txpoolguy

If the unit stops moving, then it's probably something other than the gearbox. Since you've already repalced that, no news there. When Ol' #7 stops moving, do the pods keep moving? You might check the connection of the pod to the shaft of the a-frame - make sure it's very tight. Check your turbine & turbine bearings for free movement, use your flow gauge to ensure proper vacuum. Check the little blue-green piece that holds the a-frames in place in the middle.

If you read the package carefully, you'll find that it needs "calm" water to work. Since, in N.TX we rarely have calm water due to the wind, especially in fall & spring, when you'd want to use this, it seems a bit unlikely that it'll do much. However, their laboratory testing claims to do something...lol

Schedule 80 will definitely shrink/warp from heat. Many people confuse the Schedule 80 and CPVC since they're both grey and Sch80 is cheaper. CPVC has a much higher heat resistance, but isn't completely resistant to heat.

I can't shed any light on cost, but this is a very common practice as many power lines, phone lines, gas lines, sewer lines, etc. run thru the middle of the yard. The power co. will have to give you direction on cost, etc. as it varies by region/province/state.

Long term, you probably won't realize huge savings with the ECG. Cell life varies by water quality in your area, proper maintenance, etc. Hopefully you won't need one more than 5-7 year intervals, but that's not absolute. The convenience is a huge plus, and the "feel" of the water is far superior with an electronic chlorine generator (salt system). You shouldn't need the algaecide or Deep Blue if you're maintaining other chemicals properly. The Deep Blue sounds like a clarifier commonly used with sand filters. You won't need much shock, but it's handy to have on hand for use after heavy rainfall, etc. Stabilizer or Cyanuric Acid will still be necessary, and will be kept at a higher level. Maintaining all the "other" chemical aspects of your water is actuallly more important than manual or electronic delivery of chlorine, although the ECGs are well liked in most areas.

The heat pumps will only operate when your air and water temp are above 50 deg. F - sorry, I don't know Celsius. The heat pump is more efficient at heating, but the gas heater is generally faster. A heat pump can be good, but educate yourself thoroughly before getting one so you're not disappointed. Hayward, Rheem, Summit, AquaCal...lots of good mfgrs.

How old is your system? It's not uncommon to get "fading" LEDs if the door to the control box is left open & the LEDs get exposed to sunlight on a regular basis. The lights don't actually dim, but the plastic bulb gets cloudy from UV exposure. I've never seen one where they just dim as you describe.

Strong winds will dramatically increase evaporative water loss as will large differences in water/air temp. It may be that you're seeing normal loss due to weather issues, but keep an eye on it for the next few weeks & you'll have a better idea. If you have the proper amount of salt in your pool, it should not directly affect the seals in your pump. If the seal were leaking, it would be visible beneath the pump. The PVC pipe most likely used in your underground plumbing will not be affected by normal salt levels.

All stone is porous, though to varying degrees. Marble, for instance is very dense & less porous, while many flagstones are less dense/more porous. If you were losing water thru the stone, you would most likely see it on the outside of the wall. Sometimes, the installer will use a sealer behind the stone to help reduce seepage, but it's another expensive step that isn't always necessary. Are you losing water faster than normal?

There are "vaults" made specifically for subterranean installations, but they're always troublesome because no matter how well you seal it, there are always leaks, then your pump gets flooded & fails. Wiring & piping must enter the box & this is where the problems usually are. I've only seen it used in commercial properties with waterfalls which have nowhere to hide the pump, etc. My personal preference would be to find an out of the way spot & build a 4' screen fence, rather than the whole pump house, but you know your preferences better than I. Good luck!

By reading thru this forum, you'll see many things discussed individually that will all be possible/likely if the pool is shut down. There are many possible ramifications long term. Since we're currently in the middle of winter, you may not see too many major issues for a couple of months, when the air/water temp come back up. If you've no choice, I'd make sure the equipment is drained so no standing water in the pump/filter, etc. The water in the pool will begin to turn green, then cloudy & green, then it will keep getting worse as it stagnates. Warm water & sunshine are key ingredients for growth of algae, bacteria and other pathogens that you've been keeping at bay with your normal maintenance. Covering the pool will make it less unsightly, but won't reduce any ill effects and may increase growth rate of some of the harmful stuff that prefers shade to sunlight. The interior surface of your pool will deteriorate faster. It's not an "overnight" thing, but will degrade over time. Staining will likely occur, etc. The odor will definitely get unpleasant. Mosquitos and other small insects & little creatures you've not had before will gravitate towards the pool, so it will be less pleasant to be in the back yard. If city inspectors notice the pool thru the fence or if neighbors complain, you may have to contend with health code violations.

The 3z62 is a UL number, not the Hayward number. The controller you have was a PSC2100 control system, parts for which are now mostly obsolete. From previous inquiries by myself & a few colleagues, there are very few, if any, parts remaining. What part of the country do you live in? Perhaps one of our members can direct you to a local service company with parts. This system was unique in some respects as it was built by Balboa for Hayward and Balboa uses proprietary designs. Balboa has refused help on replacement parts inquiries as well, even though they sold the unit under a different name thru Balboa. If the buttons have stopped working, you'll probably need a new keypad. The blower was turned on with the spa remote, but you could also turn it on via the indoor remote, but since you've moved it to aux1, that works as well. I wish I had better news, but post your location and someone may be able to direct you to a local source who has a few parts.

Interesting...reading on Watermaid's website. They practically claim that (their) saltwater will reduce drownings by 50%, based on some Sydney safety survey which is probably related to oceanwater, not residential pool water. They also claim "you won't get sore, stinging, red eyes" - usually a pH issue anyway. And also that "swimmers won't suffer from skin irritations" - a very broad and suspicious claim. Apparently advertising rules are pretty lax in Australia.

