The Deep End Pool Podcast

Frank and Jacque discuss 10 gifts that are great to treat yourself and your pool. We also tell the crazy naked guy at the airport story. Our sponsors for the 2024 podcast season. poolwerx.com jandy.com. bluerayxl.com cyclonefiltertools.com. ipssa.com allsafepool.com clearcomfort.com 00:00 introduction

Naked guy at DFW airport! little teaser for episode 103

Frank and Jacque go through their list of what makes some pools difficult and how to correct it. Our sponsors for the 2024 podcast season. poolwerx.com jandy.com. bluerayxl.com cyclonefiltertools.com. ipssa.com allsafepool.com clearcomfort.com We discuss many of the things we see regularly that make some pools much more difficult to properly maintain. Pools with heavy debris, pools with leaks, pools with heavy usage, pools with poor circulation, pools with poor filtration, pools with water features, natural stone under the waterline

Jacque sings Frank's 12 tips of pool care in this holiday episode. Our sponsors for the 2024 podcast season. poolwerx.com jandy.com. bluerayxl.com cyclonefiltertools.com. ipssa.com allsafepool.com clearcomfort.com 00:00-04:20 introduction 04:21 the twelve tips of pool care the Deepend gave to me Circulate to remove the dead spots Maintain proper chlorine levels Maintain good water balance Effective filtration Remove dirt and debris Watch, monitor and control CYA Proper water testing Know clean filter pressure and monitor filter pressure know the sound of your pool equipment when it is running properly Brush pool surfaces Use and monitor borate levels Don't put off repairs.

Frank and Jacque introduce their sponsors for 2024, and then discuss back to the basics of pool care. Our sponsors for the 2024 podcast season. poolwerx.com jandy.com. bluerayxl.com cyclonefiltertools.com. ipssa.com allsafepool.com clearcomfort.com 00:00-11:00 introduction. 11:00-11:25 pool news update by Pool Magazine poolmagazine.com 12:44-13:39 Frank explains that the way he says Wisconsin is a Mike Tyson spoof. 13:40-16:10 Frank discusses why he is lowering the maximum pH target mark on the pools he services. Chlorine was not holding as well and with the extreme weather this year there were a few issues with the higher pH. 17:45-17:46 make sure you are considering the lower water temperatures when calculating your LSI or CSI. Colder water is more aggressive and adjustments to pH, alkalinity, or even calcium may be necessary to maintain proper water balance. 17:47-20:00 discussing the basics of pool maintenance. the 5 most important things in maintaining a swimming pool. 1. Water chemistry 2. Circulation. 3. Filtration. 4. Removal of dirt and debris. 5. brushing 20:01-24:44 water chemistry 2 parts water balance is keeping your water from being aggressive or scaling by managing your LSI or CSI. Two of biggest factors that change the LSI are pH and alkalinity. Cacium, TDS, CYA, and water temperature also need to be measured and monitored to maintain balanced water. there are several apps available to help you calculate LSI. 24:45-27:00 in warm water over 65 degrees, Sanitizer levels. if you are a borate pool then you should maintain 5% of your CYA in free chlorine, if you do not use borates then you should maintain 7.5% of your CYA in free chlorine. in cooler water you can simply super chlorinate to 8-10 ppm once a week or every other week with a shock product like liquid chlorine 27:01-28:00 circulation is extremely important in proper pool maintenance. water needs to be exchanged in all parts of the pool. we recommend turning the pool either clockwise or counter clockwise to help eliminate dead spots in the pool. 29:00-30:12 we also recommend turning the pool over a minimum of 2 times per day. a turnover is moving the entire volume amount of water in the pool through the filter once. in our area of north texas we recommend 3 times per day when the water is over 70 degrees 30:13-34:18 filtration. removal of fine particles from the water in the pool. 3 types of filters Sand filter (with sand media) filters 20-30 microns, which is pool. with glass media the sand filter can filter 5 to 7 microns which is excellent. cartridge filters filter 8 to 20 microns, and DE or diatomaceous earth filters filter down to 3 to 5 microns. proper filter maintenance is critical. know your clean filter pressure so you can evaluate how well your circulation system is operating. 34:19-37:15 removal of debris and dirt. organic material will release nutrients into the water that is algae food. do not allow dirt and leaves and debris to sit in the pool for extended periods. empty cleaners, baskets regularly 37:16 brushing. important to remove organics, algae, and other organisms off the walls and surfaces and into the open water where your sanitizer levels are typically more consistent and can kill the organisms.

Frank and Jacque discuss how to set reasonable expectations with pool service whether you run a service or are a pool owner. Poolwerx.com ipssa.com 00:00-04:48 introduction 04:49- pool owners need to understand that service pricing will vary from pool. and services offered by different service company's will vary greatly also. Pool owners need to make sure the service company knows pool service company's should be pricing service based on an estimated minimum and maximum amount of time spent on the pool per service visit. It should be made very clear what is included in weekly or monthly fees and what will be an additional charge. chemicals used to maintain the pool should be either charged separately for chemicals, in the service of that pool or a good estimate with an allowed maximum. If the amount of chemicals used exceeds that maximum the pool owner should have to pay for that extra chemical used. if a pool leaks or has other issues that require an unexpected additional amount of chemicals, the pool owner should be responsible for those chemicals. it should be made clear what is and what is not included in service fees. unexpected events or problems that require additional labor, materials, or chemicals should be charged over and above the agreed upon fees for service. pool owners should make their service company aware if they have occasional or frequent issues after weather events, like wash in from the yard during heavy rains, and expect to pay extra in these situations. pool owners should make their service company aware asap if other than normal conditions exist on the pool before they show up for service. this will allow the service company to plan for the additional time, equipment,, and chemicals that may be required to address the issue. as a pool owner you need to share with the prospective new service company what issues you've had with previous service companies to be sure that there are no misunderstandings in reasonable expectations. make sure it is clear how communication between the service and the pool owner will be conducted. should the client call the service tech, the manager, or the office. businesses put processes in place to make sure proper information is collected the information is given to the correct personnel. disruption in these processes can lead to issues not being properly addressed. it needs to be clear if filter cleans or other additional required maintenanceare included in service fees

Frank and Jacque discuss his journey into and through the swimming pool industry. What got him into the business, the training that helped him greatly, mistakes he made and learned from, and where they are now. poolwerx.com, ipssa.com

The Frank and Stank Show. Frank sits down with Rudy Stankowitz, of Talking Pools Podcast to discuss unsafe safety barrier exception requirements that have been lobbied for and adopted by many code enforcement entities, and what is black algae. [email protected] [email protected] email Rudy and get your form to send to your representatives to remove the safety barrier exception. poolwerx.com ipssa.com onlinepoolclasses.com cpoclass.com 05:03 - What is black algae? black algae is a cyanobacteria, and is not an algae. it requires different treatment than algae. black algae creates a biofilm that can harbor and protect other organisms within it, like Naegleria fowleri the brain eating amoeba, Legionella (Legionnaires' Disease and Pontiac Fever), and algae. the biofilm protects whatever is living in it and makes it much more difficult to kill or eliminate. 09:00 - even though the modern swimming pool industry has been around for decades, there is surprisingly inadequate research done on many of the issues dealing with modern pools. 09:40 - the PHTA Mission/Vision states on their website https://www.phta.org/ Core PurposeTo promote safe and healthy pool and hot tub environments for people to share enjoyable aquatic experiences.". They are advocates for the swimming pool industry. from their page: ADVOCACY PHTA is the industry's trusted voice in government. PHTA advocates on our membership behalf to Federal, state and local governments on issues impacting their businesses. The PHTA has lobbied from state to state to adopt an exception in barrier codes for swimming pools and hot tubs. This exception opens it up for local jurisdictions to not require a fence barrier around swimming pools if they have a powered safety cover that complies with ASTM F 1346, or spas have a lockable safety cover that complies with ASTM F 1346. The problem with this exception is there is no way to ensure that powered pool covers are closed after use, or the spa lockable covers are locked. In fact, the general consensus of pool service techs that Frank or Rudy have talked to will say that during the swim season many, or even most powered safety covers, are left open. So without the presence of a fence barrier, the pool cover is a potential drowning hazard for people or pets. Everyone agrees that approved fence barriers reduce drowning and near drowning incidents by 88%. We are asking that everyone that finds this exception to be unacceptable to please contact their local, regional, and national government representatives and request that this exception be removed from residential swimming pool codes. email Rudy at [email protected] to receive a form letter to fill out and send to your representatives.

