My friend was told at her local pool store that her high copper count could “suck the oxygen from your body.”
I knew I was Pool Stored when...
- Thread starter PoolStored
- Start date
Was that possibly misheard from "suck the money from your wallet"?
I got pool stored when,
I went to my friends pool store, (the same person who built my pool) to get my water tested. They look at my number
FC: a little over 6 (getting close to 10, you don't want to do that because it will cause a UTI for your girls.
PH: 7.8 that's to high I need acid.
CH:350 good
CYA: 68 good but a little high
CC:0 great
Phosphates
ver 900, need to get phosphate remover. I bought a small bottle for 30 bucks.
Btw this was last week. I have been using TFP since before I opened my pool. I research everything like crazy.
The phosphates I can give them a bone here and there no big deal. My main concern was the UTI situation. This bit of advice caused me to try to find something that says this is true. After a few days of research I post here and now it's a joke. I am glad it is but this is my pool store story.
I hope yall get a chuckle.
I went to my friends pool store, (the same person who built my pool) to get my water tested. They look at my number
FC: a little over 6 (getting close to 10, you don't want to do that because it will cause a UTI for your girls.
PH: 7.8 that's to high I need acid.
CH:350 good
CYA: 68 good but a little high
CC:0 great
Phosphates
ver 900, need to get phosphate remover. I bought a small bottle for 30 bucks. Btw this was last week. I have been using TFP since before I opened my pool. I research everything like crazy.
The phosphates I can give them a bone here and there no big deal. My main concern was the UTI situation. This bit of advice caused me to try to find something that says this is true. After a few days of research I post here and now it's a joke. I am glad it is but this is my pool store story.
I hope yall get a chuckle.
*username checks out.
How could chlorine, the entire purpose of which is to kill microorganisms, cause a UTI?
clambert1273
Gold Supporter
- Jun 13, 2013
- 1,513
- Pool Size
- 12000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool Edge-40
Cuz he apparently doesn't know what does cause them and in general terms it's pretty much 2 things ( besides the real bacteria answer)How could chlorine, the entire purpose of which is to kill microorganisms, cause a UTI?
When the pool store employee starts asking the customers to put their feet in the stirrups, that's where you need to draw the line.
- Jun 24, 2021
- 15,902
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
When there ARE stirrups in the pool store...line drawn. Nope, nope, nopety nope.
Lol, I feel a little dumb. In my defense I was thinking maybe the chlorine cause a PH imbalance or something. I seriously spent probably 2 days googling looking up ways chlorine can affect the body at low concentration. Let me save you the time and tell you there is really nothing out there.
It sure does cause them when you CYA is at 400 (i mean when your water is wore out)
Professionals love to give advice on anything and everything even things that are way outside their line of business.
Last week while I was at my annual OBGYN checkup my doctor advised me about upgrading the avionics on my G650.
I foolishly followed their advice, messed up the software and had to replace the circuit board.
Oh well, you have to learn the hard way sometimes.
Last week while I was at my annual OBGYN checkup my doctor advised me about upgrading the avionics on my G650.
I foolishly followed their advice, messed up the software and had to replace the circuit board.
Oh well, you have to learn the hard way sometimes.
- Jun 24, 2021
- 15,902
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
If you owned a G650 and took advice from an OBGYN on airplane maintenance, you clearly have other problems.
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Years back while I was known as the know all handy guy, give him a call see what he says guy, and a family member bought a pool along with the house and became knee deep with pool related problems. Started the Dr google search and came upon TFP which always made sense to me. At first everything was a separate story till it all came together with the vast knowledge I got here on the forum. Fast forward I was in Leslie's looking for some pool related part, see a line of desperate people each with a water sample anxiously waiting their turn for analysis. Then hearing a guy explain to this poor soul how bad his water is and how many pounds of this and that he needs to get into the water. One guy I kid you not had a loaded hand truck of product which they politely escorted him to his car to help him load. Listening to that for a while I forgot why I was in the store. I went home that evening and did tons of reading only to realize all that false information I heard. Watching someone else get poolstored was enough for me to never go there for product or advice.
sacredcow
Silver Supporter
- May 8, 2018
- 337
- Pool Size
- 14000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
For my current pool, I only had a pool store test the water three times, and I wish I had kept the sheet from the first time because their recommendations were ramblings of insanity. From memory:
A- You have no chlorine in the pool (true, but it was winter so nothing was growing and I had literally just moved in and had no test kit or chemicals). You need to shock with about 10 lbs of cal hypo.
