Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

 D.E. Filters can be the bane of your existence. Love them or hate them if you do pool service on the West coast you will have to deal with them. Florida and the East coast are not as many. I have grown to dislike them and definitely prefer cartridge filters. There are three main types of D.E. filters on the market today. The most common is the traditional grid type D.E. filter which consists of a Top Manifold, 8 grids in a circular pattern, and a bottom manifold. This is the type made by Pentair, Jandy, Hayward as well as off-brand makers like Waterway. Pentair makes a unique D.E. filter known as the Quad D.E. Filter and this filter consists of up to 4 cartridges instead of the vertical grids. They also make a Quad D.E. Filter for their Sta-Rite brand. The last type is made by Hayward and is often referred to as a “Bump D.E. Filter” and is their Perflex D.E. Filter. These filters are usually found in above-ground pools and are not very popular in my area. What makes the D.E. filte...

I’ve been asked many times to put together a review video comparing the four major vacuum systems on the market today. These would be the Riptide, The Bottom Feeder, Power Vac and the Hammer-Head Vacuum. Each one of these has some pros and cons and each one is a little different. Overall you really can’t make a wrong choice between the four. Let me highlight some features for you about each system in no particular order. Riptide: This is probably the Tesla of vacuum systems. Riptide is always innovating and to prove that point they actually scrapped their first version entirely and started over almost completely. They basically only kept their vacuum head. And the vacuum head comes with a 10- year warranty because it is that durable.  Essential the version you will get is as close to complete as it can get. The High Torque Motor (uses rare earth magnets) making it the most powerful vacuum on the market. The cord has a new protective external layer and comes in 40 ft or 60 ft length...

The Fall season is much different than Summer Time and it poses some unique challenges for your pool care service. There are some good things about this season as well as some negatives such as rain, wind, and here in California- fires. Each area is a little different but in most areas, you will get more weather events. Wind and rain are more common and of course fires. So prepare for the windy season by having a vacuum system on hand. There are really great tools and if your pools get very heavy leaf debris a vacuum system is an essential tool. Riptide, Power Vac, Hammer Head, and the Bottom Feeder are ideal.  Customers may have an unrealistic expectation of how clean their pool should be after a heavy wind storm. You are really only spending 25-30 minutes at each pool and you really want to emphasize that it is a 3-week process. Week one is the surface debris. Week two is the bottom and week 3 is polishing up everything. Then of course the winds are more likely to hit again. To e...

Tired of removing your industry chemical bottles and sprayer whenever you need to transport your Riptide between stops. Or do you have to shuffle the bottles around to get your other large chemicals to fit? The Riptide Bottle Caddy solves this issue for you. Safely store and transport your bottles with this unique and specially designed caddy! Hand-made in Mexico and every detail has been considered including matching the color of the Riptide Vacuum System. Fits most industry-standard chemical bottles and squirt bottles. It can even hold a soda bottle or water bottle if you chose! You can order your caddy here: https://clearpoolproducts.com/product/clear-pool-bottle-caddy?v=f24485ae434a Clear Pool Products also makes a Riptide Cover which you can also find on their site as well as vacuum system bags . When I say industry-standard bottles it will hold a YellowTrine bottle, No Mor Problem type bottle, spray bottle, etc. I have tested it with over 15 lbs. of bottles in it and not an issue...

I like doing different tests out on my pool route and of course trying out things my podcast guest suggests out in the field. Here are some of the results of trying different things out on my pool route and I think this podcast will cover a lot of territories. The white flakes from a saltwater system are very problematic and there are various theories of why it happens. Bob Lowry thinks it is the heat of the cell. Harold Evans thinks it is an LSI imbalance at the cell and I take the minority theory that it is related to phosphates in the water reacting with the salt cell. Neither buys my theory and that is okay. In testing Bob’s theory doesn’t seem to work – having a cooling down period for the salt cell. I think Harold Evans is onto something with the LSI imbalance and more field testing needs to be done on my part.  But for me adding a small amount of phosphate remover each week really seems to help in reducing the white flake blowback. Just 4-8 oz of the Natural Chemistry PhosFr...

