Newbie - White Mold + So many questions

[Britali]

Your skimmer idea is genius! Thank you for that and for helping me so much. It means a lot. I will pool store test again tomorrow and see what of the FC held up. Is the CYA of 35 ok? Tomorrow when I test, if FC is over 6 then that means my SWG is keeping up?

The purpose of an SWG is to maintain your FC…you may have to adjust percentage/runtimes to get there. You can boost with liquid chlorine when needed as you find this sweet spot & because nothing outdoors is ever stable lol.

If you are running at 100% 24/hrs and still cannot maintain, your SWG may be too small & you will have to supplement with liquid chlorine. They recommend a SWG have twice the capacity of your pool size. For example, your pool is about 13k gallons so would need at least an SWG rated for 26k gallons…not sure what yours is rated for but the experts would know if you don’t. As I understand it, salt cell life is based off of runtime hours so the longer you run it the shorter it’s lifespan.

 

[HermanTX]

Your skimmer idea is genius! Thank you for that and for helping me so much. It means a lot. I will pool store test again tomorrow and see what of the FC held up. Is the CYA of 35 ok? Tomorrow when I test, if FC is over 6 then that means my SWG is keeping up?

For a SWCG it recommended to have a higher CYA because your SWCG produces a small amount of chlorine per minute of operation. So a too low of CYA allows UV to eat your chlorine. A higher CYA would protect it more. With a CYA of 40 (we round up to the next higher decade number) it is not terrible and you being in Toronto may imply you do not have strong UV as we do down in Texas.

If you new test shows FC over 6 that would imply you have the SWCG set properly. If it is below 6, it could imply 2 things - your SWCG is not set properly to overcome your daily FC loss or it could mean you have algae and something else other than UV is consuming your chlorine or it is a combination of both. This is why it will be much easier when you can do your own testing. You can test more frequently to see changes in your FC and then forum can help you set up your SWCG to balance % of operation vs. pump run time.
You can also run an Overnight Chlorine Loss Test which isolates the effects of UV and focuses on potential algae issues.

 

[vanellya]

Okay I am back! Just got my Taylor kit and I'll test it out hopefully soon but for now I have a few other questions/concerns. I went to look at my skimmer and the water in there wasn't really moving. So I tinkered with the skimmer door a bit, and I moved the lever to only the skimmer side (at the pump) and then water started swirling more in there. But I noticed that the pressure gauge on my cartridge filter is low (below 10). I can't figure out if that's normal or not, and why the water wasn't moving in the skimmer as well. I've taken some pictures and videos to illustrate. I also changed the pool to 2000rpm instead of the 2650 my builder had it set at. (Just realized I can't upload videos). But I noticed in the pump thing that there is a bubble. Is that a problem?

 

[vanellya]

There is something wrong. I put it on pool high to see if the pressure would go up and it dropped entirely to 0. And now there's a red light on the salt system saying that there isn't pressure. I don't know what is going on. There also isn't water in the pump. The weir door is up, and the water is not moving and no suction in the skimmer

 

[vanellya]

I just moved the suction back to the middle, and now the PSI is back to 5, and the red light is gone and there is water in the pump. Something is definitely wrong at the skimmer end. Maybe the weir door keeps getting stuck? I put it again on pool high and the weir door responded properly and the pressure went up to 20psi. I dropped it back down to 2000rpm after wards and the pressure went back down to 5, but the weir door is letting water in. I think the culprit is the weir door getting stuck? Shouldn't it always be partially open while the pump is running?

 

[HermanTX]

There is something wrong. I put it on pool high to see if the pressure would go up and it dropped entirely to 0. And now there's a red light on the salt system saying that there isn't pressure. I don't know what is going on. There also isn't water in the pump. The weir door is up, and the water is not moving and no suction in the skimmer

I was in process of writing reply to your other points and saw this. Is your WEIR door stuck UP? Turn off pump and push it down. That is preventing water being sucked in.

