I have no problems with the mom and pop store close to my house. They are always polite and ask if I have x chemical at home before offering to sell it to me. of course the answer it always no. What they don't make from me in chemicals, they get from me in Polaris parts, which is the only reason I go there. I usually bring the water just for fun.
Not going to the pool store anymore....
- Thread starter dannyboy
- Start date
linda1
0
Went to pool store today and I made the mistake of telling the clerk I was going to use the BBB method. Had to explain what it was. They shook their head and then they told me the bleach will put holes in my liner. This is the only pool store close - 12 miles away. Plus, since I bought the pool from them, they know me by name. Guess I'll have to drive 25 miles to the next one and not mention BBB.
Some real horror stories out there, I don't have anything close - I just buy what I need and leave.
the pool store I use is pretty cool about it. I went to get some parts for my cleaner so I decided to take some water with me to have tested. The lady that owns it is really nice and has done it for 40 years. She ask me what I was using and I told her what I was doing and she said what ever you doing keep it up because it looks great. Of coarse I already knew that!!!! I guess I just have a good pool store in my small town.
But the place that put in my pool, that's a different story... they want to sell you everything, I just tell them that I have some of that stuff at home so I don't think I need any.. but thanks anyway!!!
But the place that put in my pool, that's a different story... they want to sell you everything, I just tell them that I have some of that stuff at home so I don't think I need any.. but thanks anyway!!!
linda1 said:
But, I'll bet they will sell you all the "liquid chlorine" you would buy, right?
linda1
0
The availability of liquid chlorine varies by region. Some places everyone carries it, some places no one carries it, some places you have to hunt around a little to find someone who carries it. Part of this is because of state and/or local regulations limiting the sale of higher concentrations of liquid chlorine. The number of pools in the area also has some effect. Liquid chlorine spoils if you store it for too long, so they need to sell a reasonable volume of liquid chlorine to make it worth stocking it.
Interesting. Here in Massachusetts you can get it almost anywhere, you can even get 12.5% at discount stores. It's $2.50 a gallon. It's really 12.5%, I've tested it. The turnover seems high too. A lot of people chlorinate with liquid up here.
I'm a little upset with my pool store since the end of last season. I usually buy 12.5% from them all summer long. BUT then toward the end of last season i bought a couple cases to finish off the season with and i get it home and what do you know 10% 
Price was still the same though.....felt like i was swindled. Oh well..i should have checked............
Price was still the same though.....felt like i was swindled. Oh well..i should have checked............
When I told the pool store I wanted bleach, the employee went on a 1 minute rampage about how I could just buy trichlor, internet forums are dangerous advice, you only need 2 ppm of FC to keep a pool sanitized no matter what the CYA level, blah, blah, blah. I interupted him and said that the customer is always right, and that he should cease bashing the BBB method or I'll find another store to go to and buy my chemicals/parts. He apologized and shut-up.
I had a similar experience this past weekend...went to local pool store (the one that installed my pool 2 yrs ago) last weekend..they were having a big anniversary gala..free food, drinks, etc. I stopped in to get some advice to open my pool (this was 1st time opening pool myself.. they did it last 2 yrs..wanted to save some money!!) Well, they finally asked what type of sanitizer I use (pucks..Baqua, etc)..when I said I just use liquid chlorine you would have thought I swore at them!! 3 of the owners were there and went off on me!.."you will fade and ruin your liner...liquid chlorine is dirty and adds "bad things" into your water..and on and on!! You know in the back of there minds they were thinking "this guy is really right, but we need to sell him expensive chemicals"...After 1/2 hour of this "discussion" they finally just stopped since I wasn't backing down!! After all this , I was really hungry and proceded to down 2 burgers, mac salad, and Doritos...all free of course!! I guess they are good for something..haha!!
Curt
Curt
Im a newbie here, but since I have started reading and testing with the BBB system, I have taken samples of water to the pool store.
At first I got the "you need....this and this and ..."
After a few weeks and now that the water is stable its a different story.
Unofficially the clerks have changed to the BBB method and it is working very well for them. Even the manager is a convert.