B- Your alkalinity is low (it was like 60 or 70). You need to add an entire bucket of alkalinity up. Not the small bucket- the BIIIG bucket.
C- Your phosphates are crazy high (they actually were over 4000 at the time). You need to add an entire bottle of PhosFree. Then, come back for more PhosFree. Then, come back for even more PhosFree.
The second time was when I converted to a SWG and I didn't have a way to test for salt yet. Of course they insisted on running all tests. I had it tested twice at that point- once before salt addition and once a few days later after adding the amount of salt I felt I needed. Then my silver nitrate kit and HACH strips came in.
A- Your stabilizer is low at 20 (true, but again- it was winter and had been raining a lot). At the time I added the salt, I dropped a couple of tablets into the floater but I was out of solid CYA. When I went back a few days later- my CYA was high at 110. These must have been the super-mega tablets, I guess, since they had BARELY dissolved in the cold water.
B- Your alkalinity is high at 140 (Nope. Absolutely no way it was that high). A few days later? They tell me it's low at 50. I had added 12 oz of acid at MOST.
A- You have no chlorine in the pool (true, but it was winter so nothing was growing and I had literally just moved in and had no test kit or chemicals). You need to shock with about 10 lbs of cal hypo.
B- Your alkalinity is low (it was like 60 or 70). You need to add an entire bucket of alkalinity up. Not the small bucket- the BIIIG bucket.
C- Your phosphates are crazy high (they actually were over 4000 at the time). You need to add an entire bottle of PhosFree. Then, come back for more PhosFree. Then, come back for even more PhosFree.
The second time was when I converted to a SWG and I didn't have a way to test for salt yet. Of course they insisted on running all tests. I had it tested twice at that point- once before salt addition and once a few days later after adding the amount of salt I felt I needed. Then my silver nitrate kit and HACH strips came in.
A- Your stabilizer is low at 20 (true, but again- it was winter and had been raining a lot). At the time I added the salt, I dropped a couple of tablets into the floater but I was out of solid CYA. When I went back a few days later- my CYA was high at 110. These must have been the super-mega tablets, I guess, since they had BARELY dissolved in the cold water.
B- Your alkalinity is high at 140 (Nope. Absolutely no way it was that high). A few days later? They tell me it's low at 50. I had added 12 oz of acid at MOST.
You just can't make all this stuff up. This and more is what's happening from 8-7 every day in the store. Reading through these threads just cracks me up.
dBsooner
Gold Supporter
My pool stored story isn't nearly as comical as a lot of these are. But I'll tell my story anyway. We stumbled across our pool last summer when someone in our neighborhood wanted to get rid of it because they were moving out of state and their parents were going to live in their house and wouldn't be able to maintain it. We jumped on the deal, sight unseen. The description she gave was nowhere near to what we found when we arrived. She needed it gone by the end of the day, but didn't start draining until the morning of. And how was she draining you might ask? With a sump pump? Nope. Using the garden hose attached to only ONE of the low down "main drain" on the AGP. I ended up renting a 60 gpm submersible pump with 100' of 2" hose for her. Got that sucker drained in an hour. This is where the first issue came up. When I took the pump to her, I got my first look at the pool. Holy moly. It was literally a swamp ecosystem, down to tadpoles and other small fish. I am not kidding. She had originally said she was going to clean it out, but decided not to because she didn't want to put bleach directly on the liner. (Nevermind all the tattoos on the bottom of the pool they had already caused). The smell was SO BAD. Anyway, being the gluttons for punishment we are, we went ahead and paid her the $250 and finished emptying, disassembling, loading up and moving it ourselves (wife and I).