Listen up and make sure none of these ever happen to you. Frank and Jacque discuss some of Frank's scariest and most odd memories he's had over his many years in the pool industry. Some of the worst that Frank has seen, felt, and smelt. Poolwerx.com. ipssa.com 00:00 - Inroduction 07:50 - customer's children were getting shocked every time they swam in the deep end of the pool. 08:55 - customer's pool floated out of the ground because they drained their swimming pool to fix their pool, which was unnecessary. destroyed their pool 12:20 - pool friend drained an abandoned pool to clean it out and found a dead cow in the bottom of the pool 14:10 - pool heater was having a delayed ignition issue. heater cabinet would fill with natural gas before it would ignite, causing a small explosion whenever it would finally ignite. be careful when checking heater ignition 18:30 - rats in heaters, some of the creepiest pool heater issues I have ever dealt with were due to rat infestations. 20:10 - turned a heater on a 4 ft long rat snake came out, half burnt from the heater ignition. this partially burnt snake was extremely aggressive and not happy 22:35 - 3 live baby opossums in a skimmer. 24:17 - giant bullfrog in a skimmer, the worst Frank has ever been hurt working on a swimming pool 24:57 - Frank walked up on a young lady nude sun bathing. 26:45 - Frank was diving on a swimming pool doing a leak detection. while exiting the pool he realized there was a copper head coiled up in his air hose. 30:40 - Frank opened up a heater cabinet to find the largest red wasp nest he's ever seen. 4 to 5 wasp stings to the head taught him to always be prepared when opening any kind of outdoor cabinet. be careful with the type of wasp spray you use around electrical components. there are non-conductive wasp sprays 34:10 - frank went into a backyard with two very large Rottweiler dogs. at first these dogs were friendly and playful, but the mood changed quickly when one of them bit Frank by accident. dogs can turn on you, even after first being friendly 38:55 - Frank had a Chow bite him, and a Saint Bernard in the yard protected Frank and kicked the Chow's butt 40:05 - Frank severely burnt both eyes with muriatic acid. 44:15 - customer got killed by his pool filter coming apart. this client was fortunate to have someone nearby that was able to resuscitate him, which saved his life. pool filters under pressure can be extremely dangerous. 48:55 - mixing pool chemicals in any way can be dangerous. many of these chemicals can react resulting in spontaneous combustion or dangerous gasses. Frank has seen pool scoops ignite while in someones hand, and has had associates almost burn the service vehicle up 51:00 - use caution when working with chlorine. chlorine can gas off. chlorine is extremely acidic and can burn your lungs and cause very bad health issues, or damage property.

Frank and Jacque discuss conserving poo heat with solar covers, solar rings, and liquid solar blanket and cold water balance. poolwerx.com ipssa.com 00:00 - introduction 07:50 – solar blankets, liquid blankets, solar rings to reduce heat loss and evaporation. Solar blanket does actually transfer some heat into the water, but we believe the biggest benefit is it reduces heat loss by reducing evaporation. Frank has a problem with solar blankets because he believes that increase the possibility of drowning risk. Small children and animals are more likely to step onto solar covers. When they do they can easily fall between the edge of the pool and the cover. Once under the cover they panic and can’t get out. If you have a solar blanket, please have extra barriers to prevent animals and small children from getting to the pool. Pool guys typically despise solar covers. They are a pain to deal with when servicing swimming pools. Some studies show that a solar cover can prevent around 75%-90% of heat loss and evaporation if they are properly fitted for the pool. Solar blankets can be a complete pain in the butt to put on and take off. 14:15 – solar rings are smaller sections of solar material, typically with a rigid border, that can be placed on the surface of the pool. You can use several of these at a time to achieve as much complete coverage as you wish. These can also transfer heat from the sun to the water. Since rings do not completely cover the surface of the pool, they are less beneficial for reducing heat loss and evaporation. 14:50 – liquid solar blanket are chemicals you add to the pool that create a layer on the surface of the pool that reduces evaporation which reduces heat loss. There are several different brands of liquid solar cover available. These are an inexpensive easy way to reduce heat loss and evaporation, but some studies show they are 25%to 40% as effective as an actual solar cover. These are typically less effective in windy or rainy conditions or on pools that have a lot of surface disturbance due to waterfalls or other features. 17:02 – break 17:50- water balance (LS)I is affected by water temperature. The colder the water the is the more aggressive the water is. When maintaining pool water in the winter you may find that running a little higher pH or alkalinity to keep the LSI in a proper range. In areas with low calcium issues, you may want to increase your calcium levels when the water is colder. For about every 10 degrees Fahrenheit drop in water temperature your LSI will drop about .08. So during the winter, if your water temperature drops 50 degrees, you can expect about a .4 drop in your LSI. So with that considered, all other factors remaining the same. If you were keeping your LSI at 0.0, and the water temperature dropped 50 degrees, then your water is going to be aggressive and can damage your pool surfaces and equipment. 24:00 – adjusting pH. Pool pros and pool owners need to understand what chemicals you should primarily use to raise pH. There appears to be some confusion. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) should be primarily used to raise alkalinity. It will raise pH a little bit, but it is best used to raise alkalinity. Sodium carbonate (soda ash) is best used to raise pH. It will raise alkalinity a little bit, but it has a much greater effect on pH. Using the proper pool chemical for the proper purpose is extremely important. Using the wrong chemical can easily cost you money, time, and possibly require you to use excessive chemicals to achieve your goals of properly balanced and sanitary water.

Frank and Jacque take a listener question asking what are some products he would recommend to get or avoid. Rated on the 1 to 5 quack scale, even have a couple with the ultimate low butt quack rating. [email protected]. poolwerx.com. ipssa.com 00:00 intro. 03:30 Our service business, Poolwerx Keller was awarded "Top 50" Service Companies in the U.S by Pool and Spa News. Thank you to all of our awesome staff. 06:05 - listener question. What are some good and bad purchases for swimming pool owners and service people? 07:20 - 1 quack- cheap pool poles, extension poles. Don't waste your money on a cheap pole. 10:37 - 2 quack - solar covers, I see so many pool owners use them once or twice and then never use them again, I strongly believe solar covers increase drowning risk for children and pets 12:30 - 2 quack - Pentair Racer and Polaris 360 automatic pool cleaners, both seem to be extremely problematic and high failure rate. There are so many better choices out there. 14:50 - Butt Quack - skim around pool skimmer basket. made cheaply, problematic. A properly operating weir door serves the same purpose, and maybe even better. The pool skimmer is designed for a proper weir door, make sure the pool has one. 18:50 - 4 quacks - Waterco Multicyclone. Does a great job separating small dirt and debris before it gets into the filter. 22:25 - 5 quack - leaf master, big sucker, leaf eater, there are several manufacturers of these units. They are fairly inexpensive and hook to a water hose and have a large bag attached to them to catch leaves. The hose creates a venturi that picks up leaves and light debris very well. They do not work well with dirt though. 24:10 - 5 quack - For the pros - Hammer Head or Rip Tide pool cleaner. These use a battery and basically a trolling motor to suck debris into a large bag. These work great in the field for pros, but probably not something a pool owner would want to buy. 25:25 - 4 Quack - vacuum cart with pump and cartridge filter. I like the Waterco Ultra Vac, with or without a multicyclone. This is an excellent way to fine filter a pool without putting the dirt into the pool filter. Many pros like to build their own vac carts and save a little money, but I like to just buy the ready to go unit and not have to mess with designing and building the cart system. 28:15 - 4 Quacks- pool skim leaf skimmer. These hook to a pool return and floats on the surface of the water and suck leaves off the surface into a large capacity bag. These are great for pools that get overwhelmed with leaves. 30:45 - 4-5 Quack - Polaris robotics. Alpha IQ+, Epic 8640 or 8642. Work great and we have had no issues with support and warranty when needed. Dolphin cleaners appear to have dropped a little in quality, and support, which had dropped to butt quack level, has gotten better, but still trailing Polaris. 32:25 - 5 Quack - Pal LED lighting. Some others also make good lights, but there are many issues with some of the major brand LED lights. 33:25 - 5 Quack - Cyclone Filter Tools. made to clean cartridge filters. Extremely well made. Does a great job cleaning, saving time and even cleaning better. Soon they will release a smaller less expensive model, The Shark, which is made for smaller cartridges, but still clean the large cartridges. 36:30 - 5 Quack - a good pool brush. I love the blue torrent 360 brushes. Does a great job in corners and angles on pools. The Wall Whale is also a great brush that helps you scrub better when brushing. 38:38 - 5 Quack - Frog Log, great for helping critters get out of a pool. 38:24 - 4 Quack - Skim Pro Baskets, and SP HP baskets. Center or side stems that stick up above the water allowing you to empty the basket without getting your hand in the water, the vented stems allow the skimmers to still move water even when full of debris 40:50 - 5 Quack- CMP smart scoop, Extremely helpful measuring pool chemicals and DE

Part 2 of Frank and guest Greg Leschber discuss common regrets pool owners have shared with them. poolwerx.com ipssa.com Continuing with water features from episode 92. Greg brings up how pool owners have regretted not having a separate dedicated pump for their water features on their pool. A separate pump allows you run the features during spa mode or at any time. deck jets. Frank is not a fan of deck jets. He has had several pool owners tell him that deck jets did not deliver the bang for the buck that envisioned. They are loud and they affect pH. Frank and Greg talked about the obvious regret that some pool owners have about not knowing how to properly winterize their pool equipment during a freeze emergency in areas that do not typically winterize. The lack of a proper pool school, or paying attention during pool school is a common regret we see from pool owners. Many pool owners find that adding a hot tub to their pool was a waste for them. Some love their spas, but many find that they do not use their spa enough to justify the extra cost. large rock waterfalls, rock below the waterline, not having a separate feature pump, choice of stones are all common regrets that we hear from pool owners. Salt water chlorine generation systems are not a great choice for everyone or for every area. Many pool owners realize they had unreasonable expectations of the ease, care, maintenance, and results they receive from their salt water pool systems. Many pool people find that managing water balance in a salt pool can be more difficult.

