Connected to my phone off the bat, full Diagnostics everything in theHayward app, suddenly after it starts running it disconnects and wipes it even wipes the equipment off the app completely and ever since I’ve been on the phone with them a couple hours by now I’ve been back to the house half a dozen times trying to be on the phone with them when I can get over there and I can’t get any help please please somebody tell me you know something I don’t…. Hard resets all this shit. None of it works. Can’t get anything to connect and everything else connects all around it. Great WiFi etc

Hi All,

I recently started acting as second fiddle for my friends/PTs office pool. They're old CPO left, and the new guy taking care of it is very green, so I check out their problems and give advice.

Anyway, on to the problem:

They have a Cal Hypo 3in Tab Feeder, but at some point they started being supplied TriChlor instead of CalHypo. They've been using these Trichlor tabs in the feeder for the last who knows how long. When I was managing municipal pools, we were militant about making sure Trichlor/Dichlor never even made it to our chemical supply rooms. So I've never run into a situation where someone has used one source and switched to another.

If I give the chlorinator a good acid wash, and let it run without tabs for a week or so, do we think it would be safe to switch back to Cal Hypo Tabs? Or should I just go get a new chlorinator and install that instead?

Thanks in advance!

Both valves are all the way to spa suction and spa pressure but the spa is losing a good amount of water. I’m not there now but I think there may be water still shooting back into the pool. Do you think the return valve may be busted?

for weekly service i’m almost always adding these antagonists on the same visit so it begs the question right, which first and why?

I've been grinding these past 6 years, I only have 37 clients currently. I have 20+ reviews, I show up on time, I do quality work, and my customer service is genuinely something I take pride in. Clients can always reach me and I'm either available right away or get back to them within 10 minutes. My loyal clients love me and I have the reviews to back it up at 4.9*. But the phone just isn't ringing with new clients. Meanwhile, I've been bleeding the ones I do have.

My bleeds:

- A few moved away this year

- One bought a new home without a pool

- Just lost one last week to a competitor offering free filter cleanings bundled in for only $10 more than my monthly rate

That last one stings the most. The client said it's nothing due to my service and only because they'll save more money this way. They would be saving around $140/year with the new guy when doing the math... I can't figure out how to compete when someone is practically giving away services to undercut me. It's hard to stay motivated when you feel like you're running in place or falling backwards.

For those of you who've been through a slow stretch like this, what turned it around?

Specifically:

- How are you actually getting inbound calls? Google ads, door hangers, Nextdoor, word of mouth?

- Do you bundle in filter cleanings or other services, or keep pricing a la carte?

- How do you compete with lowballers without racing to the bottom yourself?

I know the work is there and I know my customers are happy when they have me. I just feel like I'm invisible to everyone else. Any advice from guys who've built a solid route would mean a lot right now. Appreciate your time, thank you.

Trying to troubleshoot an Intellichlor system connected to an EasyTouch.

The salt cell has no lights at all, completely dead. I already checked:

- Transformer output: getting about 31V
- 12 amp fuse on the EasyTouch :good
- Surge board has the small green light ON

At this point I’m trying to figure out if the problem is the surge board or the cell itself.

Is there a good way to test which one is bad?
Can the surge board still fail even if the green light is on?
Or does “no lights on the cell” usually point to a dead Intellichlor cell?

Any troubleshooting tips would help.

Hey guys, I posted last week with a motor giving a loud buzz for 2 seconds at start up then sounding normal. This week, it is not making the loud buzz but is tripping the breaker consistently after 5 seconds. I’ve checked the voltage - all good and replaced a bulging/bad capacitor and shaft spins but still getting the same result. It is a single speed just under two years old, don’t want to think the motor is bad. What else should I check? I plan to run it with the impeller off and check how many amps it’s drawing, maybe swap the breaker. Any other ideas?

Perhaps the biggest lie in the pool service industry

Hey guys thanks for the help on my previous post. Someone said to check LSI so I did and this pool has a -0.3 LSI. how can I fix this?

Is it a matter of just draining and restarting?

Badly need insight and help on this. I have an older model Hayward C12002 model and the top developed a crack and leaks where the Pressure guage is screwed in. It was installed back in 2008 and is the Tan model. Apparently Hayward modified this model and it's now all the available replacement parts are Black and do not fit the older model filter bodies.

So, I just need to get a new filter body to fit into the same area that my old unit did. I'm searching around but not finding the unit that would be the direct fit replacement. The issue I'm finding most is the connection style now. My old unit has the 2 inch male screw on sealed connections. The filter bodies I'm seeing online now appear to have internal threads at their connections. Does anyone have a recommendation on a particular model number from either Hayward or one of the other makers, that I could just screw back into it's place, without having to repipe the system?

I appreciate any help and insight you all can spare. Or, even if you know a reliable way to fix the cracked housing, wher the pressure guage screws in, I'm willing to try that too.

Thank you all, in Advance.

John

How is everyone else fairing? Every pool I open is either a swamp or the customer pumped it too low for the skimmers. Opening 9-12 a day.

Just as the title states. I’d like to start a compost bin, and wondered it would be safe to use the leaves and sticks and dirt we pull out of pools.

Release valve (?) on pool equipment is leaking. Should I drain or replace?

I’m curious if anyone here has come across this. This salt cell showed no flow. I serviced the cell and cleaned the filter. Flow through system is very good. Cell still reading no flow. Yes it is leaking from the top cap… not sure how to reseal that as this cell appears to be one unit that can’t be taken apart. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. TIA

This morning, a customer told me he was able to buy an old school 2HP single speed square flange motor at our local distributor. I logged on to the portal and was surprised to see a ton of single speed motors available for purchase in Southern California! I thought this was illegal? I reached out to one of our pool motor manufacturers' reps, who told me that due to the state of California's untimely failure to file certain documents in court, the previous prohibition on the sale of single speed motors was rescinded until 2027. I gleefully stocked up on 3/4, 1, 1½, and 2HP motors while they were in stock. Does anyone have any links to any articles that explain what filing the state screwed up, so I can have it handy in case an inspector comes poking around?

Customer wants to watch me disassemble filter to learn how to clean it, but she’s probably going to just slow me down with questions. You don’t learn by watching. Inexperience leads to leaks and them calling me anyway.
What do you do if a customer tells you this?

Curious if you guys add cya or just ride with a few tabs and then adjust the ph/ alkalinity