On Saturday, May 31, 2014 9:32:29 AM UTC-4, Danny D. wrote:
sms wrote, on Fri, 30 May 2014 17:42:32 -0700:



I highly recommend adding borate. It's enabled me to drastically reduce

the pump run time while maintaining a clear pool with optimal ph level

and optimal chlorine level.



http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/4655-So-you-want-to-add-borates-to-your-pool-Why-and-How



Hi SMS,

I was wondering where you were lately.



You had turned me on to the 12% HASA liquid chlorine deal a few years

ago, which has, unfortunately, gotten more complicated lately than

just printing a coupon off their web site.



I don't know if you've been there, but, now, you pay, in the end,

about $3.85 for a gallon of liquid chlorine, but the 'deal' is

complicated because you first buy 6 gallons, and then you get 2

gallons free with a printable coupon; but then you get a card

marked off, which says "buy 11, get the next one free".



I can never do the math anymore, but the pool guys told me it

turns out to something like $3.85 per gallon. You know when

you get confused when you're buying something that they made

it confusing on purpose.



Anyway, my biggest problem was that I didn't have enough

water to fill the pool in one shot!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5454/1...1bb9e146_b.jpg



In fact, it took about three weeks to fill the pool to the level

that the skimmers could work without the pumps sucking air:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2897/1...309bd6e3_b.jpg



That I needed tons of chlorine, which was just being burnt off

by the sun, until I figured out the trick to adding POWDERED

(not granular!) cyanuric acid such that a dozen pounds of the

cya powder dissolved in the pool water in just one application!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3799/1...6f8fb243_b.jpg



Those 'clouds' in that picture above are *in* the water, not

above the water. It's a beautiful sight to see as anyone who

has waited eons for granules of CYA to dissolve will appreciate.



My *biggest* problem is that this Craftsman 1/2 HP pump wouldn't

pump water except at a dribble!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3791/1...9729f003_b.jpg



I'm sure there is something wrong with it, as I spent more

time priming it than it did pumping. It wouldn't develop a head

of more than about a foot, which seems dismal for a half horsepower.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2930/1...d92c725c_b.jpg



Does anyone know what goes wrong with such a pump which makes

it almost useless since it can only pump level (i.e., it couldn't

bring water *out* of the pool, so I had to hand carry the water

out from the deep end!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3734/1...05700dc5_b.jpg



I don't want to do *that* ever again, so I should figure out

how to figure out what is wrong with the 1/2HP Craftsman pump!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5466/1...13d4a257_b.jpg

From my earlier reply:

I'm not sure what the lift capability of those utility
type pumps are. You have it connected to a long suction
hose that probably does down 10 ft to the bottom of the
pool? It would probably work better if the pump was
where the water is and had only a short suction hose.
It can probably push water better than it can pull it.