An interesting and informative podcast designed to give you all the information you need to keep your swimming pool in tip top condition.
The Pool Man Podcast Show Notes
Episode 0 - Intro
A brief introduction to my new swimming pool maintenance podcast. For more information see he following website and FaceBook page...
https://thepoolmanpodcast.wixsite.com/thepoolman
https://www.facebook.com/thepoolmanpodcast/
The Pool Man Podcast Show Notes
Episode 1 - “I Need Help!!”
You’re listening to episode one of The Pool Man Podcast - “I Need Help!!
This episode is for May 1st, 2018.
I’ve designed this podcast to give you all the information you need to keep your pool in tip top condition all year round. The Pool Man Podcast is written and produced by me, and is intended as a guide only. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician, should you encounter any problems you are unable to solve yourself.
Welcome to the very first episode of The Pool Man Podcast.
So... I’m sure by now you’re all asking yourselves who is this donkey, and what the hell is he talking about?
Well, my name is Todd and I’ve been a full time pool technician for about five years now. In that time I’ve literally serviced thousands of swimming pools, and I’m based in Moorebank in the south west region of Sydney, Australia.
Swimming pool maintenance is hard, and in my time there hasn’t been a week go by where I haven’t learnt something new in field of pool maintenance as far as water test results, pool surface issues, faulty equipment and the some of the strange things my customers have done!! There’s always something new, and it’s a real challenge solving these problems.
A little history about me, I came into pool maintenance from an IT background having worked at same company for twenty years. I worked in the print and publication industry as a computer operator for a major Sydney based newspaper.
The job involved basic data centre duties such as running scheduled hourly tasks, data backup, data transfer and monitoring critical server-side computer systems involved in newspaper production.
It was all going well and I thought I’d retire from that job in another twenty years, but as fate would have it, bout seven years ago I found out that my job would be redundant in about a year.
Luckily I was on a very good contract with a generous redundancy package, and this gave me the opportunity to buy and start the pool business on my days off. So off I went and started the pool business. I’d work a twelve hour nightshift and then go out and clean some pools on the way home, and if there was any time left over I’d get a few hours sleep before the next shift started. What can I say, seperate times call for desperate measures!!
As it turned out, I really had things up and running properly just as the old job finished. I’ll go into the business side of it all in a later episode, but that’s basically who I am and how I got started in the pool industry.
Inspection:
So... let me guess... you have a pool, and it’s not looking that great... you’ve probably jumped on to Google for some tips, or the next door neighbour told you to throw in some acid and she’ll be right mate!! You’ve probably run down to Bunnings to pick up some quality pool chemicals, but after all this, nothing you’ve tried has worked.
So what do you do now?
I think the answer is fairly obvious... you call a professional pool technician and get them out there ASAP!! Great job!!
The first thing I do when I get a call from a new customer is to organise a time to come out and give them a quote. This will be either a regular monthly pool service, or a one-off cleanup and water balance, or sometimes an issue with a specific piece of pool equipment, be it a dead pump, a leaky pipe of filter or a faulty chlorinator.
Regardless of which one it is, my first visit will always begin with a full equipment inspection and report detailing any issues that may be present and that will need to be rectified in order to properly maintain the pool.
Most pools have these basic components.
And to maintain clean, clear water, you need all three of them to be working properly.
There are three golden rules of basic pool maintenance.
These should be performed by your pool equipment.
As the name suggests, circulation basically refers to the flow of water in your pool. The pump needs to be functioning well, the plumbing must be watertight under pressure and there needs to be no major water restriction. This can be something as simple as a basket full of leaves, or a plastic bag caught in the basket, or in serious cases it may be a hardware issue that may require repair or complete replacement of the pool pump.
