Can anyone explain why my test for alkalinity is turning yellow instead of red when I add the sulfuric acid? It works fine for my pool, but it does this when testing my fresh filled spa.

Hi TFPeers!

I have a plan to repair the liner for an in-ground pool and would like to run it by those with more experience than I have. I have read many of the forums posts and further reading materials here. We would not have ever done as well as we have for the past several years without these resources. We are very grateful.

The return had been patched with silicone by the previous owner and held for several years. We suspected a leak at this return, and I removed the excess silicone and return face plate to discover what you can see in the attached picture.

My repair plan is as follows.

1. Release the liner from the above track enough to gain access behind the liner. The return is not that far down the pool wall.
2. Use the Boxer Adhesives Pool Repair products to glue large patches on each side of the vinyl liner (Welcome to Boxer Adhesives The Finest Name in Vinyl Adhesives).
3. The outcome should produce a solid-hole-free vinyl liner surface where one would proceed as though he were installing a return and face plate to a new liner.

My initial question is about the Boxer Adhesives products. They seem to be produced and marketed to owners with above-ground pools. Our pool is an in-ground pool. What would be the difference, if any?

Thanks in advance!

I have a Circupool RJ45 SWG. Noticed last week that it was not producing chlorine and had the "low salt" and "check cell" lights lit up. I checked the salt and the drop test came back with 4400. The manual says it's good from 3000-4000, so it's a bit high, but it's not the high light that's flashing. After searching, most seem to recommend cleaning it with acid when the check cell is on, so I soaked it in a 2:1 dilution of 31.45% muriatic acid. Didn't see any bubbling or reacting, and from watching some YouTube videos, it looks like if it is scaled, it should begin violently bubbling. Also, I don't see any signs of scaling on the plates.

What should I do next to figure out what's wrong with it? It is 7 years old now, but 3-4 of those years we didn't have a pool, so it's probably only been used around 3.5 years, so I'm hoping it's not dead.

We are very excited that our new pool project is about to start - tomorrow is the official start day.

Just a little background on our build...

15 x 30 inground pool, w/slate coping, currently spec'd w/Wet Edge Tahoe Signature Matrix, Intellicenter Control w/salt generator, Polaris 380 and Booster Pump, Ultra Temp 140k BTU Heat Pump, Jandy WaterColors Nichless LED lights, 3 deck jets.

I have a couple of questions after we received an e-mail from our PB yesterday...

1) They explained they are switching from WetEdge to PebbleTec. That if I want to go with PebbleTec/PebbleSheen I would need to re-visit colors. I also have the option of staying with my original selection WetEdge Signature Matrix Tier 1. Needless to say this through us for a bit of a loop. I understand the two products are effectively functionally the same, so I am not sure we could go wrong with either? A couple of the PebbleSheen colors (Ocean Blue and Turtle Bay) did catch my eye, which has me second guessing our original color selection (Tahoe).

Any input on this front would be appreciated.

2) In the same e-mail from our PB, they pitched a product called MicroGlass which they said they are now offering which is supposed to have some benefits like reducing discoloration, craze-cracking, etching and palster dust. Based on my research this product is relatively new. There were a couple of old threads on here from a year ago but I could not find much else. Does anyone have personal experience with MicroGlass? I was referred to look up John Temple from TempPools, apparently he was an early adopter of this product and has been using it quite a bit.

Thanks all!

As you may have seen, I had a mishap this winter. Late February my cover blew open and cover water and leaves got in. I don’t know how much. Fast forward to today, it’s open and green but CLEAR. Im unconcerned about the green and staining. It will clear up with chlorine. The concern I have is the stuff growing on the walls.

Once my pump is running for a couple hours I will test and confirm there’s no ammonia.

added photos

Hi I’m currently building a pool with a 18 inch raised spa that will be outside and right next to the pool with a spillover.

Right now I’m picking the ledger stone for the exterior spa walls and this palisandro honed marble ledger has really caught my eye.


I’m wondering though, if anybody has experience or knowledge about this kind of product? Is it ok to use for my spa wall, especially next to the spillover? Also just want to mention that this will be a saltwater pool.

