How and why did you find TFP?

[Nikilyn]

I agree on Speedstir and chemistry. But when it gets to skimming, I'd give holy grail status to @Texas Splash 's paint strainer bags.

What do you do with paint strainer bags?

 

[Lake Placid]

They’re used as skimmer socks. Post 2

Best Skimmer Socks?

I searched for best skimmer socks and got many posts from years past but nothing current. The skimmer socks I've used for years came in a 3 pk for about $5 or $6 and held up for sometimes two seasons. I have no idea the brand. Amazon has several differnt brands in packs of 10-15 for about $15...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Mdragger88]

We built a pool o/b style back in 2006. I was a part of a swimming pool forum on GardenWeb. Two moves later, in 2018, we were ready to build a pool again. Since GardenWeb was no more I searched to find a new forum and found this one. We ended up not being able to build it then but were finally able to start in 2020 with so many other people. I came back here to get my head back in the o/b mode and here I’ve stayed.

My mom was in garden chat aol i think. She still talks to the friends she made there.

 

[Nikilyn]

My mom was in garden chat aol i think. She still talks to the friends she made there.

I still have friends from a group on iVillage from 1999 . A new group was made on Facebook .

 

[YippeeSkippy]

We had a backyard that was useless to us because it was entirely a slope with a bazillion mature but unwanted trees, but a huge yard none the less. We liked my parents pool in The Villiages (Florida) and decided to stop in to talk to a pool builder and he came right over to look at the yard. Many trees removed, settled on pool and it as built in the fall of 2011.

First time I took a sample to the pool store for testing they told me to put in x amount of calcium. Did that and the next week when testing the water the pool store guy said "oops, I told you to put in too much". Right then and there I thought there had to be a better way and the Goog brought me to TFP. Yes~ I get this!! Pool chemistry is in a way like human respiration.... CO2, gas, acid/bass yada yada... and as a critical care trauma nurse it made sense to me.

11 years and not once have I had algae. I'd say TFP is worth the donations made to it. I'd have spent far more at a pool store, eh?

Maddie

 

[Pv2]

I found TFP after a good friend gifted me my little bag of water on sticks. Like many, I was looking for ground prep instructions. I grew up with summers at my Grampa's pool in Tucson. He and my Father built his pool by hand back in the 50's. I can still see it on google earth, and am sad when I see it sitting empty. So many memories in that pool.

In between the childhood pool and the current one I had a Sears "good" (as opposed to "better" and "best") quality above ground that went through all the problems we see. Inevitable green in August - you know, because of the rains - not because of using tablets and all kinds of "shock" treatments. I wish I had a sample of that water to test today! I bet the CYA was in the multiple 100s. That pool was finally ruined during an intense microburst in 2006.

I remember as a small child, Grampa testing with his little two way color block and bringing a cup of yellow liquid out from the garage to pour near the return. Did they even have stabilizer back in the 60's? I'm sure he must have thought tablets were the best since sliced bread, as I know he had a floater later when I was older. I don't know if he ever had problems. I only remember a sparkling pool maybe his Leslies knew what they were doing or maybe he exchanged water regularly, I have no idea.

Anyway, the nostalgia of liquid chlorine and swimming pools together that reminded me of childhood, and the science and logic of the methodology totally sold me.

 

[keltecfan]

I’m new to TFP. We bought a house 6 years ago that came w/a pool. I didn’t know a thing about maintaining a pool but had heard that they were lots of work. I found paperwork from the previous owner, suggesting that they used a local pool store. For five years, I’ve trusted the once a week testing to the pool store, and was lucky to have had (one algae outbreak) very little trouble. With the price of LC and at the recommendation of a few friends that have many more years of pool experience than I, I decided to switch to using pucks in a floater.

