Paranoid or Pool Snob?

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WBW

WBW

Gold Supporter
Nov 13, 2022
126
Spring Branch, Texas
Pool Size
6000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
I've learned so much from this website and fellow members' posts on how to handle my pool and water chemistry since I joined in November. But listening to my fellow neighbors and friends, they all use pucks, take a process if algae develop then no problem just shock, Chlorine and CYA relationship...whats that... non-existent in the discussion, and all heads to the local pool store... yep! Curious from my fellow members, is this typical? That said, am I developing to be a pool snob or being paranoid and having no intentions to join them in their pool? LOL! Thoughts from others' experiences? LOL!
 
You friends and neighbors don't want a better way. They want validation that they are doing it right, which you can't give them. And they'll have every excuse in the book why they will continue spend lots on terrible results. We've all been there. What gets me the most is how often their pools are down in my short season, but what do I know ? Lol.

We had the highest electric rates in the country (before everyone else caught up, sadly). My friends all moaned and complained every year that their single speed pumps were costing them $100 a month. No fewer than 10, stood over my pump and saw the 100W readout with their own eyes, and immediately gave me 5 reasons why their SS pump was better and they wouldn't switch. An $80+ monthly savings pays for the pump several times over, but none of that mattered. They wanted me moaning about *my* energy costs to validate theirs.

Repeat for the SWG.

Repeat for the chemistry.

You can lead a horse to water......
 
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I'm not a big swimmer as it is so getting in other people's pools isn't a huge concern but I definitely judge other pools. And you will never get me in a hotel pool. :sick:
 
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When our pool was finished, I was struggling to get things balanced. It is no wonder why as I was using test strips and the pool store :rolleyes:. I quickly realized that wasn’t ideal after watching a new employee struggle to figure out how to test the water. So, we then decided to hire a pool service because surely they would know, right? Found a highly rated service in our area and made an appointment. I sat at home all day waiting for this guy to show up. Late in the afternoon, an email comes through saying “we serviced your pool” listing water test results and all this cleaning that supposedly happened. Trouble was, no one ever entered our backyard. My skimmer and my pump basket had the same debris as before. Nothing was cleaned or tested. Their excuse when confronted? My dog was barking…….inside the house.

All of this quickly led me to confirm something I learned long ago: If you want it done right, do it yourself. I took to the internet to research and stumbled across TFP. I’ve been a convert ever since. The trade off is that I doubt I will ever willingly get into a hotel pool or one maintained by a pool service again. That is the burden of knowledge. But I will deal with that burden if it means my water is so clear I can see the individual pebbles of the finish in the deep end and I get to listen to my husband complain that it’s hard to see where the waterline hits the tile.
 
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The methods that are used by TFP people are somewhat non existent in the pool world. Once I found the BBB method I never went back and for the most part never had issues. I ran my last pool for probably 15 years after finding the BBB method and opened once to a pool with 0 CYA and had to kill whatever was using the chlorine. Once I went through that never had issues.

I had a neighbor once ask how is it I always open up to a clear, clean pool. She never noticed how I prepare my pool before closing and don't just throw a winter cover on.

We went to a family party many years ago and they had an IG pool. The water was extremely cloudy and one of my sons wouldn't go in it because it didn't look like our pool water. I'm hoping our new pool will be the same as our last pool as far as the water's condition, we're new to SWG and sand filter and I'm hoping for the same success.

Not pool snobs, just like crystal clear water with easy care.
 
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Sometimes I feel like more of an "elitist" than a snob. Especially when I am un-intentionally telling my neighbors just how dumb they are being trying to maintain a pool in any other way than how I do it. I try and explain it in a way that comes across as why the TFP way is the only real pool maintenance more than they are just dumb lol, but sometimes they may feel as if I come across as being condescending.

I have converted a few neighbors. When they struggled and noticed I never do, that "ah ha" moment came to them that I was on to something. When people would go over to others pools and came back with rashes or itchy, or something and never had it in my pool, that was their "ah ha" moment. Others will go to their Facebook page or their pool store and never get it right. I'll still hang out with them, just won't get in their water haha!
 
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Outside of this forum, if you ask 10 different pool people how they maintain their pool you'll probably get 10 different answers. I never offer advice to someone who doesn't ask for it.

Do I think they way I do it is right? Yes, but it's right for me. If someone does it different and they are happy with the results, tremendous.
 
