Snobby pool thread

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by lechnerd, Jun 25, 2018.

  1. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    They do training? Doubtful
     
  2. Zack Zedalis

    Zack Zedalis Silver Foxin'
    Florida GatorsTampa Bay Buccaneers

    Crazy stuff
     
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  3. stringmusic24

    stringmusic24 Iconoclast, Aspiring Misanthrope
    Auburn Tigers

    Well, for better or worse I just went under contract on a house with a pool. I insisted on a supplementary pool inspection which revealed that the heater, salt system, pump, and booster pump are all dead or dying. We're getting a credit from the sellers for much of the expense so I've got the opportunity to redesign much of the equipment to my liking. Thus, I need recommendations.

    Here's the shit they had:
    Pump: Pentair Superflo 1HP - one year old, covered in pine straw and overheating, what could go wrong?
    Booster Pump - Polaris PB4 and Polaris 380 - fucked
    Heater - Raypak 266k BTU - fucked
    Salt pump - Mineral Springs power pack and t-15 cell - fucked
    Chlorinator - Pentair Rainbow 300 - I guess they started using this when the salt cell shit out

    I, like a lot of people, would like to keep chlorine levels as low as possible, but I realize you'll always need residual FC. Does anyone here use UV/Ozone? Does that actually allow you to keep residual FC levels lower? People get pretty animated over this debate in all the forums I've read.

    If I go the UV/Ozone route would I need a variable speed pump with more juice to pull more water through the cleaner?

    Are the booster pump and Polaris a necessity? I've got the time and motivation to skim some leaves and scrub some walls if that's all I'm missing out on by not having one.

    I'm going to wait a season to see if I really would like having the heater, but I am looking at installing a Glacier evaporative chiller. I can't stand a lukewarm pool. Anybody have experience with a chiller?

    Sorry for being longwinded, but I look forward to spending money and being cunty with you gents.


    TL;DR - all my shit is broken.
     

    Attached Files:

  4. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
    Donor

  5. lechnerd

    lechnerd They say Monaco is a sunny place for shady people
    Donor
    Texas AandM Aggies alt

    Interesting.

    My sample size is one, but at my local Leslie’s they don’t hassle at all. Free test and that’s it.

    Hopefully it stays that way.
     
  6. HuskerInMiami

    HuskerInMiami Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Miami DolphinsNebraska Cornhuskers

    I must have missed the bolded, but that's something I've been wondering for a long time. I clean out my filter but feel stupid putting it back into 2 inches of dirty water. I need to figure out where this is.
     
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  7. lechnerd

    lechnerd They say Monaco is a sunny place for shady people
    Donor
    Texas AandM Aggies alt

    I had no idea it existed until a.tramp pointed it out in a picture of my equipment he had on his phone
    haha lmbo

    Just look at the bottom of your tank, small black circle, should be there.

    There’s no better feeling then cleaning the filter with a power washer and seeing the results of it...psi low in the the filter housing, vacuum is running robustly, waterfall spill from the hot tub looks like Niagra Falls. Can’t beat it.
     
  8. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    It's annoying to clean the pool yourself - walls, bottom, etc. If you prefer to get fancy, get a real robot: https://sunplay.com/blogs/posts/the-truth-about-pool-cleaners-what-your-pool-store-isnt-telling-you

    Yikes, why would you want to keep your chlorine low? Dealing with algae all the time sounds terrible. I suppose you could go bromine or something super fancy but my guess is that's pretty expensive. You need to find a source for good information. I have that place for you - PM if you're interested.

    Don't know about a chiller living up in the NE. My heater is critical, though.
     
  9. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    I have a DE filter and I'm worried the previous owners never properly cleaned it. PSI is OK for now (starts at 17) and take a while to raise 25% as my water is perfectly gin clear. But, I think I'll have it acid washed when I close the pool at the end of the summer.
     
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  10. lechnerd

    lechnerd They say Monaco is a sunny place for shady people
    Donor
    Texas AandM Aggies alt

    Lets talk chemicals...

    Do you guys “shock” your pool? Pool store says to do it once a week but I never do. My Chlorine is always 2-3 and I only use the tricolor tabs and nothing else.

    If my chlorine is always good why would I need to shock the pool?
     
  11. HuskerInMiami

    HuskerInMiami Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Miami DolphinsNebraska Cornhuskers

    I never thought about it, but my pool pump runs 24/7. What type of schedule do people usually do? My pool tends to get dirty pretty quick (a lot of vegetation and a golden retriever that loves to swim).
     
