Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

So how did I do in my 2022 season prediction back in November of 2021? The shortage is still here but manufacturers have seemed to be able to produce more chlorine products this season. But there was another area of inflation I didn't see coming and no one could and that is the higher cost of gas The Trichlor shortage is still ongoing and a lot of retailers have moved to 35 lbs buckets to give you the illusion that prices are down. But a 35 lbs bucket for $199.00 is still more than the $100.00 price 2 years ago for a 50 lbs bucket. What is the status of the Biolab factory that produced the bulk of the Trichlor in the USA  that burned down in 2021? According to Aqua Magazine, it should be back online at the beginning of 2023: "At that point, we will recalibrate the machines, do test runs, etc., which will most likely happen in September,” says Tom Perugini, district sales manager for Natural Chemistry Pool and Seaklear Pool Products at KIK Consumer Products. “Once we make sure

The Jacuzzi JXN264 Natural Gas Pool Heater & JNX404 are both Low NOx Natural Gas Heaters. JXN264 is a   264,000 BTU heater and the JNX404 is a 404,000 BTU heater. These both would be a great choice for your pool or spa and they are easy to maintain and install. A cool 21st-century feature is that you can set and control these heaters with your smartphone or device with Wi-Fi App control.  The small footprint of this heater makes it ideal for any equipment pad and both versions include a single orifice to convert to Propane Gas if needed. They qualify for the states that require Low NOx and are rated at 84% efficiency. Wi-Fi Raymote App allows you to control the pool heater without automation. You can set the pool and spa temperature and even turn on the heater (as long as the pool pump is running). A nice feature is that you can monitor the heater’s health through the app and it will notify you of any errors or issues, right in the app.  The ProTek Shield is a cutting-edge module t

 Because of the rampant inflation, we are experiencing in the industry new methods of weekly pool care need to be searched out to offset the high cost of chlorine and muriatic acid as well as the shortage of both. But many sports teams have paved the way by discovering that you need not one but two or three Superstars to win a championship in Football, Basketball, and Baseball among other elite sports. What does a winning team for your pool look like? The old days of loading up a floater of chlorinator with 3” Trichlor tablets are no longer the easiest or cheapest method of pool care. That is kind of like giving one Superstar player a huge salary and then you can’t afford any other free-agent players. You can spread your chemical cost instead over two or three products to make things easier and also help you with your pool budget. Here are some good examples for you. Trichlor, PoolRx & Borates (50 ppm) Trichlor, Phosphate Remover, and Enzymes Trichlor, Enzymes, and Borates Cal Hypo

Poolife® NST®Prime  slow-release Cal Hypo tablets have been around for a few years now and recently Sigura the parent company of this brand was purchased by Solenis. Solenis owns a ton of different chemical companies most notable HTH and Applied Biochemist. They have rebranded the Poolife tablets as the “Prime” product in their 3-Step process of pool care.  Step #1 is adding the NST Prime tablets to the skimmer or their NST® Prime Feeder. This might be the only step you need but there are two more in case. Step #2 is adding a shock to your pool to raise the chlorine level when needed. I suspect the Cal Hypo shock labeled here as “NST Purify” or “Poolife Turbo Shock Treatment” is their HTH products simply rebranded.  Step #3 is to add an algaecide when needed. They have “NST Patrol” “Poolife Defend” “Poolife Super Algaebomb 60” and many more which are probably the Applied biochemist algaecides rebranded. Be careful as some of these may contain copper so use those sparingly.  It’s probab

I have been juicing this recipe for the past 7 years now.  Besides juicing to stay healthy I also walk at least 10 miles each week, eat only a salad for dinner, and try not to eat anything after 6 pm so my body has at least 12 hours without any food digesting before breakfast. It takes a lot of dedication to keep this routine up.  Juice Recipe 8 Lbs Loose Beets 6 Lbs Baby Carrots 6 Lemons 1 Piece Ginger of your size choice 1 Large Cabbage or 2 small Cabbages 3 Lbs Spinach Makes 21- 7oz servings enough for *3 people for 7 days.  *Adjust the recipe up or down depending  on how many servings you need Order: Breville BJE200XL  https://www.amazon.com/Breville-BJE200XL-Fountain-700-Watt-Extractor/dp/B000MDHH06/ref=dp_fod_1?pd_rd_i=B000MDHH06&psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=swimmingpooll-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=0fd9844ed90567166cad16c22e5786a3&camp=1789&creative=9325 Lemons Good Source of Vitamin C Support Heart Health.  Help Control Weight Prevent Kidney Stones Protect Ag

