DKN1997
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Posts posted by DKN1997
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The easiest way to tell is by looking at the breaker that supplies the pump. If it is a double breaker, then it is 240. If you have a timer, look at the timer itself, most timers used are not dual voltage. The diagram will tell you if you how to hook it up. If you have a wire connected to terminal 1 another to terminal 3 (line side) it is 240. If you see one hooked up to terminal 1 and another hooked up to "neutral" then you have 120. Hope this helps. If you wired it for 120 and it is actually 240 and you turned it on, then you may need another pump. They don't last long when miswired. Hope this helps. If you need more help email me, and I'll walk you through it.
you could also look at the plug on the pump. or the outlet. if it's 110, it will look just like any other 110v device, with two slots parallell to each other, ground terminal round directly underneath. If it's 220, one of the slots will be perpendicular to the other....or it could be a twist lock with all terminals being in a circle, that's usually 220 also. or you could stab the outlet with a cheapie volt meter. home depot has them for about 20 bucks. very useful tool around the house.
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My pool man tells me the entire water supply should be changed every seven or eight years because it accumulates calcium that will clog the filters. Is this a valid recommendation?
What type of pool do you have? If it's vinyl liner, good luck changing the water after it's been installed for 8 years. When it's empty and you start filling it up, the sun will shrink it up and you will have some nice windows in that liner.
I don't really see the logic in changing the water unless a very detailed water test indicates that draining must be done. as far as calcium clogging up the filter, I don't see that happening if your calcium levels are kept at proper levels regulary. that's not to say your pool guy is totally off base, plenty can happen to a filter in 8 years. sand wears out, (if you rub it between your fingers and it's smooth,it's done) DE elements start ripping, cartridges rarely last 8 years without replacement.
I have seen calcium clog up the filter, but only when calcium hypochlorate (granular shock) is added to the pool through the skimmers over a period of time. I say if it looks good and the water tests check out, don't drain it.
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Looking at a inground liner pool 18x36. Dealer wants to use Pentair sand filter and pump. I am considering a salt chlorinator, they recommend the Pentair Intellichlor of course fot $1,600. I have found it uninstalled for about $1,200. ad may just buy it aftermarket and install myself. They also want to sell me the Polaris 380, and I have seen good/bad posts on it. Cost for it from the dealer is $1,200. If I have them plumb for it now, is it difficult to hook up the booster pump myself? Is the polari a good buy, or are there better ones? I have a friend who gave up on his.
Please help....I need info!
I like the pentair sand filter, specifically the TR60 or TR100. It's up to you, but to save 400 bucks, let the pro install the salt gen. Not saying he will necessarily do a better job than you, but if you have any issues with it, it's on you now. I have found salt generators to be generall very reliable, but they are a machine that lives outside, so anything can happen. I don't know anything about the pentiar salt genny. I really liked the Goldline unit. we dont' sell it anymore, but I found it really easy to use. There is also a system out that zodiac sells called the Pro G. It is basically the old Nature 2 pure vision system integrated with a low dose chlorinator. it's a 2 chamber device with no electronics. one chamber is a low dose chlorinator that takes 3" trichlor tabs. the other chamber houses the nature2 mineral cartridge. It puts copper and silver into you water. your better algaecides have copper or silver in them, so you can see where they are going with it. the old Nature 2 system that my old company sold lacked the automatic chlorinator part, thus giving it a bad rap. the directions even said to maintain a 1.0 chlorine level by dosing the pool every couple of days with dichlor. not something most people feel like doing. I used to hate them. this new system seems to address the chlorination issue. the chlorinator part is not like a regular chlorinator, it's calibrated to deliver a lower dosage so you should not be able to screw up and jack your pool up to 3.0.
I would go with a polaris 280, it's cheaper and works just as well. The 380's will go through belts depending on your water chemistry and use, easy to change, but you do have do a bit of disassembly to do it. The 280 does not use belts, totally gear driven. either unit will do an excellent job of cleaning the pool. Again, I would let the pro do it, besides, 1200 sounds like a decent deal to me. cost on the 380 with a pump is in the 7-800 dollar range, so if his price included running the pipe from the pool to the filter equ and plumbing the pump in, then it's pretty fair. If you elect to install the polaris yourself, make sure you read the manual before cutting anything. it will give you detailed plumbing instructions.
