quantumchromodynamics

You can calculate your CSI (Calcite Saturation Index) using the pool calculator. Right now your CSI is about -0.45. I recommend that you increase your CSI a bit by raising your calcium to about 175 ppm. Once you get your TA and pH stable, you should keep your CSI between -0.2 and 0.0. You want it as close to 0.0 as possible to protect your plaster from dissolving. Check your cell periodically for scale buildup and lower the CSI a bit if you are getting excessive scaling. The TA (Total Alkalinity) needs to be where it keeps the pH stable. If your pH is constantly rising, then your TA is too high. If your pH is constantly falling, then your TA is too low. Your TA is just right when your pH stays stable with very little addition of acid or pH increaser. High TA causes the pH to rise. I recommend that you keep your pH between 7.7 and 7.9. You might want to consider adding 50 ppm borates to help buffer your pH. You should increase your cyanuric acid level to about 60 to 80 ppm. How much acid are you going through per week?

If you have a Hydroquip, you can contact them here for a manual. Possible link? http://www.hotwatercontrols.com/doc.search.html

Your fill water should have some salt, so the added salt should probably increase your total salt to over 7,000 ppm. Part of the problem with having such a high salt level is that it will make it harder to maintain an adequate CSI. You should have your salt levels rechecked to verify. You should have your fill water and your pool water tested, preferably with a calibrated meter or drop test kit. Since your builder told you to add too much salt, they should be responsible for fixing the problem. I recommend that you lower the level to less than 4,000 ppm.

The strip might be bleaching out due to a high FC, or all of the chlorine might be combined. You need to get the Taylor FAS-DPD test kit to know what is really happening with your chlorine.

If you need to add acid on a regular basis, then you don't want to add baking soda. A TA of 65 ppm is OK as long as your CSI is high enough. You want to maintain a CSI as close to zero as possible to protect your plaster from dissolving and to keep your cell from scaling. What are your pH, calcium and cyanuric acid levels?

01) How are you using the pool calculator to determine your salt level? 02) What does your chlorinator show for salt level? 03) What are you using to test the salt level? 04) What type of pool do you have? (Plaster, fiberglass or vinyl)? 05) What are the make and model of your chlorinator? 06) What is the water temperature? 07) What is the volume of the pool? 08) How much total salt have you added?

I really don't see how an in-floor radiant heat system would be any better than using a conventional heater, or heat pump. It's just a lot of unnecessary initial expense during construction, and I think that the system would be less efficient than just heating the water with a regular heat exchanger. By using the floor as a heat exchanger, about half of the heat will be lost to the ground.

Right, since you are pumping the liquid anyway, why not just use the filtration system instead of a separate circulation pump? The in-floor system would be less efficient at heat transfer. By putting the heat into the concrete, you would have extra heat loss to the earth. No, you would not bypass the filter. You would just run the pump at lower speed for longer total run times.

I think that the in-floor heating would be inefficient, and you would still have to circulate a heat transfer fluid through the in-floor heating system. I think that your best option would be to use a multi-speed or variable speed pump. That way, you could run the filtration system continuously without using too much energy.

I recommend that you read the following: Nitro's approach to Water Maintenance Dichlor/bleach Method In A Nutshell Chlorine Demand Decontamination procedure. waterbear's post about doing bromine.

Note: The kit in the Amazon link you showed is not the K-2106; it is the K-2000. The K-2000 is not FAS-DPD.

I don't like using metals. Silver is especially worthless in a bromine tub because of the low solubility of silver bromide. You can use whatever bromine tab feeder you like best. You should leave the ozonator off, the tab feeder out and not use any MPS until the bromine levels drops below 7 ppm.

8 fluid ounces of 6.0 % regular, unscented Clorox in a 400 gallon tub will raise the bromine level by about 21.5 ppm. You could wait for the level to come down on its own, or you could use some sodium thiosulfate or sodium sulfite. 0.024 ounces (weight) of sodium thiosulfate or 0.042 ounces (weight) of sodium sulfite will lower the bromine by 1 ppm in 400 gallons. Sodium thiosulfate or sodium sulfite is sold as "Chlorine neutralizer" at any pool store. http://www.lesliespool.com/Home/Pool-Chemicals/Pool-Adjusters/14253.html Allow the bromine to get below 7 ppm before using the tub. I would advise against the frog.

To turn it to "On" you need to allow the knob to rise half way. If it's all the way down, or all the way up, it won't turn. Since this is a heater, I have to caution you that it would be best to have the heater professionally serviced to make sure that it is safe to use if there is any doubt at all about whether or not it is functioning correctly.

