What Kind of Pool (Phoenix: heat pump, living, restaurant)

[esiebert7625]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

That is the sign of a failing cell that needs to be replaced. If you're letting your pool guy add salt you're going to be screwed when you finally replace the cell as your salt level is going to be way to high and the new cell is going to give you and error for too much salt.

Your pool guy should know this and I would find a new pool guy if he was adding salt to solve this problem. Salt does not evaporate with the water so it is impossible for it to "bounce" from 3000ppm to 2500ppm unless you're draining water.

Get a new cell and pool guy and your problems will be solved.

Also, I purchased a Hayward T-Cell-15 for around $350 six months ago. Don't know what brand yours is but you should be able to find it for less than $500 online.

Thanks, will have to chat with him about it next time he's out

[lewdog_5]

Originally Posted by boumer

Gosh it just seems like you have to be a chemist to figure all these things out. Does it just come with the territory of owning a pool that you learn how to maintain all these things and keep your water balanced? I really hate learning things the hard way as it usually means money out of pocket. Are there classes you can go to?

Somebody in here mentioned a borax treatement. What does that do for the pool?

I became a first time pool owner this February and have maintained it myself since then without one problem with the chemicals of the water "going bad." It's just a basic chlorine pool with in-floor cleaning system and cartridge filter system. I did pay to have a pool guy come out to do some basic maintenance when we bought the house. He did some testing to get me going in the right direction and added chemicals to start me off right as we also drained it to start fresh. He basically told me that most chemicals the pool stores try to sell you aren't needed. He told me to take my fresh water, which he had just set with good values, and take it to a few local pool stores to see if they'd lie to me about the readings. Took it to two un-named businesses here in Litchfield Park. One told me it looked like the chemicals where good to go. The other told me my CYA was really high and that was good (which isn't true), and that I just needed to buy their Chlorine tabs to keep that level high.

It's clear which of these gets the rest of my business if I have questions.

Other than that, I maintain my pool without even really using tabs. Although when the Monsoons hit, I float one 3" tab a week. I read up on line about how to maintain a chlorine pool and bought my own test kit for around $80.

I check the Chlorine level and pH every few days as I like to keep my levels steady and the fact I don't use tabs means to Chlorine can burn up quickly in this heat. I add liquid chlorine as needed when testing and Muriatic Acid to lower the pH. The Borax you mention will raise your pH but also allow you to reduce your Total Alkalinity needed to stabilize your chemicals better. I'll check the total alkalinity every few weeks and add Regular Baking Soda as needed if my TA lowers. It's pretty simple as they tell you how much to add based on your readings. And if you test every few days, it's easy to adjust and avoid wild swings that may lead to a green pool or problems.

It really is easy and doesn't take much time if you just stay on top of it. I spend 5 minutes every few days skimming the surface and checking my chemicals. Other than that, it's been more hands off than I expected maintaining it myself.

[esiebert7625]

A good place to go for pool advice and info is the Trouble Free Pool forums:
Trouble Free Pool

I love reading through the pool build threads there, neat to follow the complete process and see the cool designs and challenges that people have when building a pool:
Under Construction

One really cool one I've been following is this massive DIY pool build in Phoenix:
New DIY Pool in Phoenix

[Saguarogirl507]

I swim five days a week at my local town pool which is the salt type. I love that I never smell of chlorine, and my suits are in much better shape than in a regular chlorine pool. If I ever get a home with a pool, I will go for the salt type.

[Phxrider]

No pools,,,I hate mine,,its a pain in the rear to maintain and in the middle of the day in August the water is 90 degrees and my backyard is stifiling hot. If I didnt think my house would loose value I would fill it in.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Phxrider

No pools,,,I hate mine,,its a pain in the rear to maintain and in the middle of the day in August the water is 90 degrees and my backyard is stifiling hot. If I didnt think my house would loose value I would fill it in.

I hear ya. It was great when the kids were little but now it is nothing but a nuisance, even with the ease of automated this and that. A pool would be about the last thing I would recommend to people retiring here. A spa maybe, but not a pool.

[esiebert7625]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I hear ya. It was great when the kids were little but now it is nothing but a nuisance, even with the ease of automated this and that. A pool would be about the last thing I would recommend to people retiring here. A spa maybe, but not a pool.

I bought a hot tub once back in CO because I always wanted one, had it for about 5 years and only used it about 2 dozen times. Always seemed to find some reason not to go out and use it.

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by Phxrider

No pools,,,I hate mine,,its a pain in the rear to maintain and in the middle of the day in August the water is 90 degrees and my backyard is stifiling hot. If I didnt think my house would loose value I would fill it in.

I think there are just as many people wanting to buy homes with a pool as there are people wanting to avoid them.

My parents had a big pool and filled it in after we got out of high school since we didn't use it anymore. They planned to live in their home for a while and I think figured for the long run cost of maintenance, electricity, the expensive of having to refinish the pool etc., they really didn't lose much/if any money when the day came to sell the house.

[BlueCat1105]

Originally Posted by esiebert7625

I bought a hot tub once back in CO because I always wanted one, had it for about 5 years and only used it about 2 dozen times. Always seemed to find some reason not to go out and use it.

And we're on our second one. We love our hot tub and use it regularly.

[esiebert7625]

Originally Posted by BlueCat1105

And we're on our second one. We love our hot tub and use it regularly.

If it was in my living room in front of my TV I'd probably be in it all the time. ;-)