Filtration is the method by which the filter removes impurities from the water. Normally this is achieved by the pump pushing the water through a filter... in most cases this will be either a sand or glass media filter, or a paper cartridge filter. The filter literally pulls the fine particles of dirt, dust and other foreign bodies out of the water and allows the clean water to return back to the pool. They all work well, but they do need to be cleaned regularly to maintain full filtration.
Finally we have sanitation. By sheer numbers, this is usually a chlorinator, a chlorine doser or it’s achieved by manually adding liquid or granular chlorine to the pool water.
Of all my customers, the overwhelming majority of the pools I look after are chlorine pools, and the only thing that changes is the method by which the chlorine is introduced to the pool.
So, in summary these are the three golden rules of basic swimming pool maintenance: Circulation, Filtration and Sanitation, and if any one of these are not working, there will be a knock-on effect, and the pool simply cannot remain clean and clear no matter what you do. The idea is to eliminate the faulty components and allow the equipment to do what it’s designed to do... keep your pool water clean and clear!!
Your local pool technician can help you with this!!
Seriously... don’t suffer in silence people, give one of us a call... we’re here to help you get your pool in order, and to keep it that way.
We can even maintain the pool for you on an ongoing basis if that’s something that you don’t want to do yourself.
BUT BE AWARE!! A swimming pool will require some basic maintenance from you during the times when your pool person is not there to help you.
It might come as a shock to some people, but there is no such thing as a maintenance free pool. It takes a lot of hard work to keep a pool sparkling and we can’t be there 24 hours a day so some amount of that maintenance burden will still fall on you.
We’ll discuss your role, and your responsibilities as the pool owner and basic pool maintenance, and in particular the practice of regular water testing in the next episode of The Pool Man Podcast.
This production was made by me and should only be used s a guide to keep your swimming pool clean and clear. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician should you have any issues you are an able to solve yourself.
You can email your questions to thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com and put the word “Question” in the subject field. It just helps me sort through them all a bit more easily.
So drop me an email and I’ll do my best to answer them for you in an upcoming episode. You can also use this email address if you’d like me to come out and have a look at your pool. If it’s too far for me personally, I’ll be happy to hook you up with a professional pool technician in your area, Australia wide!!
I’ll have a Facebook page up and running when I get enough spare time to actually do it, and I’m currently working on a website too but for the time being you can hear the podcast via the method you are now using, and stay in touch at thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com
I hope you can join me again for the next episode of The Pool Man Podcast, coming soon to a pod catcher near you.
https://thepoolmanpodcast.wixsite.com/thepoolman
https://www.facebook.com/thepoolmanpodcast/
The Pool Man Podcast Show Notes
Episode 2 - “Test Your Water and Act!!”
You’re listening to episode two of The Pool Man Podcast - “Test Your Water and Act!!
This episode is for May 15th, 2018.
I’ve designed this podcast to give you all the information you need to keep your pool in tip top condition all year round. The Pool Man Podcast is written and produced by me, and is intended as a guide only. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician, should you encounter any problems you are unable to solve yourself.
Welcome to the second episode of The Pool Man Podcast… and they said it’d never last!!
So, now that you’ve had your new pool technician around and they’ve done your initial handover service, your chemicals have been topped up, you’ve read your inspection report and fixed all the faulty parts and you’ve got all your equipment back up and running again… what should you do now? The aim is to keep the pool clean and clear, and your chemical levels balanced. It’s much easier said than done believe me!!
As professional pool technicians, we do this stuff every day, so after a while it becomes second nature to us, but for the average pool owner this is a scary thing and I fully understand that it can seem a bit daunting.
As mentioned in the first episode of The Pool Man Podcast, it may come as a shock to some people, but there is no such thing as a maintenance free pool!! Now as a pool tech with experience, I’m pretty good at getting a pool clean and balancing the water, but when I leave the house there’s a period of between two and six weeks where the pool has a lot of time to get dirty again. This may also come as a shock to some people, but during that time I have ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL of what happens to your pool. It’s entirely up to you as the pool owner to perform some basic maintenance steps during the period that I’m not there.