Got it to the house and started cleaning it up. Mainly just cleaned the liner the best I could with brushes and mild detergent. I also opened the sand filter up. This was the time I literally almost lost my lunch. It was so full of absolute crud and smelled like literal sewer. I had to change the sand. Did so, but only with the amount that was in their other filter. Yes they had 2 filters. I guess they had been through SEVERAL pumps in the couple years they owned the pool. They kept "burning them up". They said it was because they had too small of an extension cord on the line. Though the extension was only 6'. I'll possibly give them that, but I think it was more likely because every spring their pool looked like this swamp and they just "pumped it through". Anyway, I was just below the "min" line for the sand level, but let it ride anyway.
Got the site level, got pavers, got it all setup, filled it up. Had a couple pinholes, which I patched with vinyl. (The pool hadn't been full since the prior year. And they didn't cover it for the winter [and had mature trees around it]). Went to town with CYA and LC. Scrubbing as often as I could. Got a manual vacuum and that helped. I started TFP method from the beginning. Well not 100% because I didn't have my own test kit. I hadn't done much reading yet on how terrible the pool stores were, so I figured their "computerized" tests were a little more accurate than my OTO tests and test strips. More on that shortly. Regardless, pool stayed crystal clear all season. I can't say TFP clear, because I wasn't 100% TFP (not testing on my own with a pro kit).
Then, in the fall, with the help of @Newdude, I closed 'er down for the winter (I'm not used to closing pools down in the winter.. we usually had heaters on our pools and kept them open year round. And I never had an AGP, only IG).
Fast forward to this spring.. Opened just fine. Not much going on, except no CYA or FC. Learned I'll need to check more often and open earlier. And now thinking back, it was a little green (more yellow) when I took the cover off. Anyway, just getting the CYA back in it and getting the LC up cleared it right up (so I thought). I thought the stuff that kept accumulating along the bottom was pollen. Nope. Dead algae. Within about 3 weeks we had a full on algae infestation. Just in time for Memorial Day weekend. Nothing like starting your Memorial Day weekend than with a SLAM. But since I didn't have a good test kit, I had to guess as to what was 16-20 ppm based on OTO colors. Luckily I was pretty close once I did get my test kit in and looked at what color in the OTO was 16 (and subsequently 20 because I had estimated CYA at 40 and it was actually 50. Sidebar: Pool store had CYA at 55, 61 then 57. All within a week.) I kept adding at least 5ppm daily, if not more to get up to a "dark yellow" color in OTO until my kit, and even let the store test it a few more times before the last straw [more on that below]) arrived 7 days into the SLAM.
So, upon taking my samples to the pool store this year (upon open and then more often before I got my own test kit.. more to come), I learned something. I saw them doing the same tests by hand as you all have harped about doing. Nothing too fancy. Told you more on how I thought they were using some fancy tools earlier, so I was way off base. However, I did see them do a measurement with some electronics, which I assume was pH. Now I know. They don't do anything magical to give exact numbers. Their testing is the same as anyone else's and susceptible to the exact same mistakes as everyone else. Strike 1. That made me start thinking back on all my trips there. Every - single - time the trip went the same: "Hey guys. Here's my water.".... "Daniel..." "Yep?" "How's your water look?" "Crystal clear". "Good. That's great. Your numbers are looking really good. But you need X Y or Z. Usually "raise calcium", or lower pH, or increase pH, or some other magic potion. I think out of maybe a dozen trips, only once did they NOT recommend something. And I think that was only because A) they were busy or B) they figured I won't buy anything anyway. STRIKE 2. And Strike 3: They absolutely argued with me over and over about the Pristine Blue Algaecide. During this battle, they kept trying to sell it to me. I told them I don't want to put any copper in my pool at all. My wife has almost platinum blonde hair and if she even got the slightest hint of green in her hair, not only would their chance of every selling me anything again be gone, but so would the pool. They kept saying "But this is what you need to kill the algae". This "takes care of your problem". I pointed out several things to them I learned from the experts here at TFP and they kept saying the algaecide was the only way to go. That they have hundreds of clients that use it all the time and love it without any problems with green hair or stained equipment / plaster. They did not tell me about the sequestrant they likely sell those folks right after they sell them the blue, but alas, I don't care. When I finally refused to buy the algaecide, they switched to, "But you also need calcium. You're low at 100. You need to get that up or you're going to see foaming." I told them I didn't really want that either, but then researched it and found even if I were to need it eventually (doubtful), they had the cheapest around at $14 for an 8lb bag. In Oklahoma, we don't have de-icer available year round. So that wasn't too bad and I figured it would be my "farewell" donation to them. It was when they were arguing with me that I decided I would never step foot back in there again. I paid my $15 after tax and walked out the door, letting them know I'll never be back and that Trouble Free Pool is by FAR the best thing to happen for pool owners, ever. I so wanted to just grab a chair and sit and tell everyone about TFP as they walked in.. but didn't want to get charged with trespassing. LOL!
