Fed up with the pool stores

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Brianhiebert

New member
Jun 10, 2021
2
Winnipeg, Canada
Hi - I'm Brian - new guy!

So for the first few years we had our pool, it stayed crystal clear, and I never had to add much of anything aside from chlorine pucks and a weekly shock

For the last few years, however, it's been really hot and really dry, and my chemical levels have been all over the place. Each time I go to the pool store, I spend $100 for a bucket or two of chems, dump them in, get the water tested again, and it's something else out of whack, so more chems. I'm tired of it, so I found TFP and want to give these methods a try.

So my biggest problem right now is very low ph of 6.8. I've just added a bunch of ph up. I'm getting the water tested ONCE more, but after that, I'm going to switch to bleach for my daily chlorine needs and follow the advice from Pool Math to make the other adjustments. I'll also need to pick up a test kit :)

So hopefully this is the start of a new, simpler chapter.

Thanks in advance for all of the answers to my future questions!
 
Welcome to TFP! I was where you are now 3 years ago. The pool stores are great at getting you to spend money, not so good at fixing your pool water.

THe first step to firing the pool store is to get your own test kit, one that can do FAS-DPD chlorine tests. Check out this link:

www.troublefreepool.com

Swimming Pool Test Kits Compared

What pool test kit should I buy? Why not use test strips? Our recommended test kits will pay for themselves in no time!
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Most newcomers balk at the price, I did too. But I can assure you that ordering the right test kit will save you $100s in pool store magic potions!

Again welcome!
 
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One word of caution, I would avoid doing anything except adding 3-5PPM of LC each day until your testkit arrives. Not only are pool stores money traps, but their "free" testing isn't very accurate either.

You can get your pH fixed up after you get your testkit.
 
Your story is very typical of how most people find their way to this site. A couple of expensive trips to the pool store that doesn't solve their issues lead them to questioning if there's a better and cheaper solution. Pool stores are in the business of selling chemicals and oftentimes, they just slap a fancier name on the product and charge a lot more for it than if you just bought the same exact generic chemical at Walmart or any big box store. Alkalinity Up is one example. It's just baking soda, yet it runs 4x the price of a large size of actual Baking Soda at Walmart.
 
From one Newdude to another ….. Welcome :)

We got you now. I like to say the reliable test kit is only 1/3 a trip to the pool store. From then on out it will save you OOOOODLES of expensive trips to the pool store. We will send you instead to the laundry aisle in the grocery store where things like borax are $1 a lb and baking soda is 50 cents a lb.

On top of the test kit investment I will also highly recommend the smart stir device. It’s the best $30 you’ll ever spend on your pool. It does all the swirling for you so you can focus on making/counting test drops. I stopped recommending it actually. Now I challange new people simply to go try and take somebody else’s smart stir away. I must warn you though, they will fight dirty. :)
 
Just want to point out that OP is in Canada. Anyone have the info on best way for a Canadian to get a proper test kit?
 

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