Customers often ask us why they should buy our products when the box stores and mass merchants appear to have pool chemicals for less. After all, isn’t it all the same? We’re going to unveil the truth.

Mass merchants push manufacturers to give them the very best price if they meet a certain amount of volume. Manufacturers get excited about the idea of selling tons of their product, but soon realize that to offer a discounted price and still make a profit, they need to cut some corners. This usually results in an inferior product. So, what does that mean for the end user? Consider a few examples.

Chlorine is one of the most common products for pool owners to purchase. To an average consumer all 3” chlorine pucks look the same. However, in order to cut costs, many pucks found at the box stores contain a lower percentage of chlorine than the pucks found at a professional pool retailer. How is that possible? Cheaper pucks contain binders and fillers to create volume and attain the desired weight of a typical puck. The problem with these fillers is that they leave a chalky residue behind. This results in plugged chlorinators, filters needing to be cleaned more often and a gummy or chalky build up (scum line) around the pool. These fillers also increase the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in the pool which can contribute to cloudy water.

Another example is algaecide. Many of the algaecides at the mass merchants are predominantly made up of water. At a glance, a large 4L jug may appear cheaper than the 1L bottle from your local professional. One important consideration is the concentration or percentage shown on the bottle. A 5% jug of algaecide from the mass merchant will need 8 times as much product to do the equivalent of a 40% algaecide from the professional. That $35 1L bottle from the professional suddenly seems much more reasonable when you do the math and realize you would need to purchase 8 of the 4L jugs for $19.99 each ($159.92) from the mass merchant. Not to mention the extra packaging that goes into our landfills.

Similar principles apply to salt, alkalinity, calcium, clarifiers, defoamers and most other water treatment products. Some have impurities that can damage your pool (such as small amounts of iron in generic salt). Others require much more of the product to achieve the same results. This is where comparing the dosage rates is important. 

The next time to go to grab a pail of pool pucks or a bottle of pH increaser, take some time to read the label and examine what you are about to put in your pool. You’ll probably find that the pool professional really is offering you a superior product at a very reasonable price. Like many things in life, you get what you pay for. 

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