In my opinion, any pool tech worth their salt (Did you see what I did there?) will offer you a certain degree of training. With me I’ve always approached the job as part pool tech, and part teacher. My aim is to teach you the skills that you’ll need to properly maintain your pool… even if you have a regular pool tech. Knowledge is power, and it’s always an advantage to you if you know a little bit about the chemicals we use, and why we use them.
Possibly the most powerful weapon in your pool care arsenal will be a basic test kit. You can pick one up at your local pool shop, through your pool technician or even at Bunnings for somewhere between $10.00 - $20.00 and It’s worth every cent. While professional pool techs use professional and very sophisticated electronic photometers and other high-end test equipment that give a very specific reading for each chemical test, the home user only requires a test that delivers an approximate result within the required range. A basic 2 in 1 test kit is more than enough for you to keep an eye on the major chemical levels.
These typically consist of a vial with a small water receptacle on each side with transparent colour bars. You fill them up to the line, drop one DPD tablet in the chlorine side, and five drops of phenol red solution in the PH side, put the caps on and shake. You compare the colour of the water to the colour bars and determine if the chlorine and PH are within the normal range. For a high PH reading you’ll need to add some acid and a low PH reading will require some buffer or soda ash.
Chlorine is even easier. If the test kit says its low add more chlorine… There are no tricks of the trade here… a pool will only ever go green with a lack of sanitiser, and if you test kit tells you there is no chlorine, you need to add some chlorine!! It really is that simple, and doing this once a week will go a long way to keeping your water balanced and looking clean and clear, at leat until your pool tech arrives to do your next service.
We’ll discuss pool equipment, and in particular pool filters in the next episode of The Pool Man Podcast.
So, a new thing I’m starting today is our email feedback section of the podcast that I’n cleverly naming: Listener Feedback. Last episode I asked you to email me your pool related questions and I’d try to answer them on the next episode. Well keep the questions rolling in, because to date, let me check… I’ve received one email……… and that was from one of my regular customers. Not a roaring success I know, but it’s early in the game and only two episodes in, so when I build a bit more of a following who knows, we might even get to double figures, and they may even be from people that I don’t know!!
Anyway, as promised I’ll give a shout out to my single e-mailer: Mila from Picnic Point who asks me: “How often should I clean my cartridge filter?”
Well Mila, I recommend that you rinse out the filter cartridge at least once a week for best results… and if you’re using a suction cleaner (Which I know you are) you’ll certainly need to clean the cartridge even more frequently, sometimes daily depending on how dirty the pool is.
This is because using a suction cleaner with a cartridge filter, which I don’t recommend, basically takes the dirt and feeds it straight into your filter. This is more like a concentrated amount of dust and dirt that’s fed directly into the filter cartridge, and blocks it fairly quickly so you’ll notice that the cleaner will slow down and in most cases it will stop fairly quickly. That tells you that it’s time to clean the cartridge again.
Thankyou to Mila from Picnic Point for being the very first emailer on The Pool Man Podcast. Keep those emails rolling in, and as always I’ll do my best to answer them on an an upcoming episode.
This production was made by me and should only be used s a guide to keep your swimming pool clean and clear. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician should you have any issues you are an able to solve yourself.
You can email your questions to thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com and put the word “Question” in the subject field. It just helps me sort through them all a bit more easily.
So drop me an email and I’ll do my best to answer them for you in an upcoming episode. You can also use this email address if you’d like me to come out and have a look at your pool. If it’s too far for me personally, I’ll be happy to hook you up with a professional pool technician in your area, Australia wide.