  12. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    No to shock - usually pool store shocks have things in them you don't need to add. If you keep your FC in the right range for your CYA then you're fine.

    Trichlor tabs every week? That's not going to be good for you long term. They add CYA to the pool and eventually your CYA gets too high for your FC to work properly and you have to drain the pool.
     
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  13. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    It's fine to run it 24 hours - the pump was designed to run that long, but it does add to your electric bill of course. Do you have a SWG?

    I currently do 13 hours a day with my SWG at 100% because I've balanced my daily FC loss with the SWG output over 13 hours at 100%.
     
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  14. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    What's your CYA? And not a pool store reading - what did your testing show?
     
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  15. stringmusic24

    stringmusic24 Iconoclast, Aspiring Misanthrope
    Auburn Tigers

    Troublefreepool.com??? I've been reading some of their content and forums. Almost to a person they think UV/Ozone is basically useless and they may very well be right, but other people disagree. Again, I'm under no illusions that I won't be using chlorine, just wondering if there are legitimate ways to keep less residual.
     
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  16. lechnerd

    lechnerd They say Monaco is a sunny place for shady people
    Donor
    Texas AandM Aggies alt

    50

    And it’s been close to that since the beginning and all I’ve used is the tricolor tabs.

    Pool store gives me the same reading.
     
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  17. HuskerInMiami

    HuskerInMiami Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Miami DolphinsNebraska Cornhuskers

    I went to Boston Thursday to go see Bruins and then a Red Sox game. Came back Sunday only to see that it's been raining a ton and wife has not once gone out back, so the pool is:
    - Overflowing
    - Basket was suctioned super tight because there was so much debris
    - Filter that's filters before it goes to pool pump was completely jammed full
    - Top of water is 25% covered by palm debris/flowers
    - Algae is on the sides/bottom
    - Filter was nearly black

    I poured half a gallon of Muriatic acid in it before I left and asked her to check on the baskets because of all the debris tree's are leaving right now. Look how dirty the filter was.
    upload_2019-6-10_11-49-20.png
     
  18. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    Listen to them and never look back.
     
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  19. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    How long have you been using the trichlor? Each one adds about 1.4ppm cyanuric acid depending on the size of your pool, so it takes time but it build up eventually. Unless you are draining and replacing water a lot?
     
  20. HuskerInMiami

    HuskerInMiami Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Miami DolphinsNebraska Cornhuskers

    What is FC and SWG?

    I asked pool guy what new pump I should buy about a year ago and he said to get the once I got. I was stressed with work and was happy to delegate it out. But now I'm stuck with an under powered pump that isn't remotely energy efficient.
     
  21. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    do you have a SWG?
     
  22. lechnerd

    lechnerd They say Monaco is a sunny place for shady people
    Donor
    Texas AandM Aggies alt

    Not draining and replacing water.

    Pool is ~6 months old.
     
  23. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    FC = Free Chlorine

    SWG = Salt Water Generator
     
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  24. lechnerd

    lechnerd They say Monaco is a sunny place for shady people
    Donor
    Texas AandM Aggies alt

    No
     
  25. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    That's surprising then. Your CYA should be going up up up. I'd be careful with using those pucks long term - the CYA doesn't just disappear. It's there.
     
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  26. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    Your minimum FC should be 4 (never go below that) and you should be targeting 6-8 ideally. Otherwise you are at risk for algae blooms.
     
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  27. HuskerInMiami

    HuskerInMiami Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Miami DolphinsNebraska Cornhuskers

    CYA?
     
  28. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    lechnerd what test kit are you using to test FC or CYA?
     
  29. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    cyanuric acid - it's what protect the chlorine loss from UV light during the day. but, it also decreases the effectiveness of the FC to kill organic material.
     
  30. lechnerd

    lechnerd They say Monaco is a sunny place for shady people
    Donor
    Texas AandM Aggies alt

    1. What do you guys use to lower your phosphates?

    2. My total alkalinity has been slightly low for the last month and I’ve slowly been bringing it up with bulk baking soda from Walmart. Everything I’ve read online says baking soda won’t raise the pH which doesn’t make sense to me as it is basic and also has not been my experience as I usually need to add muriatic acid afterwards.
     
  31. MoJo

    MoJo It bees that way sometimes...
    Donor
    Southern Mississippi Golden EaglesNew Orleans Saints

    Look into Clear Blue ionizers. I have one and it does a pretty good job, I keep the chlorine at 1 ppm and rarely shock.
     
