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aGrandma

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  1. Update: Pool technician told me the stains in my plaster are most likely iron, which can be easily removed without draining the pool. There is a chemical process that will cost probably around $200. He will have to perform some preliminary tests to be sure that it's iron, then he can clean it. I watched some youtube videos about it and the results are amazing. The pool will look like new again.
  2. Update: I bought the Pentair Intelliflo 011018 pump through the Internet and got it for $850 delivered to my home. I arranged for a professional installer to change out the pump for me for $225. Now I have the full warranty, am getting a rebate from my electric company, and it works great. I can't believe how quiet it is.
  3. So far 107 people have viewed my original post but no replies! Yikes. I've been doing my own research and decided on the Pentair Intelliflo VS pump Model number 011018. When I search for it on the Internet the price ranges from $850 - $1300 - that is for the pump hardware only, not for installation. (A difference of $450!!) I asked a pool repair person and they told me they would buy from their "distributor" who can't match internet prices, but also that if I buy it myself the installer cannot return it if it's got a problem and he cannot warranty it. I assume the manufacturer has a warranty. Does anyone else have any advice on this subject for me? Should I buy off the Internet and have someone install it for me? Or have an installer buy from their distributor or a brick-and-mortar store at the inflated prices? I'm just trying to make an informed decision before this big purchase. Thanks!
  4. My 10-year-old inground gunite pool needs some tile repair and I'm hoping someone can give me advice. There is one section of about 8 small tiles that all popped off and I saved them all, so those need to be repaired/re-attached. No more have come off in probably 3 years and I don't know why they came off in the first place. Can I do that myself or hire a professional? The rest of the tiles around the perimeter seem to get mold or algae in them. I started using a solar blanket and maybe that is causing the mold issue, I'm not sure. I scrub the grout with a wire brush to loosen/clean the grout and there is enough chlorine in the pool but it seems to come back fast, especially near the skimmer basket. I noticed the grout between the tiles is not flush with the tiles - is re-grouting tiles at the pool perimeter something that is normal upkeep? Or am I doing something wrong? Is there a better way to clean the grout other than wire brush? Should I be using a chemical also? Or will re-grouting help the issue of the algae/mold forming between the tiles?
  5. My inground gunite pool has white plaster bottom/sides and they have become slightly stained over the years. The texture and condition of the plaster looks and feels fine. I do all my own pool care/chemicals. How can I get it back to white? Does it have to be re-plastered or can it be cleaned somehow?
  6. I would like to buy a variable speed pump that is quiet and energy efficient, with a digital display/timer. When I go to the Pentair website they have several different ones to choose from but I don't know which one is right for my pool. I have a 18,000 gallon inground gunite pool. It is salt chlorinated, not heated, and there is no spa attached. The pump I have currently is hayward 3/4 hp. A neighbor with a pool told me they love their new Pentair brand, but I would also be open to a Hayward brand. Any advice on which is proper for me?
  7. This might help someone else who has a leak in their inground pool since I read it's the most common leak location. We noticed our pool was having to be filled often so performed the bucket test (google it and/or look for youtube videos if you don't know what that is), and it was losing 1/2" of water per day. It lost the same amount whether the pump was on or not, so that eliminated the pump itself as being the problem. Then we stopped the pump and let the water level drop for 2 days to see where the water stopped dropping. It stopped before it got to the bottom of the hole where the skimmer basket is. Then we knew the leak was above that level. According to everything I read and saw on youtube, the most common leak happens where the plastic skimmer area meets the concrete, inside where the plastic flapper is. A few years ago I had a leak in the same place and plugged it with a stiff putty - which obviously worked for a long time! I cleaned it as good as I could and this time I used a good quality silicone. I let it dry then did a 2nd coat of silicone, then refilled the pool. I'm so happy it's no longer leaking. The strange thing is, I don't know how so much water can leak from such a tiny crack. In fact I would never have guessed there was a leak there at all, you can't see it. And I have no idea where all that water went - there is no moisture anywhere that we can see.
