The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

1. 1
   Number 1: How Many Pools Can One Pool Guy Do in a Day?

   The 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 pools can one person clean in a day, and what’s a “good” pool route size if you want steady income without living in panic mode? I break down the variables that actually control your capacity, starting with the one most people ignore: temperament. Some techs move fast and stay in motion, others work methodically and take longer on each stop, and your business plan has to match that. From there, we zoom out to the constraints of your service area. Traffic, parking, and drive time can quietly destroy your schedule, while a tight route with clustered stops can make two to three pools per hour realistic. We also talk pool size, why automatic pool cleaners can dramatically shorten visits, and the customer “optics” problem when you finish too quickly and cameras are watching. Then we get practical with the math: a rule of thumb of roughly 14 to 16 full-service pools per day, plus a solo weekly route sweet spot of about 70 to 80 pools so you still have buffer for flat tires, detours, and the surprises that hit every route. Finally, we tackle hiring, including how to structure employee workloads so one sick day doesn’t turn into a route disaster. If this helps, subscribe, share it with a pool pro friend, and leave a quick review so more service techs can find it. We answer the pool-pro question that never goes away: how many pools a single technician can service in one day without cutting corners or burning out. We lay out the real-world variables behind the numbers and share a practical rule of thumb for daily stops and total route size. • temperament and work pace as a core limiter on daily capacity • how traffic, parking, and drive time set the ceiling on pools per hour • why route density matters and how tightening a service area speeds up days • the impact of pool size and automatic pool cleaners on visit length • customer perception when a stop is “too fast” and how to manage optics • a practical daily target of about 14 to 16 full-service pools • a sustainable solo route size around 70 to 80 pools per week • when adding an employee helps and how to avoid getting overloaded Learn more at swimmingpoollearning.com. If you're interested in the coaching program, you can learn more at poolguycoaching.com. Send us Fan Mail Support the Pool Guy Podcast Show Sponsors! HASA REWARDS App https://hasa.com/hasa-app 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 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

   September 11, 2026·19min
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2. 2
   Number 2: Is AI Better Than Me? & Other YT Questions Answered

   A 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 the deck. I’m digging into the most common YouTube questions I get from pool owners and pool service pros and expanding them into practical, real-world troubleshooting you can use on your next stop. We start with the Polaris Max and Polaris Atlas suction pool cleaners and the big design tradeoff behind the newer Halo engine. It’s far better with long string-like debris than older designs, but small pebbles can jam the mechanism and make the cleaner look “dead” even when suction is fine. I explain what’s happening, where it shows up most often (hello, pebble tech pools), and the simple way to clear it and get moving again. Then we shift to a problem that costs people equipment: trying to drain a pool by backwashing. I break down when backwash is safe, why push-pull piston valves and DE grids can get damaged if you run backwash too long, and why a multiport valve with waste mode is the right approach. From there, I walk through pump priming failures, how to check for impeller clogs, why the lid O-ring is not always the culprit, and what lubricant actually belongs on pool O-rings. We wrap with saltwater chlorine generator troubleshooting using the Jandy TrueClear check cell and the fast “bubble test,” plus a clear explanation of borates at 50 ppm for algae control and pH stability. If you got value from these pool maintenance tips, subscribe, share the show with a pool friend, and leave a quick review so more people can find it. I answer a stack of real YouTube questions with field-tested fixes for cleaners, pumps, salt cells, and water balance. We talk tradeoffs, quick diagnostics, and the little mistakes that quietly damage equipment over time. • Why Polaris Max and Atlas can stop with strong suction • How the Halo engine handles string debris yet jams on tiny pebbles • Why draining by backwashing can damage DE grids with push-pull valves • What to check when a pump loses prime including impeller debris • How to lube a pump lid O-ring correctly with Magic Lube • A simple spa mode test to isolate priming problems • How to confirm Jandy TrueClear chlorine production by looking for bubbles • Why output percentage and pump RPM matter for salt cell activation • Where AI comparisons help and where real-world experience still matters • How borates at 50 ppm help as an algostat and pH buffer • Alkalinity targets and using muriatic acid to keep pH in range Are you a pool service pro looking to take your business to the next level? Join the Pool Guy Coaching Program. Get expert advice, business tips, exclusive content, and get direct support from me. I'm a 35-year veteran in the industry. Whether you're starting out or scaling up, I've got the tools to help you succeed. Learn more at Swimmipoollearning.com. If you don't want to rely on AI specifically and are looking for other podcasts, you can find those by going to my website, swimmingpolearning.com. If you're interested in the coaching program that I offer, you can learn more at poolguycoaching.com. Send us Fan Mail Support the Pool Guy Podcast Show Sponsors! HASA REWARDS App https://hasa.com/hasa-app 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 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