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We just finished building our own inground swimming pool. It went very well, but did take a a long time (6 months). We were the ones that were slow not the subs. We spent a lot of time researching each phase.
Now I am looking for info on maintaining the pool and spa
maintenance seems really daunting at first, but once you grasp it, it's very easy. Here is what I would do:
Once/week, vacuum, service filter (sand:backwash, cartridge: rinse every 3 weeks, de: backwash and replace with fresh earth every 3 weeks or if your pressure rises 5lbs above initial startup on your gauge) test chlorine and ph, add chemicals according to the dosage listed on the container for your size pool
once/month, take a water sample to wherever you buy chemicals, most have computerized testors. They can test alkalinity, tds,calcium, stabilizer, etc...they will test for free so you buy chems from them. You could also buy a good test kit to test all of these things yourself.
If you see algae, immediately shock to at least 3-5.0, higher for really bad algea, then brush the entire surface, service the filter, and set time clock for 24hrs/day until pool clears up. vacuum up dead algae to waste, don't run it through filter.
It would help if you listed what equipment you have, if you have a salt generator or ozone gen, or some mineral purifier, then that changes things a bit.
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This link doesn't work!
Dude!!! dont' click that again....look at the title!! the **/**** crowd has infiltrated this site!!
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I am building my own pool. I am installing 3 Sheer Descents waterfalls. I have been trying to find the best method for lighting them. Light bars seem the most logical choice but I am surprised at the cost for fiber optics (Fiberstars, etc). It seems like there would be a better simpler way to light them but I have not run across it. Is there more than one way? Would it be better to light the whole pool with the new LED bulbs?
Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
you can buy sheer decents that have the lighting in them already, they look very nice. For me, Fiber optics are the best way to light up water features because you can actually put them in the water, there is no electricity where you see the light. also , water features generally need accent lighting, which Fiber optics is perfect for. LED's are pretty new to the pool industry, and they suffer a similar problem to fiberoptics in that they just don't provide as much or many lumens/brightness as standard incandescents. You certianly can light the pool with led's, but you will end up using more. Personally, I actually prefer that. I never liked the old school way of one big single light in the pool. My company has been using 2 or 3 smaller lights for 15 years now and I like the look better. you might be able to get the same light if you use multiple led's. I would say in a 16x32 pool, 2 or 3 led lights would probably do fine. cost would be more, but you would almost eliminate bulb changes. They are now making LED conversion bulbs to retrofit into old incandescent fixtures too. so if you went that way, you could switch to led in the future.
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hi all looking for some help i bought a house with a pool need i say more
well the heater is bad so the insurance co checked it out and it is, so i neeed
to get another, at the sametime i want to replace the filter, witch is a 23 cartrage piece of junk
i want to replace the heater with a 400,000 btu and a de filter my pool is 36' long kindey shape
15' and 18' wide in so cal
so my quistion is what is the best heater to buy and filter and should i buy the same brand
If you want the extended warranty, usually you have to go with all new stuff, which in your case means the pump too. at least that's how jandy works it.
My personal choice, Hayward DE4820 DE filter, Waterpik/Jandy LD400 heater. I will say that I have heard great things about the starite stuff too. I know I love their dynaglass pump and I spoke with a competitor recently who swears by their heater too.
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I would just leave it the way it is. The contractor will have to saw cut the plaster (Crystsal Stone) around each tile a bit larger then the tile in order to reset the new tile and then try to match the color of the plaster (Crystal Stone). In all cases that I have seen it "LOOKS LIKE A PATCH JOB" Yes it's not the right color of tile trim but only you know that, you can still enjoy the use of the pool. I feel you will not be HAPPY with the look of a patch job all over the seats and steps of your pool & spa. sorry to hear hope this will help you...
Blake Melancon
swimming pool-secrets-revealed.com
agreed!! it will not look right. best to leave the tiles that are there. the only option I see is possibly cutting out the hole a bit "big" and then using a marbledust type mix of a different color that accents both the tile and pool finish.
