Was at the pool store yesterday, no not for chemicals I had to get a skimmer door. Overheard someone there telling a guy (he was complaining of algae) that their phosphates were off the charts and that he had to add at least two bottles of this (PhosFree) which was like $60 each. She then went on to tell the guy that after he did that if he still had problems he would have to do a drain and refill. And then had the nerve to say its a real problem, you will never get a hold on because the water company adds phosphates to the water. So even if you refill your pool you are adding phosphates again. No mention of where his chlorine level was or where it was in relation to his CYA level or even hey lets test your water and see what the problem is! Just add this $120 worth of chemicals and then come back for more! Before I could tell the guy that if you went out and bought $120 worth of bleach and you knew how much to add you would never have problems in the first place he was long gone. Another poor soul taken to the woodshed by a pool store! I would love to sit in on a staff meeting at a pool store and find out what they are told to say to customers.
Overheard At Pool Store
- Thread starter ChiefRob
- Start date
Oh God... To dump money like that! No wonder people say pools are so expensive! They are.... the pool store way. Ugh
I'd of waited for him outside and urged him to return it and given him TFP.com.
I'd of waited for him outside and urged him to return it and given him TFP.com.
It really is depressing to go into some pool stores.
I have a neighbor considering putting in a pool. The local pool builder/store I think does a decent job of installations but the store and chemicals side is beyond terrible. I told them once they decide to go through with it to give me all the information on the build before they go ahead with anything and not to let them handle the chemisty/maintenance or they'd regret it. It's not hard to convince them of this course of action when they have a look at the water in my pool now versus when the previous owners had it managed by the pool store. They said every time they came over to swim it was cloudy and they even were skeptical of swimming in it.
The last time I went in there the employee who helped me couldn't even tell me where the cyanuric acid/stabilizer was when I asked. They were doling out bottles of liquid fool's gold PhosFree like they were candy. They were telling customers to add MA to lower pH (based on crappy color strip testing) WITHOUT pool circulating. The neighbor considering the pool also told me about a time when an ambulance and rescue squad showed up at my house's pool a few years ago and the pool service employee had gassed themselves with MA fumes or had inhaled shock powder. Real professional...
I have a neighbor considering putting in a pool. The local pool builder/store I think does a decent job of installations but the store and chemicals side is beyond terrible. I told them once they decide to go through with it to give me all the information on the build before they go ahead with anything and not to let them handle the chemisty/maintenance or they'd regret it. It's not hard to convince them of this course of action when they have a look at the water in my pool now versus when the previous owners had it managed by the pool store. They said every time they came over to swim it was cloudy and they even were skeptical of swimming in it.
The last time I went in there the employee who helped me couldn't even tell me where the cyanuric acid/stabilizer was when I asked. They were doling out bottles of liquid fool's gold PhosFree like they were candy. They were telling customers to add MA to lower pH (based on crappy color strip testing) WITHOUT pool circulating. The neighbor considering the pool also told me about a time when an ambulance and rescue squad showed up at my house's pool a few years ago and the pool service employee had gassed themselves with MA fumes or had inhaled shock powder. Real professional...
Casey, he was in front of me in line by 2 or 3 people and left before me. I tried grabbing him and was going to actually clue him in but he left in a hurry. Not to mention didn't look happy!
JV, don't know if you can tell from my site name but I happen to be a fire chief. I went on a call last year for a guy with chemical burns to the eyes. Turned out a pool service employee put shock (and I mean a lot of it) in a five gallon bucket and shot a garden hose into it to add water. Needless to say it came up and shot him in the face. When I got there I found him laying in the street screaming in pain. He had obvious chemical burns to his face which made me concerned about his airway. He couldn't open his eyes, when I opened them to wash them out I could see he had a lot of damage. Don't know what his end outcome was but in my opinion it was not good. Feel bad for the kid, he obviously was either lazy or just totally not trained to handle this stuff correctly and now has to reap the repercussions of this for the rest of his life.
JV, don't know if you can tell from my site name but I happen to be a fire chief. I went on a call last year for a guy with chemical burns to the eyes. Turned out a pool service employee put shock (and I mean a lot of it) in a five gallon bucket and shot a garden hose into it to add water. Needless to say it came up and shot him in the face. When I got there I found him laying in the street screaming in pain. He had obvious chemical burns to his face which made me concerned about his airway. He couldn't open his eyes, when I opened them to wash them out I could see he had a lot of damage. Don't know what his end outcome was but in my opinion it was not good. Feel bad for the kid, he obviously was either lazy or just totally not trained to handle this stuff correctly and now has to reap the repercussions of this for the rest of his life.
How horrific that that young man changed his life so drastically! OMG...
Never, EVER dump chemicals in a bucket and add water!
Never, EVER dump chemicals in a bucket and add water!
I was going to start a thread about the recent conversations with my SIL, who lives next door. Very interesting, as she is a firm believer in the pool store. I have tried directing her to this site, more than once, to no avail. Waiting for her to get a "swamp" soon.
For example: we were talking about pucks, she said the pool store said to only put them in the skimmer. Fast forward one week, both hoses to the pumps cracked. Both she and her husband couldn't figure out why that would happen, as this is only the third season with the pool. It's hard to keep quiet, but I don't want to seem like a know it all. I'll just keep my sparklyitis to myself, lol. I've told her how much easier this method is, not to mention cheaper, but I think she thinks I am crazy! To me, crazy is dumping 2 bottles of stabilizer in the skimmer and 10 pounds of alkalinity without even knowing why!
