Yes: Pools are worth it....

[GoPokes83 2,240]

Beer Drinker, that lawn is phenomenal considering how big that dog is! Well done!!

[Goofyboy 3,310]

Pentair ScreenLogic folks:

I changed from an Orbi WiFi 5 mesh system to an EEROS WiFi 6 system (ring alarm pro). And every thing else on my network is fine, except this. I can’t find it. The app will not connect to it at all. Anyone else deal with this?

[Damor 1,237]

I had the same thing happen when I changed mesh systems.  It doesn't make any sense to me, but I had to move the transmitter out of the network rack I had it in because it was no longer communicating with the receiver.  Check and see if the send/receive lights on the transmitter are active.

[Goofyboy 3,310]

The TX yellow light is flashing. I moved it to a direct connection with the router… nada. Put it back where it was and still nada.

[Damor 1,237]

Hmm, dunno then.  I assume you did the usual IT trope of power cycling it?  My pool guy had me do that including detaching the data cable for a minute, but I don't remember if that made much of a difference since my issue was with signal strength.

[kmac30 416]

Pool put in last year. Before I could get grass down we had some big rain and the water drained from the red clay to my pool deck drains. Travertine got stained. Other places also got stained but they have either faded or I was able to clean them. This one area is constant.

After rain last week I noticed the area was wet while everything had dried. Water is coming through behind a retaining wall. Figure this can’t be good, but it’s probably also not that bad. Pool builder said he would have deck guy come check it out. Is this just part of the deal or should this not be happening.

In the pic, the water is coming out just to the right of the steps. I would sweep it away or dry with a towel and 10 min later it’s puddles again.

[TexasEd 8,145]

On 4/23/2023 at 3:27 PM, Goofyboy said:

Pentair ScreenLogic folks:

I changed from an Orbi WiFi 5 mesh system to an EEROS WiFi 6 system (ring alarm pro). And every thing else on my network is fine, except this. I can’t find it. The app will not connect to it at all. Anyone else deal with this?

I have Jandy with Eero  but might be the same problem.  I had to create a guest network for the pool equipment.  Don't ask me why but it worked.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,441]

On 4/23/2023 at 3:27 PM, Goofyboy said:

Pentair ScreenLogic folks:

I changed from an Orbi WiFi 5 mesh system to an EEROS WiFi 6 system (ring alarm pro). And every thing else on my network is fine, except this. I can’t find it. The app will not connect to it at all. Anyone else deal with this?

disclaimer - I don't have Pentair setup...

Try resetting the adapter using a paper clip on the reset slot. Apparently must press in 3 times within a few seconds for it to reset. Say it should vibrate to indicate it's resetting.  That should force it to pickup a new IP address from Eero router that works. And should be able to connect via app then.

 

What's likely going on:

The likely issue is going to be the protocol adapter has an IP address from old wifi network that won't work on new network. Basically the adapter IP gets "stuck".

Orbi will give it an IP address like: 192.168.1.x and Eero will need it to have something like 192.168.4.x.   ie. Eero can't see it.

If computer/network savvy could also connect directly from computer to adapter, give your computer an ip like: 192.168.1.50 and then run network cable between computer and adapter to try and login and change IP address of the adapter through the pentair software.

[Mother mopar 3,343]

My spa (connected to the pool) has 5 jets and only 1 is barely working now. I thought it was air trapped in the lines, bleed that out, checked all baskets for trash, the water level is good in the pool. Checked the seals and O-ring on the pump, all good.

My guess is there is an obstruction, anything I'm missing?

[TexasEd 8,145]

33 minutes ago, Mother mopar said:

My spa (connected to the pool) has 5 jets and only 1 is barely working now. I thought it was air trapped in the lines, bleed that out, checked all baskets for trash, the water level is good in the pool. Checked the seals and O-ring on the pump, all good.

My guess is there is an obstruction, anything I'm missing?

A few thoughts:

• Unscrew the jets and check them.  Can you snake a drain cleaner up the pipes?
• Is the pump on high speed?
• Do you have valves for the spa pump that divert water between the pool and spa?  Is it switched all the way to spa?
• Check the air line for the bubbles could something have crawled in it and built a nest?

