Discrepency with pool store test and mine

[mphsamy]

First off THANK YOU to everyone - my pool is beautiful and sparkly!
I thought I would have the pool store check my water just to see if I have everything right.
The pool store guy said my numbers looked great - then asked what I was using. When I said bleach his face fell and he said "OH we don't recommend that. But your numbers do seem good!" LOL
Anyways here's what the store readings were:
FC 2.2
CC .2
TC 2.4
TA 112
PH 8.0
CH 47
CYA 12

His only concern was the CYA - but when I run the test for CYA I get 50.
For about a week my FC is usually around 5 and by the end of the day is 2 - so each night I have been adding enough bleach to go back up to between 5-6 FC.
So which numbers would be more accurate - mine or the pool store's?
I also get a slightly lower number for PH - but it's hard for me to tell on that test - I wish there was an easier to read test for PH.
I am using the TF100 test kit.
One other question, how long after adding bleach do you wait before going in the pool?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Trust your own numbers. Pool stores usually aren't very accurate with their numbers.
Also, with a CYA of 50 you need to target 8 and never let it go below 4.

I'm with you on the pH test, but I'm getting used to figuring it out.

You should wait about 30 minutes then it's ok to get wet!

 

[mynewpool]

I always go with my numbers since I feel more comfortable with my numbers. I know how to accurately test and sometimes there is a lot of turnover in the pool stores, so you could have had a new person with no experience doing it. I usually add my bleach at night after all swimming is done. The few times I have added it and going swimming afterwards, I would wait about 30 minutes or so.

Bama Rambler and I were posting at the same time.

 

[johnd13]

I have three pool supply stores within 5 minutes of my house....Two are "chains" and one is a mom and pop.

When I first came on here and people were buying the test kits, I was thinking wow finally some people even more anal retentive and obsessive compulsive that me...

Then after some funky test results from store "A" I finally got fed up and ordered the TF-100. After getting familiar with it, I did a little experiment and did a sample test at all three stores and my own. The results:

FC - Everyone was right on the money
pH - Everyone within 0.1
Salt - Everyone within 200

Now the fun....
TA - ranged from 40 to 120 (I was at 100)
CYA - ranged from 30 to 100 (max) I was at 50
CH - ranged from 170 to 320, I was at 240

The thing is, the two chains were very inconsistent. Store "A" might be close on the TA, but the CYA was off, "B" way off on TA but CYA is close.....The mom and pop store actually was more consistent with their numbers...

 

[ultra800_96]

I had trouble clearing my swamp last year & before I ordered the TF100, I took a sample to the only pool store within 50 miles of me. They wouldn't test my water. They said they only do it for customers that buy chemicals from them. I reminded her that I had bought a new Hayward pump/filter combo from them only a few weeks before to the tune of $500+. That didn't matter, I still had to buy chemicals from them to get my water tested. I even offered to pay for the test, lol. Nope, same story. So, I said thank you & left. Have never wasted the gas to stop there ever again. They've sinced changed ownership.