Infloor Cleaning PV3 system - MY EXPERIENCE AFTER A YEAR OF USE

[s9601694]

Our pool was completed about a year ago (see my build thread HERE)

We have a lot of trees in our yard and we went for the PV3 In-Floor Cleaning system, which set us back some $8000. It is a very extensive system with its own dedicated pump and TONS of plumbing. It is custom designed for our specific pool design and they advertised a 90% clean pool.

My findings after a year:

• It adds a lot of extra circulation in the pool. As a result you can maintain a lower chlorine level. I found this out when the system was down for a week or two and i was waiting for a warranty call from my PB. We don't have a heater but I guess it would help heat up the pool faster as well.
• It works! (kind of).. I would say it picks up 80% of all sand and small debris in the pool. During that same 2 weeks of down time I really saw how much the system actually cleans. After just a couple of days of it being down there was a layer of fine dust/sand all over the pool. Because it is a custom system they make it work as good as possible for the pool but there will be 'dead spots'. There is always a band of sand which accumulates in about the middle of the pool. I usually kick it up when I am in the pool and then it'll find its way to the filter. There is also an area in the deep end where this happens. I need to manually vacuum that area every once in a while.
• It does NOTHING for algae. With all the rain we have had, we have had some algae blooms in the pool. I would imagine 'regular' pool cleaners scrub off any algae they encounter. My wife and I have spent quite some time brushing algae off the walls.
• works great for small leaves. which all end up in a leaf bag which is accessible through a skimmer lid. Large leafs clog up the in-ground drain which is designed to be able to pick up larger debris but the volume, size and shape of the larger oak leaves just clog it all up. I have spent quite some time in scuba gear on the bottom of the pool to take the inlet apart, clean it out and put it back together. The only thing that would probably prevent all this is a leaf net over the pool.
• once every 6 months or so i take the jets out and clean them out to make sure they don't get stuck. Not a lot of work.

In conclusion: It is a good system and it is very low maintenance. However.. We could've bought 6 top model robotic cleaners for the same price.. Knowing what i know now, i don't think i would have spent the money on this system but rather have bought a top model robotic cleaner. In fact, i am currently scoping craigslist for a decent used one that i can drop into the pool every other week or so.

 

[jblizzle]

1. Circulation has very little to do with the chlorine levels. You should still maintain FC as a function of the CYA level as shown in the FC/CYA Chart.

2. I had one a previous house and would also always get an accumulation of dirt in a couple areas ... either had to brush it toward the drain or vacuum.

3. You have algae because your chemistry is not correct. See #1. If you see algae you need to follow the ShockLevelAndMAINTAIN Process to eradicate it, brushing is not the solution, but it is part of the cure.

I agree with your last point. I would not install one again. As you have to run larger pumps for more time to keep the pool clear which costs more $ in electricity. A good robot would easily clean as well and require less filter maintenance.

 

[s9601694]

The points about the water being "mixed" better with the system and the algae resulted from the insane rains we've had. I had no algae last year (and very little rain) but after getting hit with rain events of 6 - 8 inches in 12 hours, you're right, my chemistry is very far from correct. I've had to shock the pool more in the past 2 months than in the entire year.

 

[jblizzle]

We do not "shock" pools. It is unclear if you actually have read and understand the ShockLevelAndMAINTAIN Process.

 

[gilbee]

We do not "shock" pools. It is unclear if you actually have read and understand the ShockLevelAndMAINTAIN Process.

I see this comment a lot directed at people who use the "s word"...are we not being a little disingenuous when we say this, when the first word of SLAM stands for SHOCK? I can't imagine if he/she has a build thread here for a year that they have never seen the pool school and SLAM article. Maybe I'm assuming too much. Maybe it was a badly monitored slam?

 

[s9601694]

We do not "shock" pools. It is unclear if you actually have read and understand the ShockLevelAndMAINTAIN Process.