Your water looks very cloudy.

[Mother mopar 3,343]

A few thoughts:

• Unscrew the jets and check them.  Can you snake a drain cleaner up the pipes?
• Is the pump on high speed?
• Do you have valves for the spa pump that divert water between the pool and spa?  Is it switched to the spa?
• Check the airline for the bubbles could something have crawled in it and built a nest?

Your water looks very cloudy.

Can't unscrew the jets w/o fear of breaking them as they're just plastic. I haven't tried the snake cleaner yet but it's on my to-do list. I looked in the airline and didn't see anything from the blower motor side but not to say something isn't further along down the line.

The water is cloudy as chemicals were just added, calcium. I have a variable-speed pump that runs at 1700 rpm.

I went out this morning and messed with the spa drain and fill valves to see if anything changes, now I've got another jet working...w/bubbles. This all makes me think it's trapped air. I looked at the pump housing lid as well and my air pocket bubble is a lot bigger this morning compared to the previous picture I posted.


Update: seems to be calcium build-up pieces that have dislodged and worked their way down the lines and are stuck.

[TexasEd 8,145]

11 hours ago, Mother mopar said:

 

 

Can't unscrew the jets w/o fear of breaking them as they're just plastic. I haven't tried the snake cleaner yet but it's on my to-do list. I looked in the airline and didn't see anything from the blower motor side but not to say something isn't further along down the line.

The water is cloudy as chemicals were just added, calcium. I have a variable-speed pump that runs at 1700 rpm.

I went out this morning and messed with the spa drain and fill valves to see if anything changes, now I've got another jet working...w/bubbles. This all makes me think it's trapped air. I looked at the pump housing lid as well and my air pocket bubble is a lot bigger this morning compared to the previous picture I posted.


Update: seems to be calcium build-up pieces that have dislodged and worked their way down the lines and are stuck.

 

I’m surprised 1700 rpm would be more than thre pressure of kitchen sink.  My pump runs around 3400 in spa mode..  Good luck cleaning the lines

[Okie State 3,857]

Yeah 1,700 wouldn't do much on my spa. I usually run it in the high 2,000 to low 3,000 range for that.

[Mother mopar 3,343]

Good catch guys, I stand corrected, in normal operating mode the motor runs at 1700rpm but in spa mode, it runs at 3450rpms.

[lonestar3 274]

On 4/18/2023 at 1:04 PM, Your Mom said:

That looks great.  But let’s be honest, a wall that obscures the neighbors’ view into the hot tub was never really about having a place to hang a TV was it?

Hahaha. The neighbors that live on that side use that as their 2nd home, so their presence is only an issue twice a year or so. Had I known that then, I would have built it on the other side and put an end to the awkwardness of watching the other neighbor blowing up his pool and filling it with a hose while we're swimming. 

[Rimbo 26,434]

today i learned that my algae problems aren't entirely my fault, but that there are different kinds of algae, and the kind I'm dealing with, "black" algae, is the hardest to eradicate

gonna be spending lots of money on chemicals and water to get this dealt with 🤬

[DaysOff 8,005]

My folks got that one year when they went on a 2 week vacation, and counted on their 18 year old son to take care of the pool properly. Black algae is the worst. No racist.

[Rimbo 26,434]

15 minutes ago, DaysOff said:

My folks got that one year when they went on a 2 week vacation, and counted on their 18 year old son to take care of the pool properly. Black algae is the worst. No racist.

I'm like... the package says "one pound for every 10k gallons, twice as much for algae," why isn't it working?

Because you need 4x as much for black algae. That's why.

Oh.

[Rimbo 26,434]

Mind you, this is one day AFTER scrubbing, 6 pounds of shock, and an entire 32oz bottle of algae killer.

And if I tell you it looks better than it did yesterday, you get the idea.

You can see where the drains on both sides overflow when I purge the filter... which I pretty much have to do every hour, or the pump just gets stuck on clogged shit and nothing flows.

Oh, and don't mind the drywall and construction stuff, we're having some remodeling done, too...

Edited May 1, 2023 by Rimbo

[fattyflattie 4,639]

1 hour ago, Rimbo said:

Mind you, this is one day AFTER scrubbing, 6 pounds of shock, and an entire 32oz bottle of algae killer.

