PoolGuyNJ

Most cells use conductivity as an indirect way to test for salt. Cold water takes more energy than warm water to get the electrolysis process going. Cold is nothing more than the lack of thermal energy. The cell is adding electrical energy to the water. This excites the molecules and breaks the bonds. Colder water has a stronger bond and thus needs additional energy (current, voltage, or both) to break the bonds. Most cells can't provide the added energy. Since they don't take the temperature into account, they think the salt is low. Scott

As to whether you can do it yourself, if you are comfortable and understand electricity and the hardware used to make safe and weather proof connections, sure, otherwise no, I am no fan of Hayward. I prefer Pentair. In your scenario though, Hayward controls are what is appropriate. Scott

Cold water will do that with most cells. Use bleach till it gets above 60. Check your stabilizer level too as it will have been diluted also. Scott

Typically, pools are not covered since they are not attached to the house. You would have to have a rider that includes it. At 7 years, I doubt they would cover the liner but if you do have the rider on the policy and the cause was a main drain failure, it might be covered less your deductible. At 7 years, it will have lost a substantial amount of plasticity and the lost water would allow it to shrink. In all likelihood, if it refilled, it would likely tear. Just expect a pretty good sized bill as it is a large liner. If the swim out is liner covered, expect another couple hundred. If the walls are rough, expect wall foam, another up charge. Liner over steps and the step material (not required but STRONGLY recommended) is another few hundred. I can't say what the labor rates are on your side of the border. Any unseen damages will typically be a time and materials. Expect a 20 mil liner. Thicker walls and floor don't last any longer. If it's no extra cost, great but don't pay extra for it unless it's an exclusive pattern you absolutely love. Dark liners just fade faster. They don't make a pool absorb more heat to any degree where it makes a difference. Basically, what I am saying is it isn't going to be cheap. And don't go with the lowest bidder. You'll get what you paid for. Scott

Never heard of them. I've always used either Sau-Sea or Olympic brand paints. Good results with both, for paint. Olympic's web http://www.kelleytech.com/olympic/default.asp and Sau Sea's http://www.sausea.com/ Scott

Well. there is either a hole in the liner or the line for the drain went and separated. A 7 year old liner is not likely to reset and with the additional cold now down near the bottom of the hopper, it is quite possible the drain line has sustained damage. It's not fun but it's likely to need a liner. The good news is it won't be that hard to test and fix if necessary the drain line. Scott

Salt has nothing to do with it. Plaster is fine in the winter. The paint will need to be blasted off prior to laster. Then a bond coat is applied so the finish that you choose will adhere to the walls and not delaminate. IMHO, 15 years is longer than I tell my customers with plain plaster. Here in NJ, it's about 8 to 12 years with proper care. SGM Diamond Brite gets several more years of life and I have yet to see a Pebble or clone such as Wet Edge wear out ever. Scott

Brain fault <<<<----- My bad Scott

The indoor and outdoor controllers must match software wise. This was one of the big factors why I went Pentair as my preferred manufacturer. Things are getting better engineered now that Zodiac bought Jandy but the legacy gear is still a PITA to deal with. Scott

Yes, those ball valves are cheap. I never use them but have several builders that use them and some other cheesy brand ball valves that are not rebuild-able. Neverlubes are the best. $55 for 2 port valves each is about right. What's he bill per man/hour? Scott

What are your pool chemistry levels? If the heater's internal bypass broke, it might have gotten stuck closed, forcing most of the flow through the heat exchanger. It's not designed to take that much flow, hence the internal bypass which diverts the excess flow. Improper chems can cause calcification or erosion/corrosion in the heater. Another possible cause is if the grids are gummed up in the filter. Skill oils and lotions get stuck to the grid fabric and don't break down easily. A nice long (24 hours) soak in TSP or powdered dishwasher detergent will break up and help remove these oils. Start with the grids being hosed down to get any DE cake off first. Scott

My bet is a drive belt is broken. The only way to know is to carefully open it up. Scott

While Greg is the owner, Chris Lightenberg is his Sales Director. clightenberg@kaydenmfg.com or 201 880 9898. Scott

Coping is powder coated and baked at the factory. Rustoleum is about as good as I have found. Scott

Typically, a cell's life span when newly installed is about the same as tabs cost due to the PSU. The second cell typically affords the homeowner some savings vs tabs. pH increaser use typically is negligible with a cell and those dollars go to acid, which I have found to be less expensive for those that don't know about or use A&H Super Washing Soda (same stuff). Cells, when you boil down to it , are merely a more convenience chlorination method. Scott

It won't match your controller board. I've found catching them in the morning best. There used to be 90-120 min wait times. Scott

More likely a water loss in that case BigMike. Another potential cause would be a small crack in the lid. Scott

Yes it does. These pumps need larger plumbing as when they are priming, they are running at full speed. This is too much for 1.5" pipe. A smaller, 1 or 1.5 HP 2 speed will be a better/safer option. On low, you will still get some very significant consumption reductions but not quite at the same efficiency level as it is still an induction motor. On the plus side, they also cost less than a variable speed. Scott

If you have 2" plumbing, I would go with either a Pentair or Jandy variable speed pump. There is a substantial savings to be gained in your pool's power usage, often as much as 75%. They aren't cheap but save in the long run with payback in your neck of the woods in a couple years in terms of $s spent to power the pump. Scott

IIRC, that depends on the version of code in the panel. I would call Jandy. Their support has made some significant strides of the last couple years. Scott

Doesn't matter. Scott

Some people have budgetary issues. Scott

Krylon or Rustoleum spray paint works just fine. Scott

The capacity of a sand filter is normally right on the tank. When I do a sand change, I blow all the water out of it first. The drier the sand is, the easier it is to suck it out with a shop vac. Removing the lid is the usual way. Some sand filter have a removable screen in the tank's drain that unthreads with the cap and allows removal of the sand via backwashing. This blows out a lot of water and a backwash hose needs to be tied to the tank drain so you don't flood your work space. I find this to be a waste of water. Once the sand is removed, inspect the laterals and internal plumbing for cracks. This is generally the source of filter sand being blown back into the pool. When adding the new sand, first add 6 to 8"s of water to the tank. This will buffer the new sand's landing. Some suggest adding some pea stone to cover the laterals to aid in back washing. I haven't seen it make a difference except for larger, commercial tanks. Scott

That is likely the sensor. Scott