Draining and bringing down the waterline?

[Lake Placid]

Forgot to add, sometimes adding calcium will cloud the water a bit but it will go away within a day of filtering if it does.

 

[tsar]

- btw. for slam, why use liquid chlorine and not "shock"? I'm sorry I just wanted to re-ask if just doing a SLAM again when I'm back again instead of leaving things running 24x7 is a better idea( Doing a SLAM admittedly could be difficult, but maybe using shock would make it easier?). My main concern is running this system 24x7 for 2.5 weeks. Too many things have broken since day 1, and I don't exactly have complete faith in all of this equipment. I'm concerned about general safety and issues like overheating of the pump etc. I mean won't algae and doing SLAM be a routine problem when I open the pool every year?

- I got the chlorine tabs and chlorinator in prep for tomorrow. But I'm just curious, the 3 tabs that the pool tech who opened the pool had left in the skimmer did not dissolve even in 1.5 weeks, so 3 a week being dissolved should be expected?

- Also what do you guys do when u go for vacation, don't the skimmers get clogged over multiple days. Is it a good idea to invest in a solar cover etc.? The mesh cover is extremely heavy or I would have used that to cover up the pool (which might have helped?).

 

[Newdude]

why use liquid chlorine and not "shock

You can use liquid shock from the pool store, which is 12.5% chlorine. When they tell you it's stronger than that, show them the ingredients on the label. 'Other ingredients' is water.

Powdered shock will either raise your calcium (Cal-hypo) or CYA (dichlor) which may or may not cause other problems depending on your current levels.

My main concern is running this system 24x7 for 2.5 weeks

Pumps are designed to run 24/7 and across industries, pumps that never shut off run for decades. Your choice if you do it now or as a SLAM requirement later. (It's a SLAM requirement for filtering and to keep it good and mixed).

won't algae and doing SLAM be a routine problem when I open the pool every year?

Not once we teach you how to close and open. Most of us open to clear water ever year. I missed one out of 9 seasons at my old place, and know exactly where I went wrong the year I had a swamp. Well get there, let's get through this first.

the 3 tabs that the pool tech who opened the pool had left in the skimmer did not dissolve even in 1.5 weeks, so 3 a week being dissolved should be expected?

Circulation and water temperature play big parts in dissolving tabs. It could just as easily go in 3 days with the pump running and warm water.

don't the skimmers get clogged over multiple days

Usually not unless it's the fall.

Is it a good idea to invest in a solar cover etc.?

Yes. It would reduce UV exposure/ FC loss.

The mesh cover is extremely heavy or I would have used that to cover up the pool (which might have helped?).

While a big PITA, it would help greatly for the trip, and your peace of mind would be worth the hassle this one time. (Next time you'll have a thin, blue, cheapest you can find solar cover)

 

[Lake Placid]

The shock you’re referring to is actually granular chlorine, but the difference between that and liquid is what comes with the chlorine as a carrier. Cal Hypo shock will add calcium hardness to your pool every time you dose with it. Dichlor will add CYA to your pool every time you dose with. The problem with frequent use of the types of chlorine is the only way to to remove the byproducts they bring with them is a partial drain and refill of the pool (or more). Using liquid only adds some salt as a byproduct, which in the end isn’t a big deal. Granulars will not expedite a SLAM any more than liquid but will complicate or be detrimental to other aspects of your water chemistry.

I think everyone completely understands your concerns with the equipment given your situation and what you’ve been through, and with that said you could shut down while gone and just anticipate returning to a necessary SLAM.…..

…….Newdude is faster on the keyboard so I’ll press pause here on my response and roll with his advice for the rest….

 

[PoolStored]

- Also what do you guys do when u go for vacation, don't the skimmers get clogged over multiple days. Is it a good idea to invest in a solar cover etc.? The mesh cover is extremely heavy or I would have used that to cover up the pool (which might have helped?).

Sorry I missed all the action...you got great advice.

I use a solar cover, it catches almost all the stuff. Never had a skimmer fill. When I go for more that 4 days, I have a very nice neighbor, that I buy a box of Omaha steaks for every year. He never says no when I ask for help, like empty my skimmers.

You might do something like this...

Skimmer Guards - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Lake Placid]

+1…..See post 2 in this thread for an Amazon link

Gone for a couple weeks - Use main floor drain rather than skimmer?

My pool is about as low maintenance as you can get with IFCS, SWCG, auto fill and a Pentair IntelliPH. The only thing I do is test the water and clean the skimmer basket. Even that aint much because there are very few trees around our pool so on a typical day the basket just gets half a dozen...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[tsar]

One more question, is the water pressure on the return lines supposed to stay the same always. I've noticed that it's not always the same, sometimes higher and sometimes lower.

Just trying to do some final analysis, the DE filter pressure was around 28-29. I haven't tested this as much, but the pressure in the return likely goes down after starting the pump.

 

[tsar]

I am going to leave the pool open and the pump running 24x7, with the ducks. I’ve asked my gardner to toss in a duck with 3 chlorine pucks next sat, and then one following wed.

Not putting the cover on.

 

[PoolStored]

You can have gardener empty skimmers.

 

[Lake Placid]

One more question, is the water pressure on the return lines supposed to stay the same always. I've noticed that it's not always the same, sometimes higher and sometimes lower.

Just trying to do some final analysis, the DE filter pressure was around 28-29. I haven't tested this as much, but the pressure in the return likely goes down after starting the pump.

Pressure on the returns should remain fairly steady after it settles in when the pump is started. You should notice a decrease in flow over time, with a corresponding pressure rise in the filter as the filter becomes dirty. This is normal and indicates it’s time to backwash. General rule of thumb is a 25% pressure increase over your clean pressure means it’s time to backwash.

