Once Again Leslies Scares me

[Sausage]

I rarely every go to Leslies pool store unless i have to, but decided to get my water tested by the fine folks at leslie and once again, i was told that i needed to purchase 200 worth of chemicals or I was a horrible person, more or less. nedless to say, i did not purchase them, but am curious as to your take on a few things:

Here are the numbers:

FC: 3
PH: 7.5
TA: 130 (even though my testing says 90)
CYA: 100 (dont know how it got this high since i do not use my inline chlorinator)
TDS: 2500 (dont know what this is)
Phosphates: 400
Salinity: 2600 (I added salt last year to soften up the water a bit since the kids eyes
were burning, and it worked fabulously)

Pool looks great, crystal clear, no issues.

Do i need to drain my pool as the 19 year old at Leslies said i needed to do to bring my TDS down? He also chastised me for adding a bit of salt and for using liquid chlorine. I added salt after checking this forum to make sure it was ok.

Its amazing how they can make you feel like you are running a sewage treatment pond.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Your TDS reading is probably your salt. Amazing how the numbers are so close....pretty sure I read that before. If I'm wrong don't worry, some one will be along to correct me.

Your CYA is high, but it's up to you if you want to drain some water to lower it. The alternative is running with the higher CYA - just make sure you maintain appropriate FC levels according to the chart. If you never let it go below the minimum you will likely to be able to avoid having to shock-which is the costly issue associated with running with the higher CYA The shock level takes ALOT of chlorine.

Yeah, I tend to ignore the Pool Stealers advice....

(I wore my TFP ballcap into the poolstore Friday night, the guy couldn't look me in the eyes. I needed a new Return for my AGP. Bought no chems. The pool stores are good for some things...)

 

[Butterfly]

Hi Sausage,

Sounds like you need a good test kit and not rely on the pool store tests.

The BEST investment we made in our pool was a good test kit. I strongly urge you to purchase either the TF 100 (sold here by duraleigh) or the Taylor 2006. There is a comparison article on the kits in Pool School here: pool-school/pool_test_kit_comparison

In the meantine, you might want to take a sample to another pool store and get their take on your CYA level.

With a good test kit, you will be able to take control of your pool. It is a very good feeling and your pool will like it, too!

We sometimes still need to visit our pool stores, just NOT for testing our water!

Good to have you back with us this year.

 

[MikeInTN]

Have you measured your CYA yourself? If so, what did you come up with? The only thing that should cause the CYA reading to increase is of course to add more CYA (well, there is a line of thought that since the CYA test is a turbidity test, if your water is ultra cloudy it might cause a higher reading, but since your water's clear, we can discount that); so, if you're not adding any via an inline chlorinator or using some type of stabilized chlorine to shock, then either you had a really high CYA level to begin with from using stabilized chlorine in the past, or the pool store's reading is just wrong. If you haven't performed your own test, go ahead and do it and see how yours stacks up with theirs. If your CYA measurement is high, then you might want to consider doing some partial drains to get the CYA level down to help keep your required FC more manageable, but not because of the TDS.

 

[Sausage]

Thanks guys. I did measure the CYA and it measured around 80, which is not so bad. Thanks again. I think i am going to keep doing what i am doing until i have a problem with the water. Over a year now with no issues, fingers crossed. not sure how people kept their pools maintained before this forum. Guess that's how Leslies got so big.

 

[duraleigh]

Nice work, Sausage....Always trust your personal testing over any pool store....it's one of the principles of BBB

 

[Guest]

Rest assured that the pool store testing was WRONG! There is NO WAY that TDS can read lower than salt! It would be the same if you had No calcium,No bicarbonate, No CYA etc. dissolved in the water. Otherwise TDS is usually gong to read in the neighborhood of 600 ppm higher than salinity.

TDS means Total Dissolved Solids and is a measure of eveything that is dissolved in the water...all the calcium chloride, all the baking soda, all the CYA, all the salt, all the sulfates from dry acid and non chlorine shock, all the sodium, all the calcium, all the magnesium, etc. You get the idea.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Rest assured that the pool store testing was WRONG! There is NO WAY that TDS can read lower than salt! It would be the same if you had No calcium,No bicarbonate, No CYA etc. dissolved in the water. Otherwise TDS is usually gong to read in the neighborhood of 600 ppm higher than salinity.

TDS means Total Dissolved Solids and is a measure of eveything that is dissolved in the water...all the calcium chloride, all the baking soda, all the CYA, all the salt, all the sulfates from dry acid and non chlorine shock, all the sodium, all the calcium, all the magnesium, etc. You get the idea.

Thanks for confirming that Waterbear.....

 

[cubbybeave08]

Your TDS reading is probably your salt. Amazing how the numbers are so close....pretty sure I read that before. If I'm wrong don't worry, some one will be along to correct me.

Your CYA is high, but it's up to you if you want to drain some water to lower it. The alternative is running with the higher CYA - just make sure you maintain appropriate FC levels according to the chart. If you never let it go below the minimum you will likely to be able to avoid having to shock-which is the costly issue associated with running with the higher CYA The shock level takes ALOT of chlorine.

Yeah, I tend to ignore the Pool Stealers advice....

(I wore my TFP ballcap into the poolstore Friday night, the guy couldn't look me in the eyes. I needed a new Return for my AGP. Bought no chems. The pool stores are good for some things...)

I was in on Saturday...broke my C clip on the pump. I overhear all these people who are being told they need algecide, pH up and pH down and pool starter, and this and that...then the sales kid sells them test strips to blindly go where no man has gone before. Test strips...I just shake my head and walk away. I picked up two 1.42 gallon bottles of bleach at the grocery store, and was on my way...and I didn't even have to add any because my FC and TC both are at 5. Poor under-educated people...I try to tell people about TFP as much as possible. But usually it is in the parking lot. Way to throw it in their faces Ann!

 

[Steve456]

You will have a better maintained pool if you do not get your water tested at the pool store!

Test the water yourself with a good test kit.

Many of the kids doing testing at pool stores do not even have a home pool. They have never maintained a pool. They are selling pool chemicals.

Consider their advice:

1)Your test shows their TA test is inaccurate.
2)Pool stores tests of CYA are horrible. If they use stripes do not believe them.
3)The kid did not know that the TDS level could not be less than the salt level.
4)The kid chastised you for adding salt; but I bet they would sell you a SWG.
5)All pool stores employees advise against bleach. How else would they sell trichlor and other expensive forms of Cl.
6)The kid advised you to drain your pool when it is crystal clear because he could not understand the salt reading.

If they do not make you feel that your pool is in mortal danger why else would you buy their overpriced chemicals. When you have a good quality test kit you will not be tempted to listen to their foolishness. You can simply walk in buy the muriatic acid or CYA and leave. Or go to a big box store.