I started having troubles with staining before long. Back to the pool store, out the door with $100+ receipts in chemicals, and still no changes in the staining. Pool store suggested the staining was from algae and sold me some liquid algae killer. When I removed the cartridge at cleaning, I found a Smurf blue filter.
Then along came a weekend of torrential downpours, and the pool clouded up. After another few trips at $100+ each, I was getting frustrated to say the least. On the very last trip, the young man didn’t suggest anything, which was a 1st.
When I got home, I sat down and read the BioGuard water analysis. The very last test showed a CYA of 30. I looked over previous analysis print outs that showed a steady increase in the CYA. I went back to the pool store and had them retest, this time it was a different person. My CYA numbers were 90. It didn’t take long to realize that I couldn’t rely on the pool store for testing, only selling. So I started doing some searching and ended up at TFP. After doing some reading, I ordered the TF-Pro test kit to try and take control of my (finances) pool testing. I’ve abandoned the pucks and have switched to LC. If I test/confirm the high CYA, I’ll drain off water. The grandkids are running to grandma about not being able to swim. Grandma is on grandpa’s behind to get this pool under control and back in the swim. So that’s what brought me here.

 

[Newdude]

Grandma is on grandpa’s behind to get this pool under control and back in the swim

She'll get hers in a few months when the Christmas songs start back up. Hang tight.

(And Welcome !!!!)

 

[Litlat]

For me it was when the poolman turned the pool green for the second time and told me we had to drain the pool (for a second time) within an eight week period.
I found this website. Purchased the Taylor test kit and saw those floating pucks the poolman kept leaving in the pool raised the CYA to over 300ppm. Fired him and took over the pool maintenance myself. Never looked back.

Going to SWCG soon. The RJ60+ has been ordered. Just waiting on delivery.

Every pool owner I come across that tells me they have a problem, I give them this website (and I offer to test their chemicals).

 

[JodieM]

I think I found TFP while googling how to treat a pool with algae back in 2013. Backing up to the first house we had with a pool in 2007, I used test strips and bought the chemicals from Walmart and such. I did not even know you could go to a pool store and have your water tested. I read the back of the chemical jugs and followed it the best I could. I had pretty good luck. It was a chlorine pool.
In 2012 we bought our 2nd home with a pool, it was a salt pool. Our salt cell died while we were away on vacation and we came home to a green pool. Back then I took my water to the local pool store for testing. I was sold so much stuff to remedy the algae bloom and clean up the mess. From algaecides, to clarifiers, to flocs, etc, nothing was working. I found TFP and learned about using liquid chlorine to SLAM. It worked! But then I just went back to testing my water at the pool store like a dummy.
In 2014 we bought our 3rd house with a pool, this one salt as well. (my husbands job transfers us a lot). I remember being a lurker on TFP, but I never wanted to spend the money to buy a good test kit. I did a little mix of being pool stored and following TFP. (not recommended - it cost more than a test kit in the long run!)
Finally in 2018 we moved again and this time built our own salt pool. I had spent so much time reading about pool builds on TFP as well as Pool School, forum topics, etc. I knew I needed a good test kit and to follow TFP 100%! I’m all in now and I love it. My pool has never looked better! My name has gone around my friend circles and I’m actually teaching people to use their test kits and answering their pool questions. I’m a firm believer in TFP!!

 

[red-beard]

I think the most positive experience I had was @Newdude haranguing me into buying an SWCG. The SWCG is the best haranguing decision I ever made, followed by the smart stir, robot, and hairnets (added after seeing @Flying Tivo's response).

Yep. After less than 6 months doing the TFP methods, I switch to SWG. I bought the smart stir after about a month and the robot at about 3 months. Took me a while to do hairnets, but they are great!

 

[HeyEng]

When we were looking at purchasing our current home, I found TFP through Google when trying to learn about pools. We had never owned a home with one, so wanted to learn what I could before buying a house with a pool. I am VERY happy to have found TFP as it has made owning a pool relatively simple and very enjoyable!

 

[Hal3]

Diving in to BBB!

After lurking on all the various forums I am diving into BBB! I have had tremendous algae problems. My pool maintenance company just "fired" me. Too hard. (I think they were spending more on shock than I was paying them.) My pool (27,000 gallons, Polaris 380, DE filter) is blue today! I...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[B.lu]

While waiting many months for my pool build to begin, I obsessively google searched for all things pool related. So many times I found links to TFP so eventually started visiting the site directly. I visit the site multiple times a day still for a relaxing outlet

 

[Katodude]

As like most a green pool brought me to TFP. Also like many I was relying on the pool store and a pool guy to keep my pool clean, which clearly did not work. Also like many I was resistant to purchasing a test kit. Why do I need a test kit the pool store tests for free. Ugh, I dont want to buy from TFKits, I buy everything online from Amazon and I cannot get the kit there. That thinking probably added over a year to me really getting control of my pool. Those friction points probably cause the greatest lack of adoption to TFP methods. Once a person gets a proper test kit, the rest of the conversion becomes easy.

