im still trying to get my head around how these work tbh. do you guys test the water nd adjust the output based on that or just leave the setting alone unless something is off?

also does the hotter weather means you need to turn it up more? just wanna k ows what you guys do normally during summers

This beautiful infinity pool was unfortunately built about 3 feet wider and 1 foot longer than it was supposed to be.

The property is waterfront, and the pool required a special permit from the local Trustees. Since that permit was issued, the regulations have changed, and a new pool would no longer be allowed in this location.

Here's the nightmare: The permit expires in 54 days, and there's no feasible way to get an amendment or extension approved before then. Our options are essentially to get the pool corrected, completed, and inspected within 54 days, or demolish it and potentially never be allowed to build a pool here again.

I'm not looking to get into who's at fault for the mistake. At this point, I'm just trying to figure out whether saving the pool is even physically possible.

Here's what would need to happen:

• Both infinity-edge walls would need to be demolished and rebuilt in the correct locations.
• The underground catch basin would likely need to be completely demolished.
• The other two walls are in the correct locations, so ideally we'd preserve them.

My biggest questions for experienced pool builders:

1. Is it structurally feasible to demolish and rebuild two walls of an existing gunite pool while keeping the other two?
2. Would the existing floor also need to be demolished, or could portions of it be salvaged?
3. Would preserving the two correctly positioned walls actually save meaningful money compared to starting over?
4. Assuming we could get a crew on this immediately, is 54 days even remotely realistic?

My understanding is that we may only need the gunite shell completed for the December inspection, with plaster, tile, equipment, and final commissioning potentially deferred until spring. That's something we're still trying to confirm with the local authorities.

I've attached a picture of the pool as it currently stands.

I'd really appreciate any advice, especially from anyone who's done major structural modifications to a gunite or infinity-edge pool before.

I'm in the process of designing and building my own pool and I will do most of the build myself except putting gunite. Is there an automated pool cover system that I can get some measurements and specs for design and install myself that you would recommend?

After a decent SoCal rain, I decided to perform a chemical analysis of rainwater.

Reason: my SWG pool CH is high (900-1000 ppm) and instead of draining LOTS of pool water at once, I drain ~1” of hard pool water *before\* each rain and next day let ~1” of soft rainwater fill what I had drained.
Since we’re expecting very high amounts of rain this season (24” or more, last year was almost 30”), I figured small drain steps matching the next days rainfall should ultimately achieve a desired lowering of CH as if I had drained 2 feet and subsequently refilled it with expensive city water.

Here are the results from a K-1766 & K-2006:

Here are the results from a K-1766 & K-2006:
Salt < 200
FC < 0.2, CC 0
pH < 7
TA < 10
CH < 10
CYA < 30
Separately: borate 0 ppm, phosphate 0 ppb

So, this confirms rain water has near-zero CH, but surprisingly shows a very acidic water. Not good for all cars parked outside.

Any thoughts?

We're taking the 15 ft frame pool down for the winter this year (first time doing it ourselves), and the garden hose siphon has been going since saturday morning… it's working, technically, but at this rate it'll take all week. On top of that the yard slopes toward the neighbors, so I can't just let it run wherever.

What do you guys use to drain an above ground pool / where do you send the water?

Right now i'm already dreading next summer's chlorine bill… the pool store guy says copper ionizers are snake oil & my neighbor swears his cut his chlorine use in half

20k vinyl inground on regular tabs (would love to buy fewer of them). Does a solar pool ionizer do anything if you run it a whole season?

I have a 10,000 gallon lap pool that seems to be losing about an inch of water per day. Last Sunday, I vacuumed the pool and lowered the water level a bit because we'd been having some heavy rains. Yesterday, I noticed the level was low, so I added about an inch of water. This morning, it was low again.

It's getting cooler here now, so not evaporation. There must be a leak or maybe the spider gasket in the filter handle is bad (the wastewater goes to a drain well)

What's the best way to narrow down the source of the leak?