I immediately got ahold of Nate at TFTestKits, asked a couple questions I needed answered and then placed my order for my TF-Pro. 100% the best decision ever. I then donated $100 to TFP because I KNOW I would have ended up being weaseled out of that money over the next couple months at the pool store and KNOW TFP saved me at least that much money last season only. Likely far more.
TL;DR: Pool store tests with the same style kits we do. Some likely even use strips and "guesstimate". Pool stores will argue with you about how they are the experts and you need to listen to them to buy their stuff. Pool stores goal is to get you to buy their stuff, then get locked into a cycle of relying on them for their stuff because they created a problem in which you need their "fix" to "mask". Remind you of anyone? Drug dealers? So now, my pool is officially TFP clear and I will never step foot in a store again. Unless, of course, it's to hear them tell other unknowing people awful things. It's like people watching.
Got it to the house and started cleaning it up. Mainly just cleaned the liner the best I could with brushes and mild detergent. I also opened the sand filter up. This was the time I literally almost lost my lunch. It was so full of absolute crud and smelled like literal sewer. I had to change the sand. Did so, but only with the amount that was in their other filter. Yes they had 2 filters. I guess they had been through SEVERAL pumps in the couple years they owned the pool. They kept "burning them up". They said it was because they had too small of an extension cord on the line. Though the extension was only 6'. I'll possibly give them that, but I think it was more likely because every spring their pool looked like this swamp and they just "pumped it through". Anyway, I was just below the "min" line for the sand level, but let it ride anyway.
Got the site level, got pavers, got it all setup, filled it up. Had a couple pinholes, which I patched with vinyl. (The pool hadn't been full since the prior year. And they didn't cover it for the winter [and had mature trees around it]). Went to town with CYA and LC. Scrubbing as often as I could. Got a manual vacuum and that helped. I started TFP method from the beginning. Well not 100% because I didn't have my own test kit. I hadn't done much reading yet on how terrible the pool stores were, so I figured their "computerized" tests were a little more accurate than my OTO tests and test strips. More on that shortly. Regardless, pool stayed crystal clear all season. I can't say TFP clear, because I wasn't 100% TFP (not testing on my own with a pro kit).
Then, in the fall, with the help of @Newdude, I closed 'er down for the winter (I'm not used to closing pools down in the winter.. we usually had heaters on our pools and kept them open year round. And I never had an AGP, only IG).
Fast forward to this spring.. Opened just fine. Not much going on, except no CYA or FC. Learned I'll need to check more often and open earlier. And now thinking back, it was a little green (more yellow) when I took the cover off. Anyway, just getting the CYA back in it and getting the LC up cleared it right up (so I thought). I thought the stuff that kept accumulating along the bottom was pollen. Nope. Dead algae. Within about 3 weeks we had a full on algae infestation. Just in time for Memorial Day weekend. Nothing like starting your Memorial Day weekend than with a SLAM. But since I didn't have a good test kit, I had to guess as to what was 16-20 ppm based on OTO colors. Luckily I was pretty close once I did get my test kit in and looked at what color in the OTO was 16 (and subsequently 20 because I had estimated CYA at 40 and it was actually 50. Sidebar: Pool store had CYA at 55, 61 then 57. All within a week.) I kept adding at least 5ppm daily, if not more to get up to a "dark yellow" color in OTO until my kit, and even let the store test it a few more times before the last straw [more on that below]) arrived 7 days into the SLAM.
