Why convert to the TPF

[Husky25]

For me, it wasn't about the money. It was about the system. I had no problem spending money on Baquacil products...until they didn't work. I found this site early last season and converted my pool to Chlorine, which gives me crystal clear water that is far more inviting and enjoyable for less than 5 minutes/day.

So no. The extra $1,000/season isn't the primary reason to subscribe to the TFP methodology, but it sure doesn't hurt.

 

[Shekkie]

The reason for me was simple.......no service would care about my pool as much as me regardless of my schedule. If a pool service only comes once a week and can make it "ok" then there is no reason I couldn't do better.

This is my 1st full season and it really couldn't be much easier for a minimal time investment.

 

[Sidecarist]

For what it's worth. I purchased a home with a pool that had been closed for 2+ years. It was a mess. I used the home as a vacation house for a year we were away a lot frequently 3-4 weeks at a time. My pool is a salt pool with a salt water chlorine generator (SWG). Once I got it tuned up I have been able to leave for extended periods and the pool is virtually perfect. I have no other automation than a simple pentair swg. No automatic controls etc. I am amazed at how easy it is to keep the pool spotless and not just looking good, but feeling good!

If you can spend a couple of hours a week with testing etc it should be no problem. Now that we have moved in full time, my wife can do a simple chlorine test and if there is to much or to little she can push a button on the swg and correct it.

I have a colleague that uses a service because he travels and when he visited our house he asked what I do to keep the pool looking so good with NO chlorine.. he couldn't believe it didn't smell etc.

My advice install a swg with a minimum of automation and follow the advice on this forum. If it turns out to be too much a service should be able to manage the swg or you easily enough. Instruct them to only use liquid chlorine for shocking if needed, and avoid copper based algicides.

I also added borates and now I don't even need to adjust the ph!

I go for it!

 

[DMS2014]

I love this site. most people on it are very helpful. it took me a while to understand it, but we have had great water and solved some problems along the way. Bc you have had pools your whole life, you should pick it up super quick compared to my neophyte butt! LOL

 

[NeedMoreSun]

I also pay for weekly lawn service, monthly tree and shrub service, regular lawn fertilizing and pest control, annual fire ant, annual termite, and briefly paid for an inherted pool service that managed it before we bought. They got fired not strictly due to cost, but not willing to do it my way and then messed up my efforts to do things like bring my TA down. The money I saved did help me justify more gadgets though and in the end I replaced pretty much 100% of all equipment, replumbed on a new pad, added and SWG, heater, controller My starting CYA was well over 200.

However, I am a self admitted procrastinator and lazy, so the SWG is a big help. I also liked the weekly check of the skimmer and pump basket, but it wasn't worth paying so much just for that. It just so happened the owner of the lawn service was here the day I fired the pool service. It took a few minutes and I now pay an extra $5/mo for my lawn service and they empty all my baskets weekly I have an enclosure so little accumulates anyway, but I have a TFP pool I love and can still be lazy!

 

[Schadenfreude]

Because of the crystal clear water - not just sometimes, but all of the time. In exchange for a few minutes a day to test and put in some MA a couple of times a week.

When my pool was taken care of by professionals, it was sometimes cloudy, sometimes greenish and sometimes murky. It was almost always a bit dirty. In every case, I was assured that it was safe for my family to swim in. In hindsight, the answer was almost certainly that it was not truly safe to swim.

When I took over, my FC was 0.0, my pH was 8.4, my TA was >200 and I never did figure out how high my CYA was. I had purchased two new SWGs that never seemed to work (installed backwards)...and so on.

Now, I don't have to ask if the water is safe. I know it is, because I just tested it.

 

[DKT113]

The people I love the most are in that water and I truly feel it's my responsibility to make sure it's as healthy as it can be for them. This method allows me that confidence.
That's absolutely what it came down to.

We set this pool up to see if we would use it, it was a test pool as we have an IG up north. The plan was initially we'd start with this one and if we used it and were able to take care of it we'd throw a "real one" in the dirt here. We talked it over numerous times ~ it simply doesn't make any sense to get rid of this pool yet, we enjoy it every single day weather permits during our season and we have yet to find water to compare to it. It was to be a group effort, "the care" , my boys were men, I work an obscene amount of hours weekly, everyone was going to pitch in and do it together. I love, love, love managing the waters ~ I take such pride in how pristine my water is and unless I am in a coma or bodycast, no one is touching my test kit or speed stir. It's a joke now ~ I'll say lets go out back and look at the water ~ we'll admire it and then I go on about work and slave for you apes work and slave (Every Which Way but Loose reference). There is no working and slaving ~ it's a labor of love and feeling of total accomplishment.

I would never want someone coming here and just blindly dumping things in & I don't want to dump stuff in there that I really don't know what it is. This works, I feel it's the safest and healthiest for my family & yeah the added bonuses are its super easy and it save some bucks.

What more could a person want, seriously?

 

[mgmoore7]

I use this method because I believe in people providing real answers with real proof of success over and over for years. Not some pool guy that got one day of training or a college kid working the counter of the pool store. The pool stores and services don't have to show you the pools of their customers.

Even with a travel schedule, once you learn your pool needs and if you don't have a automated system, you could add more Chlorine than is needed based on your future travel schedule. If this is anything less than 1 week, the roller coaster of chlorine will be less than the paid weekly service.

I would suggest that you get a Salt Water Chlorine Generator as part of your build. It will probably cost about 1k more. One it is dialed in, you could easily go 3-4 days between testing and possibly more.

 

[RyanMcC]

I don't want to promote heresy here, but we don't test every day.

My wife spends a few minutes every two or three days.

 

[tim5055]

I don't want to promote heresy here, but we don't test every day.

My wife spends a few minutes every two or three days.

Not heresy at all. Many of us reduce testing to every couple/few days once the pool is dialed in and levels are stable. Without testing we know that our pool normally consumes X amount of chlorine per day and we give that amount, adjusting when we do test.

Now, if you are saying skip adding chlorine daily and just add it every two to three days, well - that might just be heresy......