I just joined this forum after several months of reading and searching posts. I thought I would share some of my experiences and am open to any and all advice!
Background: I had over 10 years of experience managing all aspects of two large commercial pools. I bought a house last November with a 15,000 gal AGP. I thought I knew all I needed to know; I was wrong!
The Pump
The pump is a dual speed flo-master CP “HP 1.5 - .18 SPL” with a cartridge filter. There is no timer. The local pool guy recommended I let the pump run 24/7. He said it’s no worse than a 60 W bulb and that he loves people who use timers because he gets to sell them more pumps. I followed his advice. After the first $250 electric bill, we are now running on “low” and I am considering installing a timer.
Wiring
12 gauge wire from the panel feeds a 20 amp GFCI outlet in the basement. There is a 75 foot run of 12 wire from the basement to the 20 amp outlet by the pool. The guy who upgraded my panel put this circuit on a 15 amp breaker (I think he thought the white romex was 14 wire). It has not tripped, even though I am also running a washing machine off the basement GFCI.
The GFCI started tripping two weeks ago. When I took the GFCI out of the circuit, the breaker did not trip. The GFCI continued to trip even after I removed the 20 amp outlet at the pump and capped the wires, so I assumed the GFCI was bad (the previous homeowner used it as a switch to turn the pump off and on daily). I envisioned digging up a lot of wire when the new GFCI also tripped. I started to investigate and found the romex by the pump was only in conduit about 2 inches into the ground. The GFCI stopped tripping after my cursory investigation, until I touched the now-exposed romex. So my assumption is that there is a short in the area of romex I dug-up and touched. My plan is to cut the line as far back as I can to still be able to install a junction box.
This would obviously be a good time to install a timer, if I go that route. Any advice would be appreciated.
Chemistry
Coming in to the season with a decent grasp of the chemistry, I did “okay” until reading about the TPFC method, which has saved me a lot of time and money. Before TPFC, I used tri-chlor through an inline feeder. I still found myself accumulating CC and having to shock more often than I thought I should. I read about TPFC about the same time I noticed the $2.50/gal 10% sodium hypochlorite at Wal-mart, and the feeder has been in the shed since.
I downloaded the “Pocket Pool Boy” app, which consistently tells me to add WAY too much bleach. I am now using Pool Math exclusively.
I have been using a basic DPD test kit (the K-1004-6), which is pretty much the residential version of what I used when I ran commercial pools. Since I am only at about 30 ppm CYA, it seems to be in range (up to 5 ppm sanitizer). I plan on upgrading to a FAS-DPD kit, but am hoping I can put that investment off until next year so that I don’t have a lot of expired reagent. Am I playing with fire?
I have a 9-day vacation coming up. I am debating on whether to have the 16-year old neighbor pour bleach in daily or just float a bunch of tri-chlor (I could use another 10 ppm CYA anyhow).
Plumbing
I only have one skimmer, and everything is run off flexible hoses. The pump and filter get put away for the winter. I am worried about the stress that the skimmer and heavy return line put on the pool wall, and have propped them up with old pieces of pvc and 2x4. I am considering hard-piping with pvc this fall once the pool is closed. Any thoughts?
Sorry for the long first-post. I appreciate the wisdom on this forum and look forward to contributing in the future!
Background: I had over 10 years of experience managing all aspects of two large commercial pools. I bought a house last November with a 15,000 gal AGP. I thought I knew all I needed to know; I was wrong!
The Pump
The pump is a dual speed flo-master CP “HP 1.5 - .18 SPL” with a cartridge filter. There is no timer. The local pool guy recommended I let the pump run 24/7. He said it’s no worse than a 60 W bulb and that he loves people who use timers because he gets to sell them more pumps. I followed his advice. After the first $250 electric bill, we are now running on “low” and I am considering installing a timer.
Wiring
12 gauge wire from the panel feeds a 20 amp GFCI outlet in the basement. There is a 75 foot run of 12 wire from the basement to the 20 amp outlet by the pool. The guy who upgraded my panel put this circuit on a 15 amp breaker (I think he thought the white romex was 14 wire). It has not tripped, even though I am also running a washing machine off the basement GFCI.
The GFCI started tripping two weeks ago. When I took the GFCI out of the circuit, the breaker did not trip. The GFCI continued to trip even after I removed the 20 amp outlet at the pump and capped the wires, so I assumed the GFCI was bad (the previous homeowner used it as a switch to turn the pump off and on daily). I envisioned digging up a lot of wire when the new GFCI also tripped. I started to investigate and found the romex by the pump was only in conduit about 2 inches into the ground. The GFCI stopped tripping after my cursory investigation, until I touched the now-exposed romex. So my assumption is that there is a short in the area of romex I dug-up and touched. My plan is to cut the line as far back as I can to still be able to install a junction box.
This would obviously be a good time to install a timer, if I go that route. Any advice would be appreciated.
Chemistry
Coming in to the season with a decent grasp of the chemistry, I did “okay” until reading about the TPFC method, which has saved me a lot of time and money. Before TPFC, I used tri-chlor through an inline feeder. I still found myself accumulating CC and having to shock more often than I thought I should. I read about TPFC about the same time I noticed the $2.50/gal 10% sodium hypochlorite at Wal-mart, and the feeder has been in the shed since.
I downloaded the “Pocket Pool Boy” app, which consistently tells me to add WAY too much bleach. I am now using Pool Math exclusively.
I have been using a basic DPD test kit (the K-1004-6), which is pretty much the residential version of what I used when I ran commercial pools. Since I am only at about 30 ppm CYA, it seems to be in range (up to 5 ppm sanitizer). I plan on upgrading to a FAS-DPD kit, but am hoping I can put that investment off until next year so that I don’t have a lot of expired reagent. Am I playing with fire?
I have a 9-day vacation coming up. I am debating on whether to have the 16-year old neighbor pour bleach in daily or just float a bunch of tri-chlor (I could use another 10 ppm CYA anyhow).
Plumbing
I only have one skimmer, and everything is run off flexible hoses. The pump and filter get put away for the winter. I am worried about the stress that the skimmer and heavy return line put on the pool wall, and have propped them up with old pieces of pvc and 2x4. I am considering hard-piping with pvc this fall once the pool is closed. Any thoughts?
Sorry for the long first-post. I appreciate the wisdom on this forum and look forward to contributing in the future!