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In another post a person mention a sump pump. I read in another web site on how to install a fiber glass pool. In it said once the hole is finished one must dig a 4x6x1 foot hole in the deep end install a 2" pvc pipe and cap it off. drill holes in the pipe the entire langth of the 6 foot hole. Cover the pipe with gravel and place a weed fabric over the gravel to keep the sand from cloging the gravel. have the other end of the pipe lead out to a pump. I thought why not just out to a hole out from under the pool bottom to a barrel or a large dia pipe so you can drop a sump pump down to drain the water out when it riase high anoff to trigger the pump. As for those that had their pool pop out of the ground Im sorry but still have to re set-it again with another installer for I dont belive it is a do it your self deal.
on water jobs (high risk of ground water) we install weep lines and the aforementioned hydrostatic relief valves in the botton. the weep lines go under the pool and come up out of the ground in the filter area. when we need to drain one of these high risk pools, we bring an extra pool pump, hook it up to pipes and run it for the duration of the work being done.
To pop a pool that has hydrostats, unless you have a serious water condition (like living right on the water) is hard to do. you would really have to work on it. We routinely drain pools for winterizing 18-20" and have never popped one out of the ground doing this. this may have to do with the soil conditions in our area and we also don't drain anything after protracted periods of rain.
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I am still shopping for a fiberglass swim spa. One salesman told me that you shouldn't heat a fiberglass pool over 96-98 degrees or it will damage the gel coat and void warantee. He also said if you heat the water in a fiberglass pool too quickly it will damage the pool surface. He also said a salt system in a 3400 gallon swim spa is overkill (not necessary on fiberglass) and not worth it. Any comments?
Another company said you can heat his to the 104 degrees recommended with no damage to fiberglass, and he is currently pushing free salt systems.
How do I know who to believe?
Thanks for advice
My experience with pool salesman is that you could write a book on what they don't know. I do not have much experience with fiberglass pools, but I have serviced hundreds of fiberglass spas. They get heated to 104 for months and years on end and I have never seen one damaged by heat.
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the beam is the vertical wall behind the tiles, it's what the tiles are stuck too. if that beam is crumbly or pooryly constructed, the tiles will fall off. the expansion joint is a space in between the patio and the coping (top stones on top of tiles) it allows the patio to move independently of the pool.
At this point, it would be easier for you to have a professional come in and get a quote to fix it. estimates are free and he will most likely at least tell you what caused this to happen.
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Hi folks, we have what I guess is a serious problem with our 8m x 4m rectangular pool. There are several problems :
1. The pool seems to have a definite 'lean' from right to left, dropping by about 6 inches max.
2. The tiling around the pool has a lip. Directly below this lip the concrete is deteriorating and the tiles are falling away.
3. The back of the pool is a 3 foot wall. There are rectangular marks on this wall which seems to indicate a leak ?
The pool is about 10 years old; I'm not sure if its a concrete or shell type pool. The tiling is typically spanish style 2 inch square tiles.
Frankly I don't know anything about pool repair and I was hoping some good folk here might offer some advice on what steps to take to repair everything.
Do I need to have the whole thing ripped out and replaced ? The lean seems to indicate ground subsidence ?
IN an of itself, the "leaning" would not necesitate ripping the whole pool out. sounds like the beam has to be fortified and rebuilt. but the leaning could also mean that the pool was poorly constructed and the shell might not be sound, but that's jumping ahead.
Check your patio/deck. if it's a masonary patio, make sure that there is an expansion joint of at least 1/2" between the patio and the coping/shell. expansion joint is a space left in between, usually filled with some sort of flexible sealer. this allows the patio to move without pushing on the wall of the pool and pop your tiles off.
If you have proper expansion joint, then the tiles and leaning are probably caused by poor construction techniques. maybe not enough, or no rebar, poor concrete mix, or it burnt a little before they shot it.
before you take any course of action, you need to determine what actually caused the problems. you don't want to rip the pool out only to discover that it was fine and that a poor or missing expansion joint caused your problems.
I almost forgot...the leaning of your pool...is the high side higher than the surrounding patio, or lower. if it's higher, then some sort of undeground water condition (water table or underground stream) could have "popped" it.