For example: we were talking about pucks, she said the pool store said to only put them in the skimmer. Fast forward one week, both hoses to the pumps cracked. Both she and her husband couldn't figure out why that would happen, as this is only the third season with the pool. It's hard to keep quiet, but I don't want to seem like a know it all. I'll just keep my sparklyitis to myself, lol. I've told her how much easier this method is, not to mention cheaper, but I think she thinks I am crazy! To me, crazy is dumping 2 bottles of stabilizer in the skimmer and 10 pounds of alkalinity without even knowing why!
Sad. So very very sad. In this dog eat dog word, people are very skeptical when you try to help, out of the courtesy in your heart, and they are blinded by their own lack of knowledge.
Maybe I'll approach with, hey you can fix your pool at 1/2 the cost....
Maybe I'll approach with, hey you can fix your pool at 1/2 the cost....
Shhhhhhhhhhhh! When her pool is green, sneak over and take a pic and post it so we can all guess what it needs and how high the CYA is!
Her kids have been in our smaller pool so far this year, than their own, lol. She couldn't let them in yesterday because of the chemicals she added.
She asked me one day how soon they could swim after she shocked it. My reply, depends how much stabilizer and what your free chlorine level is..... Huh? Ha ha
The CYA might be down, or was down, I should say before she added the stabilizer. They only had about 1/2 of the water left after the winter was over. Then they lost about 6" when the hose broke. I told her how much money I have saved by using this method, but my guess is she thinks it's because my pool is smaller.
She asked me one day how soon they could swim after she shocked it. My reply, depends how much stabilizer and what your free chlorine level is..... Huh? Ha ha
The CYA might be down, or was down, I should say before she added the stabilizer. They only had about 1/2 of the water left after the winter was over. Then they lost about 6" when the hose broke. I told her how much money I have saved by using this method, but my guess is she thinks it's because my pool is smaller.
I have gotten many a sideways look when I tell people I do not use chlorine I use bleach in my pool. You use BLEACH in your pool? And you let your kids in there??
Just goes to show ya, if people were really 1/2 as smart as they thought they were they would be dangerous. A closed mind is very difficult to change. Open minds have trouble free pools!
Just goes to show ya, if people were really 1/2 as smart as they thought they were they would be dangerous. A closed mind is very difficult to change. Open minds have trouble free pools!
What's really bordering on criminal is that they ignore the manufacturer's instructions on phosfree.
They explicitly state in the instructions: Important: Algae must be treated prior to testing and lowering phosphates. Chlorine must be under 5ppm before testing phosphates.
Dumping it in a green pool leads to milk, as we've all seen reported her over and over and over.
They explicitly state in the instructions: Important: Algae must be treated prior to testing and lowering phosphates. Chlorine must be under 5ppm before testing phosphates.
Dumping it in a green pool leads to milk, as we've all seen reported her over and over and over.
svenpup
LifeTime Supporter
I was standing in line at Wal-Mart with a cart full of bleach and some hardness increaser, the lady behind me asks what was it all for. I told her I maintain my own pool and have saved a fortune since doing so... she says she has a pool and it is never clear and eyes were always irritated. I told her I buy most of my stuff from Wally World, she looked shocked as if it were possible. I told her about the TFP website and she seemed curious, but unsure if she joined. I think she might have thought I was a little touched in the head.
I have a friend who has had a pool for 20+ years. She has always relied on the pool store. I keep trying to get her over the bright side, but she won't budge. She trusts the folks who have been selling her pool chemicals for all of these years. I can't image how much she has overspent in chemicals. Some people just don't want to learn.
I wish I had business cards with this website address... I could have saved so many people.
I have a friend who has had a pool for 20+ years. She has always relied on the pool store. I keep trying to get her over the bright side, but she won't budge. She trusts the folks who have been selling her pool chemicals for all of these years. I can't image how much she has overspent in chemicals. Some people just don't want to learn.
I wish I had business cards with this website address... I could have saved so many people.
Well, here are some you can print yourself:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/71205-TFP-Business-Cards
And here are some that Dave will send you for free if you ask ... or be nice and order something and he can put the cards in the shipment
:http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/74867-TFP-Business-Cards
Just have a small notebook and pen with you at all times to write down the URL. If you give them a business card they will think you are out to sell them something, and they are too smart to be scammed by you (but they will accept your help in loading the hundreds of pounds of shock and phosfree in to their trunk).
The cards that Dave made are VERY simple, so hopefully people would not think you are trying to sell them anything:
When the guy at the pool store told me about my phosphates he told me that I had XXX parts per BILLION, not million like the other test results. He went on and on about the parts per billion amount. He thought a part per billion was a much larger amount than a part per million. I didn't have the heart to set him straight. He probably wouldn't have believed me anyway.
- May 22, 2013
- 2,796
- Pool Size
- 12000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
That's what kills me. They own an expensive "toy" (the pool) and they don't bother to learn more about it. Worst is when you are standing right in front of them more than willing to share and explain what you are doing and they don't want to listen or all they do is say that won't work. I'm so glad I found this site and I'll keep trying to share it with others.
This story is like the lady who wouldn't let he kid come over to go into the pool because they used bleach instead of salt. Not my story, one I read. Like the guy said what does she think happens to the salt ?? It gets turned into chlorine to sanitize the pool by the SWG !!
My neighbors pay some guy $160/month to take care of their pool chemicals.
I told them they can do if for $160 yr at the most on their own....
I told them they can do if for $160 yr at the most on their own....