The Pool Guy Podcast Show
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© 2026 The Pool Guy Podcast Show
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In this podcast I cover everything swimming pool care-related from chemistry to automatic cleaners and equipment. I focus on the pool service side of things and also offer tips to homeowners. There are also some great interviews with guests from inside the industry.
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If you’ve ever hesitated to recommend an automatic pool cleaner because you’re worried the customer will think you’re “not doing enough,” this conversation flips that mindset fast. I walk through why automatic cleaners don’t replace professional pool service, they remove the most time-consuming part of the visit so we can deliver better weekly pool maintenance: tighter chemistry, better brushing, more equipment awareness, and fewer surprises between stops. We get practical about choosing the...
You’re having a smooth route, then you open a gate and everything is wrong: no surface movement, debris sitting still, and water that looks like it hasn’t circulated in days. We break down how we troubleshoot a pool that’s not running without spiraling into guesswork, starting with the fastest visual clues and moving step-by-step through the equipment pad. If you service pools for a living, this is the kind of real-world diagnostic process that saves time, protects gear, and helps you explain...
Some pool accounts don’t just take time, they take your peace. If you’ve ever pulled up to a stop and felt your stomach drop, there’s usually a reason: the customer is difficult, the pool is a nightmare to access, or the property is a leaf factory that turns every visit into a cleanup marathon. We break down the most common “bad fit” pool service accounts and how to spot them before they wreck your schedule, your margins, and your mood. We start with customer red flags: the overly picky clie...
One missed step can turn a profitable pool route into a week of unpaid catch-up. I’m breaking down the “small stuff” that quietly costs pool service techs real money: getting pulled out of your routine, forgetting chlorine tablets or a planned shock, and then paying for it later with algae brushing, extra chemicals, and stressed-out stops. After 35 years in the pool industry, I’ve learned that consistency beats hustle, especially in summer when distractions and heat make every stop blur toget...
Chlorine tablets look simple: drop a few pucks in a floater or chlorinator and forget about it. But trichlor has rules, and if you don’t know them, you can end up chasing algae, fighting high stabilizer, or even staining a pool surface. I’m a long-time pool pro, and I walk through what trichlor tablets actually are, why they became so popular, and why “90% available chlorine” doesn’t mean they’re the right answer for every situation. We dig into the chemistry that catches most people off gua...
“Salt pool, no chlorine” might be the most expensive misunderstanding in pool care. We walk through what a saltwater chlorine generator actually does, why it is literally making chlorine, and how that simple truth changes the way you test, dose, and explain water balance to customers. If you’re a pool service professional or a hands-on pool owner, you’ll leave with clearer language, better troubleshooting steps, and fewer surprises on Monday morning. We also get into the parts that sales she...
“Liquid chlorine is weak” might be the most expensive pool myth on the internet. We dig into the real meaning of “available chlorine” and why the percentage on the label can mislead you when you compare liquid chlorine to trichlor tablets, dichlor, or cal hypo. With Bob Lowry guiding the chemistry, we translate confusing terms like weight percent and trade percent into something you can actually use: how much usable chlorine you’re putting in the water. We also talk about the hidden part of ...
Zero chlorine is one of those pool problems that feels impossible because you can do everything “right” and still watch your sanitizer disappear. We dig into the real reasons it happens, especially after adding stain removers and sequestering agents meant to solve metal stains and protect surfaces. From there, we get clear about metal chemistry and a common misconception in pool maintenance: a sequestering agent doesn’t remove metals from pool water. It temporarily binds them, then sun...
Your hot tub can look crystal clear and still be one soak away from smelling “off.” We dig into the real reasons spa water goes sideways and what to do about it, starting with the question everyone asks: bromine vs chlorine. We talk through what bromine is great at in hot water, why bromamines don’t stink the way chloramines do, and the big catch that trips up most owners and techs: bromine disinfects, but it doesn’t oxidize the gunk we bring in on our skin. From there we get specific about ...
Your pool can be perfectly chlorinated and still feel like it’s fighting you every week, especially when pH keeps climbing for no obvious reason. We dig into one of the most useful “stability tools” in pool chemistry: borates. Along with industry expert Bob Lowry, we explain what it really means to add borates, why many pros treat them as a one-time addition, and how they help slow pH rise in pools with saltwater chlorine generators, spillovers, waterfalls, and other sources of aeration. We ...