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I am very new at this...the DIY Inground Pool with the vinyl liner hasn't even arrived yet. Here is my dilemma. I researched doing it myself and being a gal who can do most tasks on her own didn't think the pool process would be too difficult but when I decided to hire someone for the pool bottom concrete/vermiculite I couldn't find anyone. The one and only estimate was higher than the actual pool! $7000. The walls are panels. Don't get me wrong, I do have a great contractor that helps me but he is unfamiliar with vermiculite and doesn't want to 'try' it. I thought maybe a very hard tamped sand bottom might work. Any thoughts. I am in Pennsylvania so the ground moving isn't a real issue...at least not yet. If I use sand how thick should it be? Fine or grittier? What would the downside be?
I've read alot of the pages here and you guys can be tough...be nice, okay?
Here on Long Island, NY, there are not a lot of vermiculite hard bottom pools. If you tamp them hard, sand bottom pools are fine and you can get very sharp crispy lines too. I know because I have personally installed about 50 vinyl liners in sand only bottom pools. However, the hardbottom is better. the main reason is that when the time comes to change the liner, it is so much easier. on a 20 x 40, it can take 2 guys 2-3 hours to rettrowel sand. with hardbottom, you could do the whole job in that amount of time.
I have no idea why the hard bottom never really caught on here. Maybe because it's such a "boom" area and contractors had more work than they could handle? sand bottom is certianly less work/time at initial install.
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I am looking for direction on securing a pool cover on my pool. My pool is surrounded by grass with no decking except the coping around the pool. I don't want to use a cover for the winter with water bags. Is it possible to secure a mesh cover with stakes and not void the warranty?
Yes you can. but it's not easy. the individual anchors for the cover should be anchored into concrete.
The best way I have seen is to obtain, with your cover, or from your cover manufacturer,what's called 'anchor in pipe' assembly. it's a standard mesh cover masonary anchor machine pressed into an 18" long aluminum tube. This alone won't make the cover safe or wear resistant. Fit the cover to the pool and simply hammer the assemblies in. once you are satisfied with anchor placement and fit of cover, get a can of marking paint. mark each anchor point. Then the digging begins. What you want is to anchor the assemblies into concrete. If it were me, I would get some 3" pvc to use as forms. I would cut them so they were at least 20" long and sink them into the ground at every anchor point. then fill with cement, insert anchor and pipe, pass go and collect 200 dollars!
The reality is that most people will just whack the anchor in pipes into the grass and call it done. while this works, the cover always ends up saggy once it gets a snow load on it, once the snow melts, the cover is loose because the anchors got pulled in. Also, consider that failure to anchor at least 80% of your anchors properly will not only void your safety warranty, but also your wear warranty. These mesh covers have hard plastic wear guards sewn in on the seams at the outer edges. these are there to prevent your coping from wearing holes in the cover. once the cover gets loose, there is too much movement and possibility of the cover moving so much that you are no longer riding on the wear straps.
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Well the only problem is the 6.8-7.0 which leaves a tiny window for mistake. Keeping a 20,000 gallon pool between the two is hard to do. Now they make a carbondioxide buffer for the PH so no worries.
agreed, especially in a gunite (plaster,cement, what have you) you will be adding a lot of acid to keep it that low. It's not so much work in keeping that level that concerns me, it's the fact that it's pretty low. I know it's nuetral, but your heater manufacturer might have something to say about that. No heate company will warranty a heate exchanger that has a hole in it from low ph. Not saying that it will happen for certain, but when keeping traditonal levels of ph (7.2-76 like we have been doing since forever) there is more room forever, if it dips down a bit it's still above 7. mainting 7.0 leaves no room for error. bear in mind that most pool heaters have heat exchangers with multiple "passes" which is a fancy of saying that the tubes get small and the water speeds up. this can "scour" the heat exchanger and wear a hole in it with low ph. most heat exchangers are actually designed to do this a little to prevent scaling or build up in the tubes.
just saying "be careful"
Incidentally, Ecosmarte came in and did a presentation for us and they seemed very knowledgeable and the product shows promise.
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DKN1997,
Great stuff here. It was helpful to hear of the various approaches that you've taken over the years based on your experience. Good point that a two motor system gives you a built-in spare in case your filter motor burns out. Sounds like a single motor ain't gonna cut it, especially a 1HP. I do know he uses individual 2" lines for everything, so maybe he's thinking I could upgrade the spa pump in the future. I'll take your advice and ask him more questions.
