Thursday, October 7, 2021

What Would Bob Lowry Do?

 I go over a series of questions here with chemistry expert Bob Lowry in this series of “What Would Bob Do?” Imagine Bob Lowry Riding along with you in your pool service truck. That would be pretty cool. Since he probably can’t do this at this stage of his career the next best thing is to ask him what he would do in certain situations.



Chapter Marks in above video:
00:00 What to Expect in This Episode
02:06 Bob Lowry Health Update
03:50 High pH every Week
13:21 No Chlorine Available
16:03 Odd Test Kit Readings
20:08 There is 4” of Rain is Predicted
29:36 Airbnb Bid

Constant High pH:
This is an issue that we have talked about in the past. There are a few reasons the pH in a pool is constantly rising. The alkalinity may be too high. There may be water features causing aeration. You may have a chlorine generator also known as a salt system. Just by its very nature, the saltwater system creates aeration in the cell. The plaster may be new and the curing process causes a higher acid demand. 

Bob’s solution of course involves adding borates to 50 ppm, lowering the alkalinity, and turning down the water features. You also should be keeping the alkalinity at 80 ppm. 

No Chlorine at Your supplier:
Bob’s solution is pretty easy. Go to Walmart or  Target and purchase some household bleach. It is basically the same thing as liquid chlorine but at a lower percentage. 

Odd Test Kit Readings: 
You should have a backup test kit and a kit that tests for metals which is one of the leading causes of strange reagent readings.  And carry some test strips to verify the readings is not a bad idea.

4” of rain predicted in your area:
This is a tough one because that much rain can cause a lot of problems for a pool. Bob has some interesting ideas and suggestions and I think he is spot on here.

Airbnb bidding: 
If you want to service Airbnb homes note that these are basically commercial pools in a residential backyard. Bob goes over some things to do to make this type of service practical. 


Bob Lowry is the author of over 23 books but this has to be one of his most relevant and shortest books coming in at just 19 pages thick. But it is packed with so many essentials on residential pool chemistry that you will want a copy to carry in your service truck. Bob Lowry has been in the industry for over 47 years and is the Lead Consultant at Lowry Consulting Group, leads the Pool Chemistry Training Institute, and has created the Certified Residential Pool & Spa Certification Program. Learn more at  https://pcti.online/




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