Part 1. Special guest Greg Leschber of Leschber designs discusses with Frank some of the many things that pool owners have wished they would have done different with their pool projects. Poolwerx.com IPSSA.com some of the things we hear pool owners say the wish they would have done something different with their pool and pool area design, equipment, features, and materials. 00:00-09.04: intro 09:05: flashing- flashing is a light coat of shotcrete applied to the soil edges of the excavated hole prior to the full shell completion. this process helps retain the soil and prevents cave ins, especially during rains. many builders and/or pool owners reegret not having this done and had to deal with the excavated hole caving in, which increases cost and stop the construction. 10:50: #1 many pool owners say they wish they would have done more deck. adding deck. they did not realize how they would use the space and how restrictive not having enough can be. deck can be added later, but it is more expensive and typically is difficult to match. 13:18: the placement of permanent structures like outdoor kitchens and built-in fire pits can also be a huge regret when pool owners realize how they use the space can be a big regret when they realize how the space is used. 16:00: tanning ledges. tanning ledges are something that many regret not doing a tanning ledge or not making them big enough. everyones needs are different, but many of our clients will tell you the tanning ledge is the most used area of the pool. but there are some that wish they didn't have a tanning ledge. 20:30; pool depth regrets. pool owners complain that they went too deep. many have sport pools and realize too much depth greatly reduces the usability of the pool. pool owners need to really think about what depth will work for them. some wish they went deeper, some wish they'd gone shallow. 26:10: not designing the pool so good circulation can be achieved. builders need to place returns to the pool in locations that provide for good circulation. dead spots in circulation are very problematic especially as water ages and builds up minerals and organics. 29:08: vet your builder. there are many great pool builders. but there are a few that need to be avoided. ask many questions. check references. search owner name not just company name. 34:40 drainage in the pool area. drainage is critical. we have seen many issues caused by inadequate drainage. make sure drainage is being properly addressed. 38:50 have competent people take care of the pool, if you will maintain your own pool make sure you learn how well. 42:50 people regret not getting a heat pump/chiller on the pool. heat pumps serve a different purpose than gas heaters. 46:00 when having electrical installed for pool equipment, have the electrician size it to be sufficient for possible future needs if there is any chance you may want to add something later i.e. heat pump, electric spa, outdoor kitchen, etc... 48:30 water features can be a regret. deck jets, water falls, spray jets. people can be underwhelmed or overwhelmed in the results they get from adding water features. this is will be covered in more depth in part 2.

Frank and Jacque talk about water balance water chemistry. Why is LSI Langlier Saturation Index important in your pool and how do you manage it. poolwerx.com ipssa.com 00:00-04:50 must be halloween found a bat in a skimmer, plaster finisher didn't use stainless steel set screws when reinstalling the pool light fixture 04:51 facebook question asking if they should be concerned about pH being high in their pool. answer is a little high or a little low is ok as long as LSI is in a good range. Then people asked what is LSI. 05:40 anyone managing a swimming pool should understand LSI, Langlier Saturation index. LSI is water balance. Water seeks a saturation equilibrium. There. are a few things that determine what that equilibrium is. water temperature, pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, total dissolved solids, and to a degree cya, borates, and a few other factors. All of these go into a formula that allows you to calculate if the water is aggressive, meaning it wants to dissolve anything it can to become saturated which can etch pool surfaces or weaken and damage equipment, or scaling, which is the water has too much stuff dissolved in it and it wants to push the dissolved materials out of solution, or precipitate, which can cause scaling or staining. 06:45 water chemistry, both balance and sanitizers are just part of pool maintenance. chemistry alone will not keep your pool water looking good and safe. you still need good filtration, circulation, removal of debris, and brushing. 17:45 to achieve proper chemistry you must properly test your water, and do not dose a chemical without testing it first. and measure doses, do not guess amounts. it is recommended that most chemicals, acid, shocks, etc.. be diluted in a bucket of water when adding it to the pool. Always add chemical to water not water to chemicals. keep records for test results, chemicals added, filter pressure, and water condition. There are apps available that can make calculating LSI easy. We like the Orenda app. Water temperature changes the water balance. as temperatures increase the LSI increases, and as they decrease the LSI decreases. so the average pool LSI will change quite a bit during the year just do to water temperature. typically scale will first develop in areas where the water temperature is a little warmer. Calcium, on most pools, will naturally increase over time. the only way to decrease calcium in water is to remove or dilute the water, use reverse osmosis, or push it out of solution by violating the lsi and turn it into scale in the pool. total dissolved solids is everything that has been dissolved into the water cya and borates affect LSI through their affect on alkalinity test results Alkalinity is the total of carbonates, bicarbonates, hydroxides and a few other things to a lesser degree. It is called the buffering capacity of water. It resists the effect of acids and bases on the LSI. Too low or too high alkalinity make it difficult to control pH. Alkalinity should be tested weekly and managed pretty closely. ph has the biggest impact on LSI, and it typically is the parameter in LSI that changes the most. pH can change hourly in a pool. It is extremely important that you test pH regularly and adjust as needed.

Frank and Jacque discuss an issue with extremely high alkalinity and how to fix it. The ends and outs and myth busting beliefs about alkalinity. Credit to Ipssa "Basic Training Manual" and "Intermediate Training Manual" by the late, great Robert Lowery poolwerx.com ipssa.com 00:00 Intro. what's up with Frank and Jacque 05:40 Fellow Poolwerx franchisee, Poolwerx Haslet, is dealing with extremely high alkalinity and asked Frank's opinion about best way to lower it. Alkalinity is the buffering capacity of water. It is the amount of carbonates, bicarbonates, hydroxides and a few other things. It is very important in calculating LSI in a swimming pool. Some things will affect your alkalinity test results. CYA will falsely read as alkalinity. You should subtract 1/3 of your cya reading from your alkalinity test results. If you use borates you can subtract 1 (one) ppm of alkalinity for every 10 ppm of borates in the water. Source water can be extremely high in alkalinity and create issues trying to keep water balanced. 11:45 to lower alkalinity you use acid. Muriatic or suphuric acid, or dry acid which is sodium bisulfate. acids lower alkalinity and ph. no matter how you add the acid it lowers both. there are myths about you can affect how acid lowers either pH or alkalinity by how you add the acid. But these are wrong. Acids will always lower pH and alkalinity at the same rate regardless of how you add them to the water. because of the effect on pH you have to be careful and strategic when dosing acid to the water to lower alkalinity. You can easily violate the LSI and damage your pool surfaces and equipment. chemical products that raise ph (sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate) also raise alkalinity. this means we have to find a way to lower alkalinity and then adjust our pH back up with out raising alkalinity again The way to raise your pH without raising alkalinity is aeration. You can aerate your water by disturbing the surface of the pool waterfalls, aiming return jets at the surface, inject air into the bottom of the pool, features that spray water across the surface are all ways to aerate the pool and increase pH. the recommended way to adjust extremely high alkalinity to manageable levels is do several small doses of acid over time 10 to 20 ppm per dose, and aerate the water to prevent lowering pH to levels that damage your pool and equipment. test before each dose and make sure you are not violating the LSI. do not rush the process.

