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Why Your Pool Pump Isn’t the Problem — Your Filter Is

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Most pool owners assume the pump does the heavy lifting, but a right-sized filter is the real backbone of a clean, easy-to-maintain pool. The filter doesn’t just trap dirt; it drives circulation, which keeps water moving through skimmers, cleaners, and returns. That movement prevents dead spots where algae thrive and reduces the runtime needed to maintain clarity. When a filter is undersized, pressure rises faster, flow stalls, and you end up cleaning incessantly even if the pump is powerful. A larger filter lowers resistance, keeps PSI stable longer, and maintains consistent flow that makes every other piece of equipment work better, including modest pumps. Consider how filter surface area changes the job. A 100 square foot cartridge on a 15,000-gallon pool will clog quickly, pushing PSI up and starving circulation, which forces you to clean monthly. Jump to 400 square feet and you spread the load across four cartridges; cleaning often drops to every four to six months, and water stay...
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Can You Trust Pool Test Strips?

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Most pool owners and service pros juggle speed, cost, and accuracy when they test water. That trade-off sits at the center of test strip debates. The short truth: modern strips are more accurate than they used to be, but they still read in ranges and rely on your eyes. Major manufacturers like Taylor, LaMotte, and AquaChek now make strips alongside reagent kits and photometers, which signals trust in the chemistry and the market. The catch is interpretation. Your eyes judge slight shifts across reds, oranges, and greens, and that’s where error creeps in. pH is usually easier to read; alkalinity can be trickier. If you accept that strips reveal a range—not a pinpoint number—they become a fast, valid tool for routine checks. Accuracy needs context. For a typical backyard pool, knowing chlorine is roughly 4 to 6 ppm and pH is in the mid-7s is often enough to adjust and move on. On a new plaster startup, or any job where you’re calculating LSI or submitting health department logs, “close” ...
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Cart vs Cordless: Which Pool Vacuum Is Best?

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Choosing the right pool vacuum system can make or break your route. The difference between a 10-minute cleanup and a 30-minute slog often comes down to the tradeoff between raw power and true portability. On one end, heavy-duty cart systems like Riptide and Hammerhead deliver massive thrust and wide cleaning paths that devour leaf piles. On the other, compact tools like Bottom Feeder and Shrimp start fast, travel light, and now capture finer dirt with a cartridge attachment. The stakes are simple: match the tool to the pool, or risk wasting time, bags, and battery life. The good news is you don’t have to guess. With long-term use across brands, we map the strengths, flaws, and best use cases so you can buy with confidence. Cart vacuums still set the pace for heavy debris. Hammerhead is the nimble, balanced workhorse with a cart that’s simple and stable and a head that glides thanks to extra center wheels. Riptide is the brute: superior intake shape, huge pull, rugged build, and a head ...
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Salt, Stains, and Short Run Times: Pool Mistakes to Avoid

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Pools rarely fail because of one dramatic event; they decline from a chain of small, avoidable mistakes. This episode focuses on the most common errors that service pros and homeowners make together, from overdosing salt to starving circulation in the name of energy savings. We connect the technical details to real-world outcomes: corrosion, algae blooms, unsafe water, and warranty headaches. The core message is simple—test accurately, communicate clearly, and set equipment to protect water quality first. When you align those three pillars, you cut costs the smart way, not the risky way. Salt systems are a prime example. A “low salt” panel reading can be wrong when the cell is dirty, dying, or the water is cold. If multiple people add salt without telling each other, salinity can shoot past safe limits, shutting down the chlorinator and accelerating corrosion in heaters, filters, and even deck materials. The fix is twofold: communicate additions and verify salinity with a digital meter...
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The Truth About Chem Costs and Pool Service Rates

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Pool pros feel the squeeze every time they restock chlorine, acid, or algaecide, and the numbers tell a clear story. Over the past decade, typical consumer inflation hovered around 35%, but core pool chemicals surged 100 to 160%, with most of that jump landing in the last five years. Prices spiked during the pandemic as supply chains fractured and a major U.S. trichlor producer suffered a catastrophic fire, sending tablets to record highs and pulling liquid chlorine and cal-hypo up with them. Today’s prices have softened from the peak but settled far above 2016 norms, and the structural drivers—transport costs, regulatory overhead, payroll, and regional disparities—keep a floor under costs that will not vanish. Waiting for a rollback only delays the hard choices every service business must make. The first decision is philosophical but urgent: stop absorbing chemical costs. For years, many routes bundled tabs, shock, and even specialty products into a flat monthly rate, and it worked wh...
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Ask the Pool Guy: YouTube Q&A

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Pool owners and service pros often face the same set of frustrating questions: how to clean cartridge filters without tearing them up, how to keep dark pebble finishes from turning cloudy with white scale, and how to protect equipment when the temperature plunges. This episode digs into practical, field-tested answers that protect surfaces, save labor, and stretch budgets. We start by clearing up a common mistake: using a pressure washer on cartridge filters. Though the material looks tough, most cartridges are a type of paper, and high pressure can rip pleats and shorten service life. Instead, a high-pressure hose nozzle like the Orbit Sunmate can add safe force, even in low-pressure areas, and speed cleaning without wrecking media. Calcium scale on dark pebble finishes is a different beast. New finishes can scale fast, especially where water is hard and start-up wasn’t ideal. The most effective prevention strategy is managing the Langelier Saturation Index. A slightly negative LSI re...
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Clear Pool Bags Micro Bags for Kokido & BTW Leaf Vacuums | 45 & 100 Micron Bags!

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  New from Clear Pool Products: Professional Micro Bags for Kokido & BWT Leaf Vacuums Order today: https://clearpoolproducts.com/collections/clear-pool-bags Clear Pool Products is proud to introduce professional-grade micro vacuum bags designed specifically for Kokido and BWT leaf vacuums. These bags are built for pool professionals who want better filtration, longer life, and consistent performance in the field. Handmade in Mexico, Clear Pool micro bags are crafted with durability and precision in mind. They outperform standard OEM bags by capturing finer debris while maintaining excellent water flow. The result is faster cleanups, fewer repeat passes, and noticeably cleaner pools. Available Micron Options 45 micron pro bags are ideal for fine dirt, silt, pollen, and dust. 125 micron pro bags provide the perfect balance of filtration and flow for everyday service work. Compatible Cleaners Kokido models Xtrovac 410 Xtrovac 910 XV410 Vektro Orkka EV380 Vektro XL Tesla 9...
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