I now have a Facebook page up and running and you can find it over at facebook.com/thepoolmanpodcast, and I’m also up and running with the Pool Man website where you’ll find all the show notes for the podcast, info on my business and tips and tricks for you to keep your pool sparkling!! Head over to thepoolmanpodcast.wixsite.com/thepoolman or just search for The Pool Man Podcast in the Apple Podcasts app, in the excellent Overcast app, Stitcher Radio which is available on iOS and Android, or over at PodBean.com
I do ask that after you listen, could you please give me a rating and subscribe so you automatically get the next episode when it becomes available, it also gets my numbers up so we rank a little higher and that really helps other people find me too, so I thank you very much in advance for that!!
So stay safe and stay in touch at thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com
I hope you can join me again for the next episode of The Pool Man Podcast, coming soon to a pod catcher near you.
The Pool Man Podcast Show Notes
Episode 3 - “An End to Cartridge Filters!!”
Links
Today in iOS Podcast
MacOS Ken Podcast
https://macosken.squarespace.com
Mac Power Users Podcast
Accidental Tech Podcast
The MacCast Podcast
You’re listening to episode three of The Pool Man Podcast - “An End to Cartridge Filters!!
This episode was recorded on June 1st, 2018.
I’ve designed this podcast to give you all the information you need to keep your pool in tip top condition all year round. The Pool Man Podcast is written and produced by me, and is intended as a guide only. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician, should you encounter any problems you are unable to solve yourself.
Welcome to the third episode of The Pool Man Podcast… and I’m beginning to find my feet with this whole podcast venture. I’m getting to know the best way to do things and it’s getting easier each time.
I’d like to send out a big thanks to Rob Walch from the “Today in iOS podcast” and Ken Ray from the “Mac OS Ken” podcast. These guys are two of the technology podcasters I started listening to many years ago, and I still listen to them daily!!
Podcasting is a brilliant, and quickly growing medium, and you’ll find just about anything you’re interested in will be available in the form of a podcast.
If you’re interested in trying your own podcast feel free to drop me an email and I’ll be happy to tell you what you’ll need and how you can do it on a budget.
Search the iBooks store for a free eBook by Rob Walch called Podcast 101: Creating and Hosting an Audio Podcast.
These guys are what I would class as true pioneers in the podcast space. I’ve been incredibly inspired by their respective shows, and I’ve taken many queues from them in the early formulation of this show.
Search for “Today in iOS” and “Mac OS Ken” in your favoured podcast receptacle. See also “Mac Power Users” “Accidental Tech Podcast” and “The MacCast” for other terrific examples of great shows by awesome podcasters, and I’ll put links to their individual shows in the show notes for this episode.
So, in the last last episode, I had a question regarding how often you should clean your filter cartridge, and I said for best results it should really be cleaned out weekly. This week I want to go into the pros and cons of cartridge filters, sand or glass media filters and what the best applications for both really are. As a pool tech, theres probably no area I have such black and white feelings about, than the abomination that is the cartridge filter!!
About six years ago during the building of our house, (And shortly after I was told I would be made redundant: Now there’s a wake-up call) I had at that time very little experience in servicing pools, other than the fact that we had owned a pool before, and the temporary house we were renting whilst we were building also had a pool.
I really had no idea about water chemistry, cleaning it properly and even basic pool maintenance. This all aside, it was pretty much a given that we were going to put in a pool at the new house because were really are pool people.
So when we ordered our pool I had no idea about what to order as far as the filtration equipment goes. We ended up getting exactly what the pool builder decided to put in, and that was a cartridge filter!! I regretted it almost from day one!!
I could have had a media filter installed for the same price but was sold the cartridge filter on it’s more compact size, even though I had plenty of room to fit in a media filter.
Needless to say, if I knew then what I know now, I would have made a different decision!!
We thought a suction cleaner would be the best option. You’ll probably know the type of cleaner I’m talking about. It’s the old Kreepy Krawly style cleaner you see with a hose hat connects to the vacuum plate and uses the pool’s existing pump to drive the hammer or diaphragm.
Most of the time this type of cleaner works pretty well, but being in a new housing development, there was a lot of dirt and dust generated by the building of new houses that settled on the floor of the pool, and the combination of that with a cartridge filter was not a happy marriage!!
