In fairness, this is a reputable family-owned and operated pool builder and retail store. They know I use TFP methods and respect it. The have 12.5% chlorine (Austin's @$4.50/g this year), know freshness is key (got 19-112 today!), store it inside, and will also deliver it the next day for no extra charge. As far as pool stores, they could be worse. They have a patio store too so I try to support them there by purchasing chairs and umbrellas. They are letting me test drive a Polaris 9450 FREE for a week so I went to pick it up today and took a water sample in. They use a fancy ClearCare Expert(tm) system. I had run my TFT100 tests about 30 minutes prior. Below is the comparison. The alkalinity was stipulated as 'adjusted' - not sure what it means.
Parameter Pool Store TF-100
FC 5.69 5.5
CC .15 0
pH 8 7.5
Alk 61 110
CH 195 225
CyA 51 40
Trying not to be a jerk but I mentioned our differences in Alk and pH, he immediately whipped out some standards to calibrate his system. His new results put pH at 7.6 and Alk at 90. He ran a drop test on the latter and got 100 so we called that a draw. He said they calibrated every Monday but admitted their logs looked as if it had been missed this past Monday. He said drop tests are best, said to trust them first, they used to do them, but the "kids he hires these days must not be taught to count or concentrate. They can manage technology just fine though."
The moral here is there are some decent pool stores, few and far between, but only if they calibrate often. It also shows how quickly systems become out of whack and yield inaccurate results. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying watching the Polaris do my dirty work.
Parameter Pool Store TF-100
FC 5.69 5.5
CC .15 0
pH 8 7.5
Alk 61 110
CH 195 225
CyA 51 40
Trying not to be a jerk but I mentioned our differences in Alk and pH, he immediately whipped out some standards to calibrate his system. His new results put pH at 7.6 and Alk at 90. He ran a drop test on the latter and got 100 so we called that a draw. He said they calibrated every Monday but admitted their logs looked as if it had been missed this past Monday. He said drop tests are best, said to trust them first, they used to do them, but the "kids he hires these days must not be taught to count or concentrate. They can manage technology just fine though."
The moral here is there are some decent pool stores, few and far between, but only if they calibrate often. It also shows how quickly systems become out of whack and yield inaccurate results. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying watching the Polaris do my dirty work.
Last edited:
