Pool Chasers Podcast

The year 2020 is coming to a close and to say it has been a crazy year would be an understatement! This year started out with a bang, we traveled to Houston, Atlantic City, Orlando, Minneapolis, and Long Beach all in the first 3 months! When the pandemic came, we were thrown some new challenges, from juggling in-person interviews with all the sanitization involved to mastering zoom calls. All in a...

Twas the Monday before Christmas, and it is finally here,   The first Pool Chasers Christmas special was released this year.   A list of our top 5 favorite Christmas movies was discussed,   This is a must-listen, on this you need trust.   An episode full of laughter and fun,   There might even be a reference to a Tommy gun.   Our best and worst gifts of all time,   Listen in before Santa makes his...

In this episode, we welcome John Rotundo & John Watt of Pentair to discuss the utilization of salt and UV systems as alternative sanitizer solutions. As our industry continues to navigate through the chlorine tab shortage, it’s good to look at other proven methods of pool and spa sanitization.   We break down how exactly salt systems work, when and how to clean a salt cell, including important...

In today’s episode, we highlight a few new items that Pentair has come out with during the pandemic. We will be covering the Pentair Home and Pro app as well as the all-new IntelliSync Pump Control and Monitoring System. Our guests did a great job giving a detailed overview of each product and even shared the simple installation process for the IntelliSync. It’s always a good thing to see new thin...

Today’s episode is the fourth in a four-part filter series, where we get into all thing’s cartridge filters. Our guests today explain the anatomy of a cartridge filter, when and how a filter clean should be performed, when the elements should be replaced, and much more.   To lead our discussion, we have with us Pentair’s Product Manager on filters and valves Frank Swindell and Regional Training Ma...

Today’s episode is the third in a four-part filter series, where we discuss all things diatomaceous earth filters, or simply DE filters.   Our guests today explain the anatomy of a DE filter, what DE powder is, the proper way to backwash and recharge a DE filter, and how to perform a DE breakdown when you are cleaning the filter.   To lead our discussion, we have with us Pentair’s Product Manager...

Today’s episode is the second in our four-part filter series, and we are talking all about sand filters. We all know what they look like, but do we know exactly how they work and their correct terminology?   Our guests today break down the anatomy of a sand filter, what backwashing is truly intended to do, why the laterals are important and when to change them out, and when and how to do a proper...

Today’s episode is the first in a four-part series on filters. We discuss why filtration is such a vital part of a pool and spa. We talk about how you can explain filtration in layman’s terms to help customers understand it better, how to choose the right type and size filter, what “effective filtration area” means, and much more.   To lead our discussion, we have with us Pentair’s Product Manager...

Last Thursday, Pleatco announced the winners of the 2020 Perfect Pool Guy/Gal Search. In this episode, we get to know Jesse Gist of Gallagher Pools and Spas and Shannon Sellers of Jeff’s Pool and Spa Service. We discuss how they got into the industry, their current positions in the companies, what it was like entering, competing, and winning the contest, and what 2021 holds for each of them.   We...

Today’s guest reminds us of a simple, yet overlooked principle in business: The more time and care you put into serving each individual customer, the more likely that customer will stick with you for life.   In this episode, we speak with our very own repair mechanic from Brothers Pool Service & Repair and a 20-year veteran of the pool industry, Danan Burns. Things that we always appreciated a...

A few weeks ago, we discussed ways to reduce chlorine usage in a pool. Today, we talk about a new product that we think can help you do just that.   Our friends over at Pivot-Solar Breeze have launched a brand-new Ariel line. We love the NX2 model, but they improved upon it and made the units much nimbler and more effective. What we love most from a service perspective is that the Solar Breeze doe...

Why would a third-generation pool builder step away from the family business to start a business of their own? Today’s guest shares his motivation for charting his own course and continuing his family’s legacy on his own terms.   Nick Hauk is the owner of Pure Design Group. He started in the pool industry when he was just 15 years old. He graduated from Oklahoma State University where he studied l...