A filter cartridge element, (The removable paper cylinder part inside the housing), tends to block up a lot quicker than a media filter, and it’s a lot harder to clean it out again. This is because a suction cleaner vacuums up a very high concentration of dirt and dust and feeds it directly into the cartridge and blocks up the paper veins very quickly, to the point where the suction cleaner stops working and water flow is restricted. This can also damage the pump and chlorinator due to the lack of water flow.
The only way to get it running again is to take it apart and hose out the cartridge element which can take a good thirty minutes to do properly, and I guarantee that you’ll get sick of doing that every day or two if you want to continue to run the suction cleaner. You’ll need to do it at least weekly without a suction cleaner as well.
A media filter is in my opinion the only option you should use. This will run with a suction cleaner for weeks without any noticeable slowdown.
To clean (Or backwash) a media filter takes about two minutes in total. You turn the valve handle around to backwash and run the pump. You look at the sight glass, and when the water goes clear, give it a quick rinse and you’re back in business for another month, all without the need to dismantle anything, and with your sanity intact!!
There are a few claims out there that some manufacturers make about cartridge filters being superior to media filters. Some of the claims you’ll hear are as follows...
Claims
It really is a no brainer!!
So when I walk into a new customer’s pool area and see a cartridge filter I kind of feel like Luke Skywalker just after he learns that Darth Vader is his father... I want to reach for my light sabre and strike it down!!
In a nutshell, I’m not a big fan of the cartridge filter!!
So, listener feedback... I’m proud to announce that I’ve had a 300% increase in the amount of emails I received last episode!! First up I have Peter from George’s Hall who says...
Hi there Pool Man,
A friend of mine, and one of your customers, passed the podcast onto me this week. I’ve listened to all of it now and found it to be very helpful.
I took your advice about testing my pool water and discovered that the reason it has been looking cloudy is probably as you suggested, a lack of chlorine!!
I poured in 10 litres of liquid chlorine about three days ago and by the next morning I could already notice the difference. Just one question, how long does chlorine last in the water?
I thought 10 litres would be more than enough to last a week or so, but yesterday I tested it again and there was a very low reading for chlorine again, almost zero.
I have a faulty chlorinator so I’ve been adding about 2 litres a week... is this enough? I can only assume that it’s not.
Regards Peter
George’s Hall
Peter, great work on testing your pool water!! It’s even more critical that you do this when your chlorinator isn’t working and you are manually chlorinating the pool.
The formula is a simple one: If your test kit tells you there’s not enough chlorine, it means just that... there’s not enough chlorine!! Add some more and test again the next day until you get the hang of how much chlorine your pool needs(We call this the chlorine demand).
There a few factors that influence the chlorine demand.
One thing I did pick up from your email was that it appears that you are only chlorinating once weekly. Sadly you can’t dump a large dose of chlorine in only once a week and expect it to still be there at the end of the week. The sun will burn it mostly all off by about the second day.
You’ll have much better results using the same amount of chlorine if you divide it up and add a smaller amount daily.
You’ll probably get sick of doing this so that’s a good reason to explore repairing or replacing your chlorinator which will give you an automated way of sanitising your pool.
Give your local pool tech a call and get it sorted out.
Next I have an email from Alex of Liverpool who writes...
I downloaded and listened to your podcast today and I have some feedback on how you can make it better.
I don’t really like the music you are using, and it’s kind of annoying being in the background for the whole show.
Can you change the music to something a bit more well known?
Apart from that I like the actual show, and you seem to be a very knowledgeable pool man.
Keep up the good work.
Yours Sincerely
Alex P.
Liverpool
Well thanks Alex for your kind words, I’ll be introducing some original music in the form of a Pool Man Podcast theme song soon. I have some mates working on it right now so as soon as it’s ready I’ll get it into the show for you!!
