Oski

I have a 4 year old in-ground plaster pool that has Flamed Bluestone Coping and uses the Jandy Aquapure system. Many of the Flamed Bluestone coping stones are deteriorating and flaking. The worst area is in shallow area but several of the stones around the pool show this distress. It started about two years ago and continues to get worse. Some people say it is the salt water but others who have the same coping and even flamed bluestone under salt water state there is no problem. Is it just bad stones that need to be replaced or is it the slat water? More importantly, does anyone have any ideas on how to solve the issues without replacing all of the coping? Thanks.

I have a new plaster pool with a Paramount in-floor cleaning system that is powered by a Jandy pump. The pump is sucking air (not sure why but maybe low water level at some point) and I am trying to get it going again. When I remove the filter basket lid the water from the pool (pump is lower than the pool level) rushes in and fills the basket. I secure the lid with the basket full and turn on the pump. The water swirls around appearing like it is getting the air out when after about 20 seconds the water level suddenly drops to about 1/4 of the basket height and pump is sucking air. It never changes after that. My manual and Internet sites talk about letting air out through the air release valve but there is none on this in-floor system as there is no filter. I have also tried to fill the basket with water from a hose with the valve shut to the pool but that does nothing as well. I do have a Golden Retriever that is in the pool periodically so there is dog hair but the filter skimmer basket seems to pick up most of that but I am not sure if possibly hair has stuck in the impeller of the in-floor system pump. Can anyone point me in the right direction to get this pump going again?

Pool Clown, thank you for the follow up. I have talked to my PB and I have checked on the Aquamatic specified design and he built it to spec. I have heard from other PB's that they build up the vault damn (via a steeper slope) a little higher and so it rubs the pool cover fabric a little but that is preferable to water loss. Hard to go after PB when he built it to spec. He should have brought to my attnention before building and offered possible alternatives for me to chose from. I have already turned off my auto fill and I do not lose a lot but water is very expensive where I live so it all adds up. The pool cover when retracted does help block some of the water intrusion. I also have a son that plays water polo and spends 2 hours a day in the pool splashing so it gets a lot of use and water loss. I am just hopeful that someone may have come up with a "home" made remedy for this issue as I am sure I am not the only one. Ideas anyone?

I recently had a new gunite pool constructed (40x20) in a rectangular shape with a built in Aquamatic pool cover. The cover is located in a vault below the pool deck surface. In order to reduce wear on the pool cover the area going into the vault is 2" lower than the underside of the coping and it slopes slighty up. This all works great for the pool cover system. The vault is equipped with a drain so when water enters the vault area it drains out and into my storm drain system. My problem is that the lower level of the cover vault damn area allows water from the pool to more easily spill over the damn and into the vault (gone forever). Lowering the pool water level causes me problems with my skimmers and sucking air. Now everytime we have kids swimming and using the diving board, a lot of water spills over the vault damn (into the drain) and then my auto fill system replaces that lost water only to be lost again when the next kid splashes or jumps in the pool. Aquamatic has recognized this problem and sells a one foot wide (by the width of the leading edge bar) cover fabric that can be attached to the leading edge bar via velcro so when the pool cover is open that one foot "flap" of fabric hangs over the pool side of the vault damn. I would imagine that this works effectively but it is Ugly. I do not want pool cover fabric hanging off my leading edge bar. Does anyone know other solutions like something that is flexible placed on the back of the cover vault damn that would stick above the damn to prevent water loss but would be flexible enough to allow the cover to move over the flexible edge..preventing excess wear. Another solution may be a sump pump in the summer months in the vault cover that would pump water back into the pool from the vault. The pump would be turned off in the winter and allow the drain to do it's job. Has anyone found a solution that works and is cost effective?