   September 14, 2026·18min
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3. 3
   Number 3: The Truth About Trichlor Tablets

   Trichlor 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 separate hard facts from pool-store folklore. If you’ve ever heard that cyanuric acid somehow sticks around after a full drain, or that topping off after evaporation fixes high stabilizer, we walk through why those ideas don’t hold up and where the confusing test results actually come from. We also get blunt about what many people are never told at the point of sale: trichlor tablets are trichloroisocyanuric acid, and they add a lot of cyanuric acid (CYA) as they chlorinate. Since CYA doesn’t evaporate, it can climb all season, making free chlorine less active at the same reading. We talk through a practical target approach using the common “free chlorine should be about 7.5% of CYA” guideline, and why that can create real headaches for commercial pool operators who must stay under health department chlorine limits. Then we shift into solutions that let you keep the convenience of tablets without letting stabilizer creep take over: small, scheduled partial drains, using less trichlor by supporting with liquid chlorine or cal-hypo, and water “enhancers” like 50 ppm borates, mineral systems, and phosphate remover plus enzymes to help chlorine last longer. We also cover how heavy rain in some regions can provide meaningful dilution that changes your game plan. Subscribe for more straight talk pool chemistry, share this with a pool owner who’s battling mystery chlorine loss, and leave a review with your biggest trichlor or CYA question. We clear up the biggest trichlor tablet misconceptions and explain why cyanuric acid readings can confuse even experienced pool owners. We also lay out practical ways to keep CYA and free chlorine in a safe, effective range without giving up tablets. • urban legend behind high CYA after a drain and refill • why cyanuric acid testing gets unreliable at high levels • evaporation removing water but not stabilizer • trichlor tablets containing about 50% cyanuric acid • how rising CYA makes free chlorine work slower • the 7.5% free chlorine to CYA rule and why it matters • how a season of tablets can drive CYA to 200+ ppm • partial drains as the simplest stabilizer control • using liquid chlorine or cal-hypo to reduce tablet use • borates minerals enzymes and phosphate control to extend chlorine Join the Pool Guy Coaching Program. Learn more at swimmingpoollearning.com. If you're interested in the coaching program that I offer, you can learn more at poolguidecoaching.com. Send us Fan Mail Support the Pool Guy Podcast Show Sponsors! HASA REWARDS App https://hasa.com/hasa-app 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 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

   September 10, 2026·19min
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4. 4
   Number 4: Dichlor: The Good, the Bad & the CYA

