I had to run up to Leslie's for a pumice stone and when the guy I was talking to found out all I use is liquid chlorine he said he would strongly encourage me to stop using it because it is a dirty chlorine and increases the (TDS) Total Dissolved Solids in my water and would force me to use more chemicals to fix in the long run. Out of curiosity I then asked about the relationship between Cyanuric Acid and Chlorine he said there was none and he recommended keeping the chlorine between 4 and 5 until the CYA gets above 100 the drain and refill pool. Figured I'd share that with everyone.
Funny Leslie's Story - Read for chuckle
- Thread starter badgerwooz
- Start date
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,759
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Yep, using liquid chlorine will raise the TDS of your pool.... as will literally everything that you add to it. "Dirty chlorine" though, that is a new one to me.
TDS was once described to me as "all that undissolved stuff in the water". I was in a lecture so I kept quiet, but I couldn't believe I had just heard that.
TDS was once described to me as "all that undissolved stuff in the water". I was in a lecture so I kept quiet, but I couldn't believe I had just heard that.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,382
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Wow! I'm impressed with that Pool store employee!! He at least recognizes that a CYA of 100ppm is not so good. Most won't even blink an eye at 150ppm.
Yeah, you could run a pool that way. Wonder how much they advise draining, 50%? 60%? And, of course, they be happy to sell you lots of cal-hypo shock, algaecides, flocs and clarifiers to help keep the pool from getting too cloudy. Then, once they've drained your wallet for the season and exhaust every bag of magic powder trying to clean up the mess they created, they'll simply declare that your H2O has "gone bad" and that you need to drain and acid wash your pool.
Is it any wonder why anyone who has owned a pool in the past hates the idea of having one?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006
Yeah, you could run a pool that way. Wonder how much they advise draining, 50%? 60%? And, of course, they be happy to sell you lots of cal-hypo shock, algaecides, flocs and clarifiers to help keep the pool from getting too cloudy. Then, once they've drained your wallet for the season and exhaust every bag of magic powder trying to clean up the mess they created, they'll simply declare that your H2O has "gone bad" and that you need to drain and acid wash your pool.
Is it any wonder why anyone who has owned a pool in the past hates the idea of having one?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006
Note to self: Stop buying that cheap "dirty" chlorine at Wally World. Clorox all the way I guess!
pikeman
Well-known member
It's not worth another thread to Bash Leslie's, but recently I was in there getting some parts for my pool vac and the counter guy was trying to sell some poor woman a calcium additive. In our area the water is as hard as a brick from calcium and I wasn't going to stand for this. As soon as he turned away I apologized for butting in, but that our tap water is so full of calcium from the limestone aquifer that it would be crazy to add it.
I told her about this forum and said she needs to get out here before she buys any more chemicals. She was very happy to hear this and left empty-handed. The counter-guy didn't say a word - not even a "thank you" as I paid for my stuff.
Pete
I told her about this forum and said she needs to get out here before she buys any more chemicals. She was very happy to hear this and left empty-handed. The counter-guy didn't say a word - not even a "thank you" as I paid for my stuff.
Pete
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,759
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Way to go Pete! 
I've actually done the same thing in the past.. Can't stand seeing someone getting taking advantage of.
I've actually done the same thing in the past.. Can't stand seeing someone getting taking advantage of.
ewkearns
0
Did you ask him for any pool care books or manuals that they might stock that explains that? That would at least give him a shot at a sale.... not......
I had to go to Leslies recently as well, so after seeing many of these stories I took water in for testing for the very first time to see if I got any entertainment value from it. I also figured since I'd be testing and getting to work within a week it could give me a "bit" of a mental picture on where it stood, although not touching anything based on it. It did turn out their tests were all reasonably close to my own once I got to it (gasp). However, I got the typical attempt to sell me phos-free even though even they only claimed 200ppm. They also tried to sell me enough stuff to get my TA up to 120. OMG, I fired the old pool guy a few weeks earlier than planned for doing that to me!!! With my low TA combined with borates my PH stays pegged and rarely drifts even with the SWG, so why would I want to start that vicious cycle again? He tried to tell me all my plumbing would melt.
I'm surprised he wasn't selling bottles of Chloramine and asking you to come back next week for another free pool water test to see 'where it's at'.