I got my water tested just to compare a little . The pool store guy was losing his mind that my that my fc was at 7 . He says it should be at 2 and that even 3 is a little high. I brang up cya and he looked at me like I am an idiot. How can a pool store not know this . ? Is tf method users swimming in dangerous levels of chlorine ?
At the pool store
- Thread starter Lemonhead
- Start date
It is because they don't recognize the chlorine/cya relationship. 3 FC with zero cya is harsher than 6 FC with 80 cya.
Stay away from pool stores tests and advice! Your test kit is more reliable than theirs. And the experts here are more knowledgeable. They don't get paid to sell you stuff.
Stay away from pool stores tests and advice! Your test kit is more reliable than theirs. And the experts here are more knowledgeable. They don't get paid to sell you stuff.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,910
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
This site might not exist if it wasn't for pool "professionals" that don't actually know how to care for a pool. Mine was mistreated, and eventually destroyed, by the "best" pool maintenance company in my town (fancy logo, lots of trucks, etc). Now that I know what I know about pool care, I'm stunned about how little these guys knew. TFP works. It's proven science. And there are thousands of posts here that demonstrate that pool store advice very often does not work long time. Stay the course with what you learn here and you'll have a successful pool. Stay out of pool stores (except to buy chlorine and acid and CYA).
I let my local pool store test my water every so often because I like the little squirt containers they give away for that purpose and for the 5% discounts they email me for letting them test it. Other than that, I ignore their advice and their test results!
I let my local pool store test my water every so often because I like the little squirt containers they give away for that purpose and for the 5% discounts they email me for letting them test it. Other than that, I ignore their advice and their test results!
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,910
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Oops, forgot to answer your question. No, we are not. I keep my pool between FC5-7 when it's hot in July-August and there are lots of kids in the pool. That number is based on my CYA level and for what works in my pool. I accidentally let my FC slip to about 2.5 a few weeks ago, during a hot week with heavy use and sure enough I got a nice coat of algae on my pool walls. First time that happened since I took over my pool (because it was the first time I let my FC drop like that). Proof, to me, that my target FC of 5 works, and an FC of 2 to 3 does not. I goosed the FC for a few days and then returned my FC to 5+ when the algae disappeared. You set your FC based on CYA level AND for what works in your pool. I now know my FC threshold for this time of year, and I don't need a minimum-wage employee at a pool store to tell me otherwise...
A sure fire way to get your pool in trouble is to mix and match advice: some from here, some from a pool store, some from a neighbor... that will definitely NOT work. Stick with one. I can strongly recommend that one be TFP.