Tested my water this morning and then took a sample to Leslie’s. I was actually pretty impressed at how close our values were, except my TA was much higher than there’s but still in acceptable range. Question. They listed my phosphates as ‘High’. Is this an important thing to watch and should I treat my pool with Perfect Weekly?
My values vs Leslie’s
- Thread starter Slpoolowner
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 53,111
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Comparing your tests with Leslies will just lead to your confusion. Trust your tests and TFP Methods.
Phosphate levels do not matter as long as your pool is clear and you maintain the proper FC level following the CYA/FC chart [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]. Do not treat your pool with Perfect Weekly. For most TFP care all you need to use is liquid chlorine, MA to lower PH, Stablizer/CYA, and maybe some calcium. See Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Phosphate levels do not matter as long as your pool is clear and you maintain the proper FC level following the CYA/FC chart [FC/CYA][/FC/CYA]. Do not treat your pool with Perfect Weekly. For most TFP care all you need to use is liquid chlorine, MA to lower PH, Stablizer/CYA, and maybe some calcium. See Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,153
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
I have a digital clock that says 88:88. I'm pretty sure that it's never right.
If your test kit is new, you may have static electricity on the tip of the R-009 which will make smaller drops, which will mean more drops, which will lead you to a falsely high reading. But unless you have really high CH, to the point where CSI is a big worry, don't worry about it. TA is not really critical, normally.
Even less critical is the phosphate level. If you maintain adequate FC to keep the water sanitary, you've automatically got it high enough to keep algae at bay, regardless of the phosphate level. Save your money.
It's pretty sad that it's a surprise when store values line up with your values. They should always be really close; same sample water, right? But the ugly fact is that most of the time they don't, which leads to confusion and doubt, and the testers at Leslies are, after all, salesmen first and they can be pretty convincing. Those free water tests are there to generate sales, not as a public service. Test yourself and trust the results.
Even less critical is the phosphate level. If you maintain adequate FC to keep the water sanitary, you've automatically got it high enough to keep algae at bay, regardless of the phosphate level. Save your money.
It's pretty sad that it's a surprise when store values line up with your values. They should always be really close; same sample water, right? But the ugly fact is that most of the time they don't, which leads to confusion and doubt, and the testers at Leslies are, after all, salesmen first and they can be pretty convincing. Those free water tests are there to generate sales, not as a public service. Test yourself and trust the results.
The pool store will sometimes use "adjusted TA", which is the TA minus the cyanurate alkalinity. If so, the TA reported will be lower.
Slpo,
Perfect Weekly is all Hat but no Rabbit. It does, however magically transfer perfectly good money out of your pocket and give it to your pool store.
Thanks,
Jim R.