Bob Lowry on Pool Chemistry Myths That Cost You Money

Show Notes

Evaporation is not “free water replacement” and it definitely is not a magic drain for cyanuric acid. I sit down with Bob Lowry to tackle the pool chemistry myths we keep hearing from techs, customers, and sometimes even product literature. If you service pools or manage your own, this conversation helps you separate what sounds true from what is actually happening in the water.

We start with a stabilizer myth that refuses to die: the idea that trichlor tablets do not raise CYA much in hot, dry areas because pools lose so much water to evaporation. Bob explains why evaporation works like distillation, meaning only pure water leaves the pool while dissolved solids stay behind. From there, we talk through the real-world math of what trichlor adds over a season, why CYA only leaves through actual water loss like backwashing, splash out, bather drag out, leaks, or intentional draining, and how that impacts chlorine effectiveness.

Next we take on the “liquid chlorine adds too much salt” claim and put TDS into context. Every chlorine type leaves a byproduct, and we compare what builds up from dichlor and trichlor, sodium hypochlorite, and cal-hypo. We also dig into acid choices, including why muriatic acid and sodium bisulfate are not the same tool, how sulfate buildup can contribute to calcium sulfate scale that may not show up on the LSI, and what that means for long-term pool water balance.

If you want fewer surprises and better pool maintenance outcomes, listen through and share this with a pool pro who still believes one of these myths. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us which chemistry myth you hear most often.

We sit down with Bob Lowry to break down pool chemistry myths that keep circulating in the industry and explain what actually builds up in the water over time. We walk through trichlor, liquid chlorine, cal-hypo, and acid choices so you can stop guessing and make smarter decisions on your route.

• evaporation removing only pure water not cyanuric acid
• trichlor tablet use driving CYA up week after week
• liquid chlorine adding salt in small predictable amounts
• why all chlorine types ultimately add to TDS
• cal-hypo steadily increasing calcium hardness over a season
• why muriatic acid and dry acid are not interchangeable
• sulfate buildup leading to calcium sulfate scale outside LSI
• dry acid storage issues due to deliquescence
• clearing up the dry acid with chlorine generator warning

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