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  32. lechnerd

    lechnerd They say Monaco is a sunny place for shady people
    Donor
    Texas AandM Aggies alt

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  33. Zack Zedalis

    Zack Zedalis Silver Foxin'
    Florida GatorsTampa Bay Buccaneers

    You really have no idea do you? I’m not trying to be an ass, but you seem to be throwing out a lot of wrong info here as gospel.
     
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  34. texasraider

    texasraider thanks
    Donor
    Texas RangersKansas City ChiefsDallas Mavericks altTexas Tech Red Raiders alt

    speaking of a.tramp is he on vacation or something?
     
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  35. Zack Zedalis

    Zack Zedalis Silver Foxin'
    Florida GatorsTampa Bay Buccaneers

    I’ll give a.tramp some stuff for you that he can deliver next trip if you are concerned with your phosphate levels.
    Shocking your pool weekly during the swim season is a best practice and is cheaper than fixing a problem down the road because your pool couldn’t keep up.
     
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  36. Zack Zedalis

    Zack Zedalis Silver Foxin'
    Florida GatorsTampa Bay Buccaneers

    He working, man. ‘Tis the season!
     
  37. dump

    dump TMB’s premier expert on women’s CBB
    Donor
    Connecticut HuskiesTexas AandM Aggies altTexas RangersDallas StarsDallas Mavericks alt

    he doesn’t have time for us anymore
     
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  38. lechnerd

    lechnerd They say Monaco is a sunny place for shady people
    Donor
    Texas AandM Aggies alt

    The FC of 8 recommendation made my skin itch and my eyes turned red.
     
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  39. texasraider

    texasraider thanks
    Donor
    Texas RangersKansas City ChiefsDallas Mavericks altTexas Tech Red Raiders alt

    :cryingjordan:
     
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  40. Tiger Tiger Woods Y'all

    Tiger Tiger Woods Y'all Putting big balls in little holes, circa 1995
    Donor
    Clemson TigersGolden State WarriorsPGA

    Im here for the Zack Zedalis vs pperc15 chemical off


    One seems like a professional and the other a real DIY'er.


    Should be good.
     
  41. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    1. I don't even know what my phosphates are. Why do you think that matters?

    2. What is your TA? Why not just leave it alone? It should stabilize in a range as your pH stabilizes.
     
  42. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    No, no I'm not. Explain what exactly I'm saying here is "wrong info"?
     
  43. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    Which one of us has incentives to make money from your pool?
     
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  44. Tiger Tiger Woods Y'all

    Tiger Tiger Woods Y'all Putting big balls in little holes, circa 1995
    Donor
    Clemson TigersGolden State WarriorsPGA

    trick question, i don't have a pool.

    very suspicious

    :bobbleresolve:
     
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  45. lechnerd

    lechnerd They say Monaco is a sunny place for shady people
    Donor
    Texas AandM Aggies alt


    1. Algae feed on phosphates. Keep your phosphates down to minimize your risk of algae

    2. TA is 70. Keeping it in an optimal range of 80-120 will limit wide fluctuations in pH.
     
  46. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    Here's what I've learned: The "chlorine smell" and eye or skin irritation in improperly maintained pools isn't from chlorine, it's actually from chloramines, which are created when chlorine reacts with organic material in the pool. If chlorine levels are properly maintained, there shouldn't be a lot of chloramines created, and those that are should be broken down quickly by the free available chlorine. It's only when there's a lot of organics in the pool and not enough chlorine that excess chloramines become an irritant.

    So, when you had issues, what was your CC reading?
     
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  47. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    Algae can't grow if the FC is maintained at the proper level. So whether you have phosphates or not, doesn't matter. Go ahead and address your phosphates if you want, but shouldn't be necessary if FC is good.

    Agreed on TA. Why not wait and see if it naturally comes up? Have you checked to see the TA of your fill water?
     
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  48. lechnerd

    lechnerd They say Monaco is a sunny place for shady people
    Donor
    Texas AandM Aggies alt

    I appreciate your input and that makes sense to me.
     
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  49. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

    Your eye irritation is real of course. Could have been the chloramines or could have been pH. Just try find what works best for you. The reason for keeping FC higher than you are is that during the day with lots of Texas sun it may be dropping below a point where you could be at risk of getting an algae bloom. Shocking weekly is what the pool store tells you to do because they assume you don't want to check your levels every day so they just say "dump this bucket in" and it will take care of whatever was trying to grow since your FC was too low for much of the week. But buying those big things of shock and dumping them in your pool every week is more expensive than just maintaining your FC properly all week using liquid chlorine (which only adds salt to your pool, rather than CYA).
     
    #699 pperc, Jun 10, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2019
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  50. pperc

    pperc Well-Known Member
    Donor

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