   Dichlor 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 chlorine actually is, why it dissolves fast, and why its biggest “hidden feature” is cyanuric acid built into every dose. If you have ever fought rising CYA, stubborn algae, or confusing chlorine readings, this conversation gives you a clean mental model: every chlorine type leaves a byproduct, and dichlor’s byproduct is stabilizer. We get specific about when sodium dichlor makes sense for real-world pool maintenance. We talk pricing and why many pool service pros stopped using it, then shift into the practical advantages that still make it valuable: long shelf life for an emergency supply on your truck, near pH neutral behavior compared to acidic trichlor, and the ability to raise free chlorine while also adding CYA in saltwater pools or fresh fills that start with zero stabilizer. We also compare dosing strength against liquid chlorine and cal hypo, plus a real usability perk: granular dichlor can shock without the same cloudy water effect many people see with cal hypo. We also draw a hard line between granular dichlor and the powdered “dichlor shock” products that tend to cloud water and feel weaker, and we explain why dichlor is not a replacement for trichlor tablets. The combination approach matters here: trichlor plus liquid chlorine or cal hypo can be a balanced way to manage byproducts, while trichlor plus dichlor can stack cyanuric acid too quickly. If this helped you rethink your chlorine plan, subscribe, share the episode with a pool owner or tech, and leave a quick review so more people can find it. We break down what dichlor pool shock really is, why it quietly adds a lot of cyanuric acid, and how that changes your chlorine strategy. We also share when dichlor is a smart emergency tool, when it keeps water clearer than cal hypo, and why it does not replace trichlor tablets for weekly residual. • what dichlor is and why it includes cyanuric acid • rough CYA impact from dosing and why it matters • price and why many pros stopped using it • long shelf life value as backup chlorine • best-fit use cases like saltwater pools or startups needing CYA • pH neutrality compared with trichlor and surface-friendly handling • broadcast dosing guidance and vinyl pool cautions • spot algae treatments on steps and problem areas • strength comparison vs liquid chlorine and cal hypo • why powdered “dichlor shock” is inferior to granular dichlor • why dichlor is not a trichlor tablet replacement • combination approach and avoiding trichlor plus dichlor CYA stacking Learn more at swimmingpoollearning.com. If you're interested in the coaching program that I offer, you can learn more at PoolGuyCoaching.com. Send us Fan Mail Support the Pool Guy Podcast Show Sponsors! HASA REWARDS App https://hasa.com/hasa-app 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 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

   September 09, 2026·18min
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5. 5
   Number 5: Harold Evans: This Is What Makes a Pool Company Great

   Perfect pool service is not “blue water” and a quick goodbye. Harold Evans joins us to argue for something bigger: water that genuinely feels good, smells clean, and makes people want to be in their pool with their family. We get into why balanced water chemistry matters beyond test results, how LSI affects surfaces and equipment, and why “good-looking” water can still be aggressive if the balance is off. We also talk about the business side that separates an average route from a great pool service company. Harold makes the case for using enzymes to reduce the oils and organics chlorine struggles with, which can mean less chlorine use and fewer chloramine problems. Then we shift into operations: documentation, photos, and pool route software that create a clean paper trail. If a customer forgets your recommendations or questions your work later, professional records protect your techs and your reputation. The conversation widens to the pool industry as a whole, including what happened as retail expertise faded at big chains like Leslie’s and why confidence erodes when knowledge disappears. We also face the hard truth about labor: this trade takes real skill across chemistry, plumbing, and electrical work, so wages, training, and job fit have to reflect that reality. If you want to run a pool business you’re proud of, this is a blueprint. Subscribe for more, share this with a pool pro who needs it, and leave a review telling us what standard you think the industry should be held to. We sit down with Harold Evans to talk about what excellence actually looks like in a pool service business, from water quality that feels good to systems that protect your company. We push for higher standards in the trade through better chemistry, better documentation, and better pay and training so the industry can keep great people. • treating pools as an emotional and therapeutic space for families • prioritizing balanced water chemistry and LSI for comfort and equipment protection • using enzymes to reduce contaminants and cut down chlorine smell • raising pride in the pool industry through education and better execution • documenting every visit with notes and photos to prevent disputes • using routing and documentation software to run a tighter operation • training employees with kindness and keeping them through fair structure and pay • learning from Leslie’s decline and the value of real expertise in the DIY market • focusing sales energy on customers who value service rather than forcing DIY conversions Join the pool guy coaching program. Learn more at swimmingpoollearning.com. If you're looking for other podcasts, you can find those by going to my website, swimmingprolearning.com, clicking on the podcast icon on the banner. If you're interested in the coaching program, you can learn more at PoGuyCoaching.com. Send us Fan Mail Support the Pool Guy Podcast Show Sponsors! HASA REWARDS App https://hasa.com/hasa-app 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 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

   September 03, 2026·21min
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