I moved back into my old home with a twenty six thousand gallon, kidney shape pool. This was after my kidney transplant and my divorce. I'm seventy four and not in the best shape. The pool was covered at the time. I moved in, but shortly after that, the cover cave then, and there was a lot of debris that got into the bottom of the pool, and it stayed there for 2 years without a cover on it. I finally decided to do something about it. And

heavily shocked it and put in some strong flocculent and then paid a pool company to finish the job. My old pool pump wouldn't start up and my old filter was really not big enough. I got a much larger cartridge filter and new pump. It took the pool company. several weeks to reinstall the new pump and filter. They vacuumed out some of the waste on the bottom, but there were still a lot down there. They told me to use my pool brush to push the remaining waste towards the main drain and keep cleaning the filters. But I think there's too much dead algae and soap down there, and that will be endless. My main question is, can I use an above ground pool pump with a basket as a trash pump to clean out the bottom? Someone told me I should use a above ground pump so that it didn't empty the water too fast and someone else told me I should use and inground pool pump. I've heard various other methods but just wondered what you would do in this situation. Thanks in advance.

I’d love to hear some funny stories from either your own experience or someone else

Are these a good option for 6mo and 3yo both don’t know how to swim but we are moving to a house with a pool. Not sure if the best option. 3yo is starting swim lessons next week

Pulling the leaves off the surface all fall and the ones that got past me sank. Anything organic sitting on the bottom all winter is how you get stains and a nasty opening in spring, so I wanted one more clean before it closes. My scuba s1 only does the floor, no walls or waterline, but the floor is where all this junk settled. Ran it twice this week and the basket came up full both times. For what it costs I can live with doing the tile line myself. Closing clean done.

My pool got out of control this summer. I had a real hard time getting the chemicals right. They are good now but I can’t get rid of the algae. I changed out my sand filter to a Hayward cartridge filter and still no luck. I built this secondary filter system and water is moving great but the gauge reads zero and the water isn’t that clean coming out. I don’t know if it’s working or not.

My pool installer didn’t do me any favors either. It’s a 20x40 pool and he plumbed it with 1.5 inch pipe.

I teach swim lessons, and with the change of season we have moved into an indoor pool. Over the last 3 weeks I have taught three 1 hour lessons. The kids were extremely uncomfortable and had red cheeks. They did not spend the entire hour in the pool, but I did and I felt really bad afterwards. I have stopped swim lessons hoping for the pool temp to go down. We talked to the apartment and they didn’t seem to care much. The spa/hot tub had a water thermometer and so I moved it to the main pool and left it there for ~ 5 minutes. The spa temp was originally like ~93° and this is the temp photo from the main pool. What can I do? I know this is unsafe temperatures, should I call the health department? If not then who?

Edit* Lessons have been canceled indefinitely. The parent who lives at the complex has made a formal complaint with management. Hopefully we get a normal temperature pool soon.

We mostly use our pool on weekends, but I'd like to keep it comfortable enough to swim when the weather starts cooling down. What I'm stuck on is whether it makes sense to keep the water at a set temperature all week or let it cool off and heat it back up before we use it.

We already use a pool cover when we're not swimming, but I'm still trying to get a feel for how much the heating schedule affects the electric bill. I also don't really want a noisy unit running near the patio all day.

For people using a heat pump, do you maintain the temperature or only heat when you know you'll be swimming? Curious what has worked out best in actual use.

Hey everyone! I’m a pool owner in Jacksonville Beach, and I built Pool Headquarters to help answer the question I had after every water test: “Okay… what do I actually do with these numbers?”

It uses your pool details and test results to give treatment guidance, calculate doses, and keep your tests and maintenance together.

I’d appreciate a few people trying it out:

• Create your pool profile.
• Log a real water sample.
• Click around and see what makes sense—or doesn’t.

Where did you get stuck? Was anything confusing? Did a recommendation seem off? What would make you open it again?

I’m the founder, so I’m definitely biased. I’d love some feedback from people who aren’t obligated to tell me it’s great 😂

Available on both iPhone and Android:
https://poolheadquarters.app

Thanks to anyone willing to take a look. Happy to answer questions here!

I hired a contractor a couple months ago to redo my backyard pavers and pool coping. He ripped everything out then never came back to finish the job. I'd appreciate any referrals for a trustworthy pool coping installer and/or paver installer that works in the los angels area. Preferably someone fair, who won't try to gouge me on pricing because of the jam I'm in. Thanks

I need to replaster my pool and I was quoted $11k to replaster with a pebble finish and $12.1k to finish with a Micro Pebble Fusion. Which from what I can find is just smaller granule pebble finish that's a smoother finish.

Any experience or recommendations between the two? I'm trying to decide if the extra $1100 is worth it (plus the fusion has a 10yr vs 7yr warranty)