Hello everyone, I have recently had my pool servicer install a SWG and I am curious how to read/interpret what's going on with the IC40.

For reference, here is how my system is plumbed:

Pool Water Return -> Pump -> Filter -> Heater -> Check Valve -> IC40 SWG -> Pool Water Send

Note: At Pool Water Return I have 3-way valve that will turn this into Spa Water Return; the same situation at Pool Water Send, I have a 3-way valve that will this into Spa Water Send.

Questions:

1. My servicer installed the SWG downstream of the heater, which I believe is the correction orientation. This prevents highly concentrated salt water generator outputs from entering directly into the heating elements in the heater and prolongs the life of the heater. Is this correct?

2. My servicer installed a 1-way spring door check valve that allows flow from the heater through the IC40 SWG, but stops reverse flow. This is also to keep highly concentrated salt water generator outputs from entering the heater via backflow. Is this correct?

I have my pump set to 2 different schedules. 0800-1100 @2800RPM and 1100-1600 @1500RPM. Other than those schedules, the pump is off. When the pump is running at 2800RPM the IC40 seems to be running okay with all lights/functions working normally and the check valve is open a good amount, letting me know visually that water is flowing through the system appropriately.

3. At 1500RPM, the check valve is not fully open but water seems to be flowing since I see bubbles at the top of the check valve window. The IC40 has a red light for flow, meaning that the IC40 isn't receiving enough water to flow appropriately. Is this situation okay for 1100-1600 @1500RPM? Any adjustments needed?

4. When the pump is fully off, the IC40 has flashing red and green lights in the Salt Level readout section. But the pool has been verified to have appropriate salt content. Is this okay? Or should the pump be running to provide flow at all times?

5. The IC40 seems to be performing and doing its job when the pump is running the 0800-1100 @2800RPM schedule. Will 3 hours per day of appropriate function be enough to keep the pool in check?

I am new to the homeowner and pool life. Any tips or help is appreciated. I've lurked this forum a little bit and happy to be a member now!

Hello TFP peeps! Been a member of this site since 2022 I believe and have always valued the feedback. It’s Spring time and I’m in North Texas. We have had a few dust storms from West Texas blown into our area in the past month or so and I’d like to think that the red looking dirt in my pool is just that…red dirt. I’m really not sure what else it could be but I can brush the heck out of the pool, clean the filter out after a few brushes, and this stuff still returns. Chlorine has been fine at 8+ with CYA or 50-69. All other values are normal. I really don’t think it’s anything else besides red dirt that has continued to blow in but I’m open to other thoughts and would appreciate them greatly.

We're thinking our SWG isn't working and hasn't worked in at least a year. I've been doing a deep dive into replacement swgs and I'm leaning toward the Circupool RJ45+, while researching swg I looked into pumps a bit. I found that our current jandy pump was discontinued because its no longer energy compliant, along with that I'm not sure how old it is and how well it's working, it's between 12 and 4 years old based on when the house was built and how long we've lived in it. It also seems Jandy no longer makes a pump large enough for our pool. What is a good lifespan for a pump? What is recommended? What's easy to install? Best price? How important is it that the pump and swg are the same brand? I don't even really know what I should be looking for in a pump. I'll take any recommendations or thoughts on swg but I'm mostly interested in pumps.


We have free electricity 8pm-8am so ideally all pool needs will be done in that time frame excluding a few hours here and there for a party, (our spa waterfalls over into the pool). We have been running it during paid hours for the past few years but with a new swg we're hoping it can all be done at night. We do have a heater connected to the plumbing but we don't use it. I should mention I've looked at the site extensively over the past year but only created an account today.

My pool is leaking! I isolated the leak to one of the Microbrite LEDs, as it connects to the fitting. Here's a video:


My pool builder is ducking me so I'm just going to fix this myself.

I assume I need to buy the installation tool (I don't think I have it), unscrew the light, use plumber's tape around the threads and reinstall? Not sure if there is an O-ring back there but I can check that as well. I want to avoid draining the pool.

Any thoughts or advice before I get wet?

Appreciate any advice or insights on the following-- thank you.
Just finished construction on a new vinyl 20' x 40', 30,000 gallon rectangular pool. We are beginning to suspect that the pump and skimmers are not working properly- either they are not strong enough for the pool size; not programmed correctly (running on high cycle 9am to 5pm then turns off); or not set up/installed correctly or defective. The pump is a Hayward 1.5 hp, 2 floor drains, 4 jets and 2 skimmers. There is a thick ring of pollen formed around the edge of the water (after 4 days of running the pump) and a cloud of pollen on top of the entire pool several inches thick. The water appears stagnant even when the pump is running on high. Thank you.

