What is the worst "pool store" info you have heard?

[jenpen400]

When I was shopping for a pump and filter for my used 24 ft above ground pool I went to a local chain. I knew basically that I wanted the .75 hp 2 speed dynamo pump and the Hayward s220t filter. The first guy told me that the filter was way too big for the pump and would never be able to push the water through the sand. The manager overheard the conversation and appologized because this guy was new. He tried to sell me one of the cartrige filter packs for above ground pools. I told him I really just wanted the this pump and this filter. He told me that if I used that pump it would blow the liner off the pool. He also joked that most of the people that come into the store are looking for concrete. I must have look confused, he said you know to fill in their pool!

Thanks for such a great forum I can proudly report the water flows through the filter and has not blown the liner off the pool. Now if I can just find something to do with my bleach bottles.

jennifer

[bparks]

My favorite pool store story was one from here. A lady had a perfectly balanced pool (using Ben's test kit I think), she and two of her friends brought identical water samples down to the pool store for testing. Three wildly different results, each resulting in big piles of recommended chemicals. If I wasn't convinced not to trust their advice before, that did it.

[donfranko]

I’m relatively new at this – last year was my first with a pool. But, I was looking at outdoor furniture at a pool store and watched a sales person diagnose someone’s pool water with a test strip. She proceeded to list a bunch of chemicals that were needed to correct the problems. Thanks to this site I knew better.

[chrisexv6]

Right when we opened our pool after getting the liner replaced, I didnt have Bens test kit yet. Just for fun I took the water to a local pool place and they tested it with their fancy dancy equipment.

No chlorine (I knew that, I had just filled the pool with tap water), but the pH was like 5.1. I didnt even know it read that low, and the pool store employee actually started whipping out the chemicals to fix it all. I told them no thanks, bought a $5.00 test kit from Kmart and surprise.......pH was 7.0.

I had learned a long time ago not to trust pool stores.......my parents had a pool and for the first couple years we did whatever the pool stores said. After that we started "winging" it, and it came to the point where we wouldnt even test the water anymore. Just drop some chlorine in every day, shock it after every big rain storm, and adjust pH when the water looked "cloudy" (it was a small AG pool, I wouldnt recommend winging it for an inground).

-Chris

[mwsmith2]

Best pool story? Tell 'em you use bleach and watch the fur fly! Listen to them tell you that it's TOO STRONG. After they finish freaking out, tell them that bleach is 6% Sodium Hypochlorite. Take them over to their liquid shock. Show them that it's 10% Sodium Hypochlorite. Ask them to explain why their stuff that is 4% stronger is safer. Watch them dissapear in a puff of logic.

Actually, I don't do this, because every now and then i need to go back to the store and buy something.

Michael

[chrisexv6]

I told my family this at a picnic we threw after someone said "Ive had a pool for 30 years and never seen it as clear as yours".

When I preached the 3Bs they looked at me like I had 3 heads! (and yes "bleach is too strong"....I told them their homework assignment was to go home and read their product labels, and compare them to the 6% chlorine content of bleach).

2 months later I saw the person that said their pool was never so clear, and they thanked me for introducing them to the 3Bs. Saves money, works better, easier to do.

-Chris

[DavidD]

"Under no circumstances should you keep your chlorine above 1.5 as it will ruin swimsuits and can be hazardous to your health. A chlorine level of .5 is ideal". Hummm? They obviously haven’t tested their tap water. Mine test at 3ppm....

And similar to what Michael said above and my personal favorite, “You use bleach! That will eat up all of your pool equipment and cause your PVC pipes to degrade!”

[CarlD]

Lemme see:
"Bleach adds bad chemicals to your water!"
"You need calcium in a your [vinyl-lined] pool."
"Total Alkalinity Raiser is 'different' than Arm&Hammer baking soda."
"You got a problem? You need clarifier, flocculent, pH Up, pH down, calcium, copper-based algaecide and 'Special' shock!"
"You lower T/A by pouring in a slug of Muriatic Acid. That crackpot aeration method is BS (barnyard slush)"
"A Nature2 will help keep your water clearer and reduce your chemical costs" (check out how much the yearly N2 cartridge costs--you can buy 2 season's worth of bleach for the same amount)

[aylad]

"You need to bring your calcium up immediately to at least 150 ppm, before you ruin your liner, that is, if you haven't already. It's going to take about 50 pounds of this calcium crystal--make sure you put it in all at once."

Good thing I know that vinyl pools don't need calcium--and that it makes great sidewalk de-icer!

Janet

[smallpooldad]

Sort of.

My next door neigbours have a pool person.

Recently we had very heavy rains and a great deal of soil washed into their pool turning an already very severly iron stained pool dark brown.

The lady of the house asked me as (thanks to Mbar) my pool is now nice and stain free and sparkly to come over and make some suggestions. The reading for CYA was 95! (after very heavy continuous rains for 60 days) and the Cl 3. I informed her she needed to drain down the pool so that her CYA was within acceptable limits. I also said I would help get the stains out.

She told me her hubby said the pool person said their CYA was within acceptable limits and that constant filtering would solve their problem. This pool person uses one of those little home Taylor kits to measure the ppms, etc.

Three weeks later their pool looks like the "Brown" Hole of Calcutta and hubby is secretly peeking over the wall but as a retired pilot he cannot bring himself to ask for help.

The pool person told them after 12 years of being paid, "It is him or me."

The worst part is she swims with her dogs in this "acceptable pool" and heaven knows what bacteria is waiting to make them all sick.

The pool person also told them draining the pool will damage or make the pool walls fall off!

What should I do, they are both very nice people?