poolcare novice

Thank you. Your answer is most informative.

What are the typical warning signs that an in-ground pool needs to be re-plastered? Thank you.

Thank you. The inline screen stays very clean but I do clean it out every time I backwash or have the filter cleaned anyway. I am not mechanically inclined so as I study the Polaris I cannot see how anything could clog the interior and be removed by backwashing but it certainly made a difference so I won't worry about an explanation.

I have an old Polaris 180 which didn't seem to picking up as much of the leaves, etc. at the bottom of the pool as it usually did. For the first time I followed the backwashing instructions as best I could and I see a tremendous improvement. The manual only says: "...occasionally flush out the Polaris..." so I would like to know how often I should backwash it. Also, exactly what is the backwashing process doing since only water should be traveling through the interior of the unit? Thank you.

Is it true that the presence of nitrate in pool water at a concentration of 20 PPM or greater will drastically increase your sanitizer consumption? Thank you.

Is there a single, floating chlorine dispenser that will accept 3" tabs and provide enough chlorine for a 26,000 gallon pool? Thank you.

A technician from the local pool supply chain determined calcification clogged the pump & caused it to shut down. The best solution was to partially drain the pool to hopefully lower TDS and Calcium Hardness. My strip test of fill water showed the TDS to be 0 and the Calcium Hardness to be 250. Here is a summary and the bad news as of yesterday. Here are the test results from the same local pool supply chain. Before the partial drain (no mention of testing for Nitrates)- FAC: 2 TAC: 2 CA hardness: 1,000 CYA: 120 TA: 200 pH: 7.6 Copper: 0 Iron: 0 TDS: 4,500 Pho: 1,500 12 days later. After the partial refill and filter clean (once again, no mention of testing for Nitrates)- FAC: 1 TAC: 1 CA hardness: 1,000 CYA: 120 TA: 160 pH: 7.6 Copper: 0 Iron: 0 TDS: 2,200 Pho: 1,500 Temp: 65 13 days later at a different location of the same chain. After adding 257 oz. of Muriatic Acid (14.5% HCL) 1 qt. 13 oz. at a time as recommended by the store to reduce TA and not seeing much of a reduction with my strip tests. (This time the salesperson told me she would test for Nitrates). She said the Nitrates were 120ppm and I must drain and refill again. She said fertilizer or fumigation would be the cause. I told her the neighbors fumigated their entire house recently and she said that ruined my pool. FAC: 3 TAC: 3 CA hardness: 1,000 CYA: 200 TA: 150 pH: 7.8 Acid Demand: 2 Copper: 0 Iron: 0 TDS: 2,600 Pho: 300 Am I forced to completely drain and refill? Thanks. volume is actually 28,000 gallon (estimated by pool supply store) in-ground concete

This Taylor kit has a 'total' chlorine/bromine cell, a pH cell and a bottle of OTO solution and R-0600 Phenol Red solution. We use a floating chlorine cartridge so I do not worry about the bromine. I also have the instruction sheet (only) for our old Poolmaster Pool & Spa 3-way test kit which says:"..."'Free Chlorine Residual' is tested by adding 5 drops R-0600, cap vial, invert several times to mix, read result within 2-3 seconds. 'Combined Chlorine' is tested the same way except result must be read in 1-2 minutes..." Are these 2 completely different tests with different color standards on each kit? If so, which is the best test kit to use? Thank you.

I noticed a clear, salt-like residue on the skimmer basket and on the parts of the Polaris pool cleaner. After running the Polaris today, the all-purpose bag had collected a lot of debris that looks like a whitish sludge with some yellow in it. Can you tell me what it is? Thank you.

I found the suction from the main drain to be very low. Do I need a plumber? Thank you.

Hello, Our very old Anthony Pools in-ground pool had a weir door/flapper secured to the bottom skimmer housing. Nothing is left intact except one of the 2 bolts that was securing the door in the concrete. I could not find a replacement weir door that is tall enough and the spring-loaded replacement I found at the local pool supply store (which is about the right width) was very hard to install as I really didn't know exactly where to position it in the skimmer housing. Also, if I placed it too high the skimming action was less and if I lowered it it would not keep debris in the skimmer basket area when the pump shuts off. Would you have any suggestions as to how I might improve my situation? Thank you.