Comparing monthly costs of TFP vs other methods

JimFinn said:

Right now, during spring, summer, and early fall months I'm spending approximately $80/mo on tablets, liquid shock, acid, and yellow algaecide.

I'm curious how this compares to those of you who use the TFP method with similar pool characteristics: 10k Gallons, No SWG, southern climate.

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Welcome.

My pool is 8000 gallons. During the summer, I pour into my feeder one gallon of 12.5% liquid chlorine per week. That costs me about $1/day because I buy my chlorine at the local pool store. If I bought 10% chlorine at Home Depot instead, I'd be paying $0.80/day (or $1/day if I had your 10K gallons).

I also use a little muriatic acid, but only a little -- a gallon lasts for months, so that only adds another few pennies a day.

I don't have your southern climate, but I'm in sunny California where it gets into the 90s during the summer (it's been 100F here for the last few days), so I imagine that my chlorine use is at least half of what yours would be. Even if your usage were twice as much as mine, you'd be saving money: $60 TFP vs $80 currently.

But before you compare prices, make sure you're comparing the same results.

The TFP method is really pretty simple -- it can be explained in a couple sentences -- but it's based on lots of science. So I KNOW, for example, that the mixture of CYA and chlorine in my pool produces enough HOCl to kill bacteria and algae faster than they can reproduce. And since I don't use algaecide -- chlorine is the only thing keeping algae at bay -- if the HOCl level ever falls low enough to allow bacteria to grow, I know that it'll also allow algae to grow and I'll have a visual indication (cloudy water, dusty dead algae, etc.) to let me know that something's amiss.

If you don't KNOW that your current method is keeping the water sanitized -- and it might not be, if your CYA concentration has gotten extremely high from long-term use of the tabs -- then you might want to choose the TFP method regardless of the cost.

I guess if I were in your shoes, I'd first buy a good test kit -- the Taylor 2006-C or the TF-Pro that are always recommended here (and also the $6 CYA reference standard to train my eye for the CYA test) -- and measure the pool water myself. So I'd know for sure what the current method was actually doing, and where I'd be starting from if I switched to the TFP method.

You will save a lot of money with TFPC. You will also save a lot of time, effort, and frustration while achieving a superior outcome.

JimFinn said:

Well I use a good bit more than that, interesting.

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One ounce of 12.5% LC raises FC by 1ppm per 1000 gallons.

I lose a little over 2ppm/day, on average.

If you lose 4ppm/day from your 10K gallon pool, you'd need 2.6 gallons/week of 10% LC. That's a little over $60/month at current prices.

JimFinn said:

Also, where do I find the CYA Reference Standard for $6 that you mentioned? Not seeing it on TFtestkits.

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R-7065 CYA Standard 50ppm (2oz)

The "TFP method" should be the least expensive way to maintain your pool. Only "additional" cost involves getting a real test kit and testing your own water, instead of relying on a store clerk using a computer or old reagents and having as his only motivation selling you stuff in his store. In a year of reading here, you know you just need chlorine, and a few other things that you can shop for the best prices. Monthly cost comparison has no meaning unless you're comparing identical pools in the same environment with the same bather load. As someone else already said, get a test kit, either the TFP kit or the Taylor, plus a speedstir and maybe a pH meter. Then find the best prices for chlorine, muriatic acid, baking soda, calcium chloride (aka calcium hardness increaser). If you find from time to time the CYA dropping, you can get some cyanuric acid granules--or temporarily substitute chlorine tabs for liquid chlorine until the CYA rises to where you want it. If you do what the folks here tell you--and you do it all the time--you don't need anything else. The monthly cost will be just a function of your shopping skills.

9500 gal, Florida. I use about 32-45oz of bleach a week. 121zoz jug costs $5. The savings I've had since switching from the clorox app/eco system to tfp method is insane

In the summer I burn through LC pretty quickly, but looking at the price of tabs, I could use double the amount and it would still be cheaper.

But as pointed out earlier, the TFP method prevents all the nasty algae flareups and magical pool store potions and there has to be huge $$$ savings there.

As another vote of confidence in the TFP recommendations and general way of doing things (contrasted with pool store style frequent shock, algicides, metal removers, phosphate potions, trichlor tabs so drain / fill / repeat, tongue of bat and eye of newt), I’m trying to think of everything I spent this year:
4 gallons acid, about $40
1 gallon LC used in spring for startup, about $10
35 lbs calcium, about $70
bucket of sodium bicarb to have on hand for fall shutdown, about $25
FAS DPD refill reagents, about $25
40 lb bag of salt, about $7
CYA, about $20

Total: about $197. If I didn’t have SWG, I’d estimate only about $50+ (/ month) more for LC. Except for weekly brushing and add acid as needed, pool care amounts to less than 5 minutes a day to test water and check skimmers. Water is always sparkling clear.

Your costs at about $80 / month for 10k gallons is in the same ballpark so the contrast would be in knowing exactly what to do if something goes “wrong“ (instead of pool store style even more expensive magic potions), the amount of work in keeping the water crystal clear, and the percentage of the pool season you may spend fighting some problem or another versus the length of your pool season.

To boil down the method from this site as I understand it, it’s as simple as test, adjust, swim. If you follow it, no worry of fighting intractable algae for weeks, no scaling or etching, no cloudy water ever, no . . . . Try it and you will like it.