Ordered this to try looks pretty wild. I like the floating sensor so you can retrieve Without hook

Has anyone tried this digital salt meter? Amazon.com

we are replacing our 20 year old liner this May. We like a specific pattern but i'm told that it only comes with this embossed "pearluster" finish that, while looking nice, can make keeping it clean harder as it tends to trap dirt/debris.
We have a dolphin robot vacuum and i check the water balance probably every other day or so. I've been doing all my own pool maintenance for two years on it now, but i am using a pool company to install the new liner.

Does anyone have any experience with these kinds of liners? Is it a nightmare to keep clean? Not a big deal? just trying to gauge it before we commit to a final choice.



Thinking about the Sea Stone Marble which is only available with that specific kind of embossed finish

My former pool guy plumbed in my salt cell without adapting the pipes or valves, rather he just separated the pool return line and plumbed it in using 6 90 degree elbows. It's quite a mess, I can't even access the floor/wall valve below with its handle. What he built is not very well supported and oscillates slightly. I just upgraded from a 1.65 HP pump to a 2.7 HP pump & I am worried the new pump will blow that mess right off the system.

I have a shared heater for 2 separate bodies with 2 separate pumps, so that is the reason for the busy interchange of pipes.

I am thinking to raise the lower pool diverter valves above the spa piping and turning the waterfall diverter valve around180 degrees so the return off the salt cell can go directing into it thus eliminating the last 2 elbows. With the pool pipes higher, they can feed directly into the salt cell eliminating the first 2 elbows. Thus I will go from 6 to 2 elbows in that path.

I will replumb with all sweep elbows. I am going to clean up other pipes too; there had been an autofill that was essentially directly connected to the household water supply which I deleted and I am going to move the polaris feed off the wall return and place it at the pool filter exit. Also going to eliminate an elbow on the heater return by changing the pipe path.

I am thinking to replace both the waterfall diverter valve and the pool floor/wall diverter valve while I am doing all this. On the pool pipes, there are a couple small plugs from whatever was connected. I know there was the old school chlorinator with the black hose on one.

Is it trivial to plug main drains and start such a job? I don't want to empty my 35,000+ gallon pool into the pool room to save whatever it would cost to pay someone because a plug wasn't secured. I am not even opposed to paying, but in my area, good pool service is hard to come by. Thanks in advance.

There was obvious damage to the Chlorinator circuit board. Replaced with Amazon parts and is good. Timer Intermec motor replaced


My Jandy JXI control pannel lights up with no errors but does nothing else. No blower fan, no lighting clicks. I opend the side pannel and dont see anything obvious (Burnt wires or burnt circuit board)
Any ideas before I call comeone out to repair? Anything I can check?

Also, I can hear the LED light transformer kick on but no light. Should I just replace?

I'm new to this forum, I live in Florida and have a pool spa combo, thanks for letting me join

Friends,

I have a 20x40’ right L-shaped pool that’s about 10 feet deep at the deep end and covered with a mesh safety cover. Once the pool is fully opened, I’ve got a solid weekly routine that keeps everything in check.

However, the initial opening is a real challenge. Every year, I have to deal with a large amount of leaves and hickory nuts that make their way into the pool. These regularly clog my suction lines, so using the main pool pump isn’t a great option for the cleanup.

I’m considering either a 2” semi-solid trash pump or a portable 3 HP pool pump to vacuum the debris to waste (no return to the pool).

Has anyone used one of these setups successfully? Which would you recommend for making the job of opening the pool faster and easier? I’m more focused on efficiency than cost at this point.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

We replaced our pressure gage for our sand filter (Hayward S244T yesterday) and there is a leak where the gage is when the filter is running. I have been reading online and this forum and it appears that it is not the problem with the gage but the air valve, probably o- ring (?). Does anyone have this same sand filter and can recommend what we can look for? This sand filter is only 2 years old. Last time we had this same issue with our old filter and we tightened the gage and caused the mutiport valve near the gage to crack (we were able to stop the leak with i think epoxy I dont really remember but don’t want it to happen again since it’s a fairly new filter. Thank you.

I’m draining my pebbletec pool completely and have black onyx finish. I think it would lighten up after drying but the amount of white that’s showing is making me worry that if they are calcium deposits. Any ideas??