The chlorine shortage is a real problem that has become a topic of much debate in the pool industry today. How many of us actually understand what happened when the factories were forced to shut down? Our guest explains why the shortage is taking place and provides an alternative perspective from the manufacturing angle.   John Bokor has been with Haviland for eight years. He came onboard as the R...

In this episode, we sat down with Robert Stuart who is from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Robert has over 30 years of experience in the hot tub industry. He shares some fundamentals and best practices on how to service and upsell to make the most out of the hot tubs on your route. Listen in as Robert discusses the differences between a pool and a hot tub and the unique challenges of building and mai...

In this episode, we had the opportunity to sit down with Lee Russell of Russell Pool Company in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Russell Pool Company was founded by Roy and Betty Russell in 1965, and today it is owned and operated by Keith and Lee Russell who have continued the tradition of designing and developing beautiful swimming pools. We all know that pool construction is a science, Lee shares with u...

In this episode, we sat down with Danielle Bahr who is the Director of the Swimming Pool Pro Alliance (SPPA) in Temecula, California to discuss general liability insurance. Most businesses out there, have some sort of LLC or Corporation protecting their personal assets. That is very important, but what happens if an incident occurs or an accident happens? Who is going to pay for that? That is wher...

In this episode, we sat down with Travis Scott of Unity Pools in Gilbert, Arizona. Ever since we first saw them on Instagram, we knew that they had a California lifestyle vibe to them. Since we are from there as well, we really connect with some of their projects. Travis shares his story with us and we think you will agree that it is not your typical raised in the industry story. From growing up i...

In this episode, we sat down with Oceanside Glass & Tile’s CEO Sean Gildea as well as their Product and Inventory Manager Brian Fitzgerald. We have been big fans of Oceanside since we first saw it on a job site. There is just something unique and special when you open the box and once it is installed it looks even more fantastic. We have always heard that they had a very cool origin story and...

In this episode, we asked Chas  Bogardus  of Budd’s Pools & Spas back to discuss the pool closing season with us. Winterizations may not be something we deal with much here in Arizona, but we know a large portion of the country enters their closing season after Labor Day and we wanted to discuss them. Being from the New Jersey area and on the board of directors of NESPA, Chas has a ton of expe...

In this episode, we sat down with  Pleatco’s  Chief Marketing Officer Battista  Remati  to discuss the  2020 Pleatco Perfect PoolGuy/Gal Search  We really enjoyed our conversation with Battista as he shared the origin story of the contest and what it has done for the winners over the years. Winning the contest has truly changed so many lives by not only growing their business tremendously but by c...

In this episode, we sat down with Pentair’s National Training Manager Sue Robach to discuss the Pentair Master Service Program . When we ran Brothers Pool Service, we were always trying to find ways to make us and our team better. We were also constantly looking for topics to discuss during our weekly meetings and we think that this would have been a great resource to have. For many companies out...

In this episode, we sat down with Chad Warner who is the owner of  Fountain Rescue  which is a fountain remodel, new build, cleaning, and repair company in Cave Creek, Arizona. When we ran Brothers Pool Service, we were always a little hesitant to take on fountains after we had a few bad experiences in the beginning. We quickly found out that although they have a few similarities such as water che...

As business owners, we always have the best intentions when we schedule a photo shoot, but do you have a set plan for that shoot? Do you know what shots you are looking for, and more importantly do you know what platforms you are planning to use the photos on? Well, in this episode, Greg and Tyler discuss how you can be more organized during the whole process so that when you receive the photos ba...

In this episode, we sat down with one of Jobber’s experts Chris Gardner to discuss the software that changed our business. This day and age, customers expect a convenient experience from start to finish and when you use  Jobber  you can give that to them. 33% of people say they would pay 20% more for a convenient experience, so make why not make convenience your competitive edge? You don’t need to...

We have noticed over the years, that when you tell someone you work in the swimming pool industry, they automatically think that you can answer every question they have about their pool. One of the most commonly asked questions we received was how does in-ground pool plumbing work .  It seems to be one of the more complex things to understand when it comes to swimming pools. We had our generic ans...