Went to the pool store yesterday...

[Sunnydaze]

And holy moly I see how pools turn into water equivalent to a failed science experiment. While i was waiting to buy some o-rings, the manager tested a couple peoples water. The story was the same on both water tests: "your phosphates are high, your alkalinity is low. Your CYA is good under 100ppm." He sold them all kinds of stuff. He told the 2nd guy to shock his pool with 2 bags of dichlor. Then the customer mentioned slight cloudiness and the manager said he should go ahead and use 4 bags then. Without even knowing the size of his pool! I don't know what "CYA under 100" means....but if that customer has a small pool, he's probably over 100 now. I haven't seen one person outside of TFP preach about the problem of high CYA. Most people are clueless that it builds up. This is why my friend had to drain his pool...relied on nothing but what the pool store told him to do.

Do these pool stores intentionally sell people things they don't need just to make money or are they all trained by a handbook they reference on day 1 of working there? I suspect a little bit of both.

 

[mguzzy]

Pretty scary huh? They are operating on a pool maintenance methodology that is outdated.. so they just have no clue. And yes, they want to sell chems, that's how they make money, have you seen the markup on that stuff! So I think its a combination of the two.. an ignorance of the basic science and the need to pay the bottom line. I have never heard this in a pool store:
"Oh you don't need that bucket of magic powder, you can get the same thing for cheaper in the baking aisle at the food ghetto down the street."

 

[Newdude]

Do these pool stores intentionally sell people things they don't need just to make money or are they all trained by a handbook they reference on day 1 of working there? I suspect a little bit of both.

Definitely both. The big chain stores have full sales goals like any other institution to add a 3rd variable. You get to help the counter kid keep his job so he is there next time to screw your stuff up again......

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Without even knowing the size of his pool!

When I first went into Leslie's before discovering TFP, I let them test my water. The guy asked me for the volume of my pool and my chlorination method. That info stays in their system. Their computer spits out recommendations (for what they're worth) based on the size of the pool.

 

[Texas Splash]

 

[BigD23]

I haven't seen one person outside of TFP preach about the problem of high CYA. Most people are clueless that it builds up. This is why my friend had to drain his pool...

This was me with my hot tub before finding TFP (adding DiChlor continuously until it got cloudy because not enough FC, then drain, and repeat). Well, that was after the failed bromine attempt where one of my guests got hot tub rash! Luckily found TFP and my hot tub is sooo clear and safe now for much less money.

 

[cledee]

Since I've been using the TFP method, my trips to the pool store stopped, my water is clear and balanced, I paid a lot less for maintaining the pool and we have been able to enjoy the pool. I just checked the deep end yesterday and it's clear. I'm opening the pool in 2 weeks, and it's so refreshing knowing you won't open to a swamp. Last fall all I used for closing was polysquat 60 and liquid chlorine.

I remember my first year, the pool store telling me cya at 125 was ok.

 

[X52gnr]

I have never been to a pool store, started the TFP method from the very first day and my pool has been crystal clear since....

 

[V___25]

I went to our small, local owned pool store once last year for o-ring lube and filter socks just because I didn't feel like waiting for delivery. I know I have high CYA, which we're working on, but for giggles I took a sample of my pool water for them test. They also said my CYA was fine but if got close to 200 (!!) they had chemicals to help lower that. I can only imagine what those magic chemicals are to lower CYA.

 

[Donldson]

I can only imagine what those magic chemicals are to lower CYA

Bacteria. Real process, but packaging it has yielded far more failure than success from reliable attempts on the forum.

 

[Dan Morrill]

Most are clueless. Higher-ups in a company probably have an idea, but the everyday people you meet at the store I imagine just follow the same old-school methodology they were trained to that hasn't changed in forever.

Higher ups will fight any change tooth and nail because their worry is about company profits and survivability, not your pool.