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texasmax

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    Dallas, TX

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  1. And I was wondering why I kept seeing the same "stuff" on the steps and the floor of the spa... !
  2. 60sqft DE filter, about a year old, backwashed for 5-10 minutes each time every other month or so, and each time, it got down to within .5psi of it's brand-new state (initial coat didn't raise the psi at all). Still 100 degrees in Dallas, but thought it was time to break it down and see what sort of maintenance it really needed. For all the folks that tell you a backwash is no substitute for a breakdown-and-clean, well, they're right. It's unusual, though, that I was always able to get it to within half a psi within of "perfect" condition (though after each backwash, it took less and less time for the pressure to build). And yes, it got a full 6lbs of DE after each "backwash". Had a cartridge filter for years, and will start cleaning this one the same way.
  3. Gotcha- thank you, appreciate it! Would it help to gring back some of the rebar or not necessary if the cemen/plaster removal is complete and it's properly sealed? Is it correct to say that the original construction on this was poor (having the rebar so close to the surface)?
  4. OK- been in our new house since last Summer (in Dallas). Of course ntoiced this rust spot in the spa immediately, but wasn't going to do anything about it simply because we were going to be resurfacing this Spring. It's on the spa wall that separates it from the pool, and it's a "waterfall-lite" setup (not sure what it's called) where the wall is just at the water height so the water flows just over the top. The opposite side of the wall (the pool side) is perfectly fine. Now, turns out we're going to give it another year or two, so the question is, what can I do about this. Drained the spa to get a better pic. You can see it's been "patched" twice before (not sure to what extent other than waht you can see). The rust is slowly "creeping" and extends lower down now than when the photo was taken at the end of December. I hesitate to scrub much of the surface rust away as I'm worried it will just expose more of the rebar of whatever is just under there. I'm concerned about how it looks, but I'm more concerned with getting a metal-in-the-water problem that will cause widespread staining. No, I haven't had the water tested yet for metals- need to do that. I otherwise keep the water very much in balance. Question- what's the best thing to do here, that's DIY? Can it be plastered over? Is there a specialty something-or-other that can be applied? Thank you!
  5. Thanks! So here's what the grids looked like this morning- interested in all of your thoughts on the unevenness- a lot more at the top and not enough at the bottom. Does it come loose and float to the top when the pump is off? I finished up the plumbing so now I'm able to backwash. Backwashed for 3-4 minutes, and everything looks as clean as it was when it was brand new. It's about to rain here, so I'm leaving the pump off until I can get out there and get a new coating of DE on (and this time I'll mix all the DE in one bucket and pour in at once instead of in 2 batches). Based on the pic, does it help to take your time pouring it in (took about 2 minutes total the first time around).
  6. Yes, WhisperFlo WF-26. Curve shows 67.5 feet head loss @67.5gpm (filter in-line), 50 feet @90gpm (filter bypass). So the filter brings me a loss of 17.5ft, which is 7.6psi. Now the math gets fuzzy (if it isn't already). Curve for the filter shows 4psi loss @67.5gpm. Who knows what the difference between the 7.6 and 4 means, especially since I'm using a multiport valve that's got all sorts of different restrictions, from position to position. Back to the question, at 67.5gpm, based on curve G above, I'm really in the sweet spot for pump efficiency (by chance).
  7. Oh, you asked about the pump, will run out in a bit and check the model, think it's a WhisperFlo.
  8. Good question... in recirculate, I'm pushing 90gpm. The filter has a max flow rate of 150gpm.
  9. Ive got a blue-white 2" flowmeter in place after the filter, in a long enough run for proper placement. Believe its the 150gpm max model. My pride and joy.
  10. OK- gotcha, makes sense . Yes, I didn't take my first baseline until after the naked grids were running for a week. I'll (finish my plumbing) and run the backwash for an extended period, open up the filter and make sure everything's clean, then run a baseline on the naked grids, and then another reading after the initial DE charge and see what happens. Since you asked , the pressure side is split 3 ways- 2" off to 6 or so return jets, 2" off to the spa (that overflows into the pool), and a 1.25" off to 3 quite small jets at the lower edge in the deep end (9' diving side). Suction side- 1.5" from the main drain, 1.5" from 2 skimmers (1 of which barely has any suction, to be investigated), and a 2" from the spa drain. All 6 in/out lines have their own valves, and they're all fully open except the spa drain suction which has to stay mostly closed or it drains the spa. The plumbing isn't ideal but it is what it is; I think if I figure out what's going on with the skimmer I'll free up some more flow on the suction side (not exactly sure what I'm going to do there since the 2 skimmers share 1 line coming out at the pad- possibly one of those flat drain snakes made for outside drains, or see if I can pressurize it. The pool was checked for leaks before we moved in, and none were found).
  11. Chemicals are in balance, and it's a brand new filter, so nothing to backwash. I had it running with empty media, no DE in there at all, until the first charge today. It's a 1.5hp (1.1sf) pump. We moved in to this house over the summer, but haven't had the time to play with it as much as I'd like to have (yet); all the individual pressure side and vacuum side lines at the pad are individually-valved, so I can experiment a bit- my guess is that the vacuum-side lines are pitifully under-sized and that's what's restricting me- especially since I'm convinced one of the two skimmer lines is clogged. My previous pool had a 2.2sfhp pump and pushed 110gpm through a 420sqft cartridge filter... but I digress, different conversation. So, then, it IS normal to not see a pressure increase from naked (no DE at all) media to properly-coated? Again, initial startup on a brand-new filter.
  12. Installed a new DE filter last weekend, Pentair FNS Plus 60sqft. I wanted to run it completely empty, and then loaded with DE, to get two data points for how restrictive my plumbing is. After I first installed it, ran it with absolutely no DE, and saw 13psi on the filter at 65-70gpm. It actually ran like that for a week since I ran out of time So this morning, loaded it up with 6lbs of DE per specs. Specifically, mixed 3lbs with water in a Home Depot (5-10 gallon?) bucket about half full, not thick at all, and poured it through a skimmer. Waited 5 minutes, no difference in pressure or flow, did the second 3 pounds, still no difference in pressure or flow. About 2 hours later, MAYBE a half psi higher at the filter, no discernible change in flow. Is this normal? Shouldn't I expect some rise in pressure? I'm plumbed correctly, and the DE didn't go to waste (the waste side of the multiport valve isn't even hooked up yet, so any waste would be flooding the pad). Before I installed it, I opened it up to have a look, and didn't notice anything grossly out of place- though is it possible that the media isn't plumbed internally correctly? I haven't noticed any DE in the pool, but then again, I haven't looked closely until now that I realize I should be checking... Thanks for reading!
  13. Yes, the cuts are there intentionally and leak whenever I backwash... a pool installer referred to them as "saw marks" so I referred to them as that (and, yes, they just cut in with a saw). As far as elevation goes, it's hard to tell as the celan out is on the complete other side of the house, and yes it could easily be a foot or two below. Will take your suggestion on the plumbing- thank you!!
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