Sick of Pool Store SalesMan, Thinking of Going to BBB???

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maryj0w

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May 14, 2012
55
Small midwest town In illinois
First things first. I have an above ground pool 24 round, 52 inch wall. cartridge filter, (Hayward) Pump - 2 HP

I have had the pool for four seasons now. I live in Illinois so the weather is always unpredictable. We have a solar heater, that does an amazing job at keeping the water temp. comfortable. I am SICK of going to have my water tested at the pool store and them telling me to buy this, add that.
My main problems we experience each season, is cloudiness, and sometimes green waters. We always manage to get it back to crystal clear, but its short lasted.

After having a VERY MILD winter, no surprise, we have green water. Over the weekend my husband stopped at a pool store, and bought the Prestine Blue start-up kit. Luckily I found you all here, and I am able to return the 145.00 worth of product. (after I was told to call a water scientist, AKA prestine blue rep.)

Going to shock the pool as soon as we fill, but don't know what to shock it with that will be most effective, and not costly.

I can not afford to buy one of the water test kits, as mentioned. I am sticking to the standard drop kits, sold locally.

My Main question is, is it better to buy bleach, or liquid chlorine? Due to strength? I hate the "splatter" effect of the bleach/liquid chlorine gets messy. So can you use the "tablets" they sell. Are they as effective?

We test everyday, and our PH and alkalinity are always either high or low. In the past seasons. Someone once told me, if you keep your chlorine levels normal, there should be no reason to mess with PH and Alkalinity as you will always be adding, something.

Sorry to ramble on, just want my kids to be able to swim everyday this season, and have a husband who does not want to rip the pool out of the backyard :rant:

I appreciate any feedback. And thanks for all the great info, you all add to this forum.

Mary
 
Mary...as many others will to you as well....read the Pool school section here on TFP over and over again. Then STOP buying all those pool store chems. and convert your pool to the BBB method (bleach, baking soda and borax) It's SO SIMPLE to keep your pool sparkling clear and fairly cheap.

Next....you say the test kits we "mention" on here are TOO expensive.....I ask: Is your pool and clear, clean water worth it to you? If it's worth keeping a pool, it's WORTH dropping the $70 and getting the TF-100 test kits. You'll be glad you did. (take half of your money you get back from the pool store for the chems and buy this kit)

To answer one of your other questions....it's best just to use plain old Bleach...which IS liquid chlorine. Don't use the tablets, as they usually have other ingredients you DON'T need in your pool.

Keep it simple. GO BBB and get the test kit!!! I guarantee you, your kids and your husband will be happy.

my two pennies
 
maryj0w said:
I can not afford to buy one of the water test kits, as mentioned. I am sticking to the standard drop kits, sold locally.
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Mary, believe it or not, you can't afford not to. Reliable test results are the basis for the method taught here. If you follow the advice on this forum you will save so much money over what you're doing now it will stagger you. The test kit will pay for itself many times over your very first season using it.
 
I can not afford to buy one of the water test kits, as mentioned. I am sticking to the standard drop kits, sold locally.
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The TF-100 is $68...less than half of the $145 supplies you already returned. :) A Taylor K-2006 is only $47! :)

My Main question is, is it better to buy bleach, or liquid chlorine? Due to strength? I hate the "splatter" effect of the bleach/liquid chlorine gets messy. So can you use the "tablets" they sell. Are they as effective?
Click to expand...

Liquid chlorine and bleach are the same stuff, just different concentrations. Which one is better simply depends on cost. Visit pool school to see how to calculate that, and learn how to make the best choice.

Can you use the "tablets"? Sure. You can. But they contribute directly to the problems you say you've grown tired of. Again, pool school will explain.

We test everyday, and our PH and alkalinity are always either high or low. In the past seasons. Someone once told me, if you keep your chlorine levels normal, there should be no reason to mess with PH and Alkalinity as you will always be adding, something.
Click to expand...

"Someone" can tell you to dose your pool regularly with 3 ham and cheese sandwiches. :)

Sorry to ramble on, just want my kids to be able to swim everyday this season, and have a husband who does not want to rip the pool out of the backyard :rant:
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No need to apologize. :) It's an awfully friendly lot around here, with many decades of experience maintaining gorgeous and safe pools, year in and year out. The methods work, and they work reliably, predictably, and consistently.

