Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

How will the 2022 season look? In a word ugly. When making a prediction, any prediction we look at obvious indicators like past performance. How will the Yankees do in 2022? Probably just as good or better than in 2021. If we make a similar prediction about the 2022 season based on 2021 I think some of the same problems will persist. Chapter marks: 00:00 What to expect in this video 00:58 Trichlor Tablets 04:20 Higher wages equal higher prices 07:44 More shortages 11:40 strategies for 2022 14:24 Salt water generator 16:33 Add enhancers 19:48 Keep your Free Chlorine Level higher If you think the shortages will magically go away I have some swampland, I mean marshland in Florida I would like to sell you. The BioLab factory is still being rebuilt and it looks like any Trichlor produced out of there won’t be available until the 2023 season. In case you didn’t know that factory burned down in 2020 and it is the largest producer of Trichlor, some 2 million pounds each year. So don’t expect t

Bob Lowry passed away on November 17 th, 2021 and a true legend has left the pool and spa industry. He was 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/ Here are all of the podcasts that I recorded with Bob Lowry: A Tribute to Bob Lowry (October 1st 1946 to November 17th, 2021) https://www.buzzsprout.com/110832/9579620 The Four Different Testing Methods and Which is Best with Bob Lowry: https://www.buzzsprout.com/110832/9411868 Borates and Mineral Systems with Chemistry Expert Bob Lowry: https://www.buzzspro

Video Chapter Marks: 00:00 What to expect in this video 00:15 Goulding’s Lodge 00:35 Red Rock Luxury Home 01:40 The View Hotel 01:55 Valley Rim Cabin  02:37 17 Mile Scenic Loop 03:18 Monument Valley Safari tour 04:39 Horseback Riding in Monument Valley 05:24 Tear Drop Arch 05:45 Forrest Gump Point 05:55 Mexican Hat, Utah 06:12 Gooseneck State Park 06:42 Closing thoughts Monument Valley, a red-sand desert region on the Arizona-Utah border, is known for the towering sandstone buttes of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. The park, frequently a filming location for Western movies, is accessed by the looping, 17-mile Valley Drive. The famous, steeply sloped Mittens buttes can be viewed from the road or from overlooks such as John Ford’s Point. ― Google Address: Indn Route 42, Oljato-Monument Valley, AZ 84536 Here is a list of hotels, tours, and other points of interest for you. Goulding’s Lodge: https://gouldings.com/ There is a nice restaurant in the hotel – I suggest you order the Navajo

 The caution and warning here is that 3” Tri-Chlor tablets can give off toxic gas if it is in a bucket and water gets in with the lid on or the tablets are in a chlorinator that has no water in it and partially dissolved tablets. When you take the lid off the bucket of tablets or off of the chlorinator the fumes can be overwhelming and can cause lung damage. So always make sure the tablet bucket remains completely dry and that your chlorinator is working properly.  Chapter Marks: 00:00 What to Expect in this video 00:48 Raises CYA in your pool 03:37 Low pH causes stains & damage 07:32 Off-Line Chlorinator cautions 09:05 Toxic gas 11:34 Mixing other chemicals with Tri-Chlor 13:04 Granular Tri-Chlor 14:52 Toxic Dust & Tri-Chlor handling tips 19:50 Wrap-Up overview Tri-Chlor or Trichloroisocyanuric Acid comes in three forms. The familiar 3” tablets that slowly dissolve in your pool, a very fine powder shock and a granular form. About 50% of the Tri-Chlor by weight is Conditioner (

Each of the three filter types is vastly different in how they work but they all essentially do the same job. D.E. is always going to give you the best filtration with cartridge a close 2nd and sand a distant 3rd. But a sand filter makes up for that is how easy it is to maintain and operate whereas a D.E. filter can be a real pain.  Chapter Marks: 00:00 What to Expect in this video 01:04 Identifying the Filter Type 08:05 Size Comparison Between the 3 Types 10:35 Microns & Filtration 14:00 What is Important in Choosing a Filter 18:33 Advantages of D.E & Sand Filters 20:44 Advantage of a Cartridge Filter 22:04 My Favorite Filter Type I break it down like this to make it easy. D.E. Filters Best filtration down to 3-5 microns Uses Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.) or Perlite to coat the grids Quad cartridge type filter and Perflex (Bump Filters) are available  Backwashing in between cleanings is a plus Cleaning them can be a real pain Cities may fine you up to $10,000 for D.E. in the stree

 A sand filter is a great choice for ease of use and it is one filter type that is often overlooked when shopping for a new filter. When I ease of use I mean that a sand filter is very easy to maintain and service. No need to ever take the lid off and clean it and all you need to do is backwash it when the filter pressure starts to get high. I should mention here that the Jacuzzi JSF26 is made by Waterway which is a local equipment manufacturer here in Southern California. This assures that you are getting a quality filter and because it is made here there is no shortage of inventory. If you are having trouble locating another manufacturer’s sand filter, the Jacuzzi JSF26 would be a great choice as a replacement. This is also a 300 lbs sand filter so it is great for a small or medium pool and is comparable to a 48 sq ft DE filter or a 300 sq ft cartridge filter. It is hard to compare one type of filter to another because they are very different but for filtration and size of the pool,

I sat down with Bob Lowry and we went over some of the things you will run into when dealing with a pool in the winter months when the water is cold. You will notice that in really cold water the pool chemicals will stay very constant and you will not be adding much chlorine, acid, or base to the pool. Generally, in water temperature, less than 65 degrees the pool's salt system will also stop operating. At this point simply switch to liquid chlorine and use that as your primary sanitizer. Typically in colder water, one gallon of liquid chlorine will hold a good chlorine level for 2 to 3 weeks or more. Chapter Marks: 00:00 Update on Bob’s Health 07:30 Atlas Gloves  08:22 Chemical Usage 09:50 Closing Your Pool Or Not Closing 13:55 Salt Water Pools 15:38 Run Time 16:12 Freezing Water 17:55 CYA Level can Drop  20:35 Grey Area in Closing a Pool If you service your pool in the winter the water can be bone-chilling cold so wearing the proper gloves is essential. I like the Atlas 772 Nitri

The Riptide Transport Rack in my opinion is the best designed of the big three vacuum systems. The ease of use and the simple way it works will make transporting your Riptide a breeze in between stops. The setup and installation are pretty straight forward but it always helps to see it done in video format.    The Riptide SL comes standard with the Transport Rack and this is all you will need to connect the Riptide SL cart to the back of your truck or van. You can adjust the height of the Transport Rack very easily when you mount it. So, if your truck rides very low you can raise it up higher off the ground so that the cart will clear dips and shallow customer driveways. If you need to raise the cart up beyond the adjustable height of the Hitch Riser you can order the Curt Manufacturing 45794 Trailer Hitch which extends the height by four more inches.  You can order that here: https://www.amazon.com/Curt-Manufacturing-45794-Trailer-Hitch/dp/B004C6S1LS/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=sw