Bugman1400

Does the CYA level decrease over time without dilution? If so, how long does this typically take?

Will be a floatron - commonly known as a waste of time and/or money maintaining correct chlorine level and reducing phosphate will work just as effective. and be a lot lighter on the wallet That's it. My neighbor claims that it allows him to keep his Cl level much lower because the Floatron prevents algae growth. He only uses a few pucks a week. How long do these Floatron's last?

My neighbor has a device that looks like a frisbee that floats in his pool, is solar powered, and has an electrode that sticks down into the water. He claims it controls algae using a sacrificial electode. To me, it just looks like a screen with blue goo on it. Anybody know what this device is and how well it works?

Current limiting diodes often act as a voltage or current regulator. If the circuit contains too much current or voltage the excess is turned into heat or routed to ground. If the heat method is used often there is a heat sink.

My neighbor's vinyl pool is completely trashed with holes and fade. He is not really sure how long the liner has been there, but it was there when he moved in 3 years ago. The pool is 9' on one end and about 18K gallons. Anybody got an idea on the replacement cost? Is this something we can do or would it technically be too difficult? Or, are labor costs cheap?

I also have a 48 sq ft DE filter. The previous pool owner was cheap and never replaced any of the filter beds. Several of the beds had large holes and resulted in the DE at the bottom of the pool. I replaced the torn beds. I then started the pump and used the sweeper to push the DE to the main drain. I had to do this several times because the DE stirred up too easily. After that I backed washed for 3 minutes and then put in half the suggested 7 lbs (3.5-4 lbs). My pool is fantastic now.

I'm looking for a controller that offers wireless, chlorine generation, water temp, controls lights, turns the pump on/off, etc. I've heard that Jandy Purelink has less trouble than the Goldine series. Your input please.

Any air drawn in by the seal would not be seen in the pot. Seal is also constantly under pressure from a spring, forcing the two halfs of the seal together, whether pump is on or not. If the shaft was lopsided enough to make the seal leak... #1 The pump would tear itself apart. 3450 rpm's you know. #2 You're neighbor would come over wondering why pump pieces were landing in his pool. #3 how does a motor shaft all of a sudden get bent that much? When seals leak, it's usually water. I did once have a seal draw air in, Even though the seal is in the pressure side of the pump. But that air would wind up in the filter. I think you're right. If the seal did leak, the air would end up in the filter and not in the pot. I have seen shafts that were lobed from dirt or baked-on crud or rust/corrosion. I've also seen bearings that go bad and cause the shaft to wobble. However, this is usually associated with a terrible noise. I think its the ball valves on the suction side. I have a 3-way on my suction and I also get air in the pot after a few minutes with the pump off......I thought that was normal. The reason I know my 3-way leaks is because it spits out water when I accidently switch from one line to the other without shutting the pump off.

I've got one more possibility relating to the pump. My theory involves the impeller and the shaft seal to the motor. It quite possible that air is being sucked in through the seal around the motor shaft. If the the pump is off, it is possible that the seal completely seals the shaft and prevents no leakage. However, when the motor spins and is slightly off center or lobed then you might get a cam effect that would keep the seal slightly open for air to be sucked in from the impeller. Remember, the motor spins at ~3500 RPM.

There is oil mixed in with the refrigerant; anywhere from 8 to 16oz. Sounds like you got a bad leak. Do you have a salt water pool? If not, how long have you had the unit?

Interesting....Thanks. I think I will cut open the next bad cell I come across. I'll take some pics and let you know what I find.

I am a first-year pool owner, but a senior electrical engineer so, I'm interested to know how this system works. Does anyone know how the chlorine generator control boxes work? Do they just apply a voltage to the cell? Is it AC or DC? Can I apply my own voltage from an external power supply and get the same result? Also, are the cells any more complicated than just an electrode with two wires? What signals are carried in the cable from the cell to the control unit? More impotantly, has anyone made a homemade device that does the same thing......I'm sure there are a few experimenters out there?

Without a doubt, an electric heat pump is the most efficient. The down side is, with ~110,000 BTU output, it may take a few days to heat the pool to the desired temp. Gas units usually have a much higher BTU output and can heat the pool sometimes in one day to a few hours. The down side is, you may need to install a 2" gas line to the unit. This will cost you bigtime on the gas bill.

My D.E. filter is the same size (48 sqft). My box of D.E. says to add 7 lbs. I have an old 1lb coffee can and it is not 1 to 1. I cleaned my D.E. filter twice and have both times put the recommended 7 cans of the D.E. into the filter. It seems a bit too much and I have had to clean out the extra D.E. on the bottom of the pool with my robotic cleaner. I say start at 6 cans.....or 6 lbs. You can then drain the filter, split the housing and see if the membranes are well covered with the D.E. If not, add more. If you get D.E. in the bottom of the pool, you know that you've added too much.

That's up to you, but if you decide to keep using pucks, then you'll need to use a weekly algaecide (PolyQuat 60) or a phosphate remover to prevent algae growth, both at extra cost. It's a cost/convenience tradeoff though there are automated dosing systems for chlorinating liquid or bleach (e.g. The Liquidator). I suggest you read at the Pool School for more info. After reading The Pool School, I will not be using pucks unless I have low CYA. I have been reading posts to try and figure out a SWG. I'm not sure if Pentair or AutoChlor is better. Which do you prefer? Meanwhile, I will start using plain bleach.

My pool is 26K gallons. I have a Hayward Chlorine feeder and usually just fill the thing to the top with pucks. All in all, I've used about 20 pucks. Should I quit using the pucks and use just liquid bleach instead?

Since opening the pool, I've added 30 lbs of Soda Ash. My pH went to 7.8, but has since dropped down to 7.0 after a few weeks. I tried Borax, but I added it to the pool directly and it seemed not to mix well. However, I can't tell if it was the Borax or extra DE from the DE filter. How should Borax be added to a liner pool? Also, I played around with The Pool Calculator and it shows that you need less Soda Ash than Borax. Is this because Soda Ash is more alkaline? Is it possible to use lye? Also, are there any products that add just Cl without adding CYA? My CYA level is 80-ish.

I'm a neophite pool owner. Seems like when I have the solar cover on, the chlorine level spikes and burns my eyes when I remove the cover. Why is that? Is it okay to leave the cover on anyway? Do I need to add more or less chlorine? Or, do I need to add more of some other chemical? My levels: pH = 7.4 - 7.8 Cl = >2.0