Vent

[JennyJams]

I just need to vent. New to pool ownership. Got a good Taylor kit and realized we had high CYA. Brought samples to Leslie’s as we worked to bring CYA down and the malamine test isn’t the most accurate. They admonished me about high chlorine level (despite high CYA) and told me it wasn’t safe basically and not to add any more chlorine til it was down to 1 or 2 ppm. And they repeatedly told me, hand-drawing circles and exclamation points all over the printout, that my TA was too low and I needed to add baking soda (or Alkalinity Up actually is what the instructions say). The taylor test kit also had instructions to adjust the TA for high CYA situations, so I believed their advice. Every time I went in, “TA is too low, add about 15lbs.” I followed their directions three times.
The specific numbers aren’t important here, I just need to vent because although my TA is still too low according to Leslie’s, Leslie’s ranges for appropriate numbers are very different from TFP’s. My TA, too low by Leslie’s standards is too high according to Pool Math App (and I have read many posts already about why the numbers are not adjusted for CYA, and I understand). Now my PH is always high and I’m adding acid all the time and could kick myself because I’M THE ONE WHO PUT THE BAKING SODA IN! Ugh!

Anyone have advice about time travel?

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
Trust your own testing. Stay out of pool stores. Follow Recommended Levels
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Don'tcha just wanna go back to the pool store and wring their neck!? Or make them pay you back for the cost of the bad advice.

We've heard this horror story time and again. All we can say is trust your own testing and learn the science behind Trouble Free Pools methods and you'll never have to set foot in a pool store again.

Maddie

 

[krishmk]

I used Lesile's for 3 years in a row, and after every summer I had to refill my pool. This was before I learned about TFP.

Once I learned here, its been three years and never had to refill my pool. Stopped using pucks, only use liquid chlorine, tested the pool for 2 years, almost every other day and now I am testing once a week.
I fell into a routing in summer, to add liquid chlorine every day, and when going out for more than 4 days, I drop one puck. Each puck increases CYA by 2.4 ppm and I guess all the evaporation and splashing can let me add a few pucks every summer.

Now my CYA is 40...almost around this number for the past 3 years...

 

[JennyJams]

Welcome to the forum!
Trust your own testing. Stay out of pool stores. Follow Recommended Levels
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

Yes, thanks. I’ve been lurking since before we bought the house because I wanted to understand pool chemistry before it was my job to keep it clean. Tons of great advice gleaned. Now that I downloaded the pool math app and started an account, I can post too!

It’s just hard when you are a beginner to have pool pros from differing schools of thought promoting diametrically opposed advice - you can’t be totally sure who to believe until you have some experience under your belt. I only went into the pool store because I was second guessing my results on the CYA test. Previous owners had old school Chlorine and PH only kit, have been using pucks in the pool since the 80s. I don’t think they knew CYA was a thing.
Anyway, between my husband and I arguing over when the black dot dissapeared (it made a 20ppm difference- “I can STILL see it!” “No way, it’s disappeared!”), I figured a free digital test from a professionally calibrated machine Would give us a good starting point. Didn’t realize we were dancing with the devil!

 

[JennyJams]

I used Lesile's for 3 years in a row, and after every summer I had to refill my pool. This was before I learned about TFP.

Once I learned here, its been three years and never had to refill my pool. Stopped using pucks, only use liquid chlorine, tested the pool for 2 years, almost every other day and now I am testing once a week.
I fell into a routing in summer, to add liquid chlorine every day, and when going out for more than 4 days, I drop one puck. Each puck increases CYA by 2.4 ppm and I guess all the evaporation and splashing can let me add a few pucks every summer.

Now my CYA is 40...almost around this number for the past 3 years...

Well, ours is down to 96 according to Leslie’s, 80 according to my own last test. Both totally acceptable by Leslie’s standards, but we’ve got a ways to go yet. Started at 150ppm. We are getting there

 

[willygee]

My CYA has stayed at 90 since feb of this year..Liquid chlorine daily( 13 fluid oz) MA maybe a cup after a hard rain....water xtal clear.