txpoolguy

So, Weird Pool Water - how does this thing work? Their website offers no explanation except "buy this and save 75% and talks about photonics, but no explanation of what exactly it does. Is it magic?

they look pretty good except possibly for the one that has the skimmer turned off. I assume you do this because you're pulling all the water thru the cleaner...? You'll increase circulation and surface cleaning by opening the skimmer, which would have the "off" part of the valve handle at the 12:00 position.

It sounds as though your cartridge filter is "short-cycling", which usually means that it's time to replace the cartridge/s. The filter is doing what you want it to - its removing debris from the pool water, which is what causes the pressure rise. Short times between cleanings means it's probably time to change the elements. The Navigator is likely having problems due to the reduced water flow as a result of a very dirty filter. Once you get the filter problem corrected, you'll be able to see if the cleaner has an actual problem or not. As CG says, the size of the filter may be insufficient for your environment. With proper maintenance and cleaning, it's possible to get 5+ years of duty from a set of elements, but every pool is different. Some filters last 10+ years, others far less due to the amount of work they are being asked to do.

You can also download an owner's manual at www.haywardnet.com. Symptoms like this are explained in the manual, so it's good to have on hand. Feel free to ask questions here, but the manual also gives you information on maintenance and operational features.

No swivels exist for the Navigator. It should turn off steps in both directions to eliminate hose coiling. Your problem likely exists in one of the following areas: 1. One of the pods (long white plastic piece on each side) is very loose & causing it to turn only in one direction. 2. Main gearbox is stuck turning only one direction. 3. Upper gear is stuck turning only one direction. A simple test you can use to help narrow it down is to make sure the pump is on and that you have correct suction to the Navigator. Without proper suction, the cleaner won't operate at the proper speed. Use the suction gauge that came with the cleaner to verify correct suction, if you still have it. Lift the cleaner by the hose until the head of the cleaner is off the floor, but still submerged completely. The head of the cleaner should rotate on the end of the hose - turn left, stop turning, turn right, stop turning, turn left, etc. and should repeat this pattern. If it's not turning, or if it only rotates in one direction, the internal gearbox is the most likely problem. You can download an owner's manual for the Navigator here... Hayward Pool Products

As I see it, you have two options, as stated above. Live unhappily with what you have, or get him to make it right. There is no way to modify it & get what you were expecting. If he's not willing to step up and make it right, you'll have to seek other recourse. You might have another local professional come & look at what you have & get a 2nd opinion.

Usually, the venturi exists in one form or another - otherwise, it's not really a spa jet, just a water flow fitting. The venturi is created when the water is forced thru a small orifice at high velocity. This creates a vacuum/venturi which pulls air into the flow. This velocity is what pushes the air & water out into the spa, rather than the air just bubbling up right by the wall. This may be done either inside the jet body or an external venturi that would have the tube coming up thru the coping, with the threaded adjustment cover.

I don't know personally, but there's some info here that might be helpful. Link

The venturi tube has to be connected to the jet body in some way. The pool jets are only fittings glued onto the end of the pvc pipe as it comes thru the concrete wall, that allows you to direct the flow of water. If this is what's in your spa, I don't know of any way of modifying it to get a venturi.

Many spa jets are supplied with two pipes - one pipe for water, one pipe for air. I don't know which waterway jet you have, as they make more than one and some are only supplied with the one pipe. Usually, the venturi style jet has a small pipe that runs from the jet in the wall upwards thru the coping, so there's an opening to draw air into. Done properly, it will also have a threaded cover so that you can adjust the amount of air being drawn in and it prevents debris from falling down into the tube. You may be able to achieve your goal by turning on the blower for a minute or two, then turning it back off & see how much air is being drawn into the spa by the venturi. It often takes a long time for the venturi alone to draw all the water out of the air line, which allows the air to pass thru, so using the blower to purge that air sometimes will do the trick. Then, you can turn the blower off & may have enough air being drawn into the spa to be comfortable and quiet. If no air is drawn in, then you may not be able to get what you're looking for - as things stand now. Having said that, it is possible to replace the jets inside the gunite wall. It does require chipping out the back of the wall to access the existing jets, and replacing it with the jets you were supposed to get. The builder will not want to do this, but if he admitted that they made a mistake, you should not be shortchanged. It's not an easy process, but it can be done. If he refuses, you do have other options. Most builders don't like to deal with lawsuits, and I don't recommend them, but sometimes it's the only option to get what you already paid for. Hopefully, your builder will work with you to get what you were supposed to.

Wow, Biiig pool! Looks like it's going well, congratulations! Who's your contractor in Rockwall?

All pool cleaners cause wear to the pool surface. Polaris, Navigator, Kreepy, Poolferpukin, all of them eventually cause wear. The ruby/diamond analogy does hold up to a point, but water erodes stone (river rock) very effectively over time. When you consider the number of hours that a cleaner operates in a pool @ 8 hours per day = 250 hours per month = almost 3000 hours per year, then consider where the cleaner spends it's time - against the steps or moving, you'll always see more wear near the steps & areas where the cleaner gets hung up. Proper maintenance of the wear parts will keep the hard parts of the cleaner off the pool floor, which will reduce wear as much as is possible. The rest of it is simply the cost of owning a pool.

