Another entertaining pool store visit

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cwuffman

cwuffman

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Jun 27, 2012
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The Woodlands, TX
In my ongoing quest to locate new sources and pricing of liquid chlorine, I stopped by a local Leslie’s Pool Supply. A friend that owns a pool (not a BBB’r ) said that the woman that runs this store is very reliable. When I arrived she was beginning to help another customer, but asked me what I was looking for. The following is not a perfect quotation, but is pretty close to what transpired.

Me: Do you have liquid chlorine?

PSL (pool store lady): No, we don’t carry it. We have the powder.

Me: Thanks, anyway, I am only interested in liquid chlorine.

PSL: You shouldn’t use that in your pool. It’s not good for plaster pools.

Me: Why?

PSL: It’s got like bleach in it. It’ll damage plaster.

Me: It is the same as bleach.

PSL: No, it’s got lithium in it.

Me: Liquid chlorine just has sodium hypochlorite.

PSL: No it’s not. We have sodium hypochlorite powder. (probably meant calcium hypochlorite???)

Me: Thanks I’ll stick with liquid.

PSL: That’s bad for your pool. I’ll look it up here and show you. It’ll only take a minute.

Me: That’s okay. Thanks anyway.

No point in stirring it up in front of her customer.

To think that I was once at the mercy of these folks!!
 
That's a bit of a drive from the Houston area! :-D Another local pool store has 4 gallons of 10% for $14.99.

Sam's just changed from 3 each 182 oz. jugs 6% for $8.49, to 3 each 121 oz jugs 8.25% for $8.99. 2.8 oz less pure sodium hypochlorite for $.50 more.
 
kkendall said:
A local Ace Hardware by me has 10% liquid chlorine on sale ... I believe it was $9.49 / 2 gallons
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Ouch! That's pricey.

Here in Charlotte NC area the Leslie's I like to torment... 'er frequent, from time to time has no liquid chlorine and NO MA. They claim it is a restriction of the suburb they are in (Matthews, NC) but I have not been able to find out if this is true. In any case - they never tried to talk me out of using either - but acted surprised when I went to another suburb and bought MA...

I haven't had the heart to tell them I am using bleach for my primary chlorination source.
 
cwuffman said:
Isn't that something! We feel almost guilty for not using most of the unnecessary products they sell.
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LOL - only when they are nice and knowledgable - even if they have misguided notions in some areas there are a few that are well versed in the equipment and helpful in that respect. You hate to use a store's resources and not give something back.
 
Went to a Leslie's store to get a small bucket of hardness plus. Last time I needed calcium, the store around the corner didn't have any, so I didn't even bother to check there and went back to the store where I got it before.

Had them test a sample while I was in there. I'll admit, I'm a total noob at this, but I have now come to where I completely trust my results.

I watched him perform the TA test, and as soon as it switched color, he commented at how LOW my TA is. I asked him to add another drop... he did. The sample changed some more. One more drop after that didn't do anything (I knew it wouldn't cuz that is the result of MY OWN test)

I explained that for the drop based tests where you expect color change, you continue adding until the last drop produces NO FURTHER color change, then subtract that last drop from the count. He didn't know this! He said he was trained by someone that has been in the business for 20 years.

Then he tests my CYA. He says it's 100. I smiled and commented that it wasn't. He redid the test - he said it was 50 the second time.
========
When I got home, I thought I would amuse myself a bit more and took a sample to the store around the corner. Their test results were quite a bit different from the other store! Hmmm - same water, different store.

When he tested the CYA - he commented it was really high...100. Again, smiling, I just said sorry, that isn't possible. He looked shocked by my response. I explained that I don't put anything into the pool that would raise it. He ran it again.... 45 this time (same as my own test result).