 

[vanellya]

I was in process of writing reply to your other points and saw this. Is your WEIR door stuck UP? Turn off pump and push it down. That is preventing water being sucked in.

I think it was but why?? Why does it keep getting stuck? Also- our skimmer basket is so clean.. all the time. The weir is open now but we are still sitting at 5psi. Is that acceptable? Is it because I lowered the rpm to 2000 instead of 2650?

 

[HermanTX]

I think it was but why?? Why does it keep getting stuck? Also- our skimmer basket is so clean.. all the time. The weir is open now but we are still sitting at 5psi. Is that acceptable? Is it because I lowered the rpm to 2000 instead of 2650?

I will answer your other questions in a separate post but clearly your weir door is getting stuck. Do you know how to remove it? THere are usually 3 screws in the base that come out and the door and hinge come out as a unit. You may need to sand the edges or maybe there is some old plaster on the side of skimmer that is catching the weir door. It should move freely up and down.

The reason it emptied the pump because it prevent water into the skimmer and when you opened the valve to the side ports that allowed sufficient flow to fill your pump. You do not want your pump to run dry. So you need to fix that weir door.

 

[HermanTX]

Okay I am back! Just got my Taylor kit and I'll test it out hopefully soon but for now I have a few other questions/concerns. I went to look at my skimmer and the water in there wasn't really moving. So I tinkered with the skimmer door a bit, and I moved the lever to only the skimmer side (at the pump) and then water started swirling more in there. But I noticed that the pressure gauge on my cartridge filter is low (below 10). I can't figure out if that's normal or not, and why the water wasn't moving in the skimmer as well. I've taken some pictures and videos to illustrate. I also changed the pool to 2000rpm instead of the 2650 my builder had it set at. (Just realized I can't upload videos). But I noticed in the pump thing that there is a bubble. Is that a problem?

So several things to review.

Having it on suction only from skimmer is setting to have best skimming action. The other component is the speed of your VS pump. The higher the rpm of pump, the more swirling you will see in the skimmer. Even though you do not see swirling, you are still getting flow through the skimmer. So play with different speeds and decide which works best for your pool. For example, you may want to run at a speed of 1800rpm to operate your SWCG and have general circulation. This would be the majority of time you operate the pump. Then for 2 hrs a day you may want to run at 2500rpm (if that gives you good swirling in your skimmer) to have good skimming action. You can set any schedule you wish but this would be energy efficient while getting sufficient skimming.

With regard to filter pressure, the lower the pump speed the lower the filter pressure. Filter pressure will rise on 2 activities - when pump speed increases such as from 1500rpm to 2500rpm, and the other is when the filter is dirty. So you have to monitor filter pressure at the same pump speed. Then if your pressure rises, it is due to more debris being collected on your filter. So you should clean or backwash your filter when the pressure change is more then 25%. So if it is 10psi at a given speed, then if it rises to 13 psi - it is time to clean the filter. You dial on your pressure gauge can turn - once you have established your normal operating speed then set that START line to the pressure on the gauge. This will help monitor the change in pressure due to debris. If you change your RPM then that setting is no longer valid.

You will get bubbles in the pump basket - this happens when your weir door on skimmer is stuck and water level drops in skimmer and pump is sucking all the water and some air.
Also, if you clean your pump basket (remove the top) then it will trap air until the pump pulls in enough water to push the air to the filter. Then bleed the air from your filter.

 

[vanellya]

I will answer your other questions in a separate post but clearly your weir door is getting stuck. Do you know how to remove it? THere are usually 3 screws in the base that come out and the door and hinge come out as a unit. You may need to sand the edges or maybe there is some old plaster on the side of skimmer that is catching the weir door. It should move freely up and down.

The reason it emptied the pump because it prevent water into the skimmer and when you opened the valve to the side ports that allowed sufficient flow to fill your pump. You do not want your pump to run dry. So you need to fix that weir door.