Our first episode of our third season! Frank and Jacque talk more about some things you should do going into cooler season. Poolwerx.com ipssa.com 00:00 introduction 08:00 checking out your pool equipment area, is your equipment pad clean? Do not let your pad be overgrown with grass or be covered in dirt or debris. Watch out for the fire ants mounding up under your pump motor. Fire ants will mound up around your motor to take advantage of the heat. A clean equipment pad will help you identify leaks and other issues. 09:00 your equipment pad should be level, an unlevel pad can stress your plumbing and equipment. 11:05 don't allow the earth around the equipment pad build up to where it can put your equipment in a low spot, causing water to overflow the equipment pad, leading to corrosion or water damage to your swimming pool equipment. You can raise your equipment pad, or improve the drainage in the area so the pad is not in a low area. 15:45 break 16:25 clean your filter, have it operating at it's best going into the winter. Look for equipment leaks, address any issues that may worsen and become a serious problem. Take care of the problems before it is an emergency. 18:50 shaft seal leaks can quickly destroy your pump motor 21:55 look at your gutters and drainage around the pool equipment and pool area. these get damaged or altered, and can become very problematic even if they haven't been a problem before. 23:55 check your heaters before you need it. make sure it's working well. clean out the heaters, maybe add mothballs into the cabinet of the heater, not in the burn chamber, to prevent critters from making your heater their winter home. 24:55 check electrical conduits and wiring. repair any breaks or loose connections 25:52 check and properly secure bonding wire 28:50 check diverter and backwash valves for easy movement, replace orings on valves if questionable at all 31:05 make sure pressure gauge is working properly. replace if questionable, and do a filter cleaning. record clean pressure and at one of the higher speeds you operate at regularly. use this pressure to check if system is operating properly 32:50 check freeze protection, don't find out it didn't work after a freeze by the damage from the freeze. make sure pump is moving water if air temp is below freezing 35:50 check weir doors and skimmer baskets, and pump baskets 36:10 get a leaf cover early, these can get several weeks out on install. allsafepool.com

Frank and Jacque answer a couple listener questions. First question is about properly sizing a pool heater and brand recommendations. Then they answer a couple questions about salt systems, corrosion, and CYA issues. https://poolwerx.com https://ipssa.com https://sizing.aquacal.com/ How do you determine the size of heater you need for your pool or spa? First, many pros will agree that bigger is better. We will discuss how much heat it takes to achieve the temperature rise in the water, but one of the most important things to consider is how fast you want to achieve the desired temperature rise. And then you have to consider overcoming heat loss while heating and maintaining the heat rise, and of course the cost. BTU = the amount of energy it takes to increase the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. One gallon of water weighs 8.3 pounds. It costs around $4.00 to $8.00 Per hour to fire a 400,000 BTU gas pool heater. Prices will vary between areas of the country. One Therm = 100 cubic feet of natural gas, which = 100,000 BTU. So to determine your actual cost you will need to see what you pay for natural gas per therm at your location. In North Texas we are currently paying around $1.80 per therm. To calculate if a heater can achieve your desires in heating your swimming pool (or spa, but of course spas are much smaller). It takes one BTU to increase the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. So if you have 10,000 gallons of water you must first calculate how many pounds of water that equals. 10,000 (gal) x 8.3 (lbs per gal) = 83,000 lbs. So it takes 83,000 BTUs to heat 10,000 gallons 1 degree. If you need to increase 20,000 gallons 15 degrees, then 20,000 x 8.3 = 166,000 lbs of water, x 15 degrees = 2,490,000 BTUs are required. Now, how much heat can your heater produce? You have to consider the efficiency of the heater. Every pool heater will have a rating. Most common residential heaters will be listed around 80 to 84% efficiency. That means if a 400,000 BTU heater is 80% efficient, then it will actually only result in 320,000 BTUs of energy being transferred into the water. Please note that the efficiency rating on a pool heater is determined under optimal operating conditions. Proper gas volume provided to the heater, proper water flow through the heater, and proper air flow through the heater are critical to achieve the maximum rated efficiency of that heater. A heater that is not operating with optimal conditions will actually be much less efficient that what it is rated at. So make sure your heater is properly installed and maintained. If you have a 10,000 gallon pool, and you need to increase the water temperature by 15 degrees, with a 400,000 BTU 80% efficient heater, and you are paying $2.00 per therm for natural gas, then this is what you can expect. 10,000 (gal) x 8.3 lbs = 83,000 total lbs. 83,000 lbs x 15 degrees = 1,245,000 btu required. 400,000 btu heater x .80 (efficiency = 320,000 actual btu per hour. 1,245,000 / 320,000 = 3.89 hours to achieve desired heat rise. Now we have to consider that the water in the pool is losing heat to the atmosphere and surrounding surfaces This can be very significant. While heating you must be able to overcome this heat loss faster that it occurs. In a perfect scenario we said 3.89 hours in our example. But if the air is cold, and there is wind whipping across the surface of the water, it can take much longer to heat the pool, and in some scenarios the heat you are putting into the water may not be able to keep up with the heat being lost. This and other factors are why many believe that bigger is always better when it comes to heaters. Even if you have properly calculated what minimum size heater is required, circumstances can make it insufficient and incapable of achieving your needs.

Frank and Jacque talk about pool water chemistry as your water cools off into the fall, from the center London while traveling.. They also discuss some other things you can do to get your pool ready for the cooler season.

Frank's reads his "If I Were An Algae" poem, and discusses what algae likes and how you can control it. poolwerx.com ipssa.com Well if I were an algae I would pick the perfect pool There would be lots of sunshine And it would never be cool I’d like the warmer water It gives me special powers I can double in numbers Every three to four hours I’m a photosynthesizer It takes sun to make me grow And I eat carbon dioxide That’s dissolved in H 2 O This raises the pool P H And makes the water more base That makes chlorine even weaker And I can take up more space There would be many dead spots Places where water don’t move I can relax in the sun And get into my groove I also love pitted plaster And it is my safest place Even if you brush it well You’ll probably still leave a trace I love me some organics Phosphates are my favorite food Gives me chills for multiplying It puts me into the mood I am very much like a plant When you feed them compost So dead leaves and plant stuff For me is like taters and roast I really like low chlorine Seven point five percent of CYA Kills me faster than I grow So it makes me go away And please don’t add borates It makes multiplying real hard It takes one third less chlorine To put me in the grave yard And please do not use copper To me it can be a real pain And if water gets unbalanced It might leave pretty green stains So let your water go bad Don’t even bother to test Let the balance go crazy And give the chlorine a rest We all love beauties of nature So think before you respond Don’t you want your pretty pool To look like a green pond

Frank and Jacque answer a listener question about should they replace a pump motor or spend the extra money and install a new Jandy variable speed pump. Poolwerx.com ipssa.com using calculator https://www.jandy.com/en/pool-pump-savings *error stated- Frank stated the $1300 savings for an 8 hour run time on the pump saves $1300 per year, I should have said about $1000 per year. The $1300 savings is if the single speed runs 10 hours per day* 00:00 introduction, Jacque's Birthday! Going to Croatia 07:37 Listener Question: My 2 1/2 hp pump motor is going out. It is making a really loud squeal. This particularly sucks because we are trying to cool the pool by running the pump at night and turning on the valve to the waterfalls, and the pool pump is by my daughters bedroom window. So now she is sleeping with us. The pool is cooler, but her sleeping with us is not cool. Please explain how the $1600 difference between a new motor or new 2.7 horsepower variable speed pump can possibly be worth it. 10:50 many large pumps are oversized for the plumbing. you may be able to downsize the pump to begin with. We find many pumps are too large for the plumbing and should be downsized. 12:10 Jacque asks what is the difference between the pump and motor. Frank explains that motors drive pumps, and can be replaced without replacing the pump, but it is not always the best choice. 13:40 break 14:30 assuming 20 cents per KW, 2.5 uprated motor, and 20K gallon pool, traditional chlorine, proper hydraulics. If hydraulics are not correct the single speed pump will cost even more electricity than what the on line calculator shows. 17:00 estimate a 2.5 hp single speed pump moves about 94 gallons per minute. in 8 hours the pump will move 5628 gallons per hour. In 8 hours this will accomplish 2.25 turnovers per day. We recommend a minimum of 2 turnovers per day. at a cost of $3.71 per day, $110 to $115 per month If he installs a Jandy 2.7hp variable speed it will move about 1/2 the water per hour, but 2.28 turnovers in 16 hours, at a cost of $1.05 per day for about $31.50 per month. that is about $80 per month savings. About $1000 savings per year. (screwed up the total math on the show, but still significant) 21:00 variable speed pumps are typically much more quiet than traditional single speed pumps. The extra flow is available if needed for spas and waterfalls if needed. Running longer and slower filter cycles is usually much more beneficial than shorter higher flow cycles. Saltwater chlorine generation systems can also be much more effective with longer filter cycles. (This also applies to ozone, UV, and AOP systems)

Frank and Jacque answer a couple questions from listeners. Should you worry about your pool overflowing during heavy rains? And a little more about how long should you run your pump. That turns into a little bit of a rant against the "one hour for every ten degrees of air temperature". poolwerx.com IPSSA.com 00:00 introduction 03:30 our big giveaway at our retail stores in North Richland Hills Texas and Lantana Texas for our local clientele. Win a Polaris Alpha IQ+ or other prizes in our $6000.00 giveaway at both locations. Free 6 months of weekly service, or $250.00 in-store credits. 05:40 BB from Georgia asks "We have had some heavy rains. Our water gets higher than our tile around the pool, but it does not overflow the top. My wife gets worried about it overflowing because she sees people talk about how they have to drain their pool down so it doesn't overflow. Should we be worried about that?"