And finally I have one here from Oliver at Moorebank. Oliver writes...
Daddy,
Can I have a raise!!
From
Oliver
I believe this one is from my youngest son Oliver who comes out on the road and works with me during the school holidays.
Oliver,
All I can say is when Mummy gives me a raise I’ll give you a raise!!
And not a moment before!”
I’d like to thank all the listeners who emailed me your questions... even you Oliver!!
You can email your questions to thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com and put the word “Question” in the subject field. It just helps me sort through them all a bit more easily.
So drop me an email and I’ll do my best to answer them for you in an upcoming episode.
I’m very excited about the next episode, where if all things go well, I’ll be talking to Brett Blair from Jim’s Pool Care. He’ll be talking a little bit about the franchise model, and how you go about becoming a pool man, or pool lady.
You can also use this email address if you’d like me to come out and have a look at your pool. If it’s too far for me personally, I’ll be happy to hook you up with a professional pool technician in your area, Australia wide.
This production was made by me and should only be used s a guide to keep your swimming pool clean and clear. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician should you have any issues you are an able to solve yourself.
I now have a Facebook page up and running and you can find it over at facebook.com/thepoolmanpodcast, and I’m also up and running with the Pool Man website where you’ll find all the show notes for the podcast, info on my business and tips and tricks for you to keep your pool sparkling!! Head over to thepoolmanpodcast.wixsite.com/thepoolman or just search for The Pool Man Podcast in the Apple Podcasts app, in the excellent Overcast app, Stitcher Radio which is available on iOS and Android, or over at PodBean.com and search for The Pool Man Podcast.
I do ask that after you listen, could you please give me a rating and subscribe so you automatically get the next episode when it becomes available, it also gets my numbers up so I rank a little higher and that really helps other people find me too, so I thank you very much in advance for that!!
So stay safe and stay in touch at thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com
I hope you can join me again for the next episode of The Pool Man Podcast, coming soon to a pod catcher near you.
The Pool Man Podcast Show Notes
Episode 4 - “I Want to be a Pool Man”
You’re listening to episode four of The Pool Man Podcast - “I Want to be a Pool Man!!
This episode was recorded on June 6th, 2018.
I’ve designed this podcast to give you all the information you need to keep your pool in tip top condition all year round. The Pool Man Podcast is written and produced by me, and is intended as a guide only. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician, should you encounter any problems you are unable to solve yourself.
Welcome to the fourth episode of The Pool Man Podcast Today’s episode is a special one because I’ll have my first live interview. I’ll be talking to Brett Blair, owner, and national franchisor for Jim’s Pool Care Australia. I have some questions for Brett regarding Jim’s Pool Care, Jim’s Group, Jim himself, and the basic franchise model. I’ll let him tell you his own story and hopefully it might be a path that some of you may be interested in as a future career.
I’d like to give a big warm welcome to my very first guest on the Podcast, live from sunny Queensland I have Brett Blair, owner of Jim’s Pool Care Australia. Brett, Thanks for giving me some of your valuable time: Response
Now, as a bit of background, I come from an IT background, and when I was made redundant I thought the world was crumbling around me... and due to the circumstances I found myself in, my age and the computer industry in Australia at the time, I was finding it extremely difficult to find employment in the IT field. So I did what most tech-minded people would do, I jumped onto Google and typed new career!!
I’d always been interested in the franchise model, and I looked at a number of options as possible businesses, and Jim’s Group was always at the top of the search results, so I did a lot of research into many of the different businesses, and I kind of settled on pool care mainly because I’d owned a pool in the past.
I looked at, and contacted some of the well known pool franchises and after some more research, Jim’s Pool Care looked to have the best deal as far as training, buying power, brand recognition and fee structure.
I had made my decision, I wanted to be a part of the Jim’s Pool Care franchise system so that’s what I did and this year marks five years in the business for me.
