Totally clueless. Any input is appreciated.

[anonapersona]

It won't be long until we are drifting into slightly less freakishly hot weather. Yeah, the car registered 101 at 8 pm as we were driving home but I'm sure it will start to be a tad cooler overnight in a month or so. Heck it was reading 104 inside the garage. Dang that is hot.

At 40 you are probably fine, it would be pretty normal to lose almost half of the chlorine in a 24 hr period. At 50 that will be slightly less, maybe lose 1/3rd.

For me, the choice hinges on whether I'd be going out of town in the foreseeable future. I really prefer to load up the automatic chlorinator with trichlor pucks as I take off. If the CYA is maybe 10 ppm low that is fine to do. At 50 ppm while I've done it, I really regretted doing it.

 

[htownjeeper]

Yes, that is a DE filter.
How long have you had the pool?
Have you ever backwashed it?

The big valve with the handle on top is the multiport valve. It's used to divert the water as required for filtering, backwashing, wasting water, etc.
The valve labeled 'Skimmer' is the diverter for the skimmers. You turn it to adjust the flow from one or the other or both skimmers.
The valve on the suction (front) of the pump selects between the main drain and the skimmers.
The middle pump is the booster pump for the pressure side pool cleaner.
The right hand pump is strictly a water feature pump and unless you have a water feature you don't need to run it.
The valve labeled 'water feature' selects between the normal returns or the water feature. It's set to supply the normal returns now.
The tall white thing is the tablet (chlorine) feeder. It's in the normal return line.
The line coming out of the left side of the multiport going into the ground is the waste line.

Rambler (or anyone else who wants to chime in), since I have that booster pump already then am I understanding correctly that all I have to do is buy the attachment and I could have an automatic vac set up pretty easily? I was reading a thread on the first page about equipment questions and it sparked my curiosity. I'd love to not have to vac every day or every other day! We have a few big palm trees that always drop little seeds or nuts or whatever you call em and it drives me crazy.

If this is so, does anyone recommend something that isn't too expensive but effective?

Thanks,
Brian

 

[Bama Rambler]

The Polaris 280 and 380's are well thought of booster cleaners.

 

[htownjeeper]

The Polaris 280 and 380's are well thought of booster cleaners.

Where do you hook it up? Let's say I bought one and brought it home...where does it couple up with the pump? Remember, I'm clueless!

 

[Dalandlord]

The Polaris 280 and 380's are well thought of booster cleaners.

Where do you hook it up? Let's say I bought one and brought it home...where does it couple up with the pump? Remember, I'm clueless!

You should have a return in the pool that is usually in the middle of the pool that doesn't have an eyeball in it that eiher has threads for a quick connect or already has the quick connect for it.
I have the 280 and it works well and is reliable.

 

[htownjeeper]

The Polaris 280 and 380's are well thought of booster cleaners.

Where do you hook it up? Let's say I bought one and brought it home...where does it couple up with the pump? Remember, I'm clueless!

You should have a return in the pool that is usually in the middle of the pool that doesn't have an eyeball in it that eiher has threads for a quick connect or already has the quick connect for it.
I have the 280 and it works well and is reliable.

There's a little PVC pipe nub in the middle of my pool that I've always wondered what it was. But, it's above the water line. If memory serves me correctly, it's not threaded either. Looks like it was broke off at one time. Not sure if this is it or not...

 

[Bama Rambler]

Turn the booster pump on and see where the water shoots out at. That's the easy way to find it.

 

[htownjeeper]

Turn the booster pump on and see where the water shoots out at. That's the easy way to find it.

Good thinking. I'll turn off the one I use every day and turn on the other one and see what starts bubbling. Thanks!

 

[Bama Rambler]

Your booster pump is usually tied into your main pump so it'll need to stay running as well.

 

[htownjeeper]

wait...will the line I am looking for blow water out or suck water in?

 

[Dalandlord]

wait...will the line I am looking for blow water out or suck water in?

Blow water. The trash goes into a bag on the robot not into the pool filter.

 

[htownjeeper]

I think I know which one it is then. There's one in the center of the pool that is normally pretty middle of the road, but when you turn on both pumps it will put a hole through your navel. I need to check and see what the end on it looks like, but I'm guessing that's it.

 

[Bama Rambler]

...but when you turn on both pumps it will put a hole through your navel.

Yep, I bet that's the one.

 

[Dalandlord]

...but when you turn on both pumps it will put a hole through your navel.

Yep, I bet that's the one.

We have winner!!!!!!!

 

[htownjeeper]

Wife just emailed me...she found a Polaris 380 (used) on craigslist very near to me for $280. Would you guys be leery of buying a used one?

 

[Bama Rambler]

If you could knock them down a little and can inspect it before you buy I'd say go for it. They're not very hard to rebuild if something is wrong.

 

[htownjeeper]

They were sold by the time we contacted both of the sellers

On a side note, I LOVE being in control of the pool now and knowing what is going on (I think!). Woke up this morning and went to take my FC test and figured I'd share with everyone. It's a not-so-great phone pic, but you can see the bottom of the pool crystal clear. Those little black specs are nuts or something out of my palm trees...I hate palm trees! Those things are constantly dropping those black specs in my pool!

I know how we all enjoy pics, so here ya go....

 

[anonapersona]

You can be rid of the nuts by cutting the bloom stalks off before they fruit. Not easy, depending on the height of the tree, and you have to keep doing it. Otherwise you may draw in not only squirrels and raccoons to eat those nuts but rats as well. OTOH hard to find a shade tree that doesn't have some problem for a pool, overall palms are very good.

 

[Dalandlord]

Jeeper if you are going to look on Craigslist and have a smartphone I highly recommend the app craigspro plus.
The free version is great for regular searches but if you are looking for a particular item the plus is well worth the $1. You can set up alerts that run search agents all the time on the web and the minute someone lists one in the markets you specify you get a notice. On craigslist you have people who think their stuff is worth way too much and people who just want the stuff gone and will take any offer. As you may well know, when the latter lists something being first and a little negotiating are the key to a great deal.