Hello,
Two questions.

1. I suspect my spa return fittings have a leak, I have these australian style fitting, how can I plug them so that I can prove my theory?
   1. Not sure if I need to remove them first, if so how?
2. What are these white spots showing up all around my spa and pool? I can use a scrapper like this one, and they come off with a little force but they're really annoying.

Thanks!!!

s

We took over the pool maintenance from this week for our pool and stopped the third party pool services since it was getting costly. We went to test water at local store and this is the result. How to interpret this result? They asked my spouse to use No Phos 60 fl OZ, add to the skimmer basket and run the pump for 48hrs. Are we doing this right?

Hello,

It looks like my pumps need to be replaced - one won't prime, the other is very loud and disturbing my neighbors. Both are quite old. I've opened them up to see if there's anything obviously wrong but couldn't find anything.

The pool store quoted me $4k for 2 Hayward VSP 700 series, and another ~$1500 for labor. I'm sure I can find pumps for cheaper on my own but does the labor sound reasonable? I am not confident replacing them myself with zero electrical or plumbing experience

Thanks!
Matt

I’m planning to replace my single speed Hayward pump with a VS Intelliflo that I got for free.

The Intelliflo has 2” fittings vs the Hayward 1.5” - I already have pool unions to handle this. But, the Intelliflo inlet is a couple of inches higher and needs to be an inch closer to the closest suction line (the closest line is my main drain). I don’t think I will have enough room to fit it in and I don’t love the short straight run into the pump either way.

Any suggestions to handle this? I was thinking of cutting all three lines near the ground and bring the whole section back away from the pump and up as a single piece but that seems a little lazy. Another idea I have is to raise straight vertically and reroute the closest suction line with the others into a 4 way fitting but I think that will require all new valves and fittings. My last idea is to hire out the job but I would like to know how I want it done first!

Thanks!

Over here I got some good advice about how to leave our new pool over the winter. Now it's March, and although St Louis is sure to bring some more chilly weather, it's been a warm March so far, so I'm planning for pool opening. After reading a bunch here, and watching some videos, I think I have a good idea of the very basics, so I'm feeling inspired to try to open myself rather than use the service that closed.

Pool: 17,000 gal, vinyl in-ground, 30ft x 18ft rectangle, Pentair Intellichlor SWG, TF-Pro Salt testing kit

Can you all give me a basic sanity check that I'm on the right track with this opening todo list? This will be my first time opening a pool.

0. I'm think of opening late March. Although the weather won't be warm enough for the family to want to swim, from what I've read it sounds better to open a bit earlier and keep up on water chemistry maintenance rather than opening late and risking warm weather turning the water bad.
1. Remove cover with the metal tool, fold, and put away
2. Cleanup obvious debris in the water, make sure water is around halfway at the skimmer opening
3. Remove jet plugs, point jets up
4. Insert Salt Water Generator (it is currently removed and spacer is it's place) — Question: what setting do I put it on? (see attached picture)
5. Add drain plug and pressure gauge to filter tank
6. Open intake valves — I'm assuming I want them all open at this point (see attached picture)
7. Prime pump by filling with water
8. Turn on pump
Question: what setting do I put the filter on at the beginning — Rise, Recirculate, Backwash, Filter? (see attached picture)
9. Make sure water flowing, no leaks
10. Add robot to start vacuuming and cleaning
11. After letting the water circulate for 30 minutes, test water chemistry
12. Fix water chemistry: this is where I have the biggest questions, so I guess I'll just post my results here once I test, but..
* Some sources say to just focus on chlorine levels at first, to make sure they are high enough to prevent algae from building up
* Other sources like here say to worry about all the levels including salt immediately.
* Since a SWG doesn't work until water is 60 degrees, what type of chlorine should I use in the interim to keep FC levels up?
* I'll be using my TF-Pro salt testing kit for the first time to test chem levels
13. Leave pump running and adjust water chemistry over next couple days
14. Once water levels are stable, keep balanced with regular testing throughout the season

Do I have the basics right? I'd appreciate clarification on steps 4, 8, and 12.

I'm really wanting to try this on my own instead of using a service, so I appreciate your help!

Currently have the HST110 SS 230v and would like to go to a VS to save electricity and be able to enjoy the games on TV without the loud noise.

Kinda confusing, but here it goes:
33k gallons; sand filter; AquaRite? System;
Was a salt water pool, but salt cell went out, and my wife didn’t want to mess with it anymore. (All of this was before we married) I used chlorine last year and I’m fine with it, but I am considering going back to salt, so I am looking at all options. I am not sure if the board is shot.
If I were to go to a whole new system, what would be the best route?

