About this podcast
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.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 2,058 episodes
- What The Pool Building Slowdown Means For Service Pros · 20 min · Season 10 Episode 2059Pool service can feel like it lives in its own world, but the future of your route is tied to a simple question: how many new pools are actually being built. We dig into the…
- Skimmer Basket Basics · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2058Your pool can have good chemistry and still struggle if water can’t move. We’re zooming in on the skimmer basket, the simple piece of plastic that quietly decides whether your…
- Rookie Mistakes Pool Pros Make · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2057One careless chemical moment can wreck your day and in the worst cases, your lungs. We’re talking through the most common rookie mistakes pool service pros make, starting with…
- Start Smart In Pool Service · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2056Starting a pool service business can change your life, but only if you go in with your eyes open. We share the unfiltered checklist we wish every new pool pro heard first: how to…
- Pool Service Bloopers That Can Hurt You · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2055A pool filter mistake can go from “oops” to life-threatening in seconds, and that’s not hyperbole. We’re sharing the field bloopers we’ve personally made and the practical habits…
- The Reality of Running a Pool Service Business · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2054A customer points at a stain on the deck and says your chemicals did it. Another swears you left the water running while they were on vacation. If you run a pool service route…
- Pool Service Business Mistakes That Hold You Back · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2053If you’re trying to grow a pool service business on your own, the hardest part usually isn’t the water chemistry, it’s the workload design. I walk through the real-world service…
- Stop Letting Customers Pick Junk · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2052A customer drops a brand new “deal” pool cleaner into the water and suddenly you’re the bad guy because it doesn’t clean, doesn’t climb, and can’t be repaired. We dig into a…
- How To Keep Airbnb Hot Tubs Safe Between Guests · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2051Airbnb quietly made a big operational change: starting November 20, hosts can’t require guests to do physical “checkout chores.” That means no more relying on renters to cover…
- Stop Manually Vacuuming Pools · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2050Dragging a 50-foot vacuum hose to every stop used to feel like “just the job,” but it quietly steals time, energy, and consistency from a pool service route. We walk through why…
- A Pool Service Checklist For When The Water Looks Dead · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2049You walk into the backyard and your stomach drops: the surface is covered in debris, there’s dust floating on top, and the cleaner looks like it gave up days ago. When a pool…
- Smart Pool Service Discounts That Attract Better Clients · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2048“First month free” sounds like a fast way to land new pool service accounts, but it can quietly bring the exact customers you do not want: bargain hunters who chase deals, resist…
- Vacuum System: Cart Or No Cart · 17 min · Season 10 Episode 2047A vacuum cart looks like the obvious “pro” upgrade until you have to live with it on your truck every day. We walk through the real decision pool service techs face when buying a…
- Why HOA Community Pools Pay Off · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2046HOA community pools look like “just another commercial account” until you’ve serviced one and tried to win one. We’re pulling back the curtain on why HOA pools can be some of the…
- What Leslie’s Bankruptcy Means For Pool Pros · 17 min · Season 10 Episode 2045Leslie’s Pool Supplies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the first reaction is panic, but the more important question is what it reveals about where the pool industry is…
- Bob Lowry on Why Trichlor Is Not 99% Chlorine · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2044“Trichlor is 99% chlorine” sounds like a slam-dunk reason to buy tablets, right until you read what the label is actually saying. We sit down with Bob Lowry to untangle one of…
- Bob Lowry on Pool Chemistry Myths That Cost You Money · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2043Evaporation is not “free water replacement” and it definitely is not a magic drain for cyanuric acid. I sit down with Bob Lowry to tackle the pool chemistry myths we keep hearing…
- Bob Lowry Why High Cyanuric Acid Makes Chlorine Weak · 20 min · Season 10 Episode 2042Your pool can test “fine” on chlorine and still struggle to stay clear, safe, and algae-free. The missing piece is often cyanuric acid (CYA), the stabilizer that protects…
- Bob Lowry on When Pool pH Crashes · 20 min · Season 10 Episode 2041Low pH is one of the most expensive “quiet problems” in pool care, because it doesn’t just make water feel off, it can actively eat your pool. We sit down with legendary pool…
- Bob Lowry on Which Pool Chlorine Is Actually Strongest · 16 min · Season 10 Episode 2040“Trichlor is 90% available chlorine, so it must be the strongest” sounds logical until you follow the math all the way through. We sit down with Bob Lowry to untangle the biggest…
- My Favorite Underrated Pool Products of 2026 · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2039Your route does not get easier because you “work harder” it gets easier when the small friction points disappear. We walk through a hand-picked list of underrated pool service…
- Pools to Avoid for Sure! · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2038Some pool accounts pay you twice: once with money, and again by giving you your time back. Others look fine on a bid, then slowly chew up your schedule with extra debris cleanup…
- The Fastest Way to Vacuum a Spa · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2037Your pool can look perfect while the spa tells a different story: cloudy water, gritty steps, and that fine “dust” that shows up again an hour after you leave. We walk through…
- The Gig Economy vs. the Pool Business · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2036DoorDash, Uber, and Instacart aren’t just side hustles anymore, they’re a direct competitor for pool industry hiring. I’m breaking down how the gig economy pulls from the same…
- Which Pool Test Kit Should You Buy? · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2035Bad pool chemistry rarely starts with “bad chemicals.” It usually starts with bad testing, rushed testing, or the wrong tool for the job. We break down the most common pool water…
