Neighbor's Pool

[HeyEng]

Once again, I have to thank TFP and it's members for offering such fantastic advice for maintaining a pool paradise. We are almost 4 years into owning a pool and have yet (knock on wood) to have an algae outbreak. That's a testament to GREAT advice and practices!

With that said, I have to wonder WHY so many folks ignore the great advice here. My neighbor had asked me a question about his pool about a year ago and I pointed him to TFP. He thanked me and even emailed back to say what a great resource it is. Well, lo and behold I have to guess he hasn't visited the site recently. He had a commercial company come out to open the pool about 2 weeks ago (they also closed it last season) and it is STILL a green, disgusting mess. This morning, there were FOUR pool company service trucks outside of his house and they have been there for nearly 3 hours. I don't know what the issue is, but I did see one of the techs carrying a large bucket and it looked like someone was tossing in shock or some similar evil chemical.

 

[Dirk]

Check out this thread:

Conversation with a friend who installed the exact same pool

Friend: Wow, your water looks amazing. I How do you get it so crystal clear? Me: Maintaining water chemistry & a little brushing and vacuuming. Friend: Well whenever I get my water tested, I always need to add chemicals and it still doesn't look clear. Me: Let me guess, you test at the pool...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Jimrahbe]

Greg,

And.... I doubt that whatever they are doing, that they are doing it for free.

Sigh,

Jim R.

 

[SecoSteve]

What's the saying? "you can lead a horse to pool water, but you can't make him drink it" . I have a neighbor who had a pool built by the same PB as me. When we were deciding who to go with building ours, we went to see his pool. He was only using pucks. I wasn't TFP informed then. Well, he came to see our pool and was blown away at how clear it was. I tried to explain the process, but I think he still likes the pool store experience.

 

[wireform]

Once again, I have to thank TFP and it's members for offering such fantastic advice for maintaining a pool paradise. We are almost 4 years into owning a pool and have yet (knock on wood) to have an algae outbreak. That's a testament to GREAT advice and practices!

With that said, I have to wonder WHY so many folks ignore the great advice here. My neighbor had asked me a question about his pool about a year ago and I pointed him to TFP. He thanked me and even emailed back to say what a great resource it is. Well, lo and behold I have to guess he hasn't visited the site recently. He had a commercial company come out to open the pool about 2 weeks ago (they also closed it last season) and it is STILL a green, disgusting mess. This morning, there were FOUR pool company service trucks outside of his house and they have been there for nearly 3 hours. I don't know what the issue is, but I did see one of the techs carrying a large bucket and it looked like someone was tossing in shock or some similar evil chemical.

Heyeng
Was just looking through your media and spotted your equipment pad picture with the circupool SWCG on the heater output which is correct but why is the flow switch in front of it not being used but instead you have it on your accessory/feature pump which to me isn't right. If you are to run the second pump without the primary pump somehow you'll fool the cell thinking there's flow and then it can power the cell without real flow in the cell.

 

[HeyEng]

Heyeng
Was just looking through your media and spotted your equipment pad picture with the circupool SWCG on the heater output which is correct but why is the flow switch in front of it not being used but instead you have it on your accessory/feature pump which to me isn't right. If you are to run the second pump without the primary pump somehow you'll fool the cell thinking there's flow and then it can power the cell without real flow in the cell.
View attachment 423684

The booster pump isn't being used and is deactivated so no worries there. Water flows through it if the pump is running for freeze protection. Because of the plumbing configuration (and lack of PVC run past the SWCG) and work involved, I decided to put the switch where it is. Primarily, getting the PVC out of the valve was something I didn't want to deal with.

If I recall, the plugged port you see was attached to the inline chlorinator which was removed when I put in the SWCG. The inline chlorinator was never used under "my watch." Also, that port leaked, so it's now non-existent.

 

[Dirk]

The booster pump isn't being used and is deactivated so no worries there. Water flows through it if the pump is running for freeze protection. Because of the plumbing configuration (and lack of PVC run past the SWCG) and work involved, I decided to put the switch where it is. Primarily, getting the PVC out of the valve was something I didn't want to deal with.

If I recall, the plugged port you see was attached to the inline chlorinator which was removed when I put in the SWCG. The inline chlorinator was never used under "my watch." Also, that port leaked, so it's now non-existent.

Good catch @wireform! @HeyEng, he's right, of course. There's a three-way valve that's between the SWG and the flow switch, and that's asking for trouble. It may be someone other than you running that setup someday, and you've built in a potentially dangerous situation.

You do have room after the SWG for the flow switch. You can run a coupler over the port of the valve, then a reducer, then your 2" pipe with flow switch, then into the SWG, which would give you enough room. The flow switch could also go on either leg of the pipe leading into the furnace. Flow is constant throughout the system, provided there are no bypasses (which is in essence what you made).

 

[jeffchap]

Most people I talk to don't believe you can test your water more accurately than a pool store can.

 

[Dirk]

Most people I talk to don't believe you can test your water more accurately than a pool store can.

Yep. But even if that was true, what is hard to explain, is that consistent test results are far more important than accurate results. At the store, any number of employees, with a full range of work ethics, knowledge and experience, are all allowed to test the water. Which is why the same water can yield different results depending on which store you go to, or which employee happens to be there. Home testing is usually done by the same person, with the same equipment, immediately after the sample is taken from the pool. This will yield very consistent results. And consistency is the key.

You know your pool, you know that when you test and get "X" FC, that you need to add "Y" chlorine. If your pool gets a green tinge every once in a while, you know that "Y" doesn't work, so that you better up your FC to "Z." It doesn't really matter what number "X" was, or "Y", or "Z." What matters is that whenever you test and get "X", that you have to add "Z" chlorine. Pool store results can't achieve that level of reliability. But that doesn't matter to them, because when their tests end up with a green pool, they'll be happy to sell you a magic potion to "cure" it.

Preachin' to the choir. We all know this. But when you try to explain it to someone, they glaze over at about word #3...

 

[HeyEng]

Good catch @wireform! @HeyEng, he's right, of course. There's a three-way valve that's between the SWG and the flow switch, and that's asking for trouble. It may be someone other than you running that setup someday, and you've built in a potentially dangerous situation.

You do have room after the SWG for the flow switch. You can run a coupler over the port of the valve, then a reducer, then your 2" pipe with flow switch, then into the SWG, which would give you enough room. The flow switch could also go on either leg of the pipe leading into the furnace. Flow is constant throughout the system, provided there are no bypasses (which is in essence what you made).

View attachment 423732

The pump is deactivated/inoperable and unable to operate. No operation, no flow, no unscheduled operation of the generator.