And if I tell you it looks better than it did yesterday, you get the idea.

You can see where the drains on both sides overflow when I purge the filter... which I pretty much have to do every hour, or the pump just gets stuck on clogged shit and nothing flows.

Oh, and don't mind the drywall and construction stuff, we're having some remodeling done, too...

Holy shit.  We’ve got a few black algae spots on our plaster. Maybe a dozen that creeped up one week, about the size of a nickel or quarter each. I put some of those little 1” pucks on them for a few hours, moved it off and scrubbed it, then onto the next one. It’s been crushing them.  But the water is clear and normal, just some spots on the white plaster.  It’s a bitch for sure, but largely because it’s super localized to these little spots. 

[Rimbo 26,434]

16 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

Holy shit.  We’ve got a few black algae spots on our plaster. Maybe a dozen that creeped up one week, about the size of a nickel or quarter each. I put some of those little 1” pucks on them for a few hours, moved it off and scrubbed it, then onto the next one. It’s been crushing them.  But the water is clear and normal, just some spots on the white plaster.  It’s a bitch for sure, but largely because it’s super localized to these little spots. 

What you describe is what my pool looked like last week. I was keeping it covered, so I didn't realize the fuckery I was about to face until this weekend.

[fattyflattie 4,639]

20 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

What you describe is what my pool looked like last week. I was keeping it covered, so I didn't realize the fuckery I was about to face until this weekend.

Oh God.   Some of these spots have been there for a month or better.  Appreciate the heads up, I’ve got about half of them knocked out over the last week 

[Rimbo 26,434]

1 hour ago, fattyflattie said:

Oh God.   Some of these spots have been there for a month or better.  Appreciate the heads up, I’ve got about half of them knocked out over the last week 

godspeed, flattyfattie. We may have disagreed on politics, but against black algae, we are brothers in arms

[freyguy 4,322]

3 hours ago, Rimbo said:

Mind you, this is one day AFTER scrubbing, 6 pounds of shock, and an entire 32oz bottle of algae killer.

And if I tell you it looks better than it did yesterday, you get the idea.

You can see where the drains on both sides overflow when I purge the filter... which I pretty much have to do every hour, or the pump just gets stuck on clogged shit and nothing flows.

Oh, and don't mind the drywall and construction stuff, we're having some remodeling done, too...

Dude, drain that shit.  Then power wash, refill, and then load it up with chlorine again.

[Rimbo 26,434]

4 minutes ago, freyguy said:

Dude, drain that shit.  Then power wash, refill, and then load it up with chlorine again.

Can't. Pool... doesn't have an actual drain. It does, sorta, but I've got no idea where it goes.

Also, I live in the desert. I don't think I can afford the water cost!

Edited May 2, 2023 by Rimbo

[Rimbo 26,434]

It's worth adding... this isn't the first time I've had to do this. Ask me about Spring of '21...

[williemackgarza 1,826]

Pool put in last year. Before I could get grass down we had some big rain and the water drained from the red clay to my pool deck drains. Travertine got stained. Other places also got stained but they have either faded or I was able to clean them. This one area is constant.

After rain last week I noticed the area was wet while everything had dried. Water is coming through behind a retaining wall. Figure this can’t be good, but it’s probably also not that bad. Pool builder said he would have deck guy come check it out. Is this just part of the deal or should this not be happening.

In the pic, the water is coming out just to the right of the steps. I would sweep it away or dry with a towel and 10 min later it’s puddles again.

You have a pic from further away from this area? Maybe putting in a trench drain around the wall to get water outta the area behind the steps? U have a leak or is it just ground water from up the hill behind the steps? Hard to tell without a pic

[KeysPhoneWallet 807]

I have the same situation. I’ve been given the joy of responsibility for my MIL’s pool and have had it get like that a few times. It’s also 25 years old and needs to be resurfaced which will one day come out of my pocket, so for now I’m patching plaster holes as they pop up.

If you wanna drain that sucker, go to harbor freight and get a cheap sump pump…

[Your Mom 4,869]

KPW is scaring the shit out of me.  About to go pour in some chlorine whether I need it or not.  

