raising alk buy paying too much!

I went to the pool store to get my water tested. My test kit from Ben has long been out of stock, so I go just to get the numbers. This is a small place of 3 guys that left a big place b/c they didn't like the over-sell that went on there. They are very nice and give lots of good advice on the mechanical stuff. I actually heard the guy on the phone say "you have to keep adding chlorine until the green goes away to cloudy, then clears" and then he said to me that the guy has called 3 times with the same thing over 3 weeks - and he can't convince them to shock enough to get the green out! So at least they get the concept. They also say they recommend chemicals from the program (yeah, I know) that are on the lower end of the range, since they don't want to over sell and/or then have to sell you more to correct.

He tested my water and let it go when I said I didn't want calcium stuff. He said it "softens the water" when I said I thought it wasn't needed in vinyl pools. No problem, though.

Then he sold me the alk plus stuff. It was a big container (alk was way off b/c of lots of mess in pool right now), and I figured the grocery store would think I was making a bomb buying so much baking soda. :) The cost was a bit more than $1.00 a pound, and I've seen baking soda for 85 cents expensive grocery.

I happen to go to the Sam's club today. I found 12 pound bags of baking soda on sale for $4.59!!!!!! That is less than 30 cents a pound. ANd there is a photo of a pool on the front and on the back describes what it does for the alk in a pool.

I've always been sold on BBB, but that convinced me even more! SOrry for the long post, but I know folks sometimes are looking for cheap sources for BBB.

- betty d

You are lucky! I've seen 4 pounds of BioGard for $12 back when Costco was selling those 12 pound bags for $3.50! The same amount of BioGard was $36!!!!!!!!

Calcium doesn't soften water--salt does. Calcium is to protect the calcium carbonate in concrete and plaster from leaching out.

Chems you DON'T get at a pool store:
Bleach for chlorine (but LC from a PS MAY be a good deal--depends on price).

Borax for raising pH

Washing Soda for raising pH AND T/A--it's WAY cheaper than the PS stuff--and it's just soda ash, same as theirs.

Baking Soda--Total Alkalinity Raiser is the same stuff.

Muriatic Acid--hardware stores sell it.

The only chemicals you need to get from a pool store are:

CYA--Stabilizer.
Dry Acid (if you are spooked by Muriatic Acid).
Polyquat 60% algaecide

Very few pool stores have ANY drop test kit refills, and even fewer have a proper selection. On-Line is much better.