So, upon taking my samples to the pool store this year (upon open and then more often before I got my own test kit.. more to come), I learned something. I saw them doing the same tests by hand as you all have harped about doing. Nothing too fancy. Told you more on how I thought they were using some fancy tools earlier, so I was way off base. However, I did see them do a measurement with some electronics, which I assume was pH. Now I know. They don't do anything magical to give exact numbers. Their testing is the same as anyone else's and susceptible to the exact same mistakes as everyone else. Strike 1. That made me start thinking back on all my trips there. Every - single - time the trip went the same: "Hey guys. Here's my water.".... "Daniel..." "Yep?" "How's your water look?" "Crystal clear". "Good. That's great. Your numbers are looking really good. But you need X Y or Z. Usually "raise calcium", or lower pH, or increase pH, or some other magic potion. I think out of maybe a dozen trips, only once did they NOT recommend something. And I think that was only because A) they were busy or B) they figured I won't buy anything anyway. STRIKE 2. And Strike 3: They absolutely argued with me over and over about the Pristine Blue Algaecide. During this battle, they kept trying to sell it to me. I told them I don't want to put any copper in my pool at all. My wife has almost platinum blonde hair and if she even got the slightest hint of green in her hair, not only would their chance of every selling me anything again be gone, but so would the pool. They kept saying "But this is what you need to kill the algae". This "takes care of your problem". I pointed out several things to them I learned from the experts here at TFP and they kept saying the algaecide was the only way to go. That they have hundreds of clients that use it all the time and love it without any problems with green hair or stained equipment / plaster. They did not tell me about the sequestrant they likely sell those folks right after they sell them the blue, but alas, I don't care. When I finally refused to buy the algaecide, they switched to, "But you also need calcium. You're low at 100. You need to get that up or you're going to see foaming." I told them I didn't really want that either, but then researched it and found even if I were to need it eventually (doubtful), they had the cheapest around at $14 for an 8lb bag. In Oklahoma, we don't have de-icer available year round. So that wasn't too bad and I figured it would be my "farewell" donation to them. It was when they were arguing with me that I decided I would never step foot back in there again. I paid my $15 after tax and walked out the door, letting them know I'll never be back and that Trouble Free Pool is by FAR the best thing to happen for pool owners, ever. I so wanted to just grab a chair and sit and tell everyone about TFP as they walked in.. but didn't want to get charged with trespassing. LOL!
I immediately got ahold of Nate at TFTestKits, asked a couple questions I needed answered and then placed my order for my TF-Pro. 100% the best decision ever. I then donated $100 to TFP because I KNOW I would have ended up being weaseled out of that money over the next couple months at the pool store and KNOW TFP saved me at least that much money last season only. Likely far more.
TL;DR: Pool store tests with the same style kits we do. Some likely even use strips and "guesstimate". Pool stores will argue with you about how they are the experts and you need to listen to them to buy their stuff. Pool stores goal is to get you to buy their stuff, then get locked into a cycle of relying on them for their stuff because they created a problem in which you need their "fix" to "mask". Remind you of anyone? Drug dealers? So now, my pool is officially TFP clear and I will never step foot in a store again. Unless, of course, it's to hear them tell other unknowing people awful things. It's like people watching.
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dBsooner
Gold Supporter
Now this is a banger of a 1st post! Thank you for sharing and welcome to TFP!
So glad you are here!I found TFP when I ended up with purple sediment in my pool. Looked pretty…
I got “fish stored” Today. Starting up a tank for the first time. Can tell I was done but luckily only 20 pounds spent on portions. Any body know of a TFT (trouble free tank) site?!
- Nov 12, 2017
- 12,636
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Sorry, no. But I can offer you the TFTM (Trouble Free Tank Method). It's actually quite easy. I invented it right around the time I gave every last bit of my marine tank equipment (tank, pumps, chemicals, filter media, etc, etc) to a local grandma and her granddaughter who were going to use it to raise tilapia. I never heard from them again, and I've never had any more trouble with my tank since.
Ah, memories. Looking back on it, wow, taking care of a 12000 gallon pool is nothing compared to trying to keep a few $10 fish alive in 75 gallons of salt water. They are similar: you really enjoy it for a few minutes a day, and the rest of the hours you just hope it doesn't turn green.
Good luck, James. And I don't mean to make slight of your hobby (I did it for many, many years), but I'm guessin' you know where I'm coming from...