The other day when I had the mold issue and discovered the sticking weir door I popped it out and then fiddled with it and popped it back in. It seems to operate on tension and not screws? I didn't have to remove any screws to get it out. When I took it out I couldn't figure out any reason why it would be getting stuck and actually, before I fixed it (I thought I had fixed it anyway), wheh someone would jump into the pool, the waterfall would kind of stop and restart. I'm guessing the jumping forced the weir door up and an air bubble got in the system? I will try playing with it again to see why it keeps sticking or I'll just call the pool builder and he needs to figure it out. It's a brand new pool

 

[vanellya]

So several things to review.

Having it on suction only from skimmer is setting to have best skimming action. The other component is the speed of your VS pump. The higher the rpm of pump, the more swirling you will see in the skimmer. Even though you do not see swirling, you are still getting flow through the skimmer. So play with different speeds and decide which works best for your pool. For example, you may want to run at a speed of 1800rpm to operate your SWCG and have general circulation. This would be the majority of time you operate the pump. Then for 2 hrs a day you may want to run at 2500rpm (if that gives you good swirling in your skimmer) to have good skimming action. You can set any schedule you wish but this would be energy efficient while getting sufficient skimming.

With regard to filter pressure, the lower the pump speed the lower the filter pressure. Filter pressure will rise on 2 activities - when pump speed increases such as from 1500rpm to 2500rpm, and the other is when the filter is dirty. So you have to monitor filter pressure at the same pump speed. Then if your pressure rises, it is due to more debris being collected on your filter. So you should clean or backwash your filter when the pressure change is more then 25%. So if it is 10psi at a given speed, then if it rises to 13 psi - it is time to clean the filter. You dial on your pressure gauge can turn - once you have established your normal operating speed then set that START line to the pressure on the gauge. This will help monitor the change in pressure due to debris. If you change your RPM then that setting is no longer valid.

You will get bubbles in the pump basket - this happens when your weir door on skimmer is stuck and water level drops in skimmer and pump is sucking all the water and some air.
Also, if you clean your pump basket (remove the top) then it will trap air until the pump pulls in enough water to push the air to the filter. Then bleed the air from your filter.

Ok so even if it is 5psi, if that is the baseline for that rpm, then it is acceptable. Even though it is lower than the word "clean" on the dial

 

[HermanTX]

The other day when I had the mold issue and discovered the sticking weir door I popped it out and then fiddled with it and popped it back in. It seems to operate on tension and not screws? I didn't have to remove any screws to get it out. When I took it out I couldn't figure out any reason why it would be getting stuck and actually, before I fixed it (I thought I had fixed it anyway), wheh someone would jump into the pool, the waterfall would kind of stop and restart. I'm guessing the jumping forced the weir door up and an air bubble got in the system? I will try playing with it again to see why it keeps sticking or I'll just call the pool builder and he needs to figure it out. It's a brand new pool

Not sure which type of skimmer you have. Most work on a float system. The top of the weir door is filled with foam or some other buoyant material. As the pump draws suction the flow will slightly push the weir door down to flow over it and down the skimmer. WHen the pump stops, the flow stops and the weir door rises to an upright position thus keeping anything it trapped in the skimmer and not allow it to float back to the pool. So the weir door is hinged at the bottom to allow the flapping motion. It is a replacable item and since you have removed it you can see how it is connected.

 

[HermanTX]

Ok so even if it is 5psi, if that is the baseline for that rpm, then it is acceptable. Even though it is lower than the word "clean" on the dial

Turn the outside dial. That moves the CLEAN and START lines to match to what your standard operating pressure is. Ideally, you would want to clean your filter, put the pump at your standard operating speed (the speed that is runs at most of the time it is on), then move that START line to the pressure shown on the gauge. That is your baseline. WHen it rises to the CLEAN line (at that same rpm) then it is time to clean the filter.

