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I bought this one on sale last year at Lowe’s, along with the 15” rotary attachment and I highly recommend it. 3000 psi was more than enough. I had years of dirt and sap drippings from lots of overhanging trees. And I have LOTS of exposed aggregate decking. The Greenworks cleaner worked...

I’ve been gone for 3 weeks once and pH was over 8 upon return, but I don’t think it was there long enough to be concerned over it. Like you, I lowered it before leaving, so it had a couple of days to get back to normal and from there, at least a week to get up to 8. I don’t recall any real...

You’re going to need to get your FC up past 3, as you’re courting algae at that level. I prefer to keep FC in the 8-10 range with CYA in the 70-80 range.

Running your SWG will raise FC, but it may not raise it to the level you need. You can use the Pool Math app to calculate how much FC your SWG will generate, with % and number of hours run as variables. It’s easier and faster to grab some bleach and pour it in, and you’ll also increase the...

While I don’t conduct daily tests, I do test, especially FC. I’d never just guess at FC, even with a SWCG. During the summer, I’ll test 2-3x per week. Maybe 1x per week during the winter. I test pH every time I test FC. Other tests are less frequent because they don’t change during short spans...

You’ve been given good advice and sounds like you’re set. A couple of comments: since you have a SWCG, you’ll find pool maintenance to be a piece of cake. My only regular chemistry maintenance task is adding a little muratic acid once a week to keep pH in check. Add in time for testing and that...

Too funny! I use the Kroger generic brand with no ill effects. I make sure it’s just disinfectant bleach with no additives. Granted, I have a SWCG, so my bleach requirements are limited to SLAMs or just a quick topping off of FC level.

Yes, a round spa, but the corners on the coping are still sharp. They would tear the fabric if it’s not protected with an additional layer underneath.

Here’s how mine works as a single piece cover. Yes, there is pressure on the spa corner coping, but the extra fabric placed under the cover prevents tearing - at least it has for my 15 years of usage. It’s had several inches of snow on it (even in Texas!) but the snow doesn’t put enough pressure...

I have a Katch-a-Leaf custom cover that is a single cover that comes up over the spa. I never considered 2 separate covers and I’m not sure how that would work for my pool layout. It would probably make the pool portion more difficult to put on, as it would have to stretch around the spa. The...

To further clarify, salt is added to the pool to get the salt level needed for the SWCG to generate chlorine. Your pool water then runs through the SWCG and comes out with chlorine added.

That was my experience, although I did have to watch CSI. My TA got back into the 70-80 range during the summer when I was constantly filling the pool. My fill water has high TA. I’m now slow lowering it to the 50-60 range.

That describes my MA additions perfectly. After 15 years of pool maintenance, I intuitively know how much MA to add and when. I’ll still test once every week or 2, but not as often as I test FC.

Like you, I was a complete noob when we built our pool. Luckily, my builder gave me a Taylor test kit and showed me how to properly test. I still relied on pool store testing until, also like you, I realized that my tests yielded the same results as theirs, so I slowly weaned myself off of their...

SWCG is a must - will reduce pool maintenance to the bare minimum and provides peace of mind. 2nd suggestion if you are in a hot climate with lots of sun exposure - a chiller. Our water temp would hit 95° and we could not enjoy the pool. Even with our current 110° summer, our pool has reached a...

And as stated above, you’ll need a good test kit to get through a SLAM. Even if your pool store has accurate testing, unless they’re right next door and open 24/7, you’ll need to do your own testing.

The key is that there is no “shock”. You get the pool to SLAM level and leave it there, testing multiple times per day and adding chlorine as needed to maintain that SLAM level until you pass all of the SLAM criteria. It’s not a one and done thing and can take several days and you must maintain...

If you’d really be interested in a SWCG, be sure to look into the actual salt content of a LC pool. It’s not that different from a SWCG pool. And the salt level isn’t so high that it’s corrosive - not like seawater. It’s more like the salt level in your tears.

I completely understand. If I didn’t have a SWCG, I’d probably be much more mindful of cost. I only occasionally add a gallon of bleach, maybe 1 every couple of months, just to push chlorine back up if it has drifted down.

Kroger has their store brand bleach (7.5%) for $3.99 for an 81 oz bottle, often less if you have a Kroger member number. It may not be the best value, but it’s certainly convenient and stored indoors. It’s similar to the WalMart pricing.

As stated above, get a good test kit. It will be the best investment you’ll make in your pool. Testing and maintaining your pool is incredibly easy, especially since you have a salt cell. I spend about 10 minutes per week maintaining my pool. Testing takes about 5 minutes and the other 5 minutes...

Advice I was given from experts here was to maintain FC at 10% of your CYA level and that has worked well for me. If your CYA is 90-100, that would mean maintaining FC at 9-10. Your pool would be safe up to SLAM level, which would be FC of 35-39 with your CYA level of 90-100. See chart below...

I was in a similar situation a few years ago while we were remodeling a 2nd home. I have a SWCG and was only 3.5 hours away, so I could get home, if needed. I also have a custom mesh cover that I could have used. I was still too paranoid to leave it completely unattended for 2 months, so I hired...

Great move - you won’t regret it. I also traveled extensively during my career and never really thought twice about maintaining my pool. I’d test it every weekend and mostly knew the results in advance. Couldn’t have done it without a SWCG. Now that I’m retired, I worry about it more than I did...

I don’t have an auto fill, but do have a fill line plumbed that is a station on my sprinkler system. I usually only fill on an as needed basis, but if we go out of town during the summer, I’ll program the station to come on once a week. There’s no float to have the system fill only when it hits...

I don’t even have to do that - my SWCG is programmed to run at a certain rate when the pump is running. I wouldn’t own a pool that didn’t have a SWCG. Maintenance is SO easy - about 10 minutes a week.

I’ve often wondered about that. I normally use liquid CYA (because of convenience) and instructions say to pour slowly into skimmer, so that’s what I’ve done for 15 years. :oops: The instructions for the granules said the same thing, once they were dissolved.

I also had trouble with getting granules to dissolve using socks so I added the granules to a bucket of hot water and stirred with a paint stick. I’d let it sit for a few hours, then stir again. Probably took 5-6 hours, but finally got it dissolve enough to slowly pour into skimmer.

Assuming test results are accurate, something is consuming your chlorine. Make sure your test reagents are not expired. Your chlorine could also be old, which would weaken it. There are dates on the jugs. Regardless, if you’re dropping from 13 to 8 in a short period, you probably have algae...

I wouldn’t go so far as to SLAM unless you have some kind of contamination. Just maintain normal levels and you’ll be fine.