So i think i had mustard algea last year. Year before i thought sand was getting into the pool. So i empties the samd and check the filter. All good and filled with new sand. End of last year started to battle again. The “sand” would turn to cliud so mistard algea. Treated. Vacuumed. Pool water clear. Until i sweep and it rolls up white clouds. I vacuum to waste back to back days. Few days its back. Please help. Chemical tests all in check except harsness is low @57. Use floculant twice and vacuumed debris to waste. I dont know what to do next.

100,000 gallon plastered pool. Losing CL but not losing cya. Can start the day at a 12 in CL but 8hrs later it has dropped to a 1. Its not getting fresh water so thats not the issue and like I said cya level is staying at an 80. Any ideas why I would be losing CL that quickly

I'm running into all kinds of issues trying to fix my SWG, and yes, I know it's old.

It's the Jandy Aquapure/Chlormatic with the two boards, a front, and a back board. I've tested all the points on the back board, and got the following readings.

1-8 - 77.6 VAC ( manual says 75 )
2-7 - 66.5 VAC (manual says 65 )
3-6 - 20.7 VAC ( manual says 21 )
4-5 - 0 mVAC ( manual says 120 with cell on ) - I can't get a reading here even with cell on.

When testing the two points that go to the cell, it'll spike to over 30 VDC, the continuously go down until it reaches under 2 VDC and eventually I get the service light.

On the front board I'm getting 20.7 VAC from test points A-C, and from test points K-H again, I'm getting 0 mVDC (with cell on ).

I've already tried replacing the back board with a NOS board, that didn't help. I've tried two different cells, both new, that didn't do the trick.

Is the reading from 3-6 too low, the manual/troubleshooting guide recommends 21 VAC, and I'm seeing numbers below 21 VAC - does this mean the transformer is potentially bad? 20.7 doesn't seem that far off from 21 to me, but I'm not sure if 21 is a minimum, and that's where my problem lies.

Thanks

What has been your experience with that. I wonder if I did everything perfectly during a slam-what is the fastest time to passing all tests?

Hello, I’m experiencing intermittent grout cracking between my coping and pool tile. The tiles and coping were re-done in 2021 and the pool is salt water. I presume the cracking is largely due to water contact. Unfortunately the single skimmer is set quite high so I have to keep the water level a bit higher than I’d like.

I have seen some epoxy products and I also have some plaster patch that I could try too. Happy to consider any recommendations. I presume this mostly cosmetic but I do want to prevent water from getting behind these tiles or under the coping as I know salt water can be corrosive.

Hoping to DIY this as the grout cracks are quite small and a good portion of it is holding up well. Perhaps the sealant didn’t get to the joint.

Also - please excuse my expansion joint calk job. Need to clean that up next weekend.

I am looking to buy a test kit. My pool details are provided below:

13,500 Gallons
Pebble Finish
Jandy 2.7 HP VS FloPro
Jandy 200 Sqft Cartridge Filter
Jandy TruClear SWG
Jandy 103k BTU VersaTemp Heater
K-2006C-SALT Test Kit (Planned).

I have researched this topic briefly and am interested in the [Taylor K-2006C-SALT] test kit. I am wondering if this would be considered overkill. My thought process is that though it is very expensive, I would like to buy a test kit that would fit any need I may encounter in the future. This kit seems comprehensive but I am inexperienced so any guidance would be greatly appreciated. If this test kit is not ideal, what test kit or combination of tests would be a better fit?

Thanks in advance!

Hello Everyone,

I bought a used Pentair Mastertemp 400 a little over a year ago. It sat on my pool pad all year until I was able to run a gas line to it. Last week I made all final connections and powered the unit on ready to start the swim season. Unfortunately the unit did not power on. The firemans fuse was blown. I replaced it and it immediately blew again. After taking off all the panels and inspecting all wires I found no damage and no loose connections. I did however find something that I can't figure out. The red neutral wire where the main power connection is made is HOT! (backfeeding) The system is set up for 120v with the correct plug in place. Black wire is hot, Red wire is hot, green ground wire is not.