Frank and Jacque talk about the Sahara dust that is hitting the southeast U.S. this week. Don't let this become a problem for you. poolwerx.com 00:00 intro, grand kid jokes, our week 04:44 July 25 was world drowning prevention day. 11 drowning death in the U.S. on average, every day, 22 near drowning every day. Teach your kids to swim. create barriers. adult supervision, actively watching the children, drowning is a silent killer. don't allow line of sight blockers in the pool. learn CPR. 09:10 Sahara dust storm hitting the southeast U.S. It can be very problematic. make sure you don't let it get you in a bad position with your pool. got a little lost from subject talking about snake gangs in Florida 12:40 keep chlorine levels up and correct. use enzymes to take load off of chlorine. clarifiers to help remove material from water. use chelating or sequestering agents for metal in the dust. 14:50 watch your water levels. expect excessive evaporation. don't cost yourself a lot of money due to negligence in maintaining pool water levels. make yourself look a couple times every week. 18:27 scale appearing in pools. higher pool water temperatures increase your LSI. if your LSI gets too high it will force calcium out of solution and scale your pool. manage LSI with lower alkalinity and pH. 20:09 why is shock clouding your pool. cal hypo shocks have high pH and add calcium. this is a double dose of trouble with your LSI. consider liquid chlorine in high water temperatures 21:30 we love UPS (side tracked) 23:05 spreading of algae from pool to pool or natural body of water to pools.

The preliminary results are in. We are giving the Green Story Global Cya remover a big thumbs up, with some conditions, and we are continuing to monitor. poolwerx.com see our facebook page https://facebook.com/@deependfrank 00:00 introduction 02:55 Green Story Global Cya Remover. We have used it on one dozen pools for 6 to 8 weeks. It is working. On some it worked better than on others. Good flow amount and time the flow goes over the product in the skimmer does appear to be a big factor on how effective it is. The Cya has continued to stay down, and it does not appear, at this time, that the product is a mask and not the remover it claims to be. It is worth the money to try it if you face draining your pool. 08:30 draining option, with a vinyl pool horror story 16:10 Why does the pool need more chlorine during the summer. heat and sun do shorten the life of chlorine in your pool, and the extra usage of the pool does introduce a lot more contaminants that chlorine has to oxidize, and that in turn uses up the chlorine. Filters are getting dirtier from contaminants, so flow and filtration can be lessened, this puts more of the water maintenance work on the chlorine. Chemicals and oils from swimmers can also cause chlorine to burn up faster. 17:50 the extra chlorine being added can also effect the water balance. different types of chlorine can affect ph, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and TDS. using borates, enzymes and phosphate removers can help reduce the amount of chlorine needed to maintain your pool algae multiplies faster in warmer water. algae will typically double every 3 hours. this faster growth uses up chlorine faster all of these things increase the consumption of chlorine. just remember you need to maintain without borates, 7.5% of your cya in free chlorine to kill algae faster than it multiplies. with borates it is 5% of your cya level in free chlorine. extra evaporation requires more fill water which also messes up water chemistry. waterfalls and evaporative chillers increase evaporation, so that in turn will increase water maintenance and adjustment. 28:20 if using a chiller on a pool, that needs to be accomplished during the cooler time of day if day time temperatures are extreme. but do not run at night in lieu of running during the day, run in addition to daytime running. in the heat the pool needs to be filtering and circulating during the day. 32:00 providing shade on your pool can greatly decrease the amount that your pool heats up. using shade sails and umbrellas can keep your pool cooler, decrease evaporation, and decrease balance and oxidizer chemical usage. 35:40 evaporation does cool the pool, why more evaporation is more chemical maintenance in your pool get on borates, use enzymes, consider phosphate removers, keep water cooler if able,

Frank visits with Reed Hauge, CEO All-Safe Pool Fence and Covers. Frank and two of his technicians spent a week at the All-Safe training facility in Anaheim, California. All-Safe provides excellent training for all of their safety fencing, safety nets, and leaf covers products. Not only do they provide excellent on-hands experience with their products, but they also have an excellent knowledge base that is easily accessible from anywhere with a smart device. poolwerx.com introduction. Meet Reed Hauge (how-gee) child safety is top priority. drowning is #1 cause of death for children 1 to 5 years of age. First priority is to teach a child to swim. Adult supervision is critical to protect children around water. there are on average 11 child drownings every day in the U.S, and 22 non-fatal drownings. how All-Safe got into the pool safety industry. All-Safe not only designs and manufactures safety barriers, they also operate a large installation company in Southern California. ASTM writes standards for manufacturers to achieve for an acceptable product All-Safe has developed many innovative products that help overcome obstacles that can lessen the effectiveness of a safety barrier. There is also a difference in the quality of materials that different manufacturers produce, and proper installation is also important to ensure the product performs as designed. Pool parties are one of the highest drowning risk scenarios. There needs to be designated sober adults assigned to closely monitor children around the pool. Do not do bubble parties. safety floatation devices. our apologies for Frank's mic volume fluctuations

Derrick Todd steps in as guest with Frank. Derrick is pool business entrepreneur, service business coach, and "Pool Boy" Bar-B-Q rubs. He is also admin on some of the most popular Facebook pool owner groups. Derrick and Frank discuss some of the myths and misunderstood truths they see in pool owner facebook groups. poolboyrubs.com 00:00 - meet Derrick Todd. 20 years in the pool industry, 08:50 - Frank and Derrick get frustrated with the belief that products like Pool RX and Blue Ray XL are a replacement for good pool water chemistry and maintenance. These are both great products but are not meant to replace proper water sanitation and water balance. These are excellent products to help in difficult pool situations. 19:38 = the potential problems you may get into with the copper pipe in the skimmer fad 24:10 - supplementing salt pools with additional chlorine products and methods can be very necessary and beneficial on many salt pools. 34:10 - shocking a salt pool , why is this necessary on many pools 41:10 - Why it is fine to add chlorine to your pool during the daylight hours. When your pool needs chlorine, it needs chlorine. Waiting until sundown to add chlorine is is not as important as many claim it is.

Frank and Jacque discuss how salt water chlorine generation pools work, and the benefits and drawbacks of salt water pools. turfsupradio.com poolwerx.com fourpointstravel.com poolwerx.com if there isn't a Poolwerx near you, become the Poolwerx near you 00:00-05:05 - introduction 05:06 - the great debate, what is better, salt or traditional chlorine pool. A salt pool is a chlorine pool. Salt water chlorine generation pools generate much or all of their own chlorine. 07:18 - salt water pools have typically 2600 to 4000 ppm of salt concentration, human tear 4000 ppm, the ocean has 35,000 ppm 09:00 - use salt that is made for swimming pools. you can stain your pool with non-pool salt 11:05 - how the salt system makes chlorine 12:00 - two types of salt chlorine generators, brine tank and in-line generators. This show is all about in-chlorine chlorine generators 13:29 - salt systems raise pH. this is one of the drawbacks of salt systems 15:10 -break 15:30 -salt systems introduce chlorine gas into the water. 16:49 - salt cells scale up. when salt cells scale up leading to false low salt level readings on the systems. this leads to people over salting their pools. test your salt levels independently of the the salt system reading. 18:12 - as cells reach the end of their usable life they will give a false low salt reading, leading to pool owners over salting their pools. test your salt levels independently of the the salt system reading. salt cells can be expensive to replace 18:55 - in theory salt in a salt pool should regenerate, resulting in a continuous level of salt. but in our experience this is not usually the case 20:15 - don't store large amounts of salt. it isn't worth it. Frank's story of his storm cellar turning into the worlds larges pot of stew, due to salt being stored with hundreds of cans of food. salt is corrosive and will damage metals. 24:25 - how much chlorine can a salt chlorine generator produce, and is it enough for your pool. you have to add stabilizer to a salt pool. even with adequate stabilizer the sun will still burn about 1 ppm of chlorine out of your pool per day. 26:04 - how does percentage setting on a salt system works. it is a percentage of time the system generates, not the amount it generates. 27:30 - the number of hours you run your pump reduces the amount of chlorine you can produce with your salt water chlorine generators. 28:40 - you still have to generate enough chlorine to maintain the minimum residual required to kill algae faster than it multiplies. you have to overcome loads on your chlorine 30:00 - running a salt system 24 hours a day is very beneficial 32:39 - break 34:05 - you still may have to shock your salt pool. the chemistry and maintenance on a salt pool is the same as with a traditional chlorine pool. environments, bather loads, combine chlorines, still may require occasional or even frequent shocking or super chlorinating. extra contaminants still have to be oxidized. all of the five basics of pool maintenance still apply to salt pools 37:23 - salt can be harsh on natural stones and metals in and around pools.

