

Appreciate that physics isn't everyone's favorite subject (I mean, what's wrong with you people? :-) ) Skipping some sticky details, the envelope math says... A "Therm" is an amount of gas that produces 100,000 BTUs A BTU (British Thermal Unit) is the amount of heat it takes to raise one pound...

I'll have to bow to other people's experience here, but I don't think I'd be adding much more of anything until I had more confidence in your tests.

I'm starting to wonder about your pH testing. Either there's something wrong with your testing process, your test kit, or you have some _seriously_ acidic water. I suppose it's also possible you have some other kind of contamination that's messing with the test, but I'd start thinking about...

Now there's a subtlety I didn't know. Learn something new every day. OK, disregard the more borax suggestion. But more chlorine for sure. And definitely be careful with the CYA as it takes quite a while to show on the tests. Oh, and I think the lug nuts should be tightened clockwise. :smile:

Add another cup of chlorine. Repeat the baking soda / Borax treatment. Be aware that CYA (stabilizer) can take a week to properly register on the test. So don't add more or bother testing that for a few days. -Denny

The neighborhood kids didn't get hold of any of this, did they? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpQej7M_HXw

I don't know of a 1-1/2 Female PVC slip to 3/4 male threaded connection. What does exist is a 1-1/2 male PVC slip to 3/4 female threaded connection http://www.mcmaster.com/#4880k208 You could add an 1-1/2 coupler and a 3/4 nipple and get pretty close to what you've described...

$10,000 for digging a hole, disposing of the soil, trucking in 320 tons of crushed stone and placing it in said hole is _not_ an unreasonable price for that work. Whether or not you actually need it is an unanswered question. I know this is obvious, but branches do not grow underground. Any...

Yeah, I've actually been entertaining the possibility of setting up and automated device that actually performs the FAS/DPD chlorine test. I'm thinking a valve (tiny) to dispense a bit of pool water into the cylinder. Some type of small metering auger type dispenser for the powder. A servo to...

You're absolutely right. You're also missing an important detail. The pump is part of a system and other parts of the system can have a significant effect on how and when you run your pump. A full mathematical treatment is... messy, but lets look at a few of the pieces. The classic kinetic...

There are a few threads on the forum of people doing their own automation solution. I found this one interesting: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/44567-DIY-with-Liquid-Chlorine-ORP-Probe-Arduino I doubt you're going to be able to correlate conductivity to chlorine levels. But I'd love to...

McMaster Carr. Part number 4880K787. Amazing selection, fast shipping, not the lowest price. -Denny

There's a lot to get into here, but the first thing that jumps out at me is your CYA (stabilizer) of 100. Most every time I see someone post a CYA value of 100, three posts later they do an extended test (diluted sample) and find the CYA value is much higher than 100. So... Have you done the...

We have met the enemy and he is us. You are not the first person to cause their own problems by trying to save a buck. I resemble that remark myself. :-) A couple thoughts. Yes, you will find outright lies on packaging. But as you've probably read by now, bleach degrades with time and faster...

Forgive my if I come off as overly pedantic, but, a gallon is 128 ounces. These 121 ounce bottles are smaller than a gallon. Also, I think you're probably trying too hard - or perhaps I'm not trying hard enough - or both :-) I dump a gallon of 10% (a real gallon :-) ) in about every other day...

Depends on what you're intending to put back as a replacement. Something that bolts to the surface? - Just grind these off flush and fill the hole with concrete. Leave the steel in place. Something that goes into the concrete? - You'll probably be renting a core drill to make holes for the new...

Just to close the loop on this, here's what I've ended up with. I can already hear half of you cringing about the rubber couplings. I'm about 99.5% sure I'm going to be replacing the pump and re-plumbing the pad before next season, I'm hoping to save the new valve and keep as much of the...

Re: Did I add to much stabilizer to my pool ?!? Isn't that the setup for an old joke?... Jokes aside, several small drain and refill sessions. It'll use a bit more water in the end, but it's pretty much your only choice. -Denny

I should update my sig line - Based on the last month or so of chlorine additions with before and after readings, I currently believe my pool is closer to 20k gallons. As to the levels of phosphates/nitrates. I don't know. I don't have any numbers to back it up, but, subjectively, I don't think...

Thanks for the response. As is often the case when I learn something new, I come away with more questions than answers... :-) My pool seems to be sparkly at the moment. It's a puzzle as to why it's not a swamp, I like puzzles. I find myself surprised most days when I walk out and it's not a...

It's as good of place to start as any. Poolmath suggests that 2.5 gallons of 8.25% will bring your FC up to about 20ppm, which is in the range for shock level at your reported CYA level. High levels of algae can consume that much chlorine in surprisingly short times, which is the heart of the...

pH is _WAY_ too high. Like high enough for me not to believe the strips. Under the circumstances, I think Sunny has a valid suggestion, let the pool store test your water. Throw chlorine at it. Yes, the SLAM is a process and involves testing, and this is decidedly not a SLAM. But it can't...