Best regards,
-joel
Hey Joel, actually a single motor should cut it, but you have to know what you are doing when it comes to plumbing the filter system for it. with the correct check valves and properly sized plumbing and tees', a single 2-3hp pump should do fine. We rarely use 2 speed pumps, so I am not up to date on what the ratings are for low/high hp. If you could get one that ran on 1/2 or 3/4 hp on low and then could switch to 2 or 3hp on high, that would be chaep to run, it might not be cheaper to build, though ,since you are adding costs for extra valves, check valves, and a 2 speed pump is more expensive than a single. you do save on some plumbing running from filter system to spa, so it might be a wash.
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Howdy ya'll,
I'm new on the board. We're in the planning stages of a new pool, and talking to a couple of pool companies. The pool will be approx 35' x 14'. It will have a 6x7 spa at one end that spills over into the pool.
Company A gave us a bid with a single pump -- a 1 HP Jandy which would operate both pool and spa. Company B says they'd use a 2HP pump to drive the spa, and another 1HP pump for the pool filter.
Other than a bit of added complexity, is there any reason I wouldn't want a 2 pump system? Is a 1HP pump adequate for a spa?
Thanks in advance!
-joel
We have been building pool/spa combos for 20 years using seperate pumps. We started out by using a 1hp or 1.5hp pump (2" lines) for filter pump, then [2] 2hp pumps for 8 booster jets in the spa. each booster had it's own dedicated 2" suction and the returns were tee's together in a loop in the spa. then we discovered that while we get good flow, it's a bit overkill trying to push that much water through 8 tiny orifices in the spa heads. We then moved on to using a single 3hp booster with a 3" suction and a 3" return bushed down right at the spa itself. This flowed just as well as the previous 2 pump arrangement.
Now, We have done some a third way, we will use a single 2.5 hp pump for the filter and heater, but now the spa filter suction line is 3", and in between the pump and filter is a valved bypass that connects up to another 3" return going back to the jets. this avoids putting too much water through the heater/filtr, yet lets you use a large enough pump to get the "action" you want in the spa. Definately not energy efficient.
i will say that with our customers, energy consumption is not an issue that they ask about. So in your case, the two speed pump would be pretty good. with the right bypasses and controller, you could run it on low speed in pool mode and move valves and switch to hight speed in spa mode.
in my opinion, a 1hp pump is not enough to get good flow out a spa like the size you are talking about.
also, I mentioned 3 ways to do it, there are probably a few more. out of your two proposals, company b's seems better to me. go with that and maybe subsitute a two speed pump for the filter system.
another added benefit from my standpoint (service manager) I like the two pump system because if you use the same model pump, in a pinch if the filter pump goes down, you can always swap the booster pump for it on the pad to get a customer through a holiday weekend if you have to order a pump or it's 8pm friday night, know what i mean?
No matter how you go, I would ask the builder to run at least 2" lines for everything. this way you can change pump sizes to get the flow you want. one thing you can never do is get more water through a skinny pipe, the laws of physics are against you there. you can always easily solve a high water flow problem by downsizing a pump, but you cannot solve a poor waterflow problem by upsizing a pump with too small of a line.
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I am in the process of getting bids for the construction of an in ground pool, and one of the pool companies that has provided me a bid uses Jandy pool and spa products almost exclusivly (when possible). Can anyone tell me anything about Jandy products and how they rate against their competitors?
Is anyone aware of a comprehensive comparison of the companies that make pool and spa equipment? It would be nice to see an unbiased review of pool products and how they differ in quality and warranty.
It has become apparent that pool builders have their favorite suppliers and do not like to deviate from what they use (for whatever reason, either relationships, trust, support, etc)
Thanks in advance for your comments and advice.
Chris
I am very biased because we sell Jandy. However, I have seen a lot of others and I can say that jandy is a really great company. We only sell their stuff because we think their stuff is quality and they give us great warranty service if we have problems, which is rare. service after the sale is huge. Jandy is one of the only companies we deal with that actually employs thier own technical field guys in all areas. If all else fails and my guys cannot figure out a problem, I know that the factory has my back. Better for us, Better for our customers.
The reason pool companies stick to their favorites is because all of this stuff will break eventually. any company that's in it for the long haul tries to stay with the same stuff because that's less inventory to keep and carry on trucks, less training for the men, etc... the service guys get very good at fixing/diagnosing problems when every job has the same stuff. they really get to know it well.
