Question on chemicals being used by our pool company

[liza8402]

Hi All!
We went through a huge renovation of our Gunite pool last year and are thrilled with the results and so, have stayed with our pool company. But, I recently found out that a friend is paying about 1/2 the cost we are monthly, for pool services. Our finish is quartz, hers is plaster. I do not know if that makes a difference, but her pool company uses significantly less chemicals than ours does. Neither of our pools are saltwater.

Her last month looked like this:
- 5 Gallons Chlorine shock
- 12 lbs balance pak 100

While mine is usually some combination of significantly more chemicals- an example of a month last year:
- 35 lb sodium bicarbonate
- 7lb muriatic acid
- 1.5 lbs liquid shock
- 22 3” chlorine tablets
- 25 lb granulated chlorine
- 5 lb diatomaceous earth filter powder

Her service is $430/month, including cleanings ($65/week vs my $85/week). The bill for what was listed above plus cleanings was almost $900. I’d love to save some money if I can but totally clueless if the different finishes are causing the completely different chemical plan. Any insight would be appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Texas Splash]

We often times encourage members to cut the cord and take care of their own pool for all water testing, chemicals, and equipment maintenance. Understandably, due to physical limitations, schedules, or other issues, some people can't do all of those things, especially with some equipment repairs. But usually an owner can do the water testing and adding chemicals on their own once they understand the basics. That's what TFP is all about.

So let me ask you this ......... Are you able/willing to test your own water with a proper test kit? If so, then are you able to buy your own liquid chlorine and acid to add to the water as needed? Are you able to brush/vacuum the pool once or twice a week as needed? If so, you don't need that service. That's a lot of money saved already.

I will say that the items they are charging you are expensive and in many cases not needed or ideal to use. Pool services operate on a "dump & run" philosophy, so they can't afford to stick around and give your pool the car it truly needs. But we can help you if you're able.

 

[Newdude]

Are your pools similar in volume ? Twice the gallons is twice the chemicals, all else equal. Then your company's preferred method of chemicals may differ from the other. Or they're larger with more overhead and the other company is '2 guys in a truck'.

Any way you slice it, pools need daily care, or a few times a week once you get a grip on things. Weekly service just doesn't cut it more often than not. We'd love to teach you how to do it on the cheap and easy.

 

[reggiehammond]

Her last month looked like this:
- 5 Gallons Chlorine shock
- 12 lbs balance pak 100

I assume that your friend also has chlorine tablets as the 12lbs of Balance Pak 100 is simply 12lbs of baking soda (marked up 100x per lb.)
The reason their service needs to increase alkalinity (with baking soda) is that they also have something very acidic they're adding (likely trichlor tablets.)

Your pool service chemicals are also pretty funny. 35lbs of baking soda while also using 7lbs of muriatic acid. Those two chemicals are fighting each other, likely just a total waste of $$, as one is raising the pH, and the other is reducing the pH.

Your service is also using trichlor tabs and CalHypo "shocks." Make sure you understand that every chlorine tablet raises your CYA (to unmanageable levels) while every CalHypo addition adds calcium (to unmanageable levels.)

TFP methods can be a much easier, less expensive method that costs very little $.

 

[Orion7319]

Using TFP methods I typally spend less then $60.00 a year for chemicals, usually just salt and CYA. That leaves a budget for things that make the pool extremely easy to maintain like a saltwater generator, variable speed pump and robots to do the majority of the work. Mostly I just test the chemicals once a week and they are usually good. Point is that it’s possible to have a very easy to maintain pool that doesn’t cost a fortune.

 

[liza8402]

Wow! I am incredibly intrigued by these replies. Thank you all for taking the time to do so!

I could make the time to test and balance my pool, but vacuuming and brushing it is something I’d truly prefer not to do. I guess I’d have to find out if my pool company would be willing to let me handle the chemical side and only do the vacuuming/brushing. FWIW, average our monthly bill is somewhere between $750-850, and the vacuuming is $85/week, only $340 of that number. So the chemicals are a massive part of it. Any suggestions on where to start?

 

[PoolStored]

So the chemicals are a massive part of it. Any suggestions on where to start?

Easy, get a test kit and learn to use it. Link-->Test Kits Compared

Instructions: Extended Test Kit Directions Archives

While you are contemplating a switch, you can test the water and compare you pool maintenance company to our recommendations:
First link-->FC/CYA Levels

And our recommended levels:

What Are My Ideal Pool Levels?

Use our tool to find ideal chemical levels for any swimming pool. Check TFP recommended levels on pH, free chlorine, cyanuric acid, and more.

www.troublefreepool.com

Once you understand that, this is how you adjust the chemical levels:

ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

There are several items things every pool owner should know about swimming pool water. We share details on the basics of Pool Water Chemistry.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

$750-850

a month?

vacuuming is $85/week

Find a neighbor kid to do it and buy a robot.