Frank sits down with friend and fellow Turf's Up Radio podcaster Dan Platta. Dan is the hardest working podcaster around. They discuss the importance of good bookkeeping in your small business. It is about making the business money, not making the IRS money. https://www.youtube.com/@BookkeepingBeerBS/videos https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/bookkeeping-beer-bs/id1588898254 Turfsupradio.com

Frank and Jacque discuss how to cool your pool down in the summer and overcome some of the difficulties pool service techs and pool owners deal with due to the heat and swim season. poolwerx.com 00:00 - 03:30 introduction 03:31 trip through Waxahachie, how do you pronounce it, funny story 07:00 - how to chill your pool. Heat pumps. running heat pumps at night makes them much more effective in chilling the pool, but you must also run your filter and circulation during the heat of the day. Pros and con of an electric heat pump 12:38- evaporative chillers, Glacier. use evaporation to chill water. Pros and cons of an evaporative chiller. 16:30- other ways to chill your pool. water falls and water features during cooler night temperatures will cool your pool. It will also affect your water chemistry. 19:00- heat related issues during the summer season. hotter weather and more sun does require more sanitizer. algae is more active, there are more contaminants being introduced into the water, check your free and total chlorine. supplement chlorine with shock if needed. maintain proper chlorine residuals. 23:20- tab pools you need to watch stabilizer or cya levels. cya will rise during summer with more tab use. adjust chlorine residual as needed to maintain 7.5% or 5% in free chlorine of your stabilizer level. 25:30- green story global cya remover appears to be working well 26:10- salt pools. increase production time for salt water chlorine generators to keep up. increase production percentage. 28:40- benefits of a variable speed pump. make the switch 29:00- watch your filter pressure, keep filter clean and backwashed, keep skimmer and pump baskets clean. 30:20- make sure pool is circulating well. eliminate dead spots. 30:54- borates, enzymes, phosphate removers.

Frank and Jacque discuss a customer that could not get rid of mustard algae no matter how much chemicals he used. Chemistry is the one of the 5 basics that he had right. You must fix the cause of the problems in a pool, not just treat the symptoms of the problem. Frank goes step by step on all the things this pool owner had working against him. 00:00 - 0400 introduction 04:01 - why is pool water in north texas getting so warm. Higher humidity slows evaporation. evaporation cools the water. 05:50 - retail customer is treating his pool for algae, but it keeps coming back. his water chemistry is the only part of the 5 basics he was doing right. 10:10 - as pool water ages it becomes more difficult to control. 14:25 - weir doors make skimmers work like they are designed to work 15:26 - set pool returns to properly circulate the pool 17:10 - spas do not need more return than necessary. do not starve your pool of circulation to over serve the spa 18:28 - set up spa to circulate well. circulate the footwell of the spa 20:00 - easy way to remove dirt from spa 21:50 - brushing your pool is critical 23:05 - empty pump and skimmer baskets 23:15 - save money and circulate more water by taking advantage of variable speed pumps 24:00 - don't run you booster pumps for pool cleaners more than necessary 25: 02 - monitor filter pressure, and clean your filter as needed, know your clean pressure

Frank and Jacque discuss what makes some pools get cloudy and what are some of the solutions to clear cloudy pools. Covering four possible causes and some solutions including water balance, pool chlorine issues, pool circulation, and pool filtration Poolwerx.com If there is not a Poolwerx near you, become the Poolwerx near you. 00:00-04:30 introduction 04:31 - getting a lot of questions in our stores and on facebook about why are pools getting cloudy 06:00- residential and commercial pool requirements for reasonably clear pools 07:16 - There can be several reasons that a pool is cloudy and different solutions to correct cloudy pools 08:40- if you don't know how to determine why your pool is cloudy, call a pro. Don't waste your time and money on solutions that aren't for your cause. 09:34- four things that can make a pool cloudy. low or improper pool chlorine management, poor pool water balance chemistry, poor pool circulation, and poor pool filtration, or a combination of these causes. 10:35 first thing to diagnose why a pool is cloudy is a complete water test including all components of water balance to calculate LSI, and total and free chlorine levels and calculate combined chlorine levels. Correct pool water chemistry problems first through proper dosing. 13:20- know when the best solution is to drain or dilute your water with fresh water. Consider hiring reverse osmosis service. 18:00- low chlorine levels. heavy loads of organics from body waste, sunscreens, and other organics can deplete your chlorine. This can also clog your pool filter which can compound your cloudy pool water issues. 21:38- what is a boat load of chlorine? 40 to 60% of your cya in free chlorine 24:10- enzymes, phosphate removers, or floc with alum to help ease the load on oxidizers 28:00- combined chlorines or chloramines can cloud water. formula to achieve breakpoint chlorination (shocking the pool). measure free chorine level and total chlorine level in the pool. If there is a difference between the two, that difference is chloramines. To get rid of chloramines you must achieve breakpoint chlorination by raising your free chlorine level to ten times the level of combined chlorine. If you don't achieve ten times the amount, you may have wasted your shock treatment. 30:35- ozone and AOP can also oxidize organics and help your chlorine. 31:18- proper pool circulation and filtration is critical in helping sanitizers keep your water clear. 32:40- what is pool turnover? moving the entire volume of water in the pool through the filter. Recommend a minimum of two turnovers per day in a residential swimming pool. 34:00- backwash and clean filters as needed 35:45- keep pump and skimmers baskets emptied 36:25- sand filters may need help to achieve good filtration by using filter fiber or clarifiers. Replacing the sand in a sand filter with glass filter media greatly improves the sand filter filtration 39:25- circulation and filtration issues can also turn into water chemistry issues

Frank interviews IPSSA member and representative Mark Uberecken, owner of Unified Pool Solutions in Katy Texas. They discuss the many benefits IPSSA provides for pool owners and pool service business companies. ipssa.com poolwerx.com IPSSA creates a community of pool service professionals. IPSSA code of ethics, member requirements for organized training and certifications, liability insurance, and good business practices helps support small service companies, and helps protect pool owners. IPSSA has scholarships that reimburses members for attending training and receiving certifications. They also support local water safety organizations and provide thousands of dollars nationwide to help families teach their children to swim. Benefits for the pool service professional joining IPSSA: networking with other pros, sick route coverage, relationships with manufacturers and suppliers, pool industry education, training, certification and support, reimbursement of training expenses, access to competitive business insurance that is specialized for the pool service industry, support pool industry related charities, better business practice support and guidance Benefits for pool owners for hiring an IPSSA member to service their pool: IPSSA members are certified in pool water chemistry and maintenance, IPSSA members are properly insured, IPSSA members have sick route coverage, IPSSA members belong to a large community pool professionals and have good relationships with manufacturers and suppliers,

00:00-00:36 introduction 00:37 - how important is circulation in your pool? 01:32 - How long should you run your pool filter pump? 02:25- How can you improve your pool filtration? 03:15- What should your filter pressure be? 04:07- exit proper return setting for proper circulation, eliminating dead spots in pools, algae does not like moving water, adjust jets slightly down, turn pool clockwise or counter clockwise, recommended pool turnover, residential poo should turn over two times per day minimum, different size pumps move different amounts of water, know how much water your pool pump moves and know the volume of water in your pool, the more pool turnover the better, pool clarifiers, pool enzymes, filter fiber, thorough backwash cycles, run longer filter cycles, properly size filter for pump, pool pressure will vary from pool to pool, know your clean filter pressure, if pressure is lower that means there is a restriction in circulation on the suction side, higher typically means that the filter is dirty

Frank and Jacque talk about air leaks in pool equipment about why sometimes it is just better to call a pool professional and not waste your time and money trying to fix your pool yourself. poolwerx.com Air suction leaks in a pool system can extremely frustrating to find. Why is there air in my pump? Why do pool returns blow bubbles. Why does my pool pump lose prime;? 00:00 - 06:37 introduction 06:38 - Frank's Fabel, Doctor visit 07:50 - moral of the story. If you are not properly trained in a product and diagnosing symptoms, you can waste your time and money. Stop chasing rabbits. Know when to just call a pool pro. Your time is valuable, and don't waste money on unneeded parts. 15:00 - common issues, air in the swimming pool circulation systems 18:33 - break 19:35 - air leaks. air in your system 20:20 - weir doors in skimmer sticking 21:20 - pump lids, water squirting out around the pump lid when pump is turned off is not normally related to the cause of air into your pump 23:08 - pump lid orings. just a little lube, don't over lube your pump lid orings 23:40 - diverter valve orings are one of the most common causes of air being sucked into the pump 24:52 - air bubbles coming into the pump is not normal. this should not be happening 27:10 - skimaround baskets causing air in the pool pump 28:00 - air getting into the pool equipment only after the pump has been off. no air coming into the pump basket. if no water leak is visible, it is still possible for air to get drawn into the system when the pump is off. 33:10 - salt systems do cause air to return to the pool. salt systems create gasses when they are operating. salt systems, if not set at 100% salt water chlorine generators will turn off and on, so the bubbles it produces will be intermittent. 35:00 - recap