Questions:
1. Brett, you run the business from home with your lovely wife Kelli, could you speak a little bit about your background, and how you both decided to take on the national franchise of Jim’s Pool Care Australia? And who is actually the boss... you or Kelli: Response.
2. Just how important do you think the concept of regular pool maintenance is to the average pool owner here in Australia: Response.
3. Something I found to be radically different to the perception I had about the franchise model. I thought that if I simply approached you and paid to buy the business, you’d just take the money and I’d be off and running. It really couldn’t be further from the truth. I entered the physical hands-on training for Pool Care, and Jim’s also conduct a comprehensive business management course as well, all on top of some pretty intense interviews in the lead up. That’s probably the main reason I decided to go with you over the competition. Could you talk a bit about the steps in the process of buying a franchise, and why you are so stringent on vetting potential franchisees: Response.
4. Jim Penman is still very much involved in the business at Jim’s Group today. Protecting the brand name and the customer experience are two of the key areas that he feels very strongly about, and as a franchisee that’s a very positive part of the model. It’s also worth noting that every Jim’s franchisee has direct access to him. We all have Jim’s email address and phone number and if needed he will speak to us personally. I imagine you’ve had many animated Discussions with Jim over the years, just how important do you see Jim’s role in the business today: Response.
5. Buying power. Jim’s Pool Care franchisees are rewarded with group-rate supplier discounts for all types of pool equipment and chemicals, and it’s important to note that each franchisee is not just a pool technician, we are a complete mobile pool shop!! Can you run through some of the major suppliers and the kinds of products that are available through your local Jim’s Pool Care Mobile Pool Shop: Response.
6. Thank you Brett for coming on the Podcast today, is there anything else you wanted to say? And if anybody out there is considering a change, or if you just like the idea of pool care as a career, how can they contact you for some information: Response.
I’ll put all the links to Jim’s Pool Care Australia, and how to contact Brett and Kelli Blair at head office, in the show notes for this episode.
I hope you all enjoyed this interview, it took a while to iron out all the technical issues we had, but I think it turned out OK!! It'll give us a good platform to build on for future episodes, and I'm planning on doing a lot more interviews in the future.
Because this episode was so long, I’m going to cut the listener feedback section for this week, but keep the questions flowing in!!
I do have something exciting to announce though, I need a theme song for The Pool Man Podcast, and I know that a few of my customers are musicians, so open the voice recorder app on your phone and sing me a jingle if you can. You may want to add some guitar, or even a full band if you want to!! Don’t take it too seriously, it’s meant to be a bit of fun!!
Email the file to thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com and I’ll play some of them on the show. I’ll turn it into a competition, and the best entry will become the new theme song for the podcast!!
Get to work people, I look forward to hearing your entries!!
This production was made by me and should only be used s a guide to keep your swimming pool clean and clear. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician should you have any issues you are an able to solve yourself.Â
You can email your questions to thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com and put the word “Question” in the subject field. It just helps me sort through them all a bit more easily.
So drop me an email and I’ll do my best to answer them for you in an upcoming episode. You can also use this email address if you’d like me to come out and have a look at your pool. If it’s too far for me personally, I’ll be happy to hook you up with a professional pool technician in your area, Australia wide.
I now have a Facebook page up and running and you can find it over at facebook.com/thepoolmanpodcast, and I’m also up and running with the Pool Man website where you’ll find all the show notes for the podcast, info on my business and tips and tricks for you to keep your pool sparkling!! Head over to thepoolmanpodcast.wixsite.com/thepoolman or just search for The Pool Man Podcast in the Apple Podcasts app, in the excellent Overcast app, Stitcher Radio which is available on iOS and Android, or over at PodBean.com
I do ask that after you listen, could you please give me a rating and subscribe so you automatically get the next episode when it becomes available, it also gets my numbers up so we rank a little higher and that really helps other people find me too, so I thank you very much in advance for that!!