Wow great conversation man! I guess there are elitists everywhere. No I have not "read and understood" your process, nor do i have the desire to.

I simply put a post up for people to use to their benefit if they are considering a PV3 system and am not waiting to be told what to do or not to do by you or anyone else.

Thank you

 

[jblizzle]

Well it is the MAINTAIN part that is key ... if you do not understand that, you have missed the entire concept. "shock" has entirely too many different meanings to different people.

- - - Updated - - -

Wow, sorry to ruffle your feathers. You made claims of struggling with algae and I suggested a reason why and a way to fix it. Good luck :gone:

 

[JVTrain]

Wow great conversation man! I guess there are elitists everywhere. No I have not "read and understood" your process, nor do i have the desire to.

I simply put a post up for people to use to their benefit if they are considering a PV3 system and am not waiting to be told what to do or not to do by you or anyone else.

Thank you

Everyone is certainly entitled to manage their own pool in their own way. If you're fine with algae and your methods of shocking, more power to you. It's just not the way that's recommended here. No one is being elitist. The methods here for maintaining pools and dealing with problems work very well for those who use them. It's not elitist to be proud of those methods and want to help others do the same to prevent algae, make pool management easier and save money.

This site is about learning many things about pools. It's good to hear your experience with the in-floor cleaning system.

 

[gilbee]

No I have not "read and understood" your process, nor do i have the desire to.

jblizzle, well, I stand corrected...excuse me while I go figure out how to remove my foot from my mouth.

 

[s9601694]

I guess am one of the non-purists that uses tablets in an in-line chlorinator with a Nature 2 mineral cartrige and (the horror) a UV system. This has kept my pool algae free for 90% of the time i have had it while maintaining 1 -2 ppm chlorine. The chemistry got screwed up and algae started growing after weeks of intense rains.

 

[gilbee]

Well, I'm not attacking you s9601694...one thing that does get said around here, is you have to choose whether to follow TFP, or some other system, but don't do part of one and part of another. I bet you've got the convenience factor working for you at least most of the time. I do believe in the TFP way as an efficient process of doing chems, but I don't think it's the ONLY way.

Good luck, glad to hear about the floor cleaner thoughts; I don't have such a system and bought a house with the pool already there, so I couldn't make this choice. Knowing this info, it's something I'd probably steer clear of if we buy and build elsewhere.

 

[s9601694]

It wasn't you I felt attacked by. It's over, i'm moving on.


And you're right: i did go for the convenience factor. I wanted a low maintenance pool (relatively speaking). I have no time during the week to maintain it so it all comes down to the weekends. This desire also drove the decision to get the in-floor cleaning system..

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I guess am one of the non-purists that uses tablets in an in-line chlorinator with a Nature 2 mineral cartrige and (the horror) a UV system. This has kept my pool algae free for 90% of the time i have had it while maintaining 1 -2 ppm chlorine. The chemistry got screwed up and algae started growing after weeks of intense rains.

Thank you for the information/experience on the in-floor system. I would likely opt for a good robotic or automatic cleaner but, then again, I have lots of time during the week to do pool maintenance.

I also understand your choice of sanitation method given your time restrictions. I would simply add to the conversation that that the rains caused your FC levels to get too low. The mineral systems and UV/Ozone systems only act as secondary algaecides and oxidation sources. Therefore, they are not able to keep up when the pool water FC drops too low. I think if one reads enough threads here on TFP about mineral systems and puck feeders (and you may already have so that's not a dig at you personally), one will find that you can maintain a pool using them, just at a higher incremental cost since you have to be much more vigilant about water exchange in order to keep the stabilizer and metal concentrations within reasonable limits. As well, when the pool water does go south from an algae bloom, you absolutely need to use a shock chlorine method to kill it off as the minerals and UV systems simply can not provide enough kill-power. For many people, especially someone like me who lives in a desert, the idea of dumping out large quantities of water to maintain proper CYA and metal limits is not really a viable option. Therefore I chose the salt water chlorination route.