I have a friend who is a pool tech and he said it was a bad transformer. I replaced that yesterday with no change. Anybody out there ever seen this before? I imagine there is a wire that is plugged into the wrong spot somewhere but I can't find it. Any help you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Motor comes on for a few seconds then shuts off. I checked for any obstructions and found nothing. I might be able to replace the motor myself but let me know if repairing the motor is a possibility. Login to view embedded media

Hi All,

Thanks in advance for any help, I've learnt a ton here just from lurking all threads but hoping I can get some advice. I've currently got a 14k gallon pool that is in the process of being resurfaced, while the pool is out of action I want to make some adjustments to my pump/filter setup. I currently have a Hayward Max-Flo II 2HP pump that is quite noisy, so I was thinking about replacing it with a VSP. I've attached pictures of the plumbing, but I had the following questions
- The pump is currently on a piece of plywood on a concrete slab. Is there any vibration damping matts I should look into putting under the pump? It's also not bolted to the concrete slab, is this causing any extra noise?
- Do I need a new pump or would it be feasible to just replace the motor on this? I was looking at a calimar or a circupool smart flow, but also understand the B&D pump seems to work well. I'd love to get a VSP that has wifi control capabilities to make it easier to add chemicals and for cleaning.
- Ideally I'd love to just replace the pump without having to touch the plumbing, is this realistic?
- any other thoughts I should look at while I'm doing these updates? I have a cartridge filter and while it seems somewhat older, it's still functional so was going to leave it alone.
- The one way valve between the pump and the filter is also failing, would it make sense to replace the internals only or is it better to replace the whole thing?

Thanks for any and all advice!

Hi all, first off, I'm still not great with all this stuff so please bear with me.

Previously I was able to simply turn on the spa and blower buttons on my Easy Touch remote. The spa button turns the actuators and the blowers blow, ok good. Now I know that the pump needs to go on to make sure the heater works but previously I never had to manually do anything else other than those 2 buttons on the remote. Now, the pump doesnt turn on that way and I'm not sure what I need to change to fix that. The only thing that changed which most likely impacted this is that I had my pump calibrated for the winter months.

Does this make sense to anyone? Is this something you can walk me through figuring out? Thank you in advance

Hello, I currently upgraded my Hayward ProLogic to OmniPL.

I noticed the new OmniPL board does not have a direct connection for the black/white wire like the older ProLogic had.

I read I’m supposed to wire the black/white wires to a new relay, which we did, exactly as the instructions stated. When I “test” the relay on “Service Mode” the relay kicks on and the PH Disoenser pump begins to dispense Acid.

However, when I go to “Add” the “Chemistry Sense Module” the system can not find it… it’s blank.

I connected the sense & dispense probes to the “LS BUS” connection on top of the new OmniPL board just like the instructions say. But the system still can not find it. I tried all 3 LS BUS connections and nothing, it’s not getting any power.

Anybody know how to troubleshoot this?

I’ll add pictures of the installation and circle the old board connections with the new board without the connections.

Thanks

Picture #1: Old board showing PH Dispenser specific connectors
Picture #2/3: New board where PH Dispenser is connected to
Picture #4: Breaker/Relay wiring.
Picture #5: Old board
Picture #6: New board

We got the complete frame for a bestway 12x24x52. Just need the liner. My question is since it is the same size as intex, Coleman etc they should be able to fit this frame correct? TIA

I recently switched from liquid chlorine to SWG. Electricity is expensive in my area, so I opt for healthy sized filtration and SWG, and keep the pump run time to ~4 hrs a day. I had everything nicely balanced with my new SWG producing correct levels, then the weather changed for a few days and my solar controller decided to "extend" the pump time to heat all day. Of course with this extra pump time, the SWG ended up producing way too much chlorine. I assume the solar controller adjusting run time for heating demand is a common feature, but it doesn't seem to play well with SWG that needs predictable run time. I suppose the answer is to run the pump all day and turn the SWG output down, but I'm wondering if there are other solutions. I'd prefer to keep my nominal 4 hr run time if possible.

I have 40000 gallon pool. My pentair pool pump panel broke yesterday. Would like to replace new pool pump.

Could you please suggest option to replace current pentair pool pump? More energy efficient.

Thanks in advance

Came home today to find water in hot tub completely drained. Water is just spraying out of the hot tub jets. Pool level is normal. What problem should I be looking for? I assume there is something wrong with valves or pumps.

Pentair pumps / controllers if that matters. Pool is about 5 years old and this has never happened before.

We have two jets on the sundeck that are not very aesthetically pleasing. The plaster around them has been damaged because the pipes were not properly sealed before plastering during the buildingprocess. Is there anything I can do to improve these fittings? Are there large 5" faceplates available (the largest I was able to find is 3.5")?


