How much are free pool tests really costing you?

Bad things happen when advice is not independent.

People are naturally wary of sales pitches, because the person doing the talking has a vested interest in pushing a particular product. This may align well with the interests of the customer, but sometimes it doesn’t, and that’s where problems arise. The customer is usually the one that wears the consequences of any conflict of interest.

Consider why we go to a doctor to get a prescription for medicine, instead of being able to purchase straight from the pharmaceutical company. Or consider why we might trust our own accountant for financial advice instead of a financial planner paid by investment corporations. We can trust advice more when it is independent.

A quick search for pool products on the internet reveals a dazzling wealth of products for every situation, but some of them can do more harm than others. Flocculants for example can be used effectively, but they are not needed to clean up an algae filled pool, and can actually damage your filter, costing you even more money.

There are ONLY a few chemicals that you need to keep your pool in tip-top condition:

• free chlorine (sanitizer)
• sodium bicarbonate (buffer)
• hydrochloric acid (acid)
• cyanuric acid (CYA, stabilizer, sunscreen)
• calcium (to protect the surface of concrete pools)
• salt (only if you have a salt water generator)

Do we sell them? Nope. Nor do we sell the myriad of products that you DO NOT need to keep your pool clean, including algae inhibitors (algaecides/algicides), stain preventers, water conditioners, water enhancers, water clarifiers, flocculants, and degreasers. We have nothing to gain financially when we recommend a treatment program, so you can trust the advice that we give you. However, we do sell the range of kits that you need to test for the above four chemicals, and like anyone involved in the business of scientific or diagnostic kits, we back our kits with our experience.

Over the coming weeks we’ll be publishing examples of how you can use our kits to keep your pool clean for a fraction of the cost of what the pool store recommendations will cost you. And you’ll also have a cleaner, healthier pool – you really can’t lose!