Hope you stick around and continue to contribute your voice to the conversations.

 

[s9601694]

Thank you for the information/experience on the in-floor system. I would likely opt for a good robotic or automatic cleaner but, then again, I have lots of time during the week to do pool maintenance.

I also understand your choice of sanitation method given your time restrictions. I would simply add to the conversation that that the rains caused your FC levels to get too low. The mineral systems and UV/Ozone systems only act as secondary algaecides and oxidation sources. Therefore, they are not able to keep up when the pool water FC drops too low. I think if one reads enough threads here on TFP about mineral systems and puck feeders (and you may already have so that's not a dig at you personally), one will find that you can maintain a pool using them, just at a higher incremental cost since you have to be much more vigilant about water exchange in order to keep the stabilizer and metal concentrations within reasonable limits. As well, when the pool water does go south from an algae bloom, you absolutely need to use a shock chlorine method to kill it off as the minerals and UV systems simply can not provide enough kill-power. For many people, especially someone like me who lives in a desert, the idea of dumping out large quantities of water to maintain proper CYA and metal limits is not really a viable option. Therefore I chose the salt water chlorination route.

Hope you stick around and continue to contribute your voice to the conversations.

Thanks!

I'm not going anywhere, i enjoy this site!

 

[Patrick_B]

There is nothing elitist about our methods, no one was attacking you, and we aren't "purists" either. We do and use what works 100% of the time, because 90% isn't good enough. For the record, rain has extremely little effect on any of the chemistry, and any blame put on it is very misplaced. The math explains it, and it can't be argued with. If it was to blame, people's pools would be in trouble every time they refilled them.

 

[s9601694]

There is nothing elitist about our methods, no one was attacking you, and we aren't "purists" either. We do and use what works 100% of the time, because 90% isn't good enough. For the record, rain has extremely little effect on any of the chemistry, and any blame put on it is very misplaced. The math explains it, and it can't be argued with. If it was to blame, people's pools would be in trouble every time they refilled them.

That is exactly the type of response that made me call some PEOPLE (not methods) on this forum elitist.

Let me answer at the same level:

Take a 5 gallon bucket of pool water and test the chlorine. Take out a gallon of pool water and add a gallon of rain water. Retest the chlorine. You will find (big surprise) that there is now LESS chlorine in your bucket of water. Now that's math and, I agree, math doesn't lie.


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[wjr75]

Ya if you drain 5000 gallons out of your 20000 gallon pool you will have 25% less chlorine. I don't think you are going to get that dilution from a rain storm : )

 

[s9601694]

Ya if you drain 5000 gallons out of your 20000 gallon pool you will have 25% less chlorine. I don't think you are going to get that dilution from a rain storm : )

You clearly haven't been in Texas in the past months... It's been extremely insane here.

Anyway. Whatever I have no algae and my pool is crystal clear now..


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[wjr75]

Sorry I live in Illinois and we have never experienced a rain fall that summed 5000 gallons in our pool. We had the great flood that got us 6" of rain once.

 

[BuckeyeChris]

I'm killing time here, not advocating anything in particular...

for a pool of 20x30, you'll get 360 gallons of water in the pool for every inch of rain. http://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/files/30178.pdf

a pool of 20x30x5 is 3000 cubic feet, or about 22000 gallons. Cubic Feet (ft3) To Gallons - How many gallons in a cubic foot?

to follow your bucket example, if your 22000 gallon pool gets 22000 gallons of rain water, your FC would be halved. and your house destroyed.

If your 22000 gallon pool gets 360 gallons of water (an inch of rain), that will change a FC reading of 5 ppm to 4.91. SO yes it will change the chemistry, but I think what they're getting at is the rain shouldn't be enough to drop you so far that now algae is growing. Unless you were at the bottom of an appropriate level to begin with.