Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

Skimlite has been making professional pool poles since 1954 and they have been my go-to pool for years. The Carbonlite is their first 100% carbon fiber pole and although this sector has some great poles already in it, the Carbonlite may be a pole to keep on your radar. Below are some of their upgraded features. Handgrip: Easily remove the handgrip with the push of a button for quick replacement or alternative tool attachment. Once the handgrip wears out simply push in the V-clip and snap off the old hand grip. It couldn’t be easier. The grip is decent and serves its purpose. Decagon Tubes Internal 10-sided decagon tubes for superior strength and grip. I like this unique inner tube and I did find the grip superior. It is the same design found in their Snaplite series and it is a great feature. The Decagon shape prevents the pole from twisting while in use. This is of course ideal for maneuvering heavy vacuum systems like the Riptide without worry. Quick Lock Lever Ambidextrous lock leve...

Green pools can be a big money maker for your pool service route in many ways. The initial clean-up of course can bring in a good profit and more than likely the client will want to hire you for weekly service. After all, you will look like a miracle worker if you do the green pool clean-up correctly and it turns around in one week. Below are the easy-to-follow steps for you. Green Pool Clean-Up Step-by-Step: Make sure the pool can be cleared up vs draining it and refilling the pool. A rule of thumb is that if there are more than 4 inches of sediment on the bottom, draining may be better. This would be a lot of algae and dirt on the pool bottom so more like a pool that has been sitting unattended for over a year or more. Generally, a pool that has only been green for a few months can be cleared up with just chemicals and algaecide. Also, make sure the equipment is in good working order. Step One: Scoop out all of the leaves and debris from the bottom and surface. Don't worry about ...

 Battery Powered Leaf Vacs have come a long way over the years and the PK Turbo is the latest generation of portable leaf vacs designed for the pool owner. For pools with a lot of leaf debris, the only options on the consumer level were devices like a leaf bagger or leaf master which are powered by water from a garden hose. The PK Turbo gives you a great option for a Havy-Duty large-volume rechargeable pool vacuum.  It has an amazing 20-inch cleaning path much like a large manual vacuum head. The swivel handle makes turning and maneuvering the PK Turbo a breeze. This is important because if you have ever used a Leaf Master (Leaf Bagger) type device the garden hose as well as the design of the body of the leaf vac hinders your cleaning ability and speed, Not so with the PK Turbo. You can easily whip around a pool and vacuum up leaf debris with ease. The power rating is 600 and to translate that into simple terms, the PK Turbo is powerful and you will have no issues picking up p...

 The pool pump can be the highest energy hog in your house, passing your Air Conditioner and Refrigerator just by the sheer amount of hours it runs each day. If you have a 1 ½ or 2 HP pump installed and you run it 8 hours per day, not to get into complicated conversions of kWh (Kilowatt Hours) and how you are charged each month by your Electric Company, just imagine it as having on Twenty 100 watt light bulbs every hour it is running. That is a lot of electricity each day and if your bill is tiered by usage, meaning the more you use the more you are charged, your bill can get very high very quickly. On average a pool pump will be about 40% of your total electricity bill each month. The best way to save money is to cut into your monthly electricity bill and that is exactly what a VS pump does. Simply put, your standard pump runs at 3450 RPM (Rotations Per Minute) which is about 1800-2000 watts. A VS Pump can be set to different RPMs and at every lower RPM, the total wattage used is ...

How important is it to run your swimming pool for a set number of hours each day? That question has an easy answer: it is very important to run your pool pump and circulate the water long enough to make the pool safe to swim in, prevent algae, and make the chemicals you add effects. How long is long enough is a tough question to answer as each situation is different. If you are using the pool frequently in the Summer you would want to run the pool pump as long as possible to ensure safe swimming conditions. You will also want to adjust the pool RPM or speed up accordingly to get proper circulation. Since pool size, time of the season, pump RPM speeds, and usage are all factors the exact amount of time to run it is hard to say. I would use a commercial pool like an apartment complex as your baseline. That pool will be running at 3450 RPM – full speed for 24 hours a day. So adjust down from that depending on your situation.  To calculate a cycle of water you usually need a flow meter...

The BWT PK Giant with the dual 50-micron filters is a real game changer for the pool industry. It was pure genius to add fine filters to the impeller area. In the past, any dirt that got through the fine filter cone would just be returned to the pool. But with the fine 50-micron filters on the sides, the dirt is trapped and does not return to the pool. Meaning that the PK Giant can vacuum up leaves and dirt equally well.  Here are some of the features of the PK Giant: Filter Capacity: 3L or 0.79 Gallons Power Rating: 500 Medium to Large pools Max Depth: 9.8 ft 75-Minute Run Time Storage Bag included 250 Micron internal filter cone 50 Micron external fine filters Quick water drain valve Led Charge indicator Cordless Simple open latch Connects to a standard pool pole The power of the PK Giant is pretty impressive. I would say it is one of the most powerful portable vacuums I have tested. The large 0.79-gallon chamber will allow you to pick up a ton of leaf debris and the fine filters...

What are some keys to succeeding in the pool service industry? Scott Roberts of NPRS touches on a few for you in this podcast. Here are some more key points for you. Treating your customers how you want to be treated extends further than just the pool service company. It all boils down to relationships. How you want to be treated and how you treat others. Being successful means that customers will refer you to friends and family. One way to gauge your success is by looking at a pie chart of how you land new customers. If over 50% of that is referrals you are winning.  People skills are essential because you are running a service business and are providing specific “work” in return for payment. You are not selling a product; the product is you and the service you provide. So, you will make mistakes and customers will get mad and you will need to develop good people skills. Good solid business skills are essential. You are in business to make money and you are not just out there “spi...