Go visit Pool School, and do your reading. Then, spend that $145 on a good test kit, and some gallons of bleach. I promise, if you'll devote yourself to learning what's practiced here, and apply it, you'll find yourself with a willing group of experts, eager to help, and with a crystal clear, completely safe, easy to maintain pool.

:goodjob:
 
Hi, welcome to TFP! The best source of chlorine for your pool is liquid, either plain 6% grocery store bleach or 10-12% liquid chlorine from the pool store. You may want to call around to find what is the best value. Where I live the plain walmart bleach is most cost effective. Dry chlorine always has something added to it that can become problematic over time. Dichlor and trichlor have CYA (also known as stabilizer or conditioner) and calcium hypochlorite has calcium. Too much CYA will cause your chlorine to become ineffective at "normal" levels and require increasing amounts of chlorine to kill algae and other organic materials. Too much calcium will lead to scale development on pool surfaces and in equipment, such as your heater. Both situations require draining and refilling to correct. The tablets also contain stabilizer or calcium, depending on the brand. Do not use any type of dry laundry chlorine or chlorine substitutes, as they contain ingredients that should not go in your pool.

If your current kit can test for TA, pH, and CYA, you may want to consider buying just the FAS-DPD chlorine test from TF test kits. You really need to be able to test for chlorine levels greater than 5 ppm in order to complete the shock process in your pool.

Please post a current set of test results and we will help you get started shocking your pool. Read through shocking your pool and defeating algae for more information on the shock process.
 
Where about's in Ill do you live? Heading back that way next month to see my parents just north of Champaign. As others have said...read pool school again and again. Forget the "water scientist" and listen to our scientists. We're a nice bunch who enjoys long walks on the beach talking how we'd proceed to filter and heat the ocean if given the chance.

ps....Here's the link to the FAS-DPD stated above.....
http://tftestkits.net/FAS-DPD-Chlorine- ... t-p47.html

WELCOME!!
 
WOW, you are so very helpful. It means so much.
I am going to return the CHIT, tomorrow, which thankfully is right next to Walmart. Going to fill my cart with lots of bleach. Then, after my husband gets paid will order a new and improved test kit.
@leebo, I am north of Champaign, south of I80. If that helps.

Also, another quick question, what is the best way to clean your filter cartridge? We normally just hose it off, then someone recommended using dish soap and water? Something of that nature?

Before, I shock the pool, I will use my "generic" test kit, and let you know the findings. I feel some relief, as we purchased our pool for our three boys. I want them to have the freedom of making plans to have friends over, w/o worrying the pool will not be swimable.
 
We promise you.....the only thing we'll try to sell you is a margarita machine, a test kit, and the knowledge to keep your pool clean. Your three boys will be able to soon have a HUGE pool party and you won't have to worry at all about having a green pool the next day. Even if it is.....you'll know just what to do!
 
maryj0w said:
I feel some relief, as we purchased our pool for our three boys.
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You want to know the best testimony I can offer to BBB?

I've spent less than $10 on chemicals in the past 7 days, less than 30 minutes of time (including vacuuming the pool and backwashing the filter) fussing with the pool, and haven't added a drop or ounce of anything to it in 2 days.

At 6:00pm tonight, after nearly 3 days of constant rain, our two kids and a neighbor wanted to go swimming tonight.

I didn't even have to think about the answer.

152152640-vi.jpg


I want them to have the freedom of making plans to have friends over, w/o worrying the pool will not be swimable.
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It's not a chemical thing, it's not a money thing, it's not a pool store thing.

It is just exactly what you called it...a freedom thing.

When you practice BBB, you KNOW what your pool water is doing, and WHY it is doing it...and that gives you the freedom to do EXACTLY what I did tonight. Turn your kids loose in your pool without worry or fear.
 