  8. Actually, I'm not positive we need a new pump. I created a new topic - this pump is louder with the vacuum running because there is air in the basket. With the vacuum off there is no air and it's quieter. How do pool owners determine when they need a new pump?
  9. When my pump is running, if I move the valve all the way to one side it is drawing the pool water from the drains in the bottom of the pool, and the pump is quieter. If I move the valve so the pool vacuum is sweeping the pool bottom/walls, air gets into the basket and makes the pump a lot noisier. So, air is getting into the system when the vacuum is running. Any clues as to where that air is coming from? Would it be the valve itself?
  10. I have an inground gunite pool about 15,000 gallons and my current pump is a Hayward North Star brand, 10 years old. We've noticed it getting louder and assume it's time to replace it. I don't know the size of it, but it's one speed. An acquaintance told us they got a new digital pump that is whisper quiet but I don't see them often so I can't ask them what they got. Can anyone recommend a brand or type that I can research?
  11. Thanks so much - that's what I needed to know! After dumping the gallon of 10% liquid chlorine into the pool after trying to remove the poop, the next morning the stain that was on the plaster was gone - and like you mentioned, it left a WHITE SPOT where the brown spot was....hopefully that will even out over time. Today I will clean the filters really well, and hope no one does this again! I appreciate your reply - it's not as big of a deal as I imagined it could be!!
  12. Yesterday I discovered dog poop in my in-ground swimming pool. It was in there for up to 20 hours - I didn't see it happen but I know it was not there the afternoon before. I was in my pool scrubbing tile the day before and no one was in the pool after that, until I found the poop yesterday. I was able to fish out one "piece" with the skimmer net, but the 2nd "piece" dissolved into a million pieces when I touched it with the net, and it caused a stain on my plaster where it had been sitting. We have some little kids neighbors who have thrown toys and other items into our pool over the fence - I assume they did this. My dilemma is - I did a search on the Internet on what to do when poop is in your pool and I find solutions and problems with HUMAN poop, but what about dog poop? Does anyone know what I need to do to make my pool sanitary again? My first instinct was to dump a gallon of liquid chlorine in, and tried to scrub the STAIN off, but it didn't seem to disappear. Today I will clean my filters well after the pump runs. Any advice?
  13. I have been reading on the Internet that shocking with Chlorine does not kill them. Apparently they come up for air then dive back down. If there is a coating of dish soap or oil clinging to the top layer of pool water they can't get air. Of course I can't put oil in the pool, but maybe in a bucket and fish them out with the skimmer and dump them into a bucket with oil....but they are good swimmers and fast and hard to catch....
  14. I have a 10-year-old in-ground gunite pool and for the first time I have swimming bugs in it - called Water Boatmen or boatman. I don't know why suddenly they appeared in my pool, as the water is always balanced and clean. We have had a lot of wind this summer....also my neighbors erected a doughboy pool that they clean, use, then let it get completely green for a couple of weeks, then they shock it and clear it up, let their kids use it, then let it get green for a couple more weeks, etc., etc. - could my bug infestation be coming from their unmaintained pool? Anyway I wonder if you can tell me how to get rid of the water boatmen in my pool? I read on the internet to add dishwashing soap to the water to kill them. I don't want to cause damage to my pool hardware or throw off the chemistry too much - is adding liquid detergent ok? If so, how much? My pool is 15,000 gallons, and it's a salt chlorinator system. Thanks!!
  15. Free Available Chlorine: 3 Total Available Chlorine: 3 Salt 3000 Calcium Hardness: 160 Cyanuric Acid: 30 Total Alkalinity: 70 pH 8.0 Acid demand: 1 (?) Phosphates: 200 My pool is an 15000 gallon inground gunite pool. We just had a huge wind storm and I had lots of leaves and debris in the pool. All the stuff is cleaned out of the pool now and the water is clear, but when I had my water tested at Leslie's today they gave me this printout and tried to sell me lots of stuff. I didn't buy anything...Can you advise me using these numbers above? Thank you!
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