If you are in the market for a photometer test kit, LaMotte makes 3 models that are great for pro use. There is no direct comparison really between the WaterLink Spin Touch and the ColorQ 2x units, but for the sake of this comparison, it needs to be included although it is much more advanced. I think to consider whether you want to make the leap to the Spin Touch you have to look at the ColorQ 2x units and decide if speed is a bigger factor than cost. The SKU for the Mobile unit is: Lamotte #3581 MOBILE WaterLink SPIN TOUCH Lab and the price is around $1,000. The Spin Touch test kit is great for so many applications. If you service Commercial Accounts this is a great way to keep your logs for the Health Department and Pool Manager. For Resorts, Hotels, and Clubs this would be a perfect way to get spot-on readings to assure that the public pool is safe. And if you are a Health Inspector there is no better water tester than this. Plus it comes with a 2-year warranty. The 202 Disks seen i...

 “What If?” Episode part 2 of 2 In this series with chemistry expert Bob Lowry, I take a page from Marvel comics and ask Bob a series of “What If?” questions. Bob applies his 48 years of pool industry knowledge to answer these questions and I think you will learn a lot from what he has to say about each one. For part 1: https://youtu.be/9v8NR1KzsnA Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:15 Cal Hypo causes a black stain 06:48 Not treating visible algae 10:25 Swimming in Zero chlorine 14:38 You smell "Chlorine" 19:45 Tri-Chlor Tablet on the pool bottom What if you added Cal Hypo and notice a large black stain on the pool bottom? This is something that has happened to many pool techs and Bob Lowry explains that the large amount of Cal Hypo that lands on the bottom of the pool actually reveals an existing copper stain by turning it black. This can usually be corrected by letting the chlorine level drop and when the Cal Hypo dissolves the black stain disappears. If it persists you can us...

“What If?” Episode Part 1 In this series with chemistry expert Bob Lowry, I take a page from Marvel comics and ask Bob a series of “What If?” questions. Bob applies his 48 years of pool industry knowledge to answer these questions and I think you will learn a lot from what he has to say about each one.  For Part 2: https://youtu.be/ccUlCKF_Hp4 Chapter Marks: 00:00 Intro 01:23 Bob Lowry Background 03:22 Softball Team in Pool 08:14 High CYA low Adjusted ALK 15:25 Low pH of 5 in pool What if the Softball team just called. 15 players are coming over in an hour to go swimming. What do you do? Bob tackles this question by citing studies in the UK about rinsing before getting in a pool. Typically most of the stuff on you will come off in the pool right when you jump in. If everyone takes a quick rinse or shower by the pool before jumping in, you can save 60% of the chlorine usage – which is a ton.  Also, adding a non-chlorine shock like Applied Biochemists Shocktrine which is a 100% ...

    Selling a Robotic Pool cleaner to your pool service customer is a great way to enhance your pool service and leave their pool swim-ready every day. Although they are not for everyone, I think robotic cleaners are the best cleaner type. Here are some different models for you to look at when deciding which one to sell on your pool route. Some of the benefits: They run independently from the pool's filtration system which means the filtration system stays cleaner. There are no unsightly hoses in the pool all week long. They are energy efficient especially if you have a VS pump. The Warranty period is usually 2 years or more in many cases. They are easy to use and many now come with a programmable weekly cleaning cycle. The technology keeps improving year to year and they are getting much better in every aspect. Almost all models now come with a cord swivel so cord tangling is a thing of the past. They clean the pool far better than a suction-side or pressure-side ...

 When I started the Pool Guy Podcast Show back in August of 2017 I didn’t think I would be doing it for very long. A few guests here and there and that is it. Fast forward to 4 years later and I have hit episode 700!  My podcast covers everything from automatic cleaner, business tips, chemistry, equipment, filtration, pool pro tips, and more. I have interviewed just about everyone in the industry and my monthly guest Bob Lowry has given listeners great insight into the chemistry of swimming pools. You can find every podcast listed on my secondary podcast site which has a search box feature. In the search type in “liquid chlorine,” “Bob Lowry” etc and all the podcasts with that subject will pop up for you.  You can tune in on Apple Podcast, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, Tune In, Amazon Music, Radio Public, Player FM, Pocket Cast, Castbox, iHeartRadio, Podcast Addict, Blubrry, Deezer, Listen Notes, Podcast Index, Podchaser, Overcast, Castro, Podfriend and more!...