When the fittings are removed, there are 2" pipes with female pipe threads (FPT).

I recently discovered the control module for my primary pump “blew up”. I’ve no idea how this happened but there was a recent storm that passed and I believe water somehow got to the module and some things exploded. I found the cover for the button panel of my pump on the floor, the panel is bent with a gasket exposed and condensation under the display. No circuit breakers tripped. It appears the only thing that failed is this control module.

Is this repairable? If so, can anyone direct me on what to look for?

Wondering if it is possible to have my pump run at priming speed for a few minutes when our Aqualink calls for solar?

Reason: Pump rpm required to "prime" the solar system (push water up to roof and force out all the air) is higher than the rpm required for the flowrate that my solar panels call for once the system is flushed of air (steady state rpm).

Scenario: Filter cycle starts at 8am and the pump primes, then drops down to filter speed. At, say, 10am, the air warms and the Aqualink calls for solar heat - diverter valve directs flow to panels and pump rpm increases to the steady state solar speed. But some air remains in solar loop.

I have a newer Aqualink RS-P4 (pool only) with a iAqualink 3.0, installed in 2022, that controls our solar. Just one variable speed pump runs filter, solar.

Thanks, Dave

Hi, I have a 4 year old haywood swimpure extreme 25k. My pool is 13000 gal. The chlorine level in my pool is at 8. My pool company said the cell was bad so they changed it. After recalibration and about running for 30 minutes the instant salt and the cell amperage always goes to 0. Today they changed the pcb board thinking that was all that was left. It's still doing the same thing. Also I have a new flow switch. Anyone have any advice on what to do next. I do have a leak in the pool where it's using about a inch a day.

I need to order a new multiport valve and I'm not sure if I have 1.5" or 2" connections to the pool lines. I've learned in the past with household plumbing that it isn't always as easy as it sounds (e.g., inside vs outside diameter, different connection types) and in fact it's often the opposite of what seems obvious.

Anyways, here's some pics of my MPV with a ruler. Seems like 2" connections to the pool, is that correct? Or is it 1.5"? TIA!

I have a brand new pool. I bought the Tp pro salt test kit. I’m showing 6200 ppm salt. I took a sample to the pool store and they got the same reading.

I contacted the pool installer and he said he puts too much on purpose and it will level out in a couple of months. That does not seem to jive with anything I can find anywhere (including here).

No warnings from the swg.

After about a year of working up designs and pricing with a few pool builders, reading stories on PBs (both great and horror stories), talking to a few people about both PB and OB, I've decided to go the OB route. Fingers crossed I'm making the right decision. Settled on BYOP and have an initial draft of a pool design. I’ll be going to a hardscape designer for everything else.

I will be retiring next year and moving in July with my wife from IL to Buckeye, AZ to a 55+ community in a home being built now. Hope to start construction in August or September. I have never had a pool so I'm as green as they come. I'm an electrical engineer and have been a project manager for an electric utility for many years. I have dealt with quite a bit of construction, contracts, and contractors, so that aspect of being an OB I'm entirely comfortable with. After months of reading this forum I realize how much there is to this whole pool thing. I throw myself at the mercy of the experts to help me make the best decisions as an OB and keep me from making significant mistakes. I expect to make mistakes, just trying to avoid big ones.

Anyway, on to my plans. I'd really love to hear any suggestions, critiques, or comments on anything below. I do have several questions throughout my notes. Thanks in advance for any contributions.

The primary purpose of the pool will be for me to jump in to cool off after golfing in the summer, my wife wants the baja ledge, so a baja ledge she gets! As the saying goes, happy wife... She doesn't think she will use a spa, and while it would look nice we think it would get little use by us or guests, I'd rather save the $15-20k, so no spa. She wants an IFCS because she doesn't want to see a robot and cord running around the pool. I've overruled her on this one (hope I don't regret it later) and decided I don't want the additional IFCS equipment, expense, and inevitable maintenance. I'd rather have a robot, for me and our dog to play with.

