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Salt Water Pool Pros and Cons – Advice from Bob Lowry

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Saltwater chlorine generators keep getting sold as a “chlorine alternative,” but the chemistry never changed: a salt pool is still a chlorine pool. You add salt, the cell applies electricity, chloride converts to free chlorine, and that chlorine sanitizes the water just like liquid chlorine or dry chlorine. The big win for many pool owners is convenience and steadier dosing, but the big misunderstanding is thinking sanitation is somehow different. A quick look at any owner’s manual reveals rated production in pounds of chlorine per day, which makes the marketing language hard to defend. For pool service techs, the practical takeaway is simple: test and manage free chlorine and combined chlorine the same way you would in any properly maintained swimming pool. Dialing in salt level and run time is where performance and cost meet. Most manufacturers target roughly 3,000 to 3,500 ppm salt, which can mean hundreds of pounds of salt in an average residential pool. Output is controlled mostly...
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5-Star or Bust: Protect Your Business Reputation

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Online reviews are no longer “nice to have” marketing for a pool service business, they are the front door. When homeowners search “pool service near me,” they make a fast decision based on Google reviews, Yelp ratings, and a quick scan of recent comments. A 4.8 feels safe, while a 3.8 often gets skipped without a second look. That’s why online reputation management matters as much as water chemistry or route efficiency. Star ratings shape leads, call volume, and pricing power, and they also signal whether you run a reliable service company that respects the customer’s time.   A strong local SEO foundation helps you earn reviews consistently instead of randomly. Start with a clean website and make sure your Google Business Profile is complete, accurate, and active so you show up in local search results and on Google Maps. If you use Google Ads, even a modest budget can drive initial visibility and help you land the first wave of customers who can later leave honest feedback. A...
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Pool Questions Answered: Tricks, Tips & Truths

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Pool pros and DIY owners face a common set of problems that rarely have one-button answers: sky-high cyanuric acid, chlorine that won’t hold, mystery copper stains, angry pressure cleaner tails, fittings fused in place, and cleaners that eat parts like snacks. This episode digs into each challenge with field-tested solutions that save time, money, and callbacks. We start by challenging the number on an overrange CYA test. When your stabilizer reads 200 ppm, it might be guesswork unless you dilute the sample. A 1:1 or 1:4 dilution with bottled or tap water brings the result back into a readable range, which lets you plan a real fix instead of throwing product and hoping. The goal is clarity: verify the number, then choose the least disruptive path to bring balance back. Once you confirm CYA is excessive and a drain is off the table, the fastest way to stop the rise is to eliminate the source. That means quitting trichlor tablets and moving to calcium hypochlorite tablets in the skimmer ...
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Bottom Feeder Cartridge: Dirt Gone in Minutes!

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Pool service pros are always looking for pool cleaning equipment that saves time without sacrificing results, and the biggest pain point is fine dirt that slips right through most vacuum bags. The Bottom Feeder and Shrimp Cleaner cartridge filter adapter aims straight at that problem by turning a battery-powered pool vacuum system into a true dirt-filtering machine. After months of real route use, the big win is practical: you can drop the cleaner in, vacuum like normal, and capture particles down to roughly 10 to 20 microns. That level of micron filtration is the difference between “looks better” and “water is dialed in,” especially when dust, silt, or dead algae keeps returning to the pool. A lot of skepticism comes from earlier cartridge-style add-ons that were awkward, leaky, or simply not effective enough to become an everyday tool. Low-micron vacuum bags help, but they have tradeoffs. Fine bags clog fast, coat over, restrict flow, and can tear easily when they snag on sharp edges...
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Wait… Is This Normal in Your Pool?

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Pool owners often ask the same question in different ways: what’s normal in pool water, and what signals trouble. The hard part is that clear, blue water can still have problems that don’t show up until the chemistry collapses. A classic example is chlorine that drops to zero in 24 hours. That can be normal during summer, but only when you understand the relationship between free chlorine and cyanuric acid (CYA). If CYA is high, the pool needs a higher free chlorine level to stay protected. Add in intense sun and UV index, and a “normal” looking pool can burn through a low chlorine residual fast, especially while invisible microalgae is starting to grow. When chlorine seems to vanish, don’t assume the product is bad. Start with the basics of pool maintenance testing: verify CYA, then dose free chlorine appropriately so sanitation keeps up with demand. Also consider hidden chlorine consumers like high phosphate levels, which many standard test kits don’t measure. Phosphates over roughly...
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Quick & Easy Pool Skimming Hacks You Need

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Heavy surface debris is more than a nuisance; it’s a chain reaction that steals time, strains systems, and clouds water. When leaves blanket the surface, techs spend extra minutes skimming, debris sinks and stalls cleaners, and full skimmer baskets choke flow. That drop in circulation invites algae, raises chemical demand, and frustrates customers who expect a clear pool after every visit. The fix starts with keeping debris at the surface and moving it into capture zones before it sinks. We walk through field-tested solutions, focusing on tools that operate continuously between service visits, so the water stays moving and the basket stays breathing. The first workhorse is a return-line secondary skimmer, commonly known as the PoolSkim. It threads into a 1.5-inch return, sets at the waterline, and creates a gentle draw through a floating weir into a mesh bag. On heavy-leaf pools, this alone can stop the weekly “basket brick” effect and keep surfaces clean. Installation matters: multipl...
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When the Pool Route Falls Apart

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 Some days on the pool route feel like a smooth rhythm of skimming, testing, and tuning. Other days stack problems like dominos: traffic gridlock, clients who forget to switch off spa mode, a heater left roaring after a party, or a variable speed pump silenced for “noise” and never turned back on. The thread that runs through these headaches is time. Every setback steals minutes you never get back, which is why prevention, communication, and a disciplined routine are the difference between a rough day and a ruined one. This episode drilled into the common traps that blindside pool pros and how to build guardrails so small mistakes don’t become service calls that spiral. One of the biggest culprits is a pool left in spa mode after a weekend gathering. When the spa runs for hours while the pool sits stagnant, summer heat and zero circulation make algae inevitable. The fix starts before the party: set expectations with clients to notify you, spike free chlorine smartly without causing...
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