- AquaStar Pipeline Filter—Game Changer or Just Hype? · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2034A pool filter can look “small” and still be the reason a system runs smoother, cleaner, and with less hassle on the equipment pad. I’m sharing my real-world take on the Aquastar…
- Dealing With Extreme Weather on Your Pool Route · 20 min · Season 10 Episode 2033Weather can wreck a perfectly planned pool route in minutes. One moment the backyard is calm, the next you’re in a wind event where every pass with the net brings in more leaves…
- Wind Event Coming? Here’s How Pool Pros Should Prepare · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2032A windstorm can turn a clean backyard pool into a debris-filled mess in a single afternoon and if you service pools for a living, that mess multiplies across your entire route…
- Can You Service a Pool Without Doing Repairs? · 20 min · Season 10 Episode 2031You don’t have to be a full-time mechanic to run a real pool service business. We hear the same fear from new and growing pool pros all the time: “I can do weekly pool cleaning…
- Are You Building a Future—or Just Working for Life? · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2030Your pool route might be profitable, but it also comes with a deadline most people ignore until their knees, hands, or shoulders force the conversation. We get real about the…
- Can DIY Pool Owners & Pool Pros Coexist? · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2029Your customer says they’re “pretty handy” and offers to handle the filter cleanings to save money. Sounds reasonable until the filter doesn’t get cleaned for weeks, the water…
- Pool Surface Problems I’ve Seen Over the Years · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2028That “simple stain” on the pool floor might be permanent, and that fresh coat of pool paint might be a countdown to peeling, cloudy water, and filters packed with chalky dust. We…
- Pool Tile Covered in White Build-Up — Can It Be Removed? · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2027That bright white crust on the waterline and spa spillway can make a pool look old overnight, especially on darker tile. We walk through what’s really happening when water…
- Before You Start an Acid Wash Don’t Make These Mistakes! · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2026Draining a pool sounds simple until the plaster starts chipping, the customer expects miracles, or someone asks the one question that never goes away: “Will my pool pop out?” We…
- Century EVO VS NIDEC: The Best Pool Pump Motor Upgrade · 20 min · Season 10 Episode 2025You can save serious money by upgrading to a variable speed pool pump without cutting pipes, but only if you understand what you’re trading off. We put two popular retrofit…
- Is Your Pool Route Bleeding Money? Smart Fixes! · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2024Gas at $6 a gallon can make any pool service pro start eyeing a hybrid truck, but the decision is rarely as simple as “better MPG equals savings.” We walk through the real-world…
- The Honest Truth About Variable Speed Pumps · 20 min · Season 10 Episode 2023Your variable speed pool pump is saving electricity, so why does the pool suddenly feel “different”? That’s the gap we tackle head-on, using real service-world examples that…
- The DE Filter Replacement Decision · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2022That old DE filter on the pad is doing more than collecting dirt, it is quietly adding hours to your workload and choking your pool’s circulation every time the PSI creeps up. We…
- Pool Products That Shouldn’t Have Died · 20 min · Season 10 Episode 2021They didn’t just discontinue a few random SKUs. They retired products that pool pros actually relied on, and that raises a bigger question: what makes a manufacturer walk away…
- Pool Safety: What’s Your Best Bet? · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2020A backyard pool is supposed to be fun, but it can also become dangerous in the span of a few minutes. We talk through the safety layers that actually prevent child drowning when…
- Avoid Liability on Your Pool Start-Ups · 20 min · Season 10 Episode 2019Brand new plaster looks perfect for about five minutes, then reality hits: dust, rising pH, builder timelines, and a homeowner who expects the finish to stay flawless forever. We…
- FieldPay: Get Paid Before You Pack the Truck! · 33 min · Season 10 Episode 2018The fastest way to create friction in a pool service business is to make good people wait for money they already earned. I sit down with Flavia de la Fuente, creator of Field…
- Successful Bidding: Bid Smarter, Not Cheaper · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2017Most pool service bids aren’t lost because you’re bad at cleaning pools, they’re lost because you were slower, less clear, or less confident than the next company. We walk…
- Pool Guy Tips: Knowing When to Stop Trying · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2016A single pool can hijack your entire day if you don’t have a line you won’t cross. We’re sharing the kind of “only learned in the field” pool service knowledge that saves hours…
- Is AI Better Than Me? & Other YT Questions Answered · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2015A pool cleaner that devours acorns can get stopped by something the size of a couple grains of rice, and once you know why, you start diagnosing faster and wasting less time on…
- How Many Pools Can One Pool Guy Do in a Day? · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2014The fastest way to burn out in pool service is chasing a number that doesn’t fit your reality. We get a constant question from pool pros and new pool technicians alike: how many…
- The Truth About Trichlor Tablets · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2013Trichlor tablets keep pools clear with slow, steady chlorination, so why do they get blamed for “ruining” pool water? We dig into the real chemistry behind the complaints and…
- Dichlor: The Good, the Bad & the CYA · 18 min · Season 10 Episode 2012Dichlor has a reputation problem, and it is mostly because people expect it to behave like trichlor tablets or like a routine weekly sanitizer. We walk through what dichlor pool…
- Solar Pool Blankets: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly · 19 min · Season 10 Episode 2011A solar pool cover can feel like magic when your water stays warmer overnight, your chlorine level holds longer, and you stop refilling as often from evaporation. It can also…
- How NOT to Wreck a Vinyl Pool · 20 min · Season 10 Episode 2010One wrong product can turn a beautiful vinyl liner into a permanent “before and after” photo, and most of the damage is totally avoidable. We walk through vinyl pool care with…