 

[vanellya]

Not sure which type of skimmer you have. Most work on a float system. The top of the weir door is filled with foam or some other buoyant material. As the pump draws suction the flow will slightly push the weir door down to flow over it and down the skimmer. WHen the pump stops, the flow stops and the weir door rises to an upright position thus keeping anything it trapped in the skimmer and not allow it to float back to the pool. So the weir door is hinged at the bottom to allow the flapping motion. It is a replacable item and since you have removed it you can see how it is connected.

This is exactly it. It has foam on the back and is held in place by pressure but it seems to be getting stuck at a certain point on the skimmer frame. I'm going to contact the PB in the morning and have them look at it

 

[vanellya]

Turn the outside dial. That moves the CLEAN and START lines to match to what your standard operating pressure is. Ideally, you would want to clean your filter, put the pump at your standard operating speed (the speed that is runs at most of the time it is on), then move that START line to the pressure shown on the gauge. That is your baseline. WHen it rises to the CLEAN line (at that same rpm) then it is time to clean the filter.

I had no idea you could even turn the outside dial. Pool school my butt. I've learned more from you in this dialogue than anything my PB told me

 

[HermanTX]

wheh someone would jump into the pool, the waterfall would kind of stop and restart. I'm guessing the jumping forced the weir door up and an air bubble got in the system? I will try playing with it again to see why it keeps sticking or I'll just call the pool builder and he needs to figure it out. It's a brand new pool

You have 2 avenues of suction - the skimmer and the side suction port. What is the distance of the water line to the middle of the skimmer? It is normally around 6 inches. Now measure the water line to the middle of this side suction port. Which has the greater distance. You never want your water level to drop below the middle of your skimmer because you then risk air being sucked in with water. And if water level continues to drop then you risk the same thing you just saw when the skimmer door got stuck - you will suck in only air and risk damage to your pump.

 

[vanellya]

You have 2 avenues of suction - the skimmer and the side suction port. What is the distance of the water line to the middle of the skimmer? It is normally around 6 inches. Now measure the water line to the middle of this side suction port. Which has the greater distance. You never want your water level to drop below the middle of your skimmer because you then risk air being sucked in with water. And if water level continues to drop then you risk the same thing you just saw when the skimmer door got stuck - you will suck in only air and risk damage to your pump.

The water line is in the middle of the skimmer mouth. The side suction ports are about 2 feet under water. After I had fixed the weir, when people jumped in the water the waterfall didn't pause. The root cause seems to be the weir periodically getting stuck and I need to solve this to prevent getting air sucked in like you mentioned

 

[HermanTX]

The water line is in the middle of the skimmer mouth. The side suction ports are about 2 feet under water. After I had fixed the weir, when people jumped in the water the waterfall didn't pause. The root cause seems to be the weir periodically getting stuck and I need to solve this to prevent getting air sucked in like you mentioned

Great. Looks like you identified the issue so get with your PB or if you can see where it is getting stuck - it may just need some edges to be smoothed out with sandpaper.

 

[HermanTX]

I had no idea you could even turn the outside dial. Pool school my butt. I've learned more from you in this dialogue than anything my PB told me

Not sure what size cartridge filter you have, but the larger the better as it takes longer for debris to cover a 400sq ft filter grid vs a 200 sq ft grid. Therefore, a longer time between cleaning. Also the larger area will have your filter run lower operating pressure because you have less pressure drop across the filter area at a given pump speed, especially directly after cleaning. Good Luck with your new pool.

 

[vanellya]

Not sure what size cartridge filter you have, but the larger the better as it takes longer for debris to cover a 400sq ft filter grid vs a 200 sq ft grid. Therefore, a longer time between cleaning. Also the larger area will have your filter run lower operating pressure because you have less pressure drop across the filter area at a given pump speed, especially directly after cleaning. Good Luck with your new pool.

You know what, I'm not sure either. It was supposed to be a sand filter and the PB "threw this in" last minute so I need to look into exactly what the size is. But what you're saying makes sense. I will be back with my Taylor kit readings once I get a chance to actually run them!