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I can't recommend a SWG enough, and that's despite the fact I can usually buy 5 gal of 10.5% for under $10. The SWG saves you from lugging heavy jugs of chlorine, making frequent trips to the pool store, etc. Cost is higher up front, but I expect it to be a wash over the long haul.

Yes, but the chance of that happening is very low, and a risk I'm willing to take. The flow switch is the backup/failsafe in case the timers ever get out of sync with each other, or the pump fails. I would NEVER rely on a flow switch as the primary on/off for the SWG, but I have no issue with...

My pump is a variable speed model with built in clock/timer/controls. I have it run at a high rpm first thing in the morning, low rpm thru the day while making chlorine, and high rpm again in the evening. The high rpm periods allow the suction cleaner to do its thing. My SWG is on its own...

I didn't say it was rational... :p

And today the pool is back to blue and clear. Measured 16 FC and .5 CC this morning. SS brush arrives today - I'm gonna work on the spots over the weekend and then do an OCLT.

Define "regular", lol... I test pH and FC pretty regularly. I test TA and CA far less often, and these numbers hardly ever shift in my pool - I have not needed to add calcium or baking soda in 4+ years. Agreed - honestly I was surprised to see it was so low. I usually try to keep it in the...

Yeah, it's easy to get lulled into a false sense of complacency once the SWG is dialed in. Sure love having one though... beats the heck out of lugging chlorine jugs around to refill every week. Morning stats: pH: 7.5 FC: 13 CYA: <20 (bringing this up to 30) TA: 60 CA: 300 SALT: 2900 Ordered...

Looked out back yesterday and the pool had a distinct greenish tinge. Haven't seen that in YEARS following TFP. Well, apparently the old timer controlling my SWG stopped working. Naturally, it chose to do so in the OFF position. Not sure how many days it took, but the chlorine fell off, and...

Jim, thanks for the super quick response. I do appreciate it! My desire to use 2" is probably a carryover from prior experience with saltwater aquariums - high flow, low pressure pumps that were VERY sensitive to head pressure. It wasn't unusual to use a 1/10 or 1/12 hp pump, and almost all...

I'm plumbing a new Hayward VS pump and SWG for my pool. I have 3 1.5" drains combining into a 2" pipe before the pump. Hayward recommends a 10" straight length of pipe into the pump (5x pipe diameter). I would like to put a ball valve on the inlet line, to make pump removal/servicing/priming...

Thanks Jim! I think I'll go the easy route and keep the existing valve setup. I'll go ahead and turn the pump 90 degrees for easier access to the controls. I appreciate it, Jeff

I'm replacing my old 3/4hp single speed with a 1.5hp VS (Pentair 342001) and adding a Hayward T-15 cell SWG. Here is the current setup at the pad... I have four 1.5" pipes coming out of the ground, from left to right: Return to pool From main drain From skimmer box From vacuum cleaner The...

Wow, I regularly fill two of those jugs for about the same price at the Leslie's around the corner. I've also seen the occasional coupon for 3 jugs for $10 (approaching $1. 33/gal!), but that's a special sale.

89.7, great for nighttime swims!

I've rescued baby turtles, ducklings, a baby possum, even a small snake out of the pool. All were perfectly fine and released. The pool was fine too...

I had a non-LED light that started working intermittently a few years back. Mine was a bad wire nut connection at the light junction box. Look for an electrical box on a pipe sticking up out of the ground - either near your pool light or the equipment pad. On mine, I found that the cover was...

Hope you have better luck than me. I'm finding it to be difficult to eradicate completely. The mustard algae disappears at SLAM level FC, but it comes back at normal levels. About a month ago, I completed a 4 day slam + 24 hours at elevated Mustard Algae level. When I let the FC come back...

I hit the Leslie's by my house regularly to buy chlorine. My usual price is $7.98 for 5 gallons of 10%, which works out to $1.60/gal. Cheaper than household bleach, fresh, and stronger. Sure, every once in a while an employee will ask me why I only ever buy liquid chlorine, and suggest that...

Chlorine works just fine without stabilizer. You'll just find that you can't keep any chlorine in the pool because sunlight kills it. Think of stabilizer as sunscreen for your chlorine. That's why the recommendation is min 30 for outdoor pools. Put dry stabilizer in a tube sick (or three), tie...

Also, don't put the hose in the skimmer. Open up the pump, remove its strainer basket, and put the hose into the pump's inlet pipe. If you push water in from the skimmer, you're compacting the clog. If you push water backwards from the pump, you push the clog back into the pool.

It's old... Was with the house when I bought it, so I don't know exactly how old. I replaced the motor a few years back when the last one died. Not sure if that was the original, or a prior replacement. I am planning a replacement for a couple of reasons. The 3/4hp is marginally sized for my...

No worries... I'm currently shopping variable speeds along with SWGs. This is just a stopgap rather than spending $40 on a new lid.

Yes, adding bleach also increases ph. However, there is no net change. As the bleach/FC is used up, ph returns to its prior level. The ph rise from bleach is one of the reasons to recommend adding acid (and letting it mix) before chlorine.

Just a quick update. Bubbles returned en masse yesterday. So the superglue patch lasted about a month... I'll probably clean it up and redo tomorrow, since I don't have a replacement yet.

I dunno. That looks an awful lot like the algae I've battled in my pool. Water column is perfectly clear - it only grows on the sides (less sun), disappears with elevated FC, comes back at recommended FC target. Even with aggressive brushing, a little brushes off (you seen a tiny algae...

What is your desired TA target? I like to keep mine around 60-70 because my pH tends to drift high. pH should rise naturally, particularly if you have water features or anything that helps aerate the water. If you want to raise it faster, 1 pound of washing soda will raise your TA by ~7ppm...

I agree that it's likely mustard algae. Where I'm disheartened is that it seems the TFP SLAM, OCLT passed, then +24 hrs at Mustard Algae FC does not appear to be sufficient to kill it off. Sure, it disappeared while FC was elevated, but it came back in less than a week - and during that week...

86.5 this afternoon... Just about perfect in my book

Unless my pool's gravity somehow pulls pollen to the south wall, but not the bottom, I think we can rule out pollen. ;) - - - Updated - - - No, I haven't removed the light fixture. The last time I had it out (couple of years back) it was clean. Might be worth taking a look this weekend...

It's the entire 30' length of the south wall of the pool. So the flow varies a bit from the area closest to the return, and the far end of the pool, and no difference in the algae based on that flow. But in general there is a good circular flow around the entire pool. Let me know what you're...