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When is the best time to replaster a pool ? Fall or Spring
if you live where it gets cold, spring. We prefer to run the pools with balanced water for at least a month or two before closing for the winter. sometimes a late fall dust job cannot be kept open that long.
plus, if you live where there is winter, you dont' want your nice fresh finish sitting all winter with some bits of debris/leaves on it.
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I can try to help and speak from my experience building pools in the Midwest. In regards to the plumbing lines when my company builds pools we plumb each line with its own valve. It sounds more like the first builder your talking about. There are many advantages, opening and closing the pool is easier, you can close down the main drains to get more suction while vacuuming. In terms of having more problems down the road with more plumbing lines in case they were to develop a leak I would disagree with your second builder saying that is more difficult to work on if there are more lines. The fact is with individually plumbed lines if you were to develop a leak you can isolate by plugging the return and or skimmer and closing the correct valve. Then the pool is still usable, not leaking, and you can determine what course of action need to be taken to repair the line. In practice gluing pvc isn’t all that difficult, and usually leaks don't just develop. If the pool isn't winterized properly you’re screwed either way, and no matter how its plumbed its not going to stop a line that has water in it, its probably going to break.
As for your second question about what backfill material to use, if your backfilling with pea gravel it essentially has the same effect that a drainage tile would have. Water will drain through it and not pool against the panels that make up the wall of your pool. While it wouldn’t hurt by any stretch, it seems a little redundant. If your builder is planning on using sand for backfill material then I would probably insist on a tile.
I don't know anything about retaining walls so I won't offer any opinions for your third question.
Hope this helps.
agreed, individual plumbing lines is the only way to go!! well....not the only way, but the best way. the old fashioned way of using t's to tie it all in and run just two lines to the system works fine and has for 40 years+. but the individual lines, as the builder told you, really make the water flow better and sure make it nice for the crew winterizing the pool. anyone who tries talking you out of it by saying there is more potential for leaks may not how to glue the pipe properly, or is old school form the days of using black poly pipe with mechanical (hose clamps/threaded) joints under ground. THOSE WILL FAIL EVENTUALLY. but modern pvc pipe is chemically bonded together. the chemicals clean the pipe as well as chemically melt it together. they previous poster was right, pvc pipe leaks just don't happen. always another cause. Now flexible pvc is another issue. Run far away from any builder who tries selling a job with flex. rigid pvc, glued joints will last longer than you will!!!
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I saw in a book on pools and spas a fiber optic set up that is more like a star field with the ends shining out all over the pool (bottom, side, etc). Does anyone have any information on this?
Thanks,
Greg
My company built the pool at the bottom page of the fiberstars site. it has 10,000 fiber optic lights in the bottom. it's the one that says "lighted star floor kits"
it's nice, but costs a ton of money should not be retrofitted. it can be done, but unless you have money to burn, not a good idea.
and you can cut the fibers with a knife, but it has to be heated. the amount of heat is a bit of a crap shoot, so a dedicated hot knife is the best choice, just not the only choice. I have
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I am planning to build a pool in Austin, TX. Does a heater make sense? What type? Solar looks good right now. I understand it can be used to cool the water in the summer. Anyone have experience with this? Thanks very much.
How do you plan on using the heat? If you plan on heating the pool all of the time, thereby maintaining a constant temp, then an electric heat pump makes sense. Solar can even accomplish this. but you are a victim to the will of nature. If you go solar, I would install a gas heater also. I would view solar as a way to lower your gas/electric/oil bill, but not as a primary means to heat a pool.
If you plan to heat it up rapidly prior to occasional use, then gas or oil fired is the way to go. a high efficiency gas or standard oil heater can raise your pool temp as much as 2 deg /hour. normal 80-82% efficiency gas heaters will raise it about 1 degree/hour.
fyi, 350,000 btu is the largest residential oil pool heater currently available.
400,000 is the largest residential oil pool heater currenly available.
oil heats faster than gas (not including high efficiency condensating gas heaters) because you get a little more btu's out of the fuel, but the heat exchanger has larger passages so you can pass more water through it in a given period of time.
there are no standard gas heaters that are more than 80-82 (maybe a bit higher but not much) thermal efficiency. they can make them better, but they start condensating and rotting out the heater. there are condensating gas heaters that are about 90% efficient, but they cost a fortune. but you can vent them with plastic pvc pipe, which is nice.
