Your pool route can chew you up if you let it, and it usually starts with something you do every day without thinking: using your bare hands around chlorine and acid. I break down a hard lesson from early on when latex gloves made my hands worse by trapping chlorinated water against my skin, then share the simple switch that actually protects you long-term. We talk nitrile coated work gloves for handling trichlor tablets and muriatic acid, how to take them on and off between stops.

Then we get into a problem that feels harmless until it is not: ducks. If you service pools in the wrong neighborhood, a “cute” pair can turn the deck and water into a mess fast. I walk through humane duck deterrents that pool techs can actually deploy, starting with multiple floats like alligators and swans, then leveling up to reflective floating pond orbs when the usual tricks fail. 

Finally, I shift to employee training and the costly mistakes that happen when you assume something is “obvious.” Tossing trichlor tablets into a pool can leave burns and stains, and the wrong granular chlorine can bleach vinyl liners. I explain what to teach about cal-hypo vs dichlor vs trichlor, why broken equipment must be reported immediately, and how consistent basics like basket cleaning, testing pH and alkalinity, and understanding LSI keep routes easier and techs from burning out

• switching from latex to nitrile coated gloves to prevent chemical irritation and trapped chlorinated water
• using long arm gloves for cold mornings plus safer acid and salt cell work
• treating gloves as essential PPE to prevent cuts during filter cleaning and equipment work
• why ducks quickly wreck pool cleanliness and water quality
• using alligator and swan floats as the first deterrent step
• using reflective floating pond orbs when floats fail
• training employees to never toss trichlor tablets into the pool
• avoiding vinyl liner damage by teaching the difference between cal-hypo, dichlor, and trichlor
• building a repeatable service routine: baskets, debris removal, chemical checks, and

Send us Fan Mail

Support the Pool Guy Podcast Show Sponsors! 

HASA 
https://bit.ly/HASA

The Bottom Feeder. Save $100 with Code: DVB100
https://store.thebottomfeeder.com/

Try Skimmer FREE for 30 days:
https://getskimmer.com/poolguy 

Get UPA Liability Insurance $64 a month! https://forms.gle/F9YoTWNQ8WnvT4QBA

Pool Guy Coaching: https://bit.ly/40wFE6y

Support the show

Thanks for listening, and I hope you find the Podcast helpful! For other free resources to further help you:
Visit my Website: https://www.swimmingpoollearning.com
Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SPL
Podcast Site: https://the-pool-guy-podcast-show.onpodium.com/

UPA General Liability Insurance Application: https://forms.gle/F9YoTWNQ8WnvT4QBA

Pool Guy Coaching Group

Join an exclusive network of Pool Service Technicians to access the industry’s leading commercial general liability insurance program. Protect your business.

Premium is $64 per month per member (additional $40 for employees and ICs)

$59 per month for Pool Guy coaching Members - join here! https://www.patreon.com/poolguycoaching

Limits are $1,000,000 in occurrence and $2,000,000 in the aggregate - Per member limits

     [ $1,000,000 per occurrence and $4,000,000 aggregate available for $75 per month ]

$50,000 in HazMat Coverage - clean up on-site or over-the-road

Acid Wash Coverage - Full Limits