 The VacDaddy is a pretty solid product. And with the vacuum to waste (V2W) attachment it just moved into a whole new category.  No question that it performs as advertised. Putting it into a category of vacuum systems is another story and now you have to add it to the portable pump category.  It has the same 60 gallons per minute power as a full-size vacuum system like a Hammer-Head but is designed more like a system vac.  To order Vac Daddy Vacuum to Waste Version: https://thevacdaddy.com/product/the-vacdaddy-v2w/ The vacuum to waste aspect of the VacDaddy is a true gamechanger for your pool route. Now you can use the VacDaddy to do clean-ups, green pool clean-ups, and any other use that requires a portable pump to vacuum a pool to waste. This makes the VacDaddy a truly versatile vacuum and expands the use from a daily vacuum to a device that takes the place of a larger portable pump. Here is more about the VacDaddy unit from the manufacturer: The primary benefit of The VacDaddy is EA

Many of you probably have never heard or even seen the Chlorine Genie before. It was a small independently run company started in 1995 and was recently acquired by Ultimate Water. With a price tag of $4,000 of course this is not a product for everyone but there is a market for this device.  How the unit works is very similar to a typical saltwater generator. Except for the salt being contained in the brine tank of the Chlorine Genie and not in the pool. That is why no salt needs to be added to the pool water itself. Another major difference is that the salt cell in the Chlorine Genie will remain much cleaner and free of most scale since “pure soft water” is used in the brine tank (the descaling filter removes the hard water).  In addition to this, a typical saltwater generator makes Sodium Hydroxide which is one of the reasons the pH rises so high in a saltwater pool (the other reason being water turbulence in the salt cell itself). Since the Chlorine Genie has a “pH drain” you can dra

I am probably the worst at self-promotion out there. Even though my Podcast is quickly closing in on 1 million downloads you probably see more in the industry from the PoolChasers and the Pool Nation Podcast. I am okay with that as my numbers speak for themselves on all of my platforms. I’ve been in the industry now since 1988 and I apply that experience over my various platforms without putting my face out there much.  The pool service industry has certainly evolved over the years and I would say that this current generation of pool pros has the most resources at their disposal. I started before cell phones were even invented and way before YouTube as well. If you didn’t know how to do something you learned quickly.  There are many reasons why pool service is a legit business and a great business to get into. The fact that you set your hours and are essentially your boss is probably the biggest reason people start a pool service business. Second, to that is the flexible hours you can

It’s pretty amazing watching the Chlorine Genie in action now that I have one installed and operating. It is truly a mini-chlorine factory and if you are looking for an alternative to a saltwater pool or store-bought chlorine this might be something to consider.  The Chlorine Genie is not a new product. It was launched back in 1995 and was independently operated until 2 years ago when Ultimate Water acquired the product. This is just the latest generation and probably the most refined version to date of the Chlorine Genie. The innovative concept of having the salt in the unit itself is brilliant, and the current model works very effectively.  Installation is not overly complicated but you do need to have a guide on your first installation. For this install, I had Ernie Penado who is the sales rep for Chlorine Genie, and Richard Figueroa of Pool Pura who is their area installer. Knowing where to set the unit and of course plumb, it in is critical to a successful install.  The $4,000 ret

Liquid Chlorine or Bleach is the tried and true standard chemical of choice for most pool service professionals. It is easy to use and relatively inexpensive and it has the least side effects of any of the chlorine you can choose from. It is usually sold in 12.5% active chlorine per gallon with Bleach coming in at about half that strength at 6.5%. It will raise the pH slightly, but it does not contain any Stabilizer or Conditioner making it ideal for all pool types. This means that when you add a gallon of liquid chlorine and your Conditioner level (CYA) is 50 ppm it will stay at 50 ppm even if you add 20 gallons of liquid chlorine since it contains no cyanuric acid. One drawback of liquid chlorine is that typically a gallon of 12.5% will not last the entire week in a pool. This means you will need some way to add a dose of liquid chlorine during the week. Expect to lose 1 ppm each day so if you started the week at 7.0 ppm, by that next week the chlorine level would be at 0.0 ppm if yo