[Rimbo 26,434]

Day 3: How it started...

At least it's turquoise instead of dark green. That's progress. Have now dropped 12 pounds of shock in there.

Got to the point where I was having to purge the filter every half hour, so I finally gave up and disassembled the whole thing to clean it completely. The spice must flow...

 

Come to think of it, the filter being clogged and water not flowing is probably what allowed the algae to grow in the first place.

[freyguy 4,322]

Coulda had that suckered drained and power washed by now....

Edited May 2, 2023 by freyguy

[Rimbo 26,434]

1 minute ago, freyguy said:

Coulda had that suckered drained and power washed by now....

Yeah, but like I said, then I'd have to pay for it.

[freyguy 4,322]

Oh, you're paying for it....

But good luck.  We've got our fingers crossed for you

[fattyflattie 4,639]

4 hours ago, Rimbo said:

Have now dropped 12 pounds of shock in there.

 

Oof. I was freaking out because I put a half dozen on those 1” pucks in there.  

[Rimbo 26,434]

3 hours ago, freyguy said:

Oh, you're paying for it....

But good luck.  We've got our fingers crossed for you

I mean, yeah, but this is like, what... $120 in chemicals, total? The water to fill the pool up alone from scratch is at least $130. That's just the water. (I actually looked up my bill and did math for this.)

 

18 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

Oof. I was freaking out because I put a half dozen on those 1” pucks in there.  

Oh, the algae will consume the chlorine as it dies painfully.

But... yeah. Filter. Clear out your filters, folks.

[fattyflattie 4,639]

2 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

I mean, yeah, but this is like, what... $120 in chemicals, total? The water to fill the pool up alone from scratch is at least $130. That's just the water. (I actually looked up my bill and did math for this.)

 

Oh, the algae will consume the chlorine as it dies painfully.

But... yeah. Filter. Clear out your filters, folks.

I just did mine about 2 weeks ago. But agree, clean filters make a big difference on the pump and how much it’s flowing. Or how easily.  

[Rimbo 26,434]

Just now, fattyflattie said:

I just did mine about 2 weeks ago. But agree, clean filters make a big difference on the pump and how much it’s flowing. Or how easily.  

Yeah, and having the water moving makes it less likely for algae to take hold... which is why I'm now thinking, "Oh. Shit. Maybe I should've cleaned the filter two months ago when I was cleaning up the pool for the Spring." The algae wasn't even this bad then!

[Rimbo 26,434]

DAY 4

@fattyflattie, like I said ... that much algae will consume the chlorine:

That's a yellow that's slightly below 5.0.

Water's a milky cyan now. It's basically all over but the vacuuming; vacuum needs to scoop up all the dead algae bits, a few more algae bits need to die. I feel comfortable putting the solar cover back on and check tomorrow; once the water temperature has heated up and the vacuum and pump and remaining free chlorine have done their jobs.

This weekend, I'll clear out the filter again, and we should be good to swim in it as soon as the water gets back up to a decent temp.

[DaysOff 8,005]

Nice work, man.

[fattyflattie 4,639]

That’s awesome you have it under control.  We’ve still been knocking out 6-8 spots a day, then checking chlorine levels.   My water is crystal clear, it’s just got a few of those damn dots on the bottom.   I think I’ll have it licked by next week, and if lot, I might try and shock it.   I’m a saltwater guy that’s only been doing this a year, so I’m nowhere near a chemist. 

[Rimbo 26,434]

Yeah, cleaning the filter out completely was the secret sauce. I knew the filter was due, but fooled myself into thinking that I could put it off and just backwash until the algae was gone. Because I'll probably have to do it AGAIN once the pool has completely recovered, for all the bits that just got cleaned out. That, and the lack of flow from the filter being clogged is most likely why the algae bloomed so much so fast in the first place.

Did I mention I got a newer, better pool vacuum this year? That's probably why and how it got clogged so much... I never cleaned the filter after I killed the algae and vacuumed it last month.

 

[KeysPhoneWallet 807]

Day 3: How it started...

