Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

 Are you a good candidate to purchase a pool route and jump right into the pool service industry? It’s a fast-track method that many find popular and Scott Roberts from National Pool Route Sales (NPRS) will go over some reasons this may be a smart option for you. Buying a pool route is not like buying a business such as a fast-food restaurant or market per se and you are buying the income the route generates and not a physical business location. But it is much like a physical business since the business sales are what matters and not the physical location.  You can learn more on their site: https://poolroutesales.com/ What exactly are you buying when your purchase a pool route? According to Scott Roberts, you are buying a steady monthly income. You are also buying a steady rate of return on your investment and typically you will get a return on the money There is no physical business unless the pool company for sale has a retail outlet which is not common. The purchase consist...

 Cleaning the AquaStar cartridge filter is pretty straightforward. The fact that it is only one giant cartridge has its advantages. The time savings built into this is rather amazing. You can pretty much clean this filter in 5 minutes or less. And the great thing about this is that it has the same flow as a filter twice its size! Watch the video to see how easy the cleaning was. Here is more about the AquaStar Pipeline Filters: The actual dimensions of the PLF27000 are 19 ½” wide by 36 ½” tall. The PLF35000 is 19 ½” wide and 46 ½” tall making them amazingly compact.  Here is more about the filters from AquaStar: Model # PLF27000 200 sq ft cartridge Commercial: 27,000 gallons 6-Hour Turnover Capacity Residential: 108,000 gallons 12-Hour Turnover Capacity Model # PLF35000 250 sq ft cartridge Commercial: 35,000 gallons 6-Hour Turnover Capacity Residential: 144,000 gallons 12-Hour Turnover Capacity Pay close attention to these specs to the turnover rate. A turnover on a Pentair 52...

 In this video, Gus Velez the co-founder of Pool Service Software (PSS) goes through a demo of how the routing software works and how it can keep you organized and save you money. The demo is the actual app and as you can see it is very easy to use and a very smart way to keep your pool service business profitable.  PSS or Pool Service Software is the newest pool routing and invoicing software to hit the market. It is designed by two pool guys and a programmer to fit the specific needs of pool service businesses. This is one software/app that is designed with the pool service pro in mind. It does a ton of things for you to help you stay organized and to help with streamlining your invoicing. The best part is that you can basically try it for free for an unlimited time with 10 accounts or fewer. Here are some of the great features below. To learn more visit their website and sign up at https://www.poolservice.software/ Get 25% off the 1st 3-months with code: SPL25 SIMPLE & ...

Chlorine prices have been on the rise for the past 2 years and everyone had hoped that in 2023 things would turn around for pricing. Stock prices are down, some as much as 65%. Bitcoin is down 60% and the US housing market has seen price decreases for the first time in over a decade. So it was a safe bet that chlorine prices had peaked and we would maybe see a trend down in 2023. That doesn’t seem to be the case at least at this point. A range of factors has led to tight supplies in 2021 and 2022 including the rise in demand in the pool industry with many people staying home during the Covid-19 pandemic and an explosion in new pools being built in 2021 and 2022. Add to that the Bio-Lab factory burning to the ground in 2020 which was responsible for 2 million lbs. of Trichlor each year. This caused a scramble for other chlorine sources which caused a high demand for Liquid Chlorine and Cal-Hypo which of course was low on stock in 2021 with better stock last year (2022).  Chlorine is...

Getting to a pool with no suction at the pump can be frustrating but there are specific steps you can take to help troubleshoot the problem. I can be something simple or something not so simple so it is important to follow these steps.  The first thing I check is obvious. Is the water level at the right spot in the pool, usually halfway up the tile line, or if you look at the skimmer opening the water should be filling the opening halfway?  Low water can of course cause the pool pump to lose its prime. Next, is something blocking the skimmer? A pool toy or pool float maybe or there may be a twig or debris stuck in the weir gate keeping that in the closed position. The weir gate is the white plastic device in the front of the skimmer and if it is in the closed position when the pool is running it will prevent water from getting to the pump. I then check the skimmer basket to make sure that is free of debris. If it is full of leaves that will prevent the pump from priming also. ...

Riptide makes a large array of bags for their vacuum system and here is a rundown of each bag and what you should use it for.  Each service area is different and for example in my service area where we get mainly light debris and dirt, the 75 Micron bag is best suited for the pools I service. Keep in mind that the smaller the micron rating of the bag, the slower you will have to move the Riptide vacuum in the pool to be effective. Riptide bags: https://www.riptidevac.com/collections/accessories/products/riptide-bags-1?variant=33823037653089   25 Micron Bag (Purple Ring) for Fine Dirt This bag is not listed on their site but you can email them to order it. Since it is 25 microns this is an extreme polishing bag. I like using it on spas and to spot vacuum dirt and light debris. You really wouldn’t use it to vacuum an entire pool because the small micron rating limits this bag's usefulness. Basically, as the fine dirt coats this bag, it will let less water pass through. This mean...

Cleaning 50, 60, 70, and 80 pool filters every four to six months is a lot of work. It can be a daunting and discouraging task for sure. Through the years I have come up with many ways to speed up the filter cleaning on my route. You'll find these methods to be effective and of course, some tools will also make your filter cleaning job a lot easier and faster. Let's start with some simple tools that you can add that will enhance your filter cleaning and make the job much faster. I like the Multi-Tork socket set and these are a great way to get through your day and speed up getting the clamp on and off of the filter. It's amazing how two or three extra minutes really make a difference and also it makes a difference in the fact that you're not using a lot of energy to get the filter clamps on and off. You can learn more about the Multi-Tork socket set from their website. https://multi-tork.com/ They have sockets for every filter clamp and this is one way to speed up y...

The Riptide evolution over the past 7 years has gone from one giant service cart to the sleek SL Cart. It has also had an upgraded switch, upgraded battery wiring, and upgraded motors through the years to make them last longer, and just about every part has been upgraded. This final version for 2023 is their best yet and their most complete vacuum system. The Riptide SL cart is designed to take the Riptide Pool Vacuum System and Battery back to your service stop. There is a bin in front and one in the back where you can store chemicals and such. I wouldn’t say it is lacking space for the average pool pro. But if you are like me and you like to take everything possible back in one trip to each stop, it can get overloaded.  HANDLEBAR ORGANIZER $ 80.00 https://www.riptidevac.com/collections/accessories/products/handlebar-organizer The Handlebar Organizer can hold a leaf rake, brush, Taylor test kit, test strips, tools, and whatever else you wish to add to it. This will leave the bins ...