This "44 Seconds With Frank" episode is all about pool filters. Frank has 44 seconds to answer each listener question. Frank discusses the benefits and disadvantages of DE diatomaceous earth pool filters, cartridge pool filters, and sand filters. 00:00 - 00:52 intro 00:53 - What is the best type of filter for your pool? depends on personal wants and needs, ease of maintenance and filtration quality 01:45 - What are the pros and cons of a cartridge filter? cartridge filters down to 10 to 20 microns, no backwashing, cartridges have to be replaced typically every 2 to 3 years, filter has to be broken down and cleaned regularly 02:32 - What are the pros and cons of a DE filter? excellent filtration down to 3 to 5 microns, has to be backwashed so there is a loss of water, de diatomaceous earth is an inhalation hazard and a carcinogen, de filters have to be broken down and cleaned regularly 03:25 - What are the pros and cons of a sand filter? easiest maintenance, sand has poor filtration of 20 to 40 microns, sand filters with glass media filter almost as well as DE filters 5 to 7 microns, sand filters have to be backwashed so there is water loss

44 Seconds with Frank is segments of 4 different listener questions that Frank has to answer, but he only has 44 seconds to give the best answer he can give. This segment is questions from listeners about pool water chemistry. 00:00 - 00:54 introduction 00:54 Question 1: Why should you use borates in your pool? borates does 4 things in your pool. 1. borates softens the water much like salt water does. It is easier on the skin and easier on the eyes. 2. borates is a clarifier, it helps remove suspended particles from the water. 3. borates help stabilize pH. pH is critical to water balance to help protect your pool surfaces and pool equipment, and pH is important on controlling how effective your chlorine is. 4. borates is an algae-stat, borates helps restrict the growth of algae. with less algae growth you can use less sanitizers, if you can use less sanitizer then you save money and your pool is easier to maintain and your pool consistently looks better. 02:00 - Questions 2: What is the effect of pH on chorine? when chlorine goes into water it goes in as an active chlorine (hypochlorous acid) and an inactive chlorine (hypochlorite ion). ph determines what percentage of the available chlorine is active, and what percentage of chlorine is inactive. at a pH of 7.5 it is about 50/50. as active chlorine gets used up, inactive chlorine switches over to become active to maintain the balance according to pH. at a pH of 8.0 only around 20% of available chlorine is active active, and around 80% is reservice. at a pH of 7.0 around 80% of available chlorine is active and around 20% is reserve. so the lower the pH the more active the chlorine is. remember with cya or stabilizer in the water at around 30 to 50 ppm, only about 3% of the chlorine is available, the rest is bonded to cya. 02:53 - Question 3: How much chlorine should you use in your pool? There are a lot of variables to determine how much chlorine a pool requires to maintain proper sanitation and kill algae. No two pools are exactly alike. What products are you using? What is the strength of the product? Where are you getting your chlorine? What is the swimmer load and demand for sanitizer? Are there a lot of swimmers, or dogs, or do you get a lot of organic material in the pool? The proper amount of chlorine that you should have in your pool on a constant and consistent basis, if you do not keep borates in the water at 40 to 50%, is 7.5% of your cya or stabilizer level. so if cya is 50 ppm, then you should have chlorine levels of 3.75 ppm. If you do have borates in the pool at 40 to 50 ppm, then you should keep a chlorine residual of 5% of the cya or stabilizer level. So if cya is 50 ppm, then you should maintain a chlorine residual of 2.5 ppm. So it takes 50% more chlorine residual if you do not have borates. But how much chlorine you need to add to a pool is different from pool to pool. Test and dose accordingly. 03:43 - Question 4: Why is stabilizer bad? cya or stabilizer is a necessary evil. We have to protect the chlorine in outdoor pools from the UV rays of the sun with stabilizer, or it chlorine will burn out very quickly. Typically 30 to 50 ppm is enough to sufficiently protect the chlorine from the sun. Stabilizer does greatly reduct the effectiveness of chlorine. The more stabilizer there is in the water the more chlorine it takes to properly sanitize it.

Frank and Jac discuss how one of their technicians did not treat a group of about 20 pools for one or two weeks. With rain and rising temperatures, this was a recipe for the biggest green-to-clean week since they've been in business. And all one week before Memorial Day. poolwerx.com Frank talks about his favorite 3 methods of turning neglected green pools back to blue and swimmable. His version of the Bob Lowry method, the Orenda method, and the Alum method. 00:00-05:40 introduction 05:40 new tech goes rogue 11:20 how to turn a neglected pool back around 11:40 Three processes we use, Bob Lowry process, Orenda process, Alum method 12:40 what to do regardless of method. remove debris, start with a clean filter, 13:18 Orenda method. lower pH to 7.2, chlorine 10 to 15 ppm, purge dose PR10000 (according to label), circulate pool for 10 minutes, pump off for 24 hours. Day 2 vacuum pool to waste. net any remaining debris, if chlorine is 3-8 ppm, phosphates below 500 ppb, turn pump on for 24/7 until clear. Add purge dose of CV600 enzymes. adjust lsi, check and balance over next few days. 17:19 Bob Lowry method. balance LSI with pH 7.2 to 7.4, add non-stabilized chlorine to achieve 40% of cya level, maintain levels for 24 hours, test and brush 2 times per day. if after first day if algae is not gone, take chlorine to 60% of cya level. watch filter pressures backwash or clean as needed. add purge dose of enzymes 20:25 Alum method. adjust pH 7.0 to 7.2 , alkalinity 100 to 120, brush well. water temperature needs to be 70 to 90 degrees. . dose 8 to 9 lbs of alum per 10,000 gallons. remove cartridges from filter or de grid assembly from filter, or if a multiport valve run in recirculate, do not run alum through the filter. If cannot bypass filter media use sump pump or trash pump to recirculate. recirculate for two hours, turn system off and let it sit for up to 24 hours. then vacuum to waste. removes algae, phosphates, and lowers stabilizer levelsl 26:15 recap, post cleaning, and follow ups. watch filter pressures, clean or backwash as necessary. balance lsi, maintain chlorine levels after at 7.5% of stabilizer level if not on borates, 5% if using borates.

greenstoryglobalpoolandspa.com Finally a possible answer for high CYA in swimming pools. At the Southwest Pool and Spa Show with Chris Lacy. Chris represents Greenstory Global, a manufacturer of a cya stabilizer removal system and melt blown cartridge filter product. High CYA cyanuric acid stabilizer is a huge problem in many pools. The only solution we have had until now was drain part or all of the pool and decrease cya through dilution. This cya remover may be the answer we have been waiting for. They also produce melt blown replacement cartridge for cartridge filter systems. They make them in sizes that fit most popular cartridge filters. These filters filter down to 3 to 5 microns, which is far superior to pleated cartridges 10 to 20 microns. These cartridges do not get cleaned, you simply replace them, and then recycle the used cartridge. The cost of the filter are about 30 to 50% less than standard pleated cartridge filters which typically last 2 to 4 years. The time saving benefit of cleaning pleated cartridges may be well worth it for many pool owners and service companies. 00:00 - 03:00 introduction 03:00 - Cya Remover removes 15 to 20 ppm of cya per week. Goes in the skimmer basket. typically leave in for several weeks, until you reach desired cya level. In severe cases or extremely large pools, one treatment should be a pool needs. 07:50 - melt blown replacement cartridge filters. filter 3 to 5 microns, DE filtration quality. Greatly improved clarity. 12:50 - start-up or green to clean cartridges 13:00 - recap

Frank is in the Aquacal booth at the Southwest Pool and Spa Show in Houston. Rick Myers discusses why a heat pump in your pool a great efficient way to extend your swim season. Rick also discusses the chiller option to cool your pool is a game changing option for pool owners that live in areas where the swimming pool just gets too warm in the summer. Then Rick discusses many of the chemicals they offer in their Lo-Chlor line that help you manage your pool. how to use less chlorine in your pool aquacal.com lo-chlor.com 00:00 - 01:13 introduction 01:14 - heat pumps 01:35 - how a heat pump differs from a gas heater and how the heat pump works 04:04 - chiller option on heat pumps 05:40 - heat pump condensation, water coming out of the heat pump 06:50 - ambient air determines heat pump efficiency 08:12 - Lo-Chlor chemical line, enhancers and fixers 08:40 - Miraclear tab, miraclear blue, pool water clarifiers 10:05 - 90-Day Algaecide 11:05 - Lo-Phos E, and Lo-Phos Max phosphate remover 13:10 - enzymes, Ultra Zyme and Ultra Zyme Pro 14:35 - Fast Dissolve Stabilizer 15:37 - EZ-Pour Stabilizer, Liquid Stabilizer 16:30 - Filter and Tile Cleaner 17:19 - Multi-Stain Remover and Chlor-Nix chlorine removal 19:18 - Metal Gone metal remover 20:45 - Aqua Blanket, liquid heat preservation 24:35 - Leak Sealer, stops some leaks in your pool 01:45 - recap

Frank interviews Jarrod from Orenda Technologies and discusses the Orenda app for calculating water balance. The Orenda app is a great tool for managing swimming pool water chemistry. The ability to calculate LSI. The Orenda app not only makes it easy to calculate pool water balance, but it also is a great teaching tool for technicians and pool owners. The app also provides dosing instructions to help you achieve the perfect water balance. The is even more beneficial than many of the other apps by giving you the option to display the pH ceiling and it calculates adjusted carbonate alkalinity. It is also the only app I know of that will calculate borates in the water balance. Orenda also an industry leader in water maintenance chemicals and additives, including CE-Clarifier, CV-600 / CV-700 enzymes, SC-1000 scale and metal control, PR-10,000 phosphate remover, that many consider to be the best in their class. The Orenda start-up up method for new plaster is the best system we have ever used and helps us achieve the best possible new plaster results. In the app, Orenda also gives access to the Orenda Academy and gives instructions and outlines procedures for common issues and maintenance tasks like removing organic stains in pools, new plaster start-up, how to add calcium, how to safely add acid, pool opening, how to winterize, sand filter purge, how to remove scale, how to overcome white fly, and many other tips and tricks.