Newdude said:
You friends and neighbors don't want a better way. They want validation that they are doing it right, which you can't give them. And they'll have every excuse in the book why they will continue spend lots on terrible results. We've all been there. What gets me the most is how often their pools are down in my short season, but what do I know ? Lol.

We had the highest electric rates in the country (before everyone else caught up, sadly). My friends all moaned and complained every year that their single speed pumps were costing them $100 a month. No fewer than 10, stood over my pump and saw the 100W readout with their own eyes, and immediately gave me 5 reasons why their SS pump was better and they wouldn't switch. An $80+ monthly savings pays for the pump several times over, but none of that mattered. They wanted me moaning about *my* energy costs to validate theirs.

Repeat for the SWG.

Repeat for the chemistry.

You can lead a horse to water......
Click to expand...
Yeah, I have a neighbor with SS and has the pump on during peak electric hrs!!! Yikes!
 
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Metalmushpuff said:
When our pool was finished, I was struggling to get things balanced. It is no wonder why as I was using test strips and the pool store :rolleyes:. I quickly realized that wasn’t ideal after watching a new employee struggle to figure out how to test the water. So, we then decided to hire a pool service because surely they would know, right? Found a highly rated service in our area and made an appointment. I sat at home all day waiting for this guy to show up. Late in the afternoon, an email comes through saying “we serviced your pool” listing water test results and all this cleaning that supposedly happened. Trouble was, no one ever entered our backyard. My skimmer and my pump basket had the same debris as before. Nothing was cleaned or tested. Their excuse when confronted? My dog was barking…….inside the house.

All of this quickly led me to confirm something I learned long ago: If you want it done right, do it yourself. I took to the internet to research and stumbled across TFP. I’ve been a convert ever since. The trade off is that I doubt I will ever willingly get into a hotel pool or one maintained by a pool service again. That is the burden of knowledge. But I will deal with that burden if it means my water is so clear I can see the individual pebbles of the finish in the deep end and I get to listen to my husband complain that it’s hard to see where the waterline hits the tile.
Click to expand...
Never had pool service but from neighbors who have them, I'm not sure about the quality. What I do know is every one of them is using pucks and when asked about their CYA or numbers...they don't know. Maybe since I'm retired and playing the back nine, I have a bit more time to devote to understanding pool chemistry. In my prior life, I'm not sure if I had the time. But my friends and neighbors are mostly retired. So can't explain it. Oh well...LOL
 
VinnyinNJ said:
The methods that are used by TFP people are somewhat non existent in the pool world. Once I found the BBB method I never went back and for the most part never had issues. I ran my last pool for probably 15 years after finding the BBB method and opened once to a pool with 0 CYA and had to kill whatever was using the chlorine. Once I went through that never had issues.

I had a neighbor once ask how is it I always open up to a clear, clean pool. She never noticed how I prepare my pool before closing and don't just throw a winter cover on.

We went to a family party many years ago and they had an IG pool. The water was extremely cloudy and one of my sons wouldn't go in it because it didn't look like our pool water. I'm hoping our new pool will be the same as our last pool as far as the water's condition, we're new to SWG and sand filter and I'm hoping for the same success.

Not pool snobs, just like crystal clear water with easy care.
Click to expand...
Yes, my wife loves swimming and for years she went to a spa with a pool, etc. Wow, now, she comments on how she has never seen water so crystal clear in a pool! Needless to say, I'm getting many brownie points! LOL
 
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gingrbredman said:
Sometimes I feel like more of an "elitist" than a snob. Especially when I am un-intentionally telling my neighbors just how dumb they are being trying to maintain a pool in any other way than how I do it. I try and explain it in a way that comes across as why the TFP way is the only real pool maintenance more than they are just dumb lol, but sometimes they may feel as if I come across as being condescending.

I have converted a few neighbors. When they struggled and noticed I never do, that "ah ha" moment came to them that I was on to something. When people would go over to others pools and came back with rashes or itchy, or something and never had it in my pool, that was their "ah ha" moment. Others will go to their Facebook page or their pool store and never get it right. I'll still hang out with them, just won't get in their water ha
Click to expand...
Elitist???? Ha! Love it! Yeah...being new to all this and still learning....I've just kept my mouth shut and listened....but secretly, yeah...elitist, snob...yep...lol
 
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