I have a Zodiac Duoclear system. I didn't ask for it, it came with the pool, and I didn't know about this website when I bought the pool. I have several questions - please and thanks -
1. Is the mineral cartridge adding things to the pool that I don't really want (like metals that will cause staining etc.). I can't run the system without the mineral cartridge unless I can find some way to seal the opening the cartridge sits in(or run an old cartridge that has hopefully run out of minerals).
2. Zodiac recommends chlorine as low as 0.6 From the owner's manual "1.0 – 3.0 ppm. This level may be lowered to 0.6 ppm with the use of the Nature2 cartridge."
They also recommend CYA from 30 to 100. Looking at the CYA chart, the mininum chlorine level at 30 is 2.2. I'm guessing I should ignore Zodiac's recommendation and use what the chart recommends. My chlorine has been around 2.5 or so all summer, and my CYA was 35 when last tested.
How can they actually recommend this? If I went as high as 50 or even 100, and kept the chlorine at 0.6, would the chlorine even be effective?
3. Alkalinity they recommend 100-120. I'm keeping it closer to 80. Is this OK?
4. PH they recommend 7.2 to 7.6. Mine always creeps up (salt pool etc.) and I use muriatic acid weekly to keep it around 7.4. Is this number OK?
The main reason I'm asking this is because my pump and filter basket are getting a yellow/brown tinge to them and the eyeballs in the jets are very yellow, but oddly, not on the part of the eye that's exposed, but the part that is behind (hope this makes sense - only if I swivel the eye to a different direction so the part that was hidden becomes exposed, do I see the yellow/brown stain. The skimmer itself (and the face) and my very wide white stairs are still white.
1. Is the mineral cartridge adding things to the pool that I don't really want (like metals that will cause staining etc.). I can't run the system without the mineral cartridge unless I can find some way to seal the opening the cartridge sits in(or run an old cartridge that has hopefully run out of minerals).
2. Zodiac recommends chlorine as low as 0.6 From the owner's manual "1.0 – 3.0 ppm. This level may be lowered to 0.6 ppm with the use of the Nature2 cartridge."
They also recommend CYA from 30 to 100. Looking at the CYA chart, the mininum chlorine level at 30 is 2.2. I'm guessing I should ignore Zodiac's recommendation and use what the chart recommends. My chlorine has been around 2.5 or so all summer, and my CYA was 35 when last tested.
How can they actually recommend this? If I went as high as 50 or even 100, and kept the chlorine at 0.6, would the chlorine even be effective?
3. Alkalinity they recommend 100-120. I'm keeping it closer to 80. Is this OK?
4. PH they recommend 7.2 to 7.6. Mine always creeps up (salt pool etc.) and I use muriatic acid weekly to keep it around 7.4. Is this number OK?
The main reason I'm asking this is because my pump and filter basket are getting a yellow/brown tinge to them and the eyeballs in the jets are very yellow, but oddly, not on the part of the eye that's exposed, but the part that is behind (hope this makes sense - only if I swivel the eye to a different direction so the part that was hidden becomes exposed, do I see the yellow/brown stain. The skimmer itself (and the face) and my very wide white stairs are still white.