 

[RickRude]

As like most a green pool brought me to TFP. Also like many I was relying on the pool store and a pool guy to keep my pool clean, which clearly did not work. Also like many I was resistant to purchasing a test kit. Why do I need a test kit the pool store tests for free. Ugh, I dont want to buy from TFKits, I buy everything online from Amazon and I cannot get the kit there. That thinking probably added over a year to me really getting control of my pool. Those friction points probably cause the greatest lack of adoption to TFP methods. Once a person gets a proper test kit, the rest of the conversion becomes easy.

The test kit is such a huge hurdle. I've seen posts on this forum from people who have been registered members for years, but never bought a test kit and still have issues. But TF kits and K-2006c are more expensive than the typical homeowner test kit, and way more expensive than free store testing. And when every other resource out there says you only need 1-5 ppm chlorine, why do I need a kit that can go above 5 ppm? Fortunately for me it was an easy sell since my pool service had failed me - the test kits are expensive but less than one month of pool service.

 

[duraleigh]

Indisputable that these kits, along with TFP methods, SAVE you money rather that cost you money. Trips to the pool store, buying unneeded chemistry, following bad pool store advice are all part of the thousands of posts on this forum that attest to that.

As a bonus, you become proud of your crystal clear pool and the knowledge you have gained to keep it that way.

So, is it hard to kick in the $100 or so for the correct kit? Absolutely, but embracing TFP methods with your own kit is the cat's pajamas and you never look back. Continue to read the thousands of unsolicited testimonials here if you have doubts.

 

[Gary Davis]

I found I found TFP searching with Google for evidence that borates make the water feel silkier, which is what it says in the borate section of TFP (the keyword search found it there) but which nobody can substantiate so I take that TFP advice with a grain of salt - but while I was there - I found all the forums and realized it's worth creating a login account to keep abreast of the latest news on keeping my pool clean (which I've kept clean for over a decade now).

 

[CopperGirl]

Here is MY story:

One day a couple bought a foreclosed house with an above ground pool. It had sat for 6 months with nothing done to it. LOTS of leaves and stuff in the water. This couple did NOT want a pool so let it sit for another 3 months while they rehabbed the house.

Well, the inside of the house got cleaned, repainted, ect. They then moved into the house. They thought since there was this big pool with a deck around it might as well see what they could do with it. Went to the pool store and told them "we know nothing about taking care of a pool". Spent LOTS of $$ that did nothing The female of the couple got tired of spending the $$ so she drained most of the water out and scooped and scooped and scooped (well you get the picture). Once all of the stuff was scooped up she added water to the pool and took the pretty, clear water to the pool store where she bought LOTS more stuff to keep the water pretty and clear.

A year goes by and the pretty pool (who the couple's male person fell in love with having) is getting harder and harder to keep clean and clear. Green stuff started growing on the sides. Back down to the pool store for more $tuff. 6 more moths and things went from bad to worst

One day the female is brushing the pool AGAIN (she HATED that pool) when she saw a crack in the bottom of the liner and ran her foot over it....... that caused the WHOLE bottom to tear apart and ALL of the water went rushing out almost taking her with it!!!

The couple took down and sold the rest of the pool. After a while the male said he wanted a new pool. She said sure IF he could find a way to take care of with OUT using the pool store. Well he found TFP! She bought a test kit BEFORE she let him order the pool to make sure she could do the tests. Turned out they were easy and fun to do.

Now look at the female! She is a MOD on TFP! Funny how things work out!

Great story! Pool maintenance is a "family affair" in our house, with some of us more successful than others in our endeavor to keep our pool crystal clear and without algae.

 

[kimkats]

The biggest help was the home test kit AND knowing the pool stuff could be bought at Walmart and target!!! I hope you have as good of luck as I have using TFP!