At least it's turquoise instead of dark green. That's progress. Have now dropped 12 pounds of shock in there.
Got to the point where I was having to purge the filter every half hour, so I finally gave up and disassembled the whole thing to clean it completely. The spice must flow...
 
Come to think of it, the filter being clogged and water not flowing is probably what allowed the algae to grow in the first place.

If you have a vacuum then just flock it

[kmac30 416]

You have a pic from further away from this area? Maybe putting in a trench drain around the wall to get water outta the area behind the steps? U have a leak or is it just ground water from up the hill behind the steps? Hard to tell without a pic

Pool builders deck guy came by yesterday. There is more wall to the left in that picture (other side of steps). There’s French drain all along the other side. Why they didn’t put it where my problem is doesn’t make sense. He said best option would be adding French drain or leveling out the yard more. I’m definitely not an expert, but the ground shape doesn’t seem to be causing that much problems.

[TexasEd 8,145]

On 5/3/2023 at 1:33 PM, Rimbo said:

Yeah, cleaning the filter out completely was the secret sauce. I knew the filter was due, but fooled myself into thinking that I could put it off and just backwash until the algae was gone. Because I'll probably have to do it AGAIN once the pool has completely recovered, for all the bits that just got cleaned out. That, and the lack of flow from the filter being clogged is most likely why the algae bloomed so much so fast in the first place.

Did I mention I got a newer, better pool vacuum this year? That's probably why and how it got clogged so much... I never cleaned the filter after I killed the algae and vacuumed it last month.

 

Yeah, clean the filter again. I do it in early spring every year. I should do it again after all the pollen we had this year 

[HiggyBaby 2,559]

My fellow Plano pool owners , sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
The local pool supply place has gone to the dark side

[Bevo 13,635]

On 5/2/2023 at 10:01 PM, Rimbo said:

Yeah, and having the water moving makes it less likely for algae to take hold... which is why I'm now thinking, "Oh. Shit. Maybe I should've cleaned the filter two months ago when I was cleaning up the pool for the Spring." The algae wasn't even this bad then!

I've had tons of pool problems lately and it has cost me a fortune. Things are looking up, though. When we built the pool, there was a pre-existing covered deck without gutters. So when it rains, tons of gravel and water flood the pool. Because of this, we get algae and broken pool equipment from the flooding. I've hired a lot of different pool guys and they have all kind of sucked. The last guy came to clean the pool filter, but he texted me that it was too dirty to clean and their price for replacement was $1000 plus labor. When I came home, our flex garden hose was broken and water was pouring out of the filter. So, I turned off the pumps and ordered $200 filters from Amazon. On Sunday, I replaced the salt water chlorinator, cleaned the drain by the pool equipment, replaced the pool filters and added pool salt and shock. The pool looks much better today, but I wonder if I should clean the filters after only a day's use since there was significant algae in the pool.

Next weekend, I am going to cut the deck roof back and make it straight vs the multi-rounded design that is there now. Then, I'll have someone install gutters and I should be good to go. It's been a battle because of shitty labor, but now that I have the impetus to do it myself we should be good for the summer.

[Rimbo 26,434]

On the bright side, after one more filter cleanup, my pool is nearly in fighting shape; needs a little vacuuming and a little more heat, but it's otherwise good to go!

[fattyflattie 4,639]

Still fighting tons of 1/4” black spots randomly in the bottom.  Still chunking chlorine at it.  I’m giving it another week, then will drain and pressure wash. Tired of fucking with it. 

[Bevo 13,635]

21 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

Still fighting tons of 1/4” black spots randomly in the bottom.  Still chunking chlorine at it.  I’m giving it another week, then will drain and pressure wash. Tired of fucking with it. 

easiest is to jump in the pool and take chlorine tablets and rub the spots with the tablets. shocking won't work.

[fattyflattie 4,639]

1 minute ago, Bevo said:

easiest is to jump in the pool and take chlorine tablets and rub the spots with the tablets. shocking won't work.

I've been letting the tablets lie on the spots for ~12 hours, then brushing immediately after that, and moving the tab over to another spot and repeating.  The problem is there are probably ~100 spots that are 1/16" to 1/4" maybe?   I've been doing this daily for the last 10+ days.  At some point, it becomes faster to just wash and start over, I'd believe?