I am a relatively new subscriber on the forum and will soon be the owner of a home with an inground pool...thats right I don't even own a home with a pool yet (well technically I "own" it but haven't moved in yet).
My biggest concern when I went to see the home was it was vacant as the previous owner had died and was elderly, I was expecting the worst. To my relief the pool was in excellent shape and clean and clear, obviously it was maintained by a pool company professional. After going through the plumbing and inspecting the vinyl liner and making sure the pump and natural gas heater worked I took a water sample and went online looking for info.
I repair and maintain pure water generators and am a licensed water sanitation equipment operator so I know a thing or two about water, just not very much about pool applications other than theory. In the industry the rule of thumb is very simple, the cheaper it is to operate and the more stable the system is the better it is for everyone concerned. I have moved my share of large industrial chlorine drums to a potable water chlorine injection system that supplied a small hydro community of 300 people, we got our water directly from the river...from the head of the dam actually. As you can imagine I took the water quality supplied to my family and the community seriously. I took water testing to the N'th level and was going above the call of duty in making sure we all got to drink good quality water, you only have to see the results of poor maintenance and testing in remote communites and the sickness it causes to know what happens when someone isn't doing their job.
Knowing this I looked at the pool supply community and seen that most of their products are geared towards people with no clue what they are doing and spend even less time testing their water, most pool owners have little to no training so you have to allow standards that prevent these people from making people sick...even if that means jacked up CYA levels and tons of chlorine in the pool to compensate. That may be good enough for the average person but I think it is safe to say the average person on this forum is far from the average pool owner...they have taken it upon themselves to be involved in their family's health and are concerned with it. Looking to save some pennies while doing it is a nice byproduct of becoming educated.
The BBB method is nothing new, industrial setups use an identical system I just never heard it referred to by that acronym. The sanitation professional isn't buying little (all in one) pucks and hoping for the best, he is doing testing for all the variables and adjusting accordingly with specific chemicals. It just so happens those chemicals are the same as what you can buy at the local grocery store in smaller sizes, actually I think consumer products are purer than the industrial strength barrels as waste byproduct residues at the bottom of the jug would be objectionable to the average consumer.
The science as described here is sound and safe, your specific water conditions may vary so I suggest you take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt until you become educated enough to know how they apply to your situation. Finding a quality pool professional with experience and certification would be an invaluable resource while you learn what you are doing, it would be safe to say weaning yourself from the industry packaged environment to the BBB method should be done with caution and a guided hand. Becoming proficient with the water testing part of the maintenance is the first thing you should become expert at, having your water tested prior to beginning this process would be the first step to maintaining a log book of adjustments and test results.
I am going to say that again, maintaining a log book of your water quality testing and chemical additions is an essential part of becoming responsible for your pool. No doubt you can get so good at it that it will become mostly unnecessary but from a legal standpoint it might be the only thing you have on your side if some ones child gets sick in your pool and decides to hire a lawyer. Every water sanitation professional takes the maintenance of logbooks as an essential part of their job, being able to track water conditions is the first step in taking control of it. I remember when I first started taking control of the waste water reactor that dumped to the river system and some guys in the community where in the final process of finishing their "homebrew" beer supply for the winter and were dumping waste into the system which shut down all my biologicals...killed them is a more accurate word actually. If I didn't have that log book that had been maintained for the last 40 years I may not have been able to bring the reactor back into operation as quickly as I did, it happened before in the past and I only had to look up what was done by other operators to learn from their mistakes getting it operational. I think this one aspect is why most people decide to hire an outside professional to maintain their pools even if these mostly uncertified "pool professionals" only have on the job training and don't have a vested interest in your familes health other than holding on to their summer job.
I have yet to read anything on this forum that is dangerous or contrary to accepted sanitation standards, as a matter of fact I have read with delight that the opposite is true...most of these guys are going above the N'th level in their pool maintenance and are concerned with even small changes to their pool waters condition and how to correct it.
To me that means I have come to the right place and am in good company. Just remember ultimately you are responsible for your own sanitation and if you don't feel comfortable with some aspect of it seek professional help, sometimes it is a small adjustment required or just some advice that being on-site is required. It is always better to be safe than sorry and standing in front of a judge saying "the internet told me to do it" is not a defense while next door little johnny's parents sit teary eyed while he is in the hospital with chemical burns.
There is a good chance this type of maintenance is not for you, not everyone is part chemist and part plumber or has an interest in educating himself to be proficient. I do think being able to do your own testing as a basic part of pool ownership should be mandatory and a $180 kit is all you need to get yourself involved so you know what the pool guy is doing and what challenges he faces, you might even find he will give you extra value because your involvement makes his job easier.
I have never seen a situation where being educated about your environment is a bad thing, except when you have no control over it...luckily you have a choice.
we can still have fun in our own backyard!!
