My TFPC experience

[Ezbagr]

I thought i would share my TPFC evperience with you all.
We bought a foreclosed house in eastern Tennessee halfway between Knoxville and Chattanooga {beautiful area}. The had a 20x40 inground pool
that is 3ft. in the shallow end and 8ft. deep in the deep end.
The pool had not been used in at least 1 1/2 years. It had a cover on it but the liner was dropping in in a few areas and the pool was a pretty green with several big bull frogs living in it.
I had never messed with a pool before but my wife had a pool in her previous relationship-it was an above ground pool that they took down every fall.
Being new to this and having a liner that was dropping into the pool we contacted a local guy that does pools and he came out and looked at it and gave us two options, try to save current liner with no promise that it was not damaged or replace liner with a new one-we chose to go with a new liner install.
After liner installation and initially filling the pool we took water sample into a pool store and had it tested and they sold us some stuff to put in it.
After a couple of times going to the pool store I found this site and that is when I took over the testing and all.
When we started we started using the 3 inch tablets, when the CYA got up to around 60 we started using Bleach, let me tell you my wife was not very convinced that this was not going to ruin the new pool liner, she finally decided that I would not use something that would ruin the liner.
So for the first summer we did pretty good with the balance of the water we did have an algae outbreak in August but I was on top of it right away and slammed it.
Fast forward to this year, our water has been beautiful and sparkling all year, it really has been very easy to take care of our pool, we just dump a gallon of chlorine or bleach in every nite and I have only been testing once a week.
The current CYA is 40, I know that i should probably increase that and my chlorine usage would probably go down some.
I really want to either go SWG or stenner pump chlorine injection next spring.
So all in all I really had no idea that taking care of a pool was so easy and it does not take alot of time.
I will say that I think most first timers that come to this site do not know the CYA-Chlorine relationship and that most of them do not realize that you have to add chlorine or bleach everyday and when they realize this they think that it is alot of extra work compared to using the tabs where they just add to the chlorinating and not having to add anymore til maybe next week, truth is I spend maybe 2 minutes every evening after dark getting a gallon of bleach out of the pantry and taking it out and pouring it into the pool.
I am very thankful for the people that put this site together and that I just happened to stumble across it.

 

[OTPirate]

I love reading this! My dad only taught me the TFPC method, I do not know any different, and I have never been to the pool store. The people that respond are amazing! They are some of the most intelligent people I have ever come across. They give their time and expertise willingly and without any financial compensation. Now, not meaning to sound like a salesman, but...(sorry, I can't resist such a good lead in like this post) this forum runs solely on donations, and you get discounts when you donate. It remains ad free only because of donations. If TFP has helped you, perhaps you can help the forum. Donation button is right above

 

[flipr]

Great story, for anyone that doubts they can do it, YOU DID! Congrats, you ARE in a beautiful part of TN.
Enjoy the pool.

And in my opinion, I like the SWG. It will help maintain the chlorine levels, albeit at a cost. I'm not dumping bleach daily, but I do know a few years down the road I'll have to replace the cell.
As Fram used to say in their commercials, pay me now, or pay me later.

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

Thanks for sharing that. We are glad TFP is working great for you.

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

Welcome to TFP Ezbagr

It's hard not to like a system that's cheap, easy and gets your water sparkling clean

 

[Husky25]

...we started using Bleach, let me tell you my wife was not very convinced that this was not going to ruin the new pool liner, she finally decided that I would not use something that would ruin the liner...

Great Story!!!!

My wife was had a similar reaction when I told her I was going to pour a bunch of bleach in the pool. We decided right quick to never refer to "liquid chlorine" that way.

The little things that go a long way toward peace of mind, I suppose.

 

[sandman98]

good for you!

i'm kind of new to this pool thing as well, but thanks to some of the very knowledgeable people around here i feel very confident testing and taking care of my own water. it's really funny when you discuss this with people who rely on the "pool store" or their "pool guy" and still believe many of the myths out there. they insist that tabs are the only way to go, or you need to weekly shock your pool, or bleach in the water burns your eyes, or makes your pool smell like chlorine or damages your hair, etc.

 

[Husky25]

You do need to "shock" you pool weekly...seven times per.

 

[bdrums]

it's really funny when you discuss this with people who rely on the "pool store"

I love the looks I get when I tell people all I use is bleach and MA and in the 2 1/2 years since we built the pool we've never had algae, never shocked the pool and never been inside the pool store.

Thanks TFP!