Pool will be 30' x 16' rectangular with a 4' shallow to 5'6" deep, 12' x 7' baja ledge 9" water depth, ~19K gallons. We are waffling on the depth of the water for the baja ledge – 6", 9", or 12", any comments? Seating along entire South wall, and along the deep end of the North wall. Still debating on how deep to make the deep end, I'm 6'1" so I think I could stand, but wondering what folks think about 6' or maybe 6'6". Also, I was thinking about having the shallow end flat for 10' or so, but the BYOP designer said it needs to be sloped. Is he right and if so what is the reason? Is there a typical minimum slope advisable? Any comments about a flat section?

Some additional pool plans:
Skimmer – 2 A&A Venturi – Each skimmer will have its own dedicated plumbing line back to the equipment pad
Returns – 4, but should we have one on baja ledge? I welcome comments on their placement in the attached initial plan. Any likely dead spots?
Main drain – Dual AVSC – Have dedicated plumbing back to equipment pad
Vacuum line – Install dedicated plumbing line to the equipment pad – Is this a waste money to put in a vacuum line?
Lights – 4 Color Microbrites, all facing away from the patio/house, still have to review the jandy doc on lighting
Water feature – 12’ long 18" tall wall with 3 – 24" copper scuppers (might want to change these to 12”)
Fire feature – 2 fire pots on columns at the ends of the water feature wall

Initial equipment plans:
Equipment Manufacturer – Pentair
Pool Pump – Pentair VSF
Feature Pump – Pentair water feature pump – Can I control flow with automation with a valve or would I need a variable speed pump?
Filter – Cartridge Pentair 420, install valve downstream of the filter.
Control center – Pentair Intellicenter i8PS – Is this the right one for what I am planning?
SWG – 2x size of pool min (probably IC40)
Cyclone – MultiCyclone
Debris Canister – A&A LeafVac
QuickWater Leveler – Run soft water line for auto fill
Heat pump – plan pad space for future – Not sure we want one, want to see how we use the pool and how it performs
Glacier Chiller – plan pad space for future – Same comment as with heat pump
Rebuildable valves and unions on both sides of all equipment
All diverter valves and no ball valves used
Will want a plumbing schematic drawn up – BYOP guy says he can prepare one, however most plumbers will make their own schematic (their preferred method), is this really true?
Equipment pad – Plan for a light by the pad

The HOA language is pretty strict for the screening equipment. It says “The solid screen wall and solid gate shall be a minimum of 12” higher than the highest point of the equipment in order to provide full visual screening from the golf course, streets, Open Space, and adjacent lots; with a maximum height of 54". This seems to say all equipment must be below 42”. I’ll be asking about it, but if so, that seems to significantly limit my choice of filter. If this is true, I couldn’t even use the smallest Pentair C&C filter. Did I say yet how much I hate how restrictive HOAs are?

Since no self-respecting build thread can really be one without pictures, see below. Overhead google map view of our home, a few pictures of the backyard and view, and the initial design of the pool. The hardscape layout is only conceptual for arrangement and potential size at this point.

I’ll update this post with key dates as this journey unfolds.

Since I have already learned so much and plan to use the TFP methodology, I already signed up as a gold supporter, well worth my $$. I feel strongly that I can navigate this adventure with the help of the TFP crew.

Posts 2 through 10 in this thread are from an earlier thread specifically about ledge depth and returns that was moved from HERE

Schwimmbad said:
Jumping on this thread to pose a related question, can a return be installed on a ledge that is 6” deep? Is there a minimum suggested depth?

I opened my pool Saturday and water was very cloudy. before doing anything I ran my robotic pool cleaner a few times then broomed towards main drains. Ran pump for 24 hrs then added 5 gallons liquid shock, as I do every year at opening. Let run for 24 hrs then took water sample to pool store for testing like every year. usually PH, alkalinity and CYA are always great and FC is high, due to the 5 gal liquid shock. This year my readings are:
CYA=5
FC=0.3
TC=3.8
PH=6.9
T Alkalinity =128
I was told to add 5 lbs powder stabilizer, wait 1/2 hr then add 16 gal of liquid shock. Before doing so, I read it’s best to add less stabilizer and check results because it’s easier to add more than take it out. So I’ve added 2 lbs total since Monday and I only added 5 gal of liquid shock. From a suggestion on internet that said it’s all that’s needed to supershock my 20,000 gal pool. Well I did a test strip yesterday and still 0 chlorine. And it didn’t register CYA on strip. Should I wait until CYA is 30 before adding more shock and if so, how much shock should I add to get pool water right?