If you’ve been staring at the Bottom Feeder and the Shrimp Cleaner wondering which cordless pool vacuum actually belongs on your pool service route, I break it down in practical, technician-first terms. These are both pro-focused, battery-powered pool vacuums that skip cords and external pumps, so the real question isn’t “which is cooler” it’s which one makes you faster and more consistent across the kinds of pools you clean every week. We get into the details that change your workflow: size...
If you’ve ever converted a chlorine pool to salt and immediately regretted it, the problem usually isn’t the salt system. It’s the startup. We break down a practical, step-by-step salt pool startup process that helps you avoid the two headaches that wreck new installs: runaway pH and scale on the surface or inside the salt cell. We start with timing, especially for new plaster, quartz, and pebble style finishes. Plaster keeps curing for months and creates heavy acid demand early on, so turni...
A 3.8 rating can quietly kill your phone before you ever know why. When people search for a pool service, they do what we all do with restaurants and hotels: they sort by stars, skim a few reviews, and move on fast. That’s why your online reputation is not a vanity metric, it’s a lead generator or a lead blocker. We walk through the real-world choices customers make on Google and Yelp, and how a pool service business can earn trust before the first appointment. I share practical ways t...
Manual vacuuming is one of those “just part of the job” tasks that quietly eats your day, especially when you’re chasing fine dust that keeps slipping through a vac bag. I’m revisiting a tool that’s been getting a lot of attention from pool service pros: the Bottom Feeder and Shrimp Cleaner cartridge filter adapter. After about three months of real use, I walk through what’s actually different this time, why the older cartridge-style attempts never became daily drivers, and what the new threa...
Your pool can look perfect and still be one bad day away from turning. We dig into the “normal vs not normal” moments that confuse pool owners and even trip up seasoned techs, starting with the big one: chlorine that disappears overnight. When free chlorine drops to zero in 24 hours, it’s rarely magic and usually chemistry. We talk through cyanuric acid (CYA) targets, intense UV exposure, early microalgae you can’t see yet, and why high phosphates can quietly increase chlorine demand so your ...
Leaves don’t just clutter the surface; they choke flow, stall cleaners, and push water chemistry off a cliff. We tackle the leaf problem at the source, sharing the exact tools and tweaks that keep debris moving into capture zones before it ever sinks. From a return-mounted secondary skimmer that threads into a 1.5-inch return to modern solar-powered surface bots that roam all day, we break down what actually works, how to install it, and the small details that make the big difference. We sta...
Stuck with a pool that reads sky-high stabilizer and can’t be drained? We break down a step-by-step plan to bring control back fast: how to verify overrange CYA with simple dilution tests, when to abandon trichlor, and the exact chlorine targets that keep algae at bay while CYA slowly falls. You’ll hear the practical math behind Bob Lowry’s 7.5 percent rule and a weekly dosing rhythm that works for a typical 15,000-gallon pool without expensive gimmicks. We also tackle metal management with ...
Bad days on the route don’t send a calendar invite; they just show up. We’re pulling back the curtain on the moments that derail a service day and the practical systems that stop them from turning into disasters. From a pool left in spa mode for a week to a heater cranked to 95 after a party, we break down why these problems hit so hard and how to build an insurance plan that keeps water clear and clients happy. We walk through a party-proof prep plan that actually works: how to raise free c...
Ever been told, “You’re only here 15 minutes—why so much?” We pull back the curtain on what it truly costs to run a professional pool service and why a short visit doesn’t equal a small bill. From insurance layers to payroll math, this conversation gives you the numbers, the logic, and the language to price with confidence. We start with the backbone of a mobile service business: commercial auto insurance and general liability. If you’re hauling chemicals or branded on the road, personal pol...
The hardest pool problems aren’t always in the manual—they show up on the pad when the water won’t move, the lid won’t budge, and the cleaner sits still like a lawn ornament. We dig into the field fixes that save your day and your lungs, starting with the offline chlorinator that refuses to dissolve tablets. Learn how to open it safely, diagnose the clogged check valve elbow with the “little BB,” and stop hidden leaks by replacing brittle black tubing before it drains a pool dry. If you’ve ev...
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