Howdy from Phoenix, AZ

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passthebandaids

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Mar 25, 2016
50
Phoenix, AZ
Hi! First time pool owner, just starting to figure things out.

Right when I got the chemical balances figured out (mostly), a friend pointed out that my floor heads (A&A quick cleans) weren't rotating. Just popping up, then back down, then up again in the same orientation. On top of that, one of the floor heads just popped right out and is now sitting in the deep end.

Recently, I'd purchased a Polaris P955. I went into Leslie's to pick up some replacement floor heads, and the associate remembered me and said "hey, you don't need floor heads. you have the P955! the floor heads in your specific pool only serve to agitate stuff on the bottom so your filter can do it's job. your P955 will pick up that stuff on the floor, and what is doesn't pick up will be agitated so your filter can catch it. as long as you run your P955 before your pump turns on, you only need your pump for the filter; not for the floor heads."

So I'm in a spot now where, if I trust his word, I'm good to go! However, I'm also getting advice that I should have the gears for my floor heads completely replaced and have all eight floor heads replaced as well (about $850-$1000).

Can anyone tell me whether what Leslie's associate is saying sounds right? I'm not averse to spending the $ if it's necessary; but if he's correct, then it would be unnecessary.

Thanks for the advice, and if this inquiry is inappropriate for the welcome forum, please advise so that I can place it in the proper place. Thank you!
 
kimkats said:
Nice job on the siggy! LOL on your spirit animal!

What are you testing with? How does your water look?

Kim
Click to expand...

Currently I'm testing with these little sticks that have multiple pads on them. I just take my water into Leslie's weekly and have them tell me what's up. The sticks match the results from Leslie's, so I think they're OK. My water is currently slightly green, but that's because I've been waiting to shock it until I knew whether I was going to move forward with the floor head gears replacement or just stick with the P9 and use that in conjunction with the pump filter.

One of the heads fell out of its spot, so I'm going to replace that today (got the tool and replacement head) and once that's in, bring water to Leslie's, buy chem, and go to town.

- - - Updated - - -

Haha passthebandaids was the name I used on a motorcycle forum, and just has stuck for all my online handles. It's unfortunately appropriate for me.
 
PTB I can save you some money for more bandaides if you want AND your pool will look better than it ever has before! You will have to do two things-------------get a good test kit of your own and stay out of pool stores. It is really that easy.

Here is a link to what we use in our pools. Now do not go buy any of this stuff as you might not need all of it.
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

Here is a link to the test kits we use and love:
TFTestkits.net

I used to trust the pool store for my first pool. I would take down water each week and walk out with $$ stuff. I battled algae quite often and the water always seemed to bother my eyes. I was spending quite a bit each week on my pool not to mention the amount of time spent working on it trying to keep it clean.

Well after about 2 years I was in the pool when I noticed the floor of my pool had a BIG crack in it. When I put my foot on it the crack turned into a spider web of brittle vinyl that let go. The water RUSHED out and almost took me with it. Very scary for sure!

I took the rest of the pool down and sold it. I NEVER wanted another pool again (and I LOVE to swim). Fast forward to the next year. My husband said he wanted to try another pool. I told him if he could find a way for me to take care of it withOUT the pool store he was on.

Of course Mister Search Master found TFP! I started reading and learning. I ordered a test kit to make sure I COULD do the tests, Once I saw I could do them we ordered the new pool.

With what I know now I think my CYA, PH, and TA were all messed up even though the pool store said "this and this will take care of your pool".

Look at me now LOL a mod of a pool forum when I said I NEVER wanted an other pool!

With the new pool I have only had one slight algae sighting and it was my fault for not paying attention to my water temp last spring. As soon as I notice a slight green I started a SLAM and cleared my water right up.

All of this to say.............I hope you will consider taking care of your own pool using TFP.

Kim
 
Would love to avoid all the $ spent at Leslies. Which of the kits on the tftestkits.net site would best fit the needs of a beginner? Additionally, I do love the chlorine tabs I get from Leslies - they're real dense a last a good while. If you have alternate recommendations for me to consider, let me know.
 

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+1 on everything others have mentioned above. TF100 is your best bang for the buck. It has more of the reagents you will use most.

Chlorine tabs might seem like the easiest, but can cause more issues in the long run. Liquid chlorine (or plain old bleach) is your best bet. Test strips and pool store test results are notoriously inaccurate - even when their results appear to match.

Having your own quality testkit (either the TF100 or K2006C as recommended) is the best investment you can make for your pool and yourself. That, along with the teaching and advice of this site will make pool care easy.

Additionally, if you ever do decide to fix your A&A in floor system, there are many places a LOT cheaper than Leslie's to get the parts. Individual heads can be had for around $50 each. And a gear set for around $100. Here's just one option: Buy A&A Manufacturing Replacement Parts for Swimming Pool In-Floor Cleaning Systems - Maybe something to look into at a later date.

BTW - are you in Phoenix proper or one of the burbs?
 
Low pressure even though pump appears primed - suggestions?

Hi there,

Pool novice here. My pool pump appears to be primed - I turn the pump on and the little window above the basket that's right by the sand filter shows nearly no air in there, just a couple small bubbles the size of a dime on the very top. So that's as normal. The PSI gauge reads about 4 PSI. The water above the skimmer is swirling, but much more gently than normal - the little leaves and such that are there are not being pulled into the skimmer basket like normal. They're just gently swirling on top there, and nothing else from the rest of the pool's surface is being pulled in.

Any ideas on where I could start troubleshooting this?
 
Re: Low pressure even though pump appears primed - suggestions?

What does the gauge show when the pump is off?
Does the return jet feel like less flow than usual? With the lower pressure and seemingly lower suction, I would suspect that maybe the impeller is clogged or the suction line is partially clogged?
 
Re: Low pressure even though pump appears primed - suggestions?

Needle rests flat against its bumper when pump is off - 0 PSI. I'm about to take to Google to see if I can fix either of those things myself. No idea what an impeller is, and I don't know how to unclog it or the suction line.
 
Re: Low pressure even though pump appears primed - suggestions?

How does the water look? I suppose there is a chance there is a problem on the pressure side, like in the filter and that your gauge is also reading incorrectly instead of showing a higher pressure.
 
Re: Low pressure even though pump appears primed - suggestions?

In your other thread...
Howdy from Phoenix, AZ
... message #13, you said the pool was green. It's possible the sand filter needs to be back washed as it could be restricted from the algae.

If the pool is green or you have a nascent algae issue, you will need to SLAM the pool. During that process, you will probably be back washing more frequently than normal. How much liquid beach/chlorine do you have on hand?

EDIT - Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain
 
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