Test Strips vs. Pool Store Water Test

[lisa412]

Hi,
I am a new pool owner (Fiberglass, inground, 16 X 33). This past week I noticed some pool staining and my local pool store sold me Metal Magnet to remove the stains. I put this in yesterday and the stains are gone today. They said if the PH/alkalinity was too low, this would continue to happen. However, my test strip results do not match the pool store test results. I have 3 different ones - the AquaCheck strips, the digital reader strips, and the WalMart strips. All were left out during the cold winter. They do not give the same results but generally were all in the range of "low to ok" alkalinity. This morning the pool store tested my water and said the ph was 5 and TA was 60. They gave me stuff to raise the TA which I put in the pool. Now my test strips are indicating the TA is around 180. Should I believe these strips or believe the pool store? I hope it wasn't a mistake. The water is clear and blue. Thanks!!!