Long story, but I wanted a phosphate reading, so I took a water sample to the store for testing. I was dreading the pool store hype, arguments and hard-sells, so the TFP expert who has been guiding me suggested that I avoid the debates by simply saying, "my pool guy said to..." Whew - good strategy.
The tests went "swimmingly." She even said, "whatever you're doing, keep doing it. Your water is perfect".
All that stress for nothing! Woot! Pool $tores aren't so bad after all! I even started to feel bad about bashing their testing, so i bought my own phoshate test kit to support their business.
My elation didn't last long. I looked at the printout, and over the next week compared it to my own testing.
Store: (sample taken 1.5 hours before testing and kept at 70º)
FC 3
CC .2
CH 200
CYA 40
TA 100
pH 7.6
Phos 75
FC was actually, without a doubt, 6
CH, with my near-empty reagents as well as my refills is over 300
CYA is 30, not 40. It's not even 40 with artificial light.
TA is 90. Over, and over and over again, it's 90.
I tested phosphates in the evening, when I should've been in daylight. It showed 300-500. It was actually probably double that, as my fill water is high.
I'll also note that we chatted while she was testing. She didn't count drops. She squirted CH reagents into the vile. It struck me as strange at the time, but looking back, wow. That explains why their CH values have contradicted their own tests, not to mention mine.
Folks, (new folks, specifically) it's hard to discount the data we get from "the pros", but they're simply not in the business of testing. They're there to sell.
The tests went "swimmingly." She even said, "whatever you're doing, keep doing it. Your water is perfect".
All that stress for nothing! Woot! Pool $tores aren't so bad after all! I even started to feel bad about bashing their testing, so i bought my own phoshate test kit to support their business.My elation didn't last long. I looked at the printout, and over the next week compared it to my own testing.
Store: (sample taken 1.5 hours before testing and kept at 70º)
FC 3
CC .2
CH 200
CYA 40
TA 100
pH 7.6
Phos 75
FC was actually, without a doubt, 6
CH, with my near-empty reagents as well as my refills is over 300
CYA is 30, not 40. It's not even 40 with artificial light.
TA is 90. Over, and over and over again, it's 90.
I tested phosphates in the evening, when I should've been in daylight. It showed 300-500. It was actually probably double that, as my fill water is high.
I'll also note that we chatted while she was testing. She didn't count drops. She squirted CH reagents into the vile. It struck me as strange at the time, but looking back, wow. That explains why their CH values have contradicted their own tests, not to mention mine.
Folks, (new folks, specifically) it's hard to discount the data we get from "the pros", but they're simply not in the business of testing. They're there to sell.
<----Rollercoaster after giving the pool store the benefit of the doubt and having them show yet *again* why we poo-poo pool store results. 