Ok, it wasn't clear whether David was using a skimmer sock while vacuuming or just during normal filtration. If he was using a skimmer sock while vacuuming, then the millipedes should not be the cause of the filter getting clogged. A skimmer sock, or women's queen size knee-hi stocking, will catch most fine debris. The process of vacuuming will not shred insects fine enough to get through a skimmer sock. The type of brownish stuff he is reporting sounds like what is commonly seen in hot tub cartridge filters which is primarily due to body oils, lotions etc. Without an oxidizer, these things just build up and eventually begin to cause problems. I think that without an oxidizer there can be a buildup of bacteria, mold, fungus etc. As you noted in another post, bacteria will not be controlled by the levels of copper being used. Also, without an oxidizer there will be plenty of organics from leaves etc that will contribute to the problem. Tannins from leaves can create the brown color. In pools that use chlorine, these types of organics are broken down and are not usually a problem.

I think that without an oxidizer you are going to have organics like oils, insects, leaves and such build up and clog the filter. I also think that without an oxidizer you could also get a bacterial biofilm on the tile and in the equipment that will clog the filter. Here is a page about how to clean your filter. A high CSI could cause scaling, which could clog the filter. What are your pH,TA and calcium levels? Also, you should use a skimmer sock while vacuuming to catch fine debris and keep it out of the filter.

It's probably bacteria and algae. It could also be scale forming in the filter clogging the filter media. Yes, you can cut it so that it only sits on the water. There is no need for it to go up the sides.

Deleted post.

That's not necessarily true. Many jurisdictions require that property be maintained in good repair. Many local codes are written to make sure that property, structures and buildings are safe, sanitary and fit for occupation and use. For example: SECTION 303 SWIMMING POOLS, SPAS AND HOT TUBS 303.1 Swimming pools. Swimming pools shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition, and in good repair. http://www.pilesgrovenj.org/images/2003%20IPMC.pdf

Get the Taylor K-2006.

I recommend that you use an approved sanitizing system. A salt system makes chlorine, so that would create sanitary water. Just because the water looks clear, does not mean that is it sanitary. The references that I provided show the types if contamination that can cause serious injury or death. Bacteria, viruses and protozoa can cause serious injury, sickness and even death.

David121, your system is not an approved sanitizer by any of the relevant standards. It is illegal and unethical to sell it as a primary sanitizer. Just because it is being used on a private residential pool, does not mean that you can do anything you want. Since the system does not sanitize the water, the pool constitutes a hazard. And, as such, if anyone were to get sick or otherwise injured from using the pool, you could potentially be held liable, both civilly and criminally. It would be similar to maintaining any other hazard on your property, such as not having a fence etc.

You can use regular, unscented 6.0 % bleach, liquid chlorine (12 % sodium hypochlorite), dichlor, or lithium hypochlorite. I don't recommend trichlor or calcium hypochlorite. You can use the pool calculator to calculate the correct amount of chlorine needed to achieve the desired increase. When calculating the amount of chlorine needed to increase bromine levels, divide the desired bromine increase by 2.25. For example, if you want to increase bromine by 10 ppm, you would use 10/2.25 = 4.44 ppm. You would use the calculator to see how much chlorine would raise the chlorine level by 4.44 ppm, which would raise the bromine level by 10 ppm.

Maintain an elevated chlorine level of about 8 ppm until your overnight loss is less than 2.5 ppm. I recommend liquid chlorine or regular, unscented 6.0 % bleach for most shocking. I would save the MPS for when your FC is already high and you have combined chlorine. Chem geek's rule of thumb regarding the addition of oxidizer is for every person-hour of soak time you need to add 3.5 teaspoons of dichlor or 5 fluid ounces of 6% unscented bleach or 7 teaspoons of 43% MPS. This can be helpful in determining the correct amount of oxidizer to add. This is just a starting point. You will need to adjust the amounts based on your test results.

There is probably iron at a level below the range of the test. It doesn't take much to cause staining. What is the lowest level that they can test for? Your previous posts show your filter as a source of iron rust that is going to continue to cause you problems until you get it dealt with. You need to remove any rusting metal and replace it with higher quality stainless steel or plastic. You might even need to replace the filter. Some older heaters had cast iron headers that will eventually rust, so that's another possible source. What are the make, model and year of your heater? You can get this iron test kit if you want to test the iron yourself. Perhaps you could concentrate the water sample by heating the water to evaporate about 80 % of the water and that would increase the concentration of iron by 5 times. The iron is coming out of solution when it goes through the salt cell. The cell breaks down the sequestering agent and releases the iron, so sequestrants won't do much good. You could put a cartridge filter after the cell to catch some of the iron, but until you deal with the source, the problem will continue. Reference 1 Reference 2 Reference 3