If they're trying to push product onto their customers by fudging their tests, high CYA isn't a test where they would even have anything to sell an unsuspecting customer. So I guess I can conclude their test results aren't skewed intentionally to sell you something, they're just sloppy, or poorly trained (or both).
 
kkendall said:
When he tested the CYA - he commented it was really high...100. Again, smiling, I just said sorry, that isn't possible. He looked shocked by my response. I explained that I don't put anything into the pool that would raise it. He ran it again.... 45 this time (same as my own test result).
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If you were watching - could you tell what they did wrong to get a result 2x the true result? The only thing I can think of: wrong ratio of reagent to pool water.

kkendall said:
If they're trying to push product onto their customers by fudging their tests, high CYA isn't a test where they would even have anything to sell an unsuspecting customer. So I guess I can conclude their test results aren't skewed intentionally to sell you something, they're just sloppy, or poorly trained (or both).
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I fully agree. I think the advice sometimes may be based around sales - but I think the intention is to help. I wish they were better at testing - it would be helpful to have a second opinion sometimes - but it needs to be one you trust.
 
cwuffman said:
That's a bit of a drive from the Houston area! :-D Another local pool store has 4 gallons of 10% for $14.99.

Sam's just changed from 3 each 182 oz. jugs 6% for $8.49, to 3 each 121 oz jugs 8.25% for $8.99. 2.8 oz less pure sodium hypochlorite for $.50 more.
Click to expand...


I've been getting my stuff from Home Depot. They have 8.25% bleach for $2.98 a gal which is barely cheaper than your Sam's price. They also have MA but you go outside to get it (the stuff inside is "safe") 2 gal in a box. It even has a picture of a pool on the bottle :)
 

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Wow. That's cheap MA! Where do you live?

I (belatedly) discovered to my pleasure that the company that constructed my pool (and closed it this week) sells 12.5% in recycled bottles for $12.99 for a case of 4, making it reasonably priced per ppm (though not necessarily cheaper than Aldi bleach at 1.19 for a jug that will net me 2 ppm but handier and less space-consuming). Even more exciting to me, though, this program makes it much more environmentally astute! I really really HATED wasting all that plastic every week all summer long.

They keep a $6 deposit on the case and 4 bottles to ensure you return/refill em. I wish all the pool stores would do this instead of the way Leslie sells its liquid chlorine -- 2 bottles in a cardboard case -- what a waste of packaging materials!

BTW, I live in Grand Rapids, MI, so if anyone sees this thread and wants to know where to do the lc 12.5% recycling program, PM me!
 
My first realization that the pool store wasn't a reliable source of information was right after our pool was finished and I brought my first sample in. He dipped a test strip in the water and confidently said "You need 5 pounds of bicarb". I hadn't even told him the size of my pool :)
 
UnderWaterVanya said:
kkendall said:
A local Ace Hardware by me has 10% liquid chlorine on sale ... I believe it was $9.49 / 2 gallons
Click to expand...

Ouch! That's pricey.

Here in Charlotte NC area the Leslie's I like to torment... 'er frequent, from time to time has no liquid chlorine and NO MA. They claim it is a restriction of the suburb they are in (Matthews, NC) but I have not been able to find out if this is true. In any case - they never tried to talk me out of using either - but acted surprised when I went to another suburb and bought MA...

I haven't had the heart to tell them I am using bleach for my primary chlorination source.
Click to expand...


The Leslie's by me only sells dry acid. They have a sign up explaining how it is safer, easier to transport, does not go bad (because MA does?), and is easier to use. I don't know if the town they are in prohibits selling liquid MA, but I doubt it because the HD down the highway has it (but it is that "greener" stuff)

-dave
 
Funny I come across this post. I was just told by a Leslies store that their powdered chlorine (which contains dichlor) WILL NOT raise my CYA levels. I kept telling him several times that my CYA level skyrocketed after I started using it but he kept telling me I was wrong and needed to bring in a sample for him to read. I probably told him 5 times what the reading was and he still wouldn't believe me. That is the very last time I will ever set foot in that store. What a bunch of arrogant people!!

I should've just kept using my liquid chlorine instead of switching to their powder (based on their recommendation)...
 
While it could be entertaining, I guarantee they would come up with some other excuse. I am officially done with these guys! This is some of the worst customer service I've ever experienced!

Swampwoman said:
Call his boss, and ask him to open a bottle of distiller water and test for cya. Then have him add a 1/4 cup of his powdered chlorine and read again. I thunk he'll get the message ;)
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