While it stinks that we all have to deal with this, it's because of the litigous society today. I'm familiar with a true story of a company who mfg. ABG pool ladders. The end-user was the 3RD owner of the home & assembled the pool & ladder which had been stored in the garage. His 10 yr. old son was jumping off the ladder into the pool, ladder shifted, he fell & broke a leg. Mfg. was sued & was held responsible for all damages - because there were no assembly instructions with the pool or ladder (6 year old product, 3rd owner). Now, law requires a toll free number be permanently attached - toll free because they might not be able to pay for a long distance phone call to request a manual (yeah, they can afford to own a home and swimming pool, but can't afford long distance). Unfortunately, there are thousands of stories just like this. Thank our government for their incredible "foresight".

I hope you didn't burst their "bubble"...lol Now it's time for you to have them visit your tub!

Water always takes the path of least resistance. While I'm not sure what a "spitter" is, if you connected it to the existing pool returns, then it's likely that you'll have to "force" more water to the spitter, as the remaining water is going thru the pool returns. Depending on the kind of flow fittings/jets you have in the pool, you may be able to use smaller jets in the pool, which will force more water thru the spitter, or you may have to install a diverter valve to divert more of the water flow to the spitter. Also, keep in mind that your suction side plumbing is one of the major factors here. You can only push as much water as you can pull - upsizing the pump may not be feasible depending on the suction plumbing. You may have to turn the pool return jets off in order to feed sufficient volume to the spitter.

From my personal experience, BBB is simply a "letter writing contest" anyway. Whomever writes the last letter wins. They aren't supposed to rate companies that aren't members, but they do anyway. BBB is certainly not what it once was.

generally speaking, it takes about 40 gpm to pull down the skimmer weir. On the lower speeds of the variable speed pump, it may not be moving enough water to accomplish this. This is one of the misconceptions of the Variable Speed pumps. While you can drop the rpm/wattage to a very low point, you may not be circulating enough water for it to be of any benefit. Since every pool is different, you'll have to find the level that is best for your pool. The pressure coming out of the return fittings is also necessary to move the water around the pool, so lower speeds do not accomplish this as fast or perhaps as well as the higher speeds.

Tough question. Much of this depends on soil conditions in/near the pool in question. There are parts of the country where it's somewhat common to leave pools drained for extended periods. There are other parts of the country where it's not a good idea, due to the type of soil you have under/around the pool, related soil movement, drainage, etc. In any case, the risk depends on the above factors, and others we may not be aware of. If the pool shifts or floats, it's a very expensive process to re-level the pool & repair all damage. The pool equipment is another factor to be considered. It will all need to be drained and stored properly or it can be damaged also. You should also be aware that some municipalities may not allow pools to sit empty for extended periods without a safety cover or approved covering structure. I usually recommend consulting professionals in your area to find out if it's common practice or not and specific factors in your area. I'd recommend getting several opinions. Personally, I don't like the idea of leaving pools empty, but I also understand the cost involved in maintenance.

I wouldn't think that some accumulation of ice would damage the LoopLoc cover, unless you try to chip the ice off, at which point the cover could tear. Since your waterfall pump is slightly below water level, there's no good way to drain it, unless you install a valve at or near ground level. Even that isn't a great idea, as you'll have water sitting in the pipe behind the valve & it could freeze. Removing the safety cover after the leaves fall is an option, if you don't need it. If you have small children, you might reconsider. I'm guessing you spent the extra money on the safety cover for a reason.

Definitely DO NOT have them plaster over it. That is a permanent fix and you may change your mind later. It might devalue the pool as well. You can decide whether to replace it now or not but if you're resurfacing, you might also look at other light options, such as the LED lights that allow you to have vivid colors in the pool rather than just the traditional white light.

It's unlikely that he would use NO rebar. Concrete to fill the "void" would not really need the reinforcement of rebar, but the rebar is necessary to give consistent structural support throughout the shell. It's possible that he might backfill with dirt in the needed areas rather than using all concrete, and then build the structural shell on top of that. No real issue either way.

Are you sure it's salt? Do you run a saltwater pool? Is this a new problem or have you seen it before? If you have a saltwater pool, these salt deposits may be cured by rinsing well on a regular basis. The substance you're seeing may not be salt, but may be residual elements that are present in the water. When water evaporates, it leaves all the residual elements behind (calcium, salts, minerals & other scale forming components) which form this buildup. It's hard to visualize the "surrounding terrace area", so I can't be more specific.

The only thing I forgot to mention, is to remove the leaf accumulation occasionally, as the weight will eventually grow to to the point that it can pull the cover & accumulated debris into the pool. You can do this by hosing or netting the debris off the cover while standing on the deck beside the pool. It's a real pain to pull the cover out of the pool & then cleanup.

While I"m not familiar with those specific brands, each item has a design flow rate. If you can find this design flow rate for the pump and for the filter, you'll be able to find out. The design flow rate of the pump should not exceed the design flow rate for the filter.

You'll hear the horror stories about every builder. It's not that every one of them is dishonest, just that not every job goes as we all would wish. Remember that YOU are the one who will manage your build. If you stay on top of the details, all generally goes well. Make sure you get to know the construction supervisor for your pool job. Unfortunately, sometimes regardless of the best efforts, things happen. Be patient but firm with them on all details & it should go well. As a reference, I heard a story last week about a homeowner who purchased a "swimjet" from a builder who really messed it up. He installed another pump with 3 standard pool returns & called it a "swimjet". It doesn't work. Since you already know the specifics of the exact product you're purchasing, you're ahead of the game.