Trying to convince others...Its tough

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My in-laws had an inground fiberglass pool installed last September with a SWG. Their water is super crystal clear but he knows nothing about pools (even though before this house they had an inground vinyl liner pool for years). He does only what the pool store tells him to do...but luckily for him the store he has been going to gives him good advice. They only sell him MA to lower his PH.

He recently took in a water sample to a new pool store closer to home and they sold him tons of **** he didn't need. Of course he bought it. While i was down there last weekend he shared how he found this new pool store and they told him all these chemicals he needed AND how the previous pool store wasn't treating him right (when the previous store was actually great for him). I asked him why he thought putting all those chemicals into his pool when it's been super clear all summer was a good idea - he almost threw a fit about how could I question the pool store's advice.

I replied that it was an honest question and I was just trying to learn (knowing good and well he had no clue), yada, yada, yada. My wife overheard and said why wasn't he testing is water on his own like we do and recommeded this site. He was like yeah, where can I get the test kit, what;s this site, etc. Sometimes it's not the information you give someone but who that information comes from and in his case was his daughter's.

Like others have mentioned, all you can do is wait in the wings for when they are ready to ask for help. Until then it's just a waste of energy!!
 
I've talked to several people about my experiences with TFP methods. Being a new-to-me pool owner since we recently moved to a house with a pool, a number of people have asked us how we like the pool. Some of them have pools. When I have told them about this website and the success I have had in keeping the pool clear, it's sparkly, I never shock it, I never add chemicals other than chlorine and MA. They listen, but they don't seem very interested in changing anything they are doing. I will say that their pools are not in bad shape, so perhaps they just haven't hit rock bottom with pool frustration yet. I have also had the occasional conversation with folks at the store when I am looking for cheap bleach, etc. They ask why all the bleach and I tell them. They look at me like I have a hole in my head or something. I'll go back to an earlier analogy I borrowed from the Matrix. Some people aren't ready to be unplugged yet. Meanwhile, my pool still looks great.
 
When I was still on the bottle (bleach), I went to Kroger to buy a bunch to stock up. A lady in line asked me if I owned a dry cleaner shop. The girl at the register said "let me guess, you have a pool". I said "Yep". She said "I used to work at Leslie's. Every once in a while I'll see someone come through here that's figured out how to take care of their pool with grocery store products".

:)
 
Yep just a few days ago I was over at someone's house and I asked her how she was maintaining the chemicals in her pool. She said oh I use a pool service and they come out once a week and use chlorine gas. Then she started telling me how they had recently told her that her cyanuric acid level was too high so she had them scheduled to be coming back in a week or so to do reverse osmosis on the water. I didn't even ask how much that costs. I did start to question her cause I said how did your cyanuric acid level get too high because chlorine gas doesn't raise that number at all and the only way you can be getting it is by using stabilized chlorine tablets or powder. I started describing how I've been taking care of my pool and when I mentioned testing the water she piped up and said oh yeah I just had our water tested at Leslies. I said well that's about as good as going to McDonalds to find out how to best cook a steak. I said most of those employees are college kids and they don't know how to properly do the tests. Anyways when I described how to take care of it yourself she finally just said it sounded too hard and she already has too many things to worry about. To be honest it seems most people don't want any method that requires them to do daily testing....that's "too hard".
 
Gilrock said:
To be honest it seems most people don't want any method that requires them to do daily testing....that's "too hard".
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It's worse than that. The mentality you describe is someone who wants their pool to be SOMEONE ELSE'S responsibility. They want all the fun of having a pool to cool off in, but they want no part in maintaining it. I've run into that personality type a lot. Most folks I know with pools scoff at me when I tell them that I maintain it myself. They kind of sniff at the idea like its work that's beneath them. One guy I know goes through pool service companies about once every 18 months. His attitude is that if they don't keep his pool crystal clear, they're fired. I once argued with him that he could save all that money he throws away on pool service and just do it himself for less hassle and money. No deal with him, he's too "important" to do that kind of work....after that conversation, I just gave up on any further pool talk.
 
I do a full test on mine once a week and add very small amounts of very few "chemicals". The other days (Sunday-Friday) it is 7 way strips whenever it is used, which is very dependent on weather. I think that once you get it to where you have a "system" that works they really are not that hard. We know people that have pools that hire every part of it done. For me there is satisfaction in knowing that I built it and I keep it looking good.
 
I actually had someone call me this year who had just purchased a home with a pool. For a few weeks everything was fine, then things didn't look quite right and she dumped in everything that she could find and ended up with a real problem. She called and told me that I had the nicest looking pool she has ever seen, (water wise) and could I help her straighten hers out. I have to say that she jumped right in and listened to everything I told her, came here and read and familiarized herself with all the charts and she now has a super sparkly pool. I let her use my kit to get her through it but told her she must get her own for next year!
 
When I was buying my pool this year there were customers in the pool store asking if we were buying a pool. Everybody we talked to always ended the conversation with..."Good Luck, Its a hassle"

Wish I could go and find them now. I literally spend 5 minutes every night taking care of the pool. No lie...I spent more time in Ollies this year trying to find Pool Shock than I've spent actually maintaining the pool...lol

It takes every bit of 2 minutes to test FC and 2 minutes to measure and pour in the chlorine.
 
I don't even try. I have had people say absolutely crazy things to me about pools. I post pictures regularly to my social media and several people have commented that they have never had their pools look as clear as mine (not that I am posting to show the clear water - i am posting pics of the kids or whatever). I have had 2 people try to hire me as pool care - neither has been close enough to me to even consider it. When I have tried to talk to them about it, it is obvious that they don't want the responsibility of spending 5 minutes a day messing with the pool.
 

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kris77 said:
Everybody we talked to always ended the conversation with..."Good Luck, Its a hassle"
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I got the same type warnings before I bought my house. Personally, I think my pool is less work than taking out the trash. But some people seem to think it has to be major work to maintain a pool. Everyone I know says they take their water to the pool store and get "what's needed". I just shrug and say "That's cool".
 
My landlord is wanting us to keep the water level right at the top of the skimmer, there has been much debris constantly floating as a result of this. It has gone done to about 2/3 up the skimmer once, and the debris "magically" disappeared. I will see if I can show him the water level is best when lowered. Another issue with a high water level is that even basic swimming causes water to splash out and kill the grass immediately surrounding the pool.
 
Yesterday, I was in a major pool store buying hose for my Polaris 360.
There were three people ahead of me at the counter. They were all buying high dollar chemicals. One guy was buying a quart bottle of something that was $55.00. It had something to do with pH.
A woman was buying a case of shock packages. The pool store guy was telling her she had to shock her pool at least once a week.
The guy immediately ahead of me was buying a big jug of algaecide.
I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying something. I wouldn't do that inside the store. If I could have caught any of them outside I might have.
 
kimkats said:
That is another reason I hate going in the pool store. It is SO hard to bite my tongue when I see that kind of waste of money.

Kim
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+1

Oh yeah, I hate standing in line at the pool store (I try to get all my basic chemicals else where). The amount of BS and bad advice that flows forth from behind the registers is just astounding sometimes. I shake my head so much that folks probably think I have some kind of neurological problem....
 

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