Poolmath's targets are different to pool shop's

[kenlip]

Hi
I am new to this forum and new to Poolmath.
I had my water tested by the local pool shop and notice that the targets for various parameters suggested by the pool shop are different to those suggested by Poolmath.
My pool is an above-ground vinyl pool, in Sydney.

	Pool shop	Poolmath
Free Chlorine	2-5	3.0-6.0
pH	7.2-7.6	7.2-8.0
TA	100-150	50-90
CYA	25-50	30-60
Hardness	200-800	0-650

I am trying to work out why there would be these differences. I would have thought that the targets for every home pool (would be different for public pools) should be the same.

Thanks
Ken

 

[Newdude]

Hey Ken and Welcome !!!!

In short. One of us exists to sell you designer chemicals, and one of us exists to have the clearest pool on the cheap.

Have some reads :

Read up and ask away : Pool Care Basics
Follow : FC/CYA Levels
Witness : How Clear is TFP Clear?

 

[kenlip]

Hey Ken and Welcome !!!!

In short. One of us exists to sell you designer chemicals, and one of us exists to have the clearest pool on the cheap.

Have some reads :

Read up and ask away : Pool Care Basics
Follow : FC/CYA Levels
Witness : How Clear is TFP Clear?

Hi Newdude,
The guy at the poolshop said that, other than my chlorine level being too high and the water hardness being a bit low (167), the water is perfect. He didn't try to sell me anything. About the hardness being low, he said it is not terribly low, and being a vinyl pool I could get away with leaving it if I wanted to. Zero sales pitch and I left the store with only my empty bottle. The results were emailed to me as they have gone paperless.

 

[Newdude]

He didn't try to sell me anything

The industry who taught him what he knows is designed around sales.

There are varying levels of how hard any given shop pushes the advice, but the general advice is whats being discussed.

For example, too low of a FC with no regard for the CYA level makes green pools. ($$$$ to fix).

A higher TA will forever pull the Ph up, needing frequent dry acid doses. ($$)

Adding unnecessary calcium to a vinyl pool because a plaster pools needs calcium ($$ When they push that).

Once a week blindly shocking in the hopes it corrects the bad advice and inattentiveness of inaccurate / infrequent testing. ($$). If it doesn't, hello swamp ($$$$)

We'll teach you how they all fit into the puzzle so you can only add what you need, when you need it, with little effort. And how to use the generic chemicals from the grocery store instead of the same chemicals in fancy packages, because we have nothing to sell you but goodwill.