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Leebo said:
We promise you.....the only thing we'll try to sell you is a margarita machine, a test kit, and the knowledge to keep your pool clean. Your three boys will be able to soon have a HUGE pool party and you won't have to worry at all about having a green pool the next day. Even if it is.....you'll know just what to do!
Click to expand...

:rant:

Why haven't I received my margarita machine brochure????
 
Ok, now that you have decided to hang around when you get a chance you should go modify your profile and add a location, then modify your signature block to tell us about your pool, size, type and equipment you have, the way you see most of us have it listed. This information is helpful whenever people ask questions of any type, location can tell us typical sun exposure, weather conditions, etc. and the other can tell us information about chemical doseage suggestions, etc. (for example vinyl liner pools have no direct need for Calcium Hardess, but plaster pools do).
 
I am getting the hang of all of this. Tested the pool with the walmart drop system. Obvi chlorine was 0 and ph was 7.3 pool is light green, blurry, but if you look with sun can see the bottom. Now full running the filter till, i can get to walmart to get the bleach tomorrow.

i will take a pic, and show you all. I feel like I found a new family!!!

How much bleach should I start with?
 
Unfortunately, there is no way to recommend an amount of bleach to add since you have not listed your CYA level. This stabilizer level is required to know what you shock chlorine level is ... review Turning Your Green Swamp Back into a Sparkling Oasis and Shocking Your Pool

Also, likely the shock target FC level is >>5ppm which I am guessing is the limit of your test kit ... thus the recommendation to get a good test kit.

Adding bleach without being able to measure and maintain the correct FC level may just be wasting money if you are not at a high enough level.
 
http://www.poolcalculator.com/

Play around with the calculator and read Pool school for now. After you read that then come back and ask any other questions you may have. It's very easy reading and answers almost everything. The only way we really are able to answer questions is with a full set of test results. Here, we look at ALL the factors for your pool and tell you how much of what to add. For now....how many gallons is your pool?

ps....PM me gboulton and I'll send you a link to a guy who knows a guy who sells machines out of his van. He's legit.....even works at a pool store during the summer. :D
 
maryj0w said:
I am getting the hang of all of this. Tested the pool with the walmart drop system. Obvi chlorine was 0 and ph was 7.3 pool is light green, blurry, but if you look with sun can see the bottom. Now full running the filter till, i can get to walmart to get the bleach tomorrow.

i will take a pic, and show you all. I feel like I found a new family!!!

How much bleach should I start with?
Click to expand...

You're really not going to have a good answer for that until you get a reliable test kit.

But here's some "whys" behind that statement.

First, we don't know your CYA level. As you can see from the Chlorine/CYA Chart in Pool School, that value dictates how much chlorine is required to shock your pool.

You'll need to know THAT number in order to properly follow the method for shocking your pool also found in Pool School.

Furthermore, your Wal Mart drop test kit will not identify Free Chlorine vs Combined Chlorine, which you'll need to be able to do in order to know when you're done shocking your pool. You'll notice in the link above that one of the steps of knowing you are done shocking your pool is a Combined Chlorine (CC) of .5 or less. You'll need to be able to test for that.

Finally, how much bleach you'll need...even once you know ALL of those things...will depend on what concentration you've purchased. 6%, 10%, 12%, etc. The Pool Calculator will tell you the amount you need to raise from any current FC level to any target level given any set of other values such as pH or CYA.

=================

I certainly don't mean to scare you off. As you've said...you've found a family here, and it's a remarkably helpful one at that. But BBB DOES require that you be willing to take control of your pool...and the first step to that is reading the information provided here on this site and understanding what you're facing, and how you'll attack it.

=================

Having said all of this, there may be some 'default' amount of bleach you can pour in daily to get started. Others may suggest some amount that will be a guesstimate starting point.

As a PERSONAL choice, however, were it my pool, I'd rather order the test kit (you'll get it QUICK), and spend the 2-3 days reading up, so I was armed with knowledge for the upcoming tasks. The pool's not swimmable now ANYway, and it's not GOING to be in a few short days of random guessing at bleach amounts...so why spend the money pouring stuff into the pool?

So...take a breath, order the kit, commit to some reading and more questions, and then...around Friday or so...be ready to forge ahead. :)
 

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