The Pool Guy Podcast Show

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 pe...

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’...

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 conversatio...

A solar pool cover can feel like magic when your water stays warmer overnight, your chlorine level holds longer, and you stop refilling as often from evaporation. It can also feel like a nightmare when the “bargain” bubble cover starts shedding blue particles into the skimmer, or when a heavy, wet cover turns a normal service visit into a messy wrestling match. I break down what actually matters w...

One wrong product can turn a beautiful vinyl liner into a permanent “before and after” photo, and most of the damage is totally avoidable. We walk through vinyl pool care with the mindset every pool service pro needs: protect the liner first, then make the water easy to maintain. We start with above-ground vinyl pool service and the two headaches that show up fast on a route: bargain-kit equipment...

A rule change can sound abstract until it hits the product you were about to buy. We dig into a developing regulatory threat that could limit or block new robotic pool cleaners from being released in the United States, and why the most “modern” features may be the biggest liability. If your favorite cordless pool robot depends on mapping, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth control, or over-the-air firmware updates,...

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...

A prostate cancer diagnosis can either freeze you in place or push you to act, and Harold Evans chooses action. Harold opens up about learning he has prostate cancer at 71 and why he’s determined to turn it into a loud reminder for other men: stop postponing your health. We get specific about prostate cancer screening, what a PSA test is, why tracking the number matters, and how early detection ca...

A $600 variable speed pump on Amazon can make any pool pro feel like they’re losing a pricing argument before they even open their mouth. But the real question is not what the pump costs. It’s what happens when it fails, who pays for the diagnosis, and whether anyone shows up to make it right. We dig into how cheap pool equipment, overseas manufacturing, and online marketplaces are reshaping custo...

He sold his pool company from the middle of a world cruise, then came home with a sharper take on where pool service is headed. Harold Evans returns to the Poohway Podcast Show to share the wild logistics of closing a deal while traveling, why Hasa felt like the right long-term partner for his brand, and what he’s learned after years of building tools and training for working pool pros. From there...

One small lapse on a pool route can turn into a flooded yard, an angry phone call, or a liability nightmare. We get brutally practical about the most common pool service mistakes we’ve made ourselves, why they happen, and how to prevent them with simple policies and repeatable checks that hold up when you’re tired and the day is hot. We start with the big one: filling a pool for the customer. Turn...

One day a pool product feels like the future. The next day the app is gone, support is gone, and what you paid for becomes a paperweight floating in the deep end. We dig into the real-world side of pool industry acquisitions and “disappearing” brands, including what happens when big companies buy promising pool technology and the execution doesn’t match the hype. We walk through Hayward’s Fin smar...

The “single-speed pool pump ban” gets repeated so often it starts to sound like settled law, but the real story is more interesting and a lot more useful if you own a pool or service them. We break down what the Department of Energy (DOE) pool pump regulations actually do, how the Weighted Energy Factor (WEF) works, and why the rule feels like a ban even when it isn’t written as a simple prohibiti...

Vacuuming shouldn’t be the task that wrecks your whole pool service route, but for a lot of pool pros it’s the biggest hidden time sink. We walk through the fastest way to vacuum a pool based on real-world service conditions, from dusty pools that demand deeper cleanup to neighborhoods where suction side cleaners handle most of the daily dirt. We also talk about a simple but powerful move for your...

Episode 2000 is a milestone, so we keep it personal and practical: a new coaching member sends a long list of questions, and we answer them straight from decades in the pool service industry. If you’re starting a pool service business or trying to scale your pool route, this is the kind of nuts-and-bolts guidance that saves you months of trial and error. We start with the mistake that quietly drai...

A pool pole looks like a simple tool, until you’re hauling it across tight side yards, squeezing it into a mid-size truck bed, and holding it for most of your workday. We get specific about what to buy and why, based on real pool service conditions: how short it collapses, how far it truly reaches, how fast it extends, and whether it’s quiet enough for early-morning stops without waking neighbors...

Your suction cleaner keeps getting jammed, stopping mid-week, and leaving the pool floor dirty? We dig into a tool that rarely gets the spotlight but can be the perfect fix for the right backyard: the Polaris 360 return-side pool cleaner. It behaves a lot like a pressure-side cleaner with a debris bag and a wider pickup path, but it runs off an existing return line, so you can get strong debris ha...

Pool service business growth doesn’t require fancy spreadsheets or complicated “business math.” It requires seeing the few numbers that matter and pulling the right levers on purpose. We walk through simple, real-world pool route math using an easy baseline monthly service price, then show how tiny changes compound into big annual gains. If you’ve ever felt like you’re working hard but the profit...

Some pool jobs are not hard because they are technical, they are hard because one mistake can wreck a surface, flood a schedule, or turn a “quick fix” into an all-day rescue. I’m sharing the moments where pool service pros end up in over their head and how to avoid that trap without stalling your growth. We talk through the Catch-22 of learning in the field and the simplest way around it: partner...

Your pool water test strip might be telling the truth, but your eyes might not be. We dig into why test strips often feel inconsistent, how lighting and subjective color matching can turn a “real” chemical reaction into a shaky guess, and what you can do to get more reliable results without slowing down your whole pool care routine.  We also talk about the growing world of digital test strip reade...

2026 is shaping up like a split-screen year for the pool industry: pool construction and remodeling cool off under higher interest rates, while the pool service business stays surprisingly steady because repairs and replacements don’t wait for “better timing.” I walk through what I’m seeing across the market and why some manufacturers are feeling real pressure even when service pros are still busy...

Your pool route doesn’t get easier because you work harder, it gets easier because you work smarter with the right gear on your truck. We walk through the underrated pool service tools that consistently save time in the field, even though most techs don’t think to call them “essential.” If you’ve ever fought a filter clamp, wrestled a stuck pump lid, or lost minutes on a union that won’t turn, thi...

Cartridge pool filters have a loyal fan base, and they also get hit with the same two critiques over and over: you cannot backwash them, and you cannot easily vacuum to waste. We take those arguments seriously and walk through what is actually true, what is overstated, and what you can fix with smarter equipment choices. If you have ever wondered whether you picked the “wrong” pool filter, this br...

Black algae can turn a clean pool into a never-ending battle, and the worst part is you might be spreading it yourself without realizing it. We dig into what “black algae” really is (often cyanobacteria), why it clings so stubbornly to plaster, and why the usual quick shock routine often fails unless you do the one step most people skip: aggressive brushing to break the protective heads so chemica...

Pool chemicals do not wait for a “big mistake” to hurt you. Most injuries and long-term health problems come from tiny shortcuts repeated every day: bare hands on trichlor residue, a loose muriatic acid cap in the truck, or a quick DE recharge with no mask because you are trying to move fast. We share the safety habits we rely on in the field, including why gloves that actually resist pool chemica...