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Is there a way to test a heater thermocouple to see if it's bad?
get yourself a cheapie digital voltmeter, can be had for 20 cucks at home depot. set it for 2 on the dc volts scale. attach youmeter leads to the two wires coming off the pilot. ironicaly , the red one is the common, and the white one hot. does not really matter, but if you hook it up backwards, you will get the right reading, but there will be a - neg sign in front of it.
take the burner tray out, disassemble and clean the pilot tubing/orifice and reinstall. light it. step one in the verifacation process is to see if the pilot stays lit when you release the manual knob on gas valve. now at least you know it's creating enough voltage to energize the coil in the gas valve to keep pilot lit. with the heater switched off and the knob in the pilot position (always run all tests on a MV heater in "pilot") test it. you should get 4-500 millivolts. On an unloaded pilot (wires disconnected, holding knob down to keep pilot going) the reading should be higher, say 550-650.
some really old pilots used some sort of tube to transger the voltage from the pilot to the gas valve and then out to the safety circuit, if you have one of those, buy a new one.
if your pilot burns ok, but will not create enough voltage to pass the tests and fire heater, you can buy just the thermocouple part, or generator, as it's sometimes called.
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Was thinking of a pool of this kind. But the more that I have check into these kind of pools. There seems to be a bad flaw. If you order the pool with those walk in plastic steps you have a very good chance of having a leak along them. The amount of water pressure on the seal at the steps could blow out the seal if the liner is not cut out right. Then there is the matter of alinment. If you are not within a 1/4 to 1/2 side to side end to end and corner to oppiste corner the liner will be streched wronge will causing too much pressure on the seam at the steps also and or cause folds and strech marks in the pool liner. Imagen holding a 1x1x1 foot sandwich bag in the shape of a square filled with water. Think of all the forces you will have to cope with to maintain that shape. Holding it will destort it, the water will push out the sides, so you have to push them back in. It just can be done. It's the same with a pool of this kind. Yet if people reall want to get this kind of pool dont install the lights in the walls, leave out the bottom drain forget the steps. You then can clean it like a above ground pool and as for steps use the same kind as above ground. Not the lader kind the pedlestal type. I want to install a pool but untill we pay off our cars our dept ratio will not allow it. But we may just install a above ground pool instead. At least the frame can hold all sides of the bag and the ground can hold the bottom. When we feel it is right a cement pool would replace the above ground pool. Basicly all wave tec did was take the consept of a cinder block pool and install a liner inside to seal out leaks.None of this applies if you have somene above the age of 10 install the pool for you. Yeah, I am being dramatic, but it really is not rocket science to install a pool liner and not have it leak. Correct installation of the pool liner eliminates all of the above concerns. There literally millions of vinyl liner in ground pools across the country that dont' leak. can they leak around the steps and lights? sure. But so can a gunite (cement) pool. they have potential for leaks around skimmers, returns, lights. anywhere where the marbledust meets plastic/metal inlet fittings or lights. bottom line is that any pool will leak that is not built correctly.
Hayward Vs. Pentair
in All Swimming Pools Types
Posted
I don't believe pentair and hayward are the same. Hayward is very popular around here and I love their pumps. the H series heater is very reliable if you get the electronic version. don't get any heater that's millivolt (standing pilot) they still manufacture them, but don't go there if you can, especially on a new install where running another high voltage feed is very cheap and easy.
As far as pentair heaters, they used to be called Purex. Junk back then, and did not get better when pentair put their sticker on them. maybe they have come out with some new heater in the last year or two, but watch out for the minimax or mighty max or whatever they call it. bad heater and factory tech support is a joke.
You could also consider Jandy. thier pumps are ok, their filters are nice and the heaters are good too. excellent tech support and thier reps really take of the dealers. that means the dealer will take care of you and not try to weasel out of warranty claims because jandy pays parts/labor pretty much no questions asked. also, I feel that their aqualink controller is the best out there. I know the new eos is better on paper, but you cannot beat the aqualink for reliability and it's still a solid design. just expensive to upgrade because it's hardware based, meaning any significant upgrades require the purchase of chips.