Frank and Jacque answer a question about how to store pool chemicals at your home and drowning prevention. Drowning is the #1 cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 years of age, and the number 2 cause of death for children ages 4 to 11. Frank and Jacque discuss many things that you can do to help prevent drowning with your children and with other children in your pool. #1 teach your child to swim. allsafepool.com poolwerx.com chlorine, child safety, drowning prevention, swimming pool barriers, pool safety nets, pool safety covers, teach children to swim, swimmer safety, vgb compliance, 03:00 safe storage, question 04:00 deck box 08.20 swimming pool safety 08:50 get your kids into swim class, as young as 4 months 10:24 what to avoid. Don’t swim in cloudy water 12:00 floatation devices, U.S. coast guard approved 13:10 assigned adult to monitor children 13:50 learn cpr 14:05 entrapment issues, hair, loose suits, jewelry 16:45 list, learn to swim, barriers, safety nets allsafepool.com , safety covers, automatic covers, 19:17 break 19:48 removable safety fence 21:20 gates 22:30 pool alarms 23:10 ring or other cameras with alerts 23:35 doors and windows 24:05 Frank doesn’t like solar covers 25:00 don’t over do it on the floats and other toys on top of the pool 26:20 Red Cross list, never swim alone, supervise children, no breath holding games, life vest, always feet first, reach throw don’t go, stay away from pool drains, designated areas, avoid alcohol, CPR 28:40 Lola barking 29:00 sign off

One of Franks favorite people, Terry sits down with Frank and talks about his beginnings and his successful journey in the Poolwerx franchise system. Terry's territory is Townsville in Queensland, which is a tropical climate. Terry has been a Poolwerx Franchisee for 18 years, after retiring from the mining industry. Close to the barrier reef, Terry's pool business has done well on the Australian coast close to the Barrier Reef, and is one of the few inductees to the Poolwerx Franchise Hall of Fame. Australian pool industry, successful pool businesses,

Frank sits down with Rob Hudson the 2022 Poolwerx Australia Franchise Partner of the Year. Rob, a retired police officer, talks about how he became a Poolwerx franchise partner and his 13 year journey with Poolwerx. Pool service in Australia is structured a little differently in his territory Albury, New South Wales. Australia pool industry verses USA. salt water pools, fiberglass pools,

Frank and John, Owner operator of Gecko Pool Service, discuss what it is like to do business and live in paradise. John has 17 years managing residential pools for his clients in Waikiki. John has lived on the island for 25 years. He discusses how he got into business and difficulties and benefits of of doing business in the most isolated state in the union. Challenges with getting parts, chemicals, suppliers, manufacturers, borates, tropical climate pool maintenance

Frank sits down with Tony Campbell, the Poolwerx Knoxville Tennessee Franchisee. Tony and his lovely wife Kristi were the 2022 Franchise Partner of the Year. Tony discusses his pool business and the pool industry in his market, and his transition from an independent business to joining up with the Poolwerx organization. Tony has 3 retail locations, is a Hot Springs and Bullfrog spa dealer. Tony is also builds new pools, and is one of the very few pool builders that build gunite, vinyl, and fiberglass pools.

Frank sat down with Stephen Moore, Poolwerx Evolution Systems Trainer at the 2023 Convention. Stephen is one of our favorite people on the planet. Stephen discusses his experiences with Poolwerx and the road ahead for the Poolwerx Evolution System. Business systems, pool business management systems, pool industry franchise

Frank and Jacque discuss how to get a good water sample for testing and how important a good sample is, and filter cleaning safety. Frank talks about a customer of his that was killed by his filter. Pool filters, pool filter cleanings, pool equipment safety, pool equipment, pool maintenance, pool filter pressure, pool cleaning, pool water testing, good water testing, how to take a proper pool water sample, pool chemistry 00:00 – 01:35 introduction 01:36 – how to get a proper water sample for testing 05:50 – know how many gallons your pool holds l x w x average depth x 7.5 (square pool) 07:50 – swimming pool filters 08:15 – know your clean filter pressure 11:05 – when to clean your filter 12:00 – what is proper pool filter pressure 14:05 – filters can cause damage, cause severe injuries. A pool filter can kill you 17:10 – note hardware and take pictures of your pool filter 18:08 – proper tightness on filter bands 19:12 – do not tighten band when filter is under pressure 20:00 – if pump is off there is no pressure on the filter, purpose of the air relief valve 21:50 – safely disable power to pump when working on a filter 22:30 – service mode on pool control systems can go back to auto 24:10 – replace pressure gauges 25:00 – recap, have a pro teach you, easy on the lube

Frank and Jac discuss why some pumps are very loud and how to prevent heat loss in a swimming pool. swimming pool pump, pool circulation, pool equipment, pool heat, pool temperature, heating a pool, pool evaporation, pool heat loss, loud pool pump, pump cavitation

Frank and Jacque discusss what may be causing a pool pump to be loud and how to manage heat loss in a pool. Hated pool, pool maintenance, pool heat, pool heat loss, pool equipment, pool chemistry 00:00 – 03:30 introduction 03:30 – good pool answers and bad pool answers. Your pool is unique. Know your pool 05:30 – our pool remodel 07:25 – listener question #1, Loud pump neighbor is complaining 08:22 – your pool pump should not be loud. 08:50 – pump cavitation 09:25 – how loud should your pump be? 10:00 – many pool pumps are too big for the system they are on 11:55 – suction side pool cleaners 12:30 – pump bearings going out 13:00 – down-size pump impeller 14:00 – variable speed pump 15:40 – when should you run your pump 17:00 – break 19:10 – listener question #2, how can I keep heat in my pool 20:20 – conductive, radiation, convective and evaporation heat loss 20:30 – convective heat loss 21:30 – evaporation heat loss 22:15 – wind breaks, shrubs, fencing 23:20 – pool solar blankets, solar rings 24:35 – liquid solar blanket 25:32 – don’t run your water falls 26:00 – keep surface calm 28:00 – keep jets turned downward and around 29:05 – spillways on connected hot tubs 34:00 -recap

Frank and Jac clarify a question about pH and how to control it properly. They also discuss the importance of skimmers in your pool and how to make sure they are operating correctly and what you can do to improve their performance. swimming pool water chemistry, pool pH, water balance, pool skimmer, pool maintenance, skimmer flow, skimmer function, pool equipment, pool cleaning, skimmer baskets, pool circulation, pool pump, pool filter

Frank and Jacque discuss how to prevent manage critters in your swimming pool. animals in pools, insects in the pool, spiders in the pool, ducks in the pool, How to keep ducks out of your pool. Can your dogs swim in your pool? Spiders in swimming pools. Insects in swimming pools. Raccoons in swimming pools. Snakes in swimming pools. What do ducks do to swimming pools. Skimmer baskets. Water boatmen and back swimmers. 00:00 – 05:29 introduction 05:30 - Interviewing potential GM (it’s a great dad joke) 07:30 - critters in your pool 08:20 - #1 rule, skimmers look first 11:45 - check tile line and rock lines if prone to get snakes 12:20 – best skimmer baskets with handles and center handles 14:30 – ways to keep insects away from the pool. Birds, bats, essential oils, plants, traps 19:50 - break 20:15 – water boatmen and back swimmers 22:15 – spiders in your pool 23:00 – pool lights draw insects, which draw frogs and other insects 24:39 – frogs in your pool, frog log 28:10 – snakes in your pool 31:39 – ducks and geese in pools 36:35 – mice and rats in pools 37:30 – raccoons in your pool, raccoon poop is dangerous 41:10 – dogs in pools 44:00 - recap 46:00 - worms in your pool