On the record they have a quota to make so food on the table says sell sell sell.
At first I got the "you need....this and this and ..."
After a few weeks and now that the water is stable its a different story.
Unofficially the clerks have changed to the BBB method and it is working very well for them. Even the manager is a convert.
On the record they have a quota to make so food on the table says sell sell sell.
We've actually got a pretty good pool store here. They test water for free and produce a hard copy. Not knowing what these #"s meant until recently, they have never tried to over sell me anything. If the print out says that a little of this or that needs to be added, they usually crossed it out and said it's not necessary. They also hold a free class on how to open your pool. Pretty good considering they do a lot of business opening pools.
Happy for those of you that have good stores, but I'm not one of the lucky ones either. The person here that assumed the rest of us were arrogant and thus caused the pool stores to treat us as outcast is just being arrogant. I have NEVER tried to push BBB in their store (although i have converted a few of their customers..LOL). I don't even ask them to test my water unless I plan to purchase something as I understand that cost them money. However, if the people are working who use to sell me baquacil and now know I'm a chlorine person, they treat me like I'm an idiot and out to get them. Yes, I'm still bitter at them for jacking me up for a whole season (after I purchased the pool from them) by insisting I HAD to use baquacil or else suffer being known as a terrible, abusive parent for exposing my kids to the awful effects of poisonous chlorine.
Went in yesterday to have my water tested because I am out of alkalinity reagent (placed order yesterday). I knew it was low because water is cloudy. It turned light green and the guy told me it was ZERO. He reached for his product and told me I needed at least 20 pounds. I simply replied, "Oh, okay. Hmmm, I've got SOME at home left from last season. Let me see what I need and I'll come back." Then I went on to purchase a pressure gauge for $18. Left feeling ripped on the gauge (Lowe's is across the street), but laughing at how I handled the alkalinity "up" recommendation.
Went in yesterday to have my water tested because I am out of alkalinity reagent (placed order yesterday). I knew it was low because water is cloudy. It turned light green and the guy told me it was ZERO. He reached for his product and told me I needed at least 20 pounds. I simply replied, "Oh, okay. Hmmm, I've got SOME at home left from last season. Let me see what I need and I'll come back." Then I went on to purchase a pressure gauge for $18. Left feeling ripped on the gauge (Lowe's is across the street), but laughing at how I handled the alkalinity "up" recommendation.
pedsrn said:
Me neither. I sent my wife to the (somewhat) local Leslie's a while back, because they said they had the FAS-DPD in stock. Well, the lady there asked her why we needed THAT kit. Well, we were doing an overnight FC loss test. Of course they didn't have that one in stock, just the DPD. Then the lady asked her how we were chlorinating, and she told the lady bleach. She flipped out on my wife saying bleach would put holes in our liner and blah blah blah.
My wife then told her we have a hot tub, not a pool. That lady the proceeded to say bleach would dissolve our shell! When my wife brought up liquid chlorine and bleach being the same except the %, the lady said that LC is a special formulation made only for pool stores to sell and that 'you'll be sorry using bleach, just you wait!'Guess where I WON'T be buying accessories for the hot tub or the pool we just got!
I'm not going to try and justify the pool store advice, but the grain of truth in it is that using bleach, or any unstabilized chlorine for that matter, without any Cyanuric Acid (CYA, aka stabilizer or conditioner) already in the water will be much, much stronger so could degrade hot tub covers and be harsher on vinyl pools (though even that's questionable) and if you add the chlorine in one place quickly without good circulation then it can pool near the bottom. So for people who aren't educated in proper pool/spa maintenance and just start out using unstabilized chlorine, they could run into trouble. Of course, you know better and have some CYA in your spa to start with (probably using Dichlor for a short while) and will have CYA in your pool as well.
There's no way I can give any benefit of the doubt to the patently false statement about chlorinating liquid being somehow specially formulated for pool stores compared to bleach.
There's no way I can give any benefit of the doubt to the patently false statement about chlorinating liquid being somehow specially formulated for pool stores compared to bleach.