If you notice surging or drastic cycling and swings in flow, this is usually indicative of the suction side having difficulty drawing water - usually a full skimmer basket, or a full pump basket. There could be other causes, but this is the most likely place to start.

 

[tsar]

Hi Folks, I'm still in aussie land, but wanted to order a few things before I return:
1. What exactly do I need for the SWCG? My understanding based on the discussion was that the flow control was broken.
2. Solar Cover with hopefully something that makes it simple to cover and remove. Is there like an automated one?

 

[Lake Placid]

Hi @tsar hope all is well down under! Let’s troubleshoot your cell first before we spend money firing the parts cannon at it, that way we can definitively know the problem will be fixed. I’ll let others chime in with recommendations on a cover as I don’t have one. Enjoy your vacation!

 

[tsar]

@Lake Placid @PoolStored Hope you guys are doing good, got back yesterday . Australia was awesome (apart from holding a koala that pooped on me ).

The pool looks good, and I checked the chlorine levels which seemed ok (10.5).
It does look like we had a lot of hot days when I was away because the water level is significantly less (i.e. it is probably at 1/3 or less of the skimmer). The filter was also running 24x7 and seems to have worked fine.

Also there are just so many leaves, I definitely need a solution to quickly cover/remove cover. We have a lot of tree cover, and this isn't even peak fall.

Now back to trying to diagnose the SWCG, who can get me started there?

 

[Lake Placid]

Glad to hear you had a nice time (except for koala ) and welcome back. Let’s gather some history on your Intellichlor before we start cutting wires. If you start by looking on the underside of the cell you‘ll see a sticker with the manufacturing date in it. Lets note the date of manufacture and report back.

Next let’s check for how many hours are on the cell. To do this press and hold the MORE button for three (3) seconds until the lights scroll across the unit. One of the five Sanitizer Output LED indicators (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%) will be lit indicating the hours of usage. (note this value and report back)

2000 hours (20% LED on)
4000 hours (40% LED on)
6000 hours (60% LED on)
8000 hours (80% LED on)
10,000 hours (100% LED on)

Lastly, with the pump and cell off, remove the cell and check for any scaling that might be present in the cell. I know this may be a tedious step (and not a likely cause) but I want to make sure there’s nothing impeding the flow switch from physically closing. Report back what you find and we can move forward from there.

 

[tsar]

@Lake Placid -
>Lastly, with the pump and cell off, remove the cell and check for any scaling that might be present in the cell. I know this may be a tedious step (and not a likely cause) but I want to make sure there’s nothing impeding the flow switch from physically closing. Report back what you find and we can move forward from ther

I'll report on the rest tomorrow, but I can confirm that there isn't any scaling, or at least there wasn't any when it was installed a month and a half back. I remember this distinctly since we checked for it.

 

[Lake Placid]

@Lake Placid -
>Lastly, with the pump and cell off, remove the cell and check for any scaling that might be present in the cell. I know this may be a tedious step (and not a likely cause) but I want to make sure there’s nothing impeding the flow switch from physically closing. Report back what you find and we can move forward from ther

I'll report on the rest tomorrow, but I can confirm that there isn't any scaling, or at least there wasn't any when it was installed a month and a half back. I remember this distinctly since we checked for it.

Good deal. We can jump into the the next steps tomorrow When you’ve got some more info.

 

[tsar]

@lakeplacid

Let’s gather some history on your Intellichlor before we start cutting wires. If you start by looking on the underside of the cell you‘ll see a sticker with the manufacturing date in it. Lets note the date of manufacture and report back.

Given how it's installed if there is anything under there it's not visible. There is no manufacturing date on the sides or at the top.

Next let’s check for how many hours are on the cell. To do this press and hold the MORE button for three (3) seconds until the lights scroll across the unit. One of the five Sanitizer Output LED indicators (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%) will be lit indicating the hours of usage. (note this value and report back)

This is 2000 hours (20% LED on)

 

[Lake Placid]

@lakeplacid


Given how it's installed if there is anything under there it's not visible. There is no manufacturing date on the sides or at the top.


This is 2000 hours (20% LED on)

Ok. Relatively low hours on the cell. Projected life is 10,000 hours. Just confirming you have no automation on your pool it’s just a standalone cell right?

 

[tsar]

nope no automation.

 

[Lake Placid]

Ok if you’re comfortable stripping wires we can test the flow switch.

First I want to be clear, once the flow switch is bypassed do not run the cell except to test the switch. Running the cell without the safety of the switch can lead to it producing without flow from the pump. This can lead to an explosion. Obviously not good, don’t do it for any length of time and especially if you’re not monitoring it.

Ok on the cell you’ll see where the power cord enters under the cap with the flow arrow. With the system powered down, remove the cap and you’ll expose the flow switch itself with the small sheathed wire. One end runs to the switch, the other into the cell. You’ll want to open the sheath, but do so in a place that leaves you a good amount of wire coming out of the cell. Be gentle when opening the sheath as to not cut any wires yet.

When the sheath is opened you‘ll expose either 3 or 4 wires depending on the age of the cell (likely 3 but note the number of wires.) Look for the red and black wires. Cut them in a spot making sure you have left plenty of wire coming out of the cell to work with. Strip the red and black wires on the side running back into the cell and twist them together to make a connection. Use electrical tape to cover the exposed connection temporarily.

Power up the pump and cell and after it runs through the startup sequence, you should see the flow light green and the cell start producing normally. (Go ahead and note the green lights that are lit). If the cell runs normally in this condition, you know the flow switch is bad and can order a new one to install.

After the diagnostics turn off the cell, unplug it and do not run it until you have replaced the flow switch with a new one.

Ask any questions if something in the process is not clear to you.