Recent content by jmastron

Raises hand. I do my testing in the kitchen, where I have water to clean things, consistent lighting, and can keep the reagents in a more controlled environment. And my pool is pretty far from the house, so once I determine I need to bump the SWCG up or down, it's really nice to do so from my...

In the winter, short days, low sun angle, shade, and lower water temperatures reduce chlorine use dramatically -- in my case by about 90% (when I was using liquid chlorine it took about a gallon every 2 days in the peak of the summer, and a gallon a month in the winter). So it's definitely...

I check the impeller every time I empty the basket; you can see down from the top. I also reach my fingers in from the inside of the unit to just under the impeller (where the basket was). I can usually pull out minor debris and feel whether it's clear. BE CAREFUL, THE BLADES CAN BE SHARP...

Has it rained much? The rainwater can be on the acidic side; I usually notice a heavy rain lowers pH somewhat here.

Where does the pool deck itself slope to? As 1poolman mentioned, all that happens if it reaches the top is that *additional* water flows off as if it were a patio. Depending on the deck layout, it might be more evenly distributed than if you pumped to a single point in the yard. I might not...

So ~7 days to go from ~21 to ~11, or about 3ppm/day? The effect of sun varies heavily with CYA level -- at, say, 30ppm CYA you might drop 4+ ppm/day of FC, while at 80ppm CYA that might be 1-2 ppm FC/day. I don't know what the chlorine neutralizer specs or actual effectiveness are, but that...

For comparison, most Salt Water Chlorine Generators call for 3000-4500ppm salinity (varies by unit). As you mention, all chlorine turns into salt when it's "done". Ironically, with a SWCG the salt level doesn't keep rising because it's being reconverted back into chlorine over and over. When...

I also use one of the Leslie's bottles that are good for squeezing a lot or a controlled small amount at a time. I hold it up at eye level (against the window if daytime or the white wall if not for best visibility), and get the bottom of the meniscus to the line (that's the proper place to...

The longer you run, the more accurate the data (as long as the sun isn't on the pool of course!). You'll "normalize" for the runtime anyway. Similarly, the 25ml sample gives better data -- +/- 0.2ppm instead of +/- 0.5ppm. You multiple the number of drops by 5 (vs 2 with the 10ml sample)...

If interested in dialing in with data, I'd suggest this sequence. I like to do 25ml FC tests for these for better precision (otherwise I do 10ml tests): 1) Overnight loss test (OCLT) with SWCG off, just to baseline that there is no hidden algea etc using up FC, making the next tests valid...

In all likelihood the light is based on a simple timer; vs some kind of analysis of the actual level of scaling. If you're cleaning it mechanically, i.e. water jets and pushing the deposits out with something gentle (I found some thin long craft basswood pieces that work great in the Calimar...

How have you found the usage/dissolvability of the Clorox? Not as good of a price (but pretty close), but I've used the 7 lb Pool Mate CYA (Amazon.com) for the past few years, and have found it REALLY easy to work with -- it dissolved faster than others I've used in the past. Like the...

I've been running my generic Calimar SWCG at 100% for 3 years now -- not continuously of course! I control the generation time with a cheap WiFi plug, so I can easily adjust since I test inside, a good distance from the pool, and don't want to go out to touch the dial. As mentioned, the SWCG...

I'll echo the experience with Diamond Crystal salt -- I also get the blue "crystals" bags pictured above, and haven't noticed any impurities; it dissolves nicely with 5-10 minutes of brushing back and forth. I laugh at the "Solar!" marketing as if there's some other way instead of "yeah, that's...

I've resigned myself to not relying on dry-fitting for accurate placement, just laying them connected loosely out for general location. Not only are they hard to get apart, but usually they don't go all the way together anyway until glued. I just measure everything, adding the socket depths...