 

[Orion7319]

Wow! I am incredibly intrigued by these replies. Thank you all for taking the time to do so!

I could make the time to test and balance my pool, but vacuuming and brushing it is something I’d truly prefer not to do. I guess I’d have to find out if my pool company would be willing to let me handle the chemical side and only do the vacuuming/brushing. FWIW, average our monthly bill is somewhere between $750-850, and the vacuuming is $85/week, only $340 of that number. So the chemicals are a massive part of it. Any suggestions on where to start?

That’s what my robots do. They vacuum and brush the pool. All you have to do is run it, and take it out of the pool to empty and hose out the basket when it’s done. You can afford an army of them if you aren’t paying the pool company anymore. There are some good ones that start at around $500.00.

 

[reggiehammond]

That’s what my robots do. They vacuum and brush the pool. All you have to do is run it, and take it out of the pool to empty and hose out the basket when it’s done. You can afford an army of them if you aren’t paying the pool company anymore. There are some good ones that start at around $500.00.

I empty my skimmers and robot basket 1-2x per week, for a grand total of less than 10 minutes of active pool care during the swim season.

 

[liza8402]

You’ve given me so much to think about! We’re lucky to be able to afford a pool service but every time I get a bill, I just feel that I’m being overcharged. This is my most recent bill — it has an extra $250 on it due to heater issues that were expected and resulted in service calls (my own errors). But if I were to give up pool service, how do I resolve things like this when they happen? We were out of propane and the company had to come clear the line because it wouldn’t ignite once it was re-filled. That being said our propane company finally put a remote gauge so we shouldn’t run out again.

I am also happy to test and add chemicals as I think it’s a pretty low commitment. With 3 little ones, I don’t have the bandwidth to do a lot, but I can do it if it’s not too time consuming.

And finally - what do you do if you are away for a week or two?

 

[jimbethesda]

.

And finally - what do you do if you are away for a week or two?

I enjoy myself, never once thinking about my pool. This is really only possible if you have a Salt chlorine generator.

I have someone maintain my lawn and clean my house, but I maintain my pool myself.

I have a Pentair IC40, an automatic acid pump, and a robot. I spend about 20 mins a week on my pool during the summer, a little less in the winter.

I spend about $10/month on acid and maybe $50/YEAR on salt, CYA, and baking soda.

If you are willing to spend some money upfront to buy some equipment, sounds like your payback period is only a few months.

 

[Parac]

19 gallons of Muriatic Acid in 1 month??? They are primarily using tablets which are acidic. You shouldn't really need much Muriatic Acid at all. The Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking soda) is raising the TA (and then some) that all the acid is lowering. Maybe the experts can explain it better, but it looks like they are keeping your TA high so your ph rises faster so they can add more acid and repeat the cycle to pad the bill by $500 every month.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

When pool care becomes a hobby, it's no longer work. Testing the water and watching the effect of chemicals interests me.

You deal with problems as they arise. We have plenty of experts with a great deal of experience to help you along the way.

 

[reggiehammond]

You’ve given me so much to think about! We’re lucky to be able to afford a pool service but every time I get a bill, I just feel that I’m being overcharged. This is my most recent bill — it has an extra $250 on it due to heater issues that were expected and resulted in service calls (my own errors). But if I were to give up pool service, how do I resolve things like this when they happen? We were out of propane and the company had to come clear the line because it wouldn’t ignite once it was re-filled. That being said our propane company finally put a remote gauge so we shouldn’t run out again.

I am also happy to test and add chemicals as I think it’s a pretty low commitment. With 3 little ones, I don’t have the bandwidth to do a lot, but I can do it if it’s not too time consuming.

And finally - what do you do if you are away for a week or two?

You really ought to call the pool service management and ask them to explain that chemical list. It's impossible to explain without lying.

For the random pool equipment issue, we can help diagnose and if you can't fix it, then you can call someone out.

 

[Deb04]

I have a pool company open and close my pool bc we're not interested in doing that work. When we have issues (e.g, heater or pump not working) we call the same company. They are generally able to come out the next business day.

 

[Orion7319]

19 gallons of Muriatic Acid in 1 month??? They are primarily using tablets which are acidic. You shouldn't really need much Muriatic Acid at all. The Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking soda) is raising the TA (and then some) that all the acid is lowering. Maybe the experts can explain it better, but it looks like they are keeping your TA high so your ph rises faster so they can add more acid and repeat the cycle to pad the bill by $500 every month.

80lbs of baking soda and 16 gallons of acid… for a result of probably exactly nothing either way. I’m surprised the entire pool doesn’t fizz like crazy for a few minutes.