Does anyone ve a resource for an o ring purchase other than the pool factory? It’s $45 inc shipping part number is 19079-001. Please and thank u

Hi all - wife and I are owners of a brand new 11,282 gallon fiberglass chlorine pool. We have a Hayward 120k heat pump but the rest of the equipment is standard stuff. I have been religious about taking a sample weekly to Leslie’s and adjusting with baking soda and dry acid. I just downloaded the Pool Math app but am struggling to understand how to load my recent test results. From what I have read so far - it seems I need to get a good test kit, likely the Taylor k-2006 kit. As a new owner (only been in the ground a few months) my biggest concerns are;

1) Consistently elevated levels of pH. Not terrible, but normally 7.9-8.1.
2) Calcium Hardness - Leslie’s tells me every trip that I do not need to be concerned about this since we have a fiberglass pool. I did a bit of my own research and found that extremely high hardness can be damaging to heat pumps. Ours is consistently low - usually around 135. Do I need to address this?
3) cya - having only owned the pool a few months I don’t have the experience yet to fully grasp how our trichlor tablets (from Doheneys) affect the cya. So far, it has been on a slow and steady rise from 0 to where it is at now, 44.
4) Chlorine is still a bit confusing to me. I am currently sitting at 1.19. I have seen some mention of liquid chlorine. Is there some reason I should be using that instead of the tablets in my auto chlorinator?

With all of this said the pool looks very gorgeous and clear. I have a Hayward QC robot which I use nearly every other day. I also have a Betta solar powered robotic skimmer that runs 24/7. I very much enjoy managing the chemicals and maintenance of my pool by myself. It is very calming for me to be outside manually scrubbing the safety ledge or sides of the pool. I have a very flexible schedule and want the pool to be in the best shape possible. I am willing to put in as much time as needed for daily tasks. I look forward to learning more from this site.

Take care!

Pegs I live in Louisiana. Just got another above ground pool and wanted to see what others have experienced.

New to the forum but use similar forums with other topics and find most input helpful. Two questions:

is it worth it in electrical savings to change my fixed speed (stealth Jandy 1.5 hp) pump to a variable speed and can that be done?

Has anybody installed a wifi pool timer that they find works well?

Why can't a chemical company make a hot tub Dichlor without CYA? Is CYA a necessary ingredient in hot tub chlorine? Or maybe an automatic dispenser/floater for liquid chlorine?

I can't seem to find a pressure drop curve for this unit. Has anyone seen one that you could post?

David

Just completed a new pool in Fort Worth, Texas -- 32K gallons, Hayward automated with VS pump and (soon to be) SWG generator. Currently on Week 3 of startup following pool plaster with generic mini-pebble finish (over gunite). 18' x 40' rectangular with an 8' x 8' raised spa.

Using knowledge from TFP Pool School and the Pool Math app all is well so far. Current levels follow:

FC: 3.5
pH: 7.6
TA: 106
CYA: 40
CH: 287
Temp: 70F
CSI: +0.05

Another week until we add salt (approximately 28-day mark). In the meantime, working to slowly raise CYA toward the 55-60ppm level while easing TA closer to 60-80ppm with muriatic acid. As we said in my previous fighter squadron, "no fast hands in the cockpit", so taking things nice and easy. Basically, just ensuring pH doesn't climb above 7.8 with new plaster-based finish while also keeping FC levels around 3ppm.

Out of curiosity, notice that TFP recommends a FC level that is relatively higher than majority of pool industry. From what I've read, a FC at 5ppm won't damage surface or equipment, so guessing the 4-6ppm (relatively) elevated level is to keep a pool's primary disinfectant high to prevent problems before they occur. Fair assessment?

Thanks all - looking forward to being a part of the community.

Looking at redoing some of our pool plumbing because whoever built it did a very messy job. Is the purpose of the red ball valve I've circled as a bypass for the jandy valve which diverts water to the pool or spa? Additionally, are the red handles replaceable without replacing the entire valve?

I'm want to reverse the water heater inlet and outlet to clean up the piping a bit, purchase a 3-way Jandy valve and check valve to install a water heater bypass, and move the SWG cell post-water heater.

Have any of you seen a Y valve like the one shown in the Pentair Intellivalve manual like this? If so, can you provide a mfg and/or p/n?