When did you have this installed, or was it installed when you purchased the property? This is one of the problems with the less expensive SWGs. They reduce cost by omitting valuable safety features. Most reputable brands require the use of a flow switch, which turns the unit off when no water flow is present. The flow switch is best because it will also turn the chlorinator off if the pump is running, but not primed. At the bare minimum, they should require it be installed parallel to the pump. When the pump turns off, the chlorinator MUST turn off also, or you risk damage or bursting of the cell due to the buildup of chlorine gas - extremely hazardous. You need to have the wiring changed so that the MarkIV turns off when the pump turns off. I'd also see if they offer an optional flow switch & install one if available. Good luck!

The model number you list "3z62" is not a Hayward number, so it's hard to say for sure. It sounds as though some of the components may have failed, which isn't uncommon as everything fails eventually. Sometimes the keypad fails, which would explain why some buttons work & others don't. You may be able to replace the keypad, but it's important to use a technician that is familiar with the product you have. If you can get a good model # or post a pic of the control box, we might be able to offer more suggestions.

It's unlikely that you need the whole lower replacement (propulsion kit). Usually it's just one or two parts. Read the owner's manual on replacement of the shoes and wings as these will need replacing most often. Once yearly for concrete pools, much less on fiberglass or vinyl pools. If there's a pool store locally, often they can make the repair with a minimal labor charge, and cost of parts. It's hard to troubleshoot fully here, but here's a few things you can check. Do both feet wiggle while it is on the pool floor? If not, you may need to replace a-frame and/or pods. To check proper gear operation: 1. Turn pump on & verify correct suction at end of cleaner hose using the flow gauge that came with the cleaner. Reconnect hose to cleaner. 2. Lift cleaner off floor of pool, so it is suspended underwater. 3. Watch the cleaner for several minutes. You should see three modes of turning - rotate left, not rotate, rotate right - each for about 1-2 minutes, continuing endlessly thru this cycle. If you do not see all three modes, one of the gears isn't turning properly & this causes the hose to tangle. On the bottom of the cleaner, there is a square plastic piece (throat) that is held in place by a single phillips screw. Loosen this screw & pull the throat off the cleaner. You can look up inside the cleaner to see if anything looks damaged. Inside the cleaner, there is a paddle wheel (turbine) that should spin freely. It has bearings on either end of the offset shaft. There are two other bearings on the a-frames (plastic pieces shaped like an upper case A, with two bearings on each). These bearings ride on the shaft of the paddle wheel. Inspect all bearings for wear.

Perhaps someone can explain the difference between the two. In N. Texas, we use gunite, but shotcrete didn't sound much, if any, different.

Any chance you have the old cleaner and could post a picture of it? It's hard to identify a very old cleaner by the description.

Depending on what you plan on using the bars for, I'm not sure what difference might exist between "disabled" and "theraputic" bars. Generally speaking, the bars or handrails will be used to help support a person's weight while in the pool or while entering/exiting the pool. SR Smith is a brand that makes many types of handrails, so you might look at their website here. You can also find an authorized dealer on their website. The tricky part is the installation in an existing pool, but an authorized dealer should be able to handle it. They also have volleyball sets available.

Based on your description, it sounds like a leak in the shell, or the light conduit. If the leak was in one of the pressure/return lines, you'd notice greater water loss when the pump runs. If it were in one of the suction/skimmer/MD lines, it would tend to leak less with the pump running. The type of leak you describe can be very difficult to locate, as they don't always show signs such as wet spots around the pool, and make no noise like a pressure or suction leak would make. There are a couple of other threads on here about similar leaks where customers are letting the water level drop until it stops, which is the elevation of the leak. Not the best solution, but might save you a bunch of money & water. It's frustrating that the leak comes & goes. I think this too, points to the shell or conduit, although ALD probably checked the shell carefully. I wish I could offer better direction, but these are tough sometimes.

The "p-trap" usually required by code is to prevent the backwash water from backing up into your home thru the toilet, tubs, sinks, etc. It would have to be changed if you ever sell the home. You could use the technique that PC recommended, but you may be taking a risk. I know many folks who backwash onto the lawn & have never suffered noticeable lawn damage, so I'm not sure where the harm is. You probably only backwash once a month or less. If your filter is DE, it can even be a small benefit is controlling some pests. DE for pools is not exactly the same as DE that is used as a pesticide, but it's very similar.

The swimming pool industry doesn't have much for making submerged glue joints. There are some pvc glues that can work in moist conditions, but not for submerged joints. Perhaps someone else will have a suggestion or perhaps some marine products might be available. BP might have some leftover glue, but I'm not sure you'd want to use it...lol

Some of the in-floor systems use a venturi-style main drain which uses a water jet to create a suction which draws in the debris and deposits it into a container built into the deck. It may be that your system simply needs re-adjusted to create the proper venturi to draw in debris. Normally, you should not be able to feel a great suction at the main drain, or you would also have an entrapment hazard. These main drains are not really intended to pick up large piles of leaves. They do a decent job on a few leaves & the smaller debris.

I don't have any experience with heating the shell like you're suggesting, but I know it's a tricky proposition for heating a home in the same manner. I have seen installers use the main drain or other floor jets such as an in-floor cleaning system, connected to the warm water from the heater to introduce the warm water deep in the pool, so the pool heats from the bottom up, rather than from the top down. It will require some plumbing modifications, but can be done.

They should be able to use a 2nd bobcat to shuttle dirt from excavation to street or wherever trucks can access. It costs double, but unless you've got something else to do with the dirt, there's not much else you can do.