So stay safe and stay in touch at thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com
I hope you can join me again for the next episode of The Pool Man Podcast, coming soon to a pod catcher near you.
Jim's Pool Care Australia Contact Details
http://www.jimspoolcare.com.au/
Phone: 131 546
Episode 5 - “The Automatic Pool”
You’re listening to episode five of The Pool Man Podcast - “The Automatic Pool”
This episode was recorded on July 16th, 2018.
I’ve designed this podcast to give you all the information you need to keep your pool in tip top condition all year round. The Pool Man Podcast is written and produced by me, and is intended as a guide only. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician, should you encounter any problems you are unable to solve yourself.
Welcome to the fifth episode of The Pool Man Podcast. It’s great to do this show and get some feedback from you guys. I have an email address thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com where you can ask me questions about your pool!! Feel free to drop me a line and as always I’ll do my best to answer them in the next episode.
I’m happy to say that the numbers of listeners is steadily growing each week, and I’m regularly getting questions in via email as well, so thank you all very much to you for listening to my little podcast and for your support. I hope that you’re finding it helpful, and above all enjoyable.
I hope you can use this podcast as a tool to help you keep your pool in order, because it’s always a good idea to know a little bit about how your pool works so you’ll have some idea about what to do when problems arise.
Today I’d like to talk about something that pool owners have been wanting since the dawn of time… a fully automatic pool. A pool that requires no maintenance, no chemicals and no cleaning. It sounds great doesn’t it, I know I’d like my pool to be like that, and I can’t imagine anybody who wouldn’t!!
Unfortunately this type of pool is a myth!! It simply does not exist.
The dream for me personally is the day when we’ll be able to be able to control our pools remotely, with our voice... we’re getting there slowly, and the way technology is going, that’s possible to do now.
With the rise of IOT devices like the Google Home, Amazon Echo and Apple’s HomeKit with Siri, hopefully it won’t be far off when this is common in most homes.
There are already a number of pool products out there that are making small moves in that direction, and whilst we are still a long way away from the myth of the fully automatic pool that people want, we do have some pool automation available today that will make your life a bit easier.
Some of the areas that semi-automation exists are…
In the coming weeks I’ll be interviewing some of my suppliers regarding these products. I’ll have Maytronics Australia, manufacturers of top quality robotic pool cleaners, Zodiac for the Aqualink range of pool automation devices, Astral Pool for their range of Connect 10 automation and connected chlorinators and pumps, and Saltmate for their excellent range of automated chlorinators.
Listener Feedback:
I still have no entries for the Pool Man Podcast jingle competition, but I have had messages from people who are working on it!! Remember that your entry could be the winner so if you’re willing, and able, please throw something together and I’ll play it on the show. It doesn’t have to be serious, I’m looking for something catchy and fun!!
Next up I have an email from Darren over at Bankstown who asks...
Hello There,
I’m in the market for a pool vacuum. Would you recommend a Kreepy Krawley or similar type cleaner, or a pool robot. I don’t get a lot of leaves in the pool, but the bottom does get quite dirty with some fine dust.
Thank you, I love the show.
Darren & Melinda Peats
Bankstown NSW
Hi Darren & Melinda, and thanks for your email. The answer to this question depends on a couple of factors, firstly, what type of filer equipment do you have.
As I’ve stated in the past, suction cleaners, or the Kreepy Krawley type cleaners you are referring to are connected via a hose to your existing filter system and tend to block up a cartridge filter rather quickly so I certainly would lean towards a robotic cleaner if you’re using a cartridge filter.
A robotic cleaner will work great with both types of filters as they run independent of the filtration system.
The second factor is price, with robotic cleaners they start at over $1000.00 and can go up to more than double that price depending on the features included.
I have your contact details so I’ll give you a buzz regarding prices and we’ll work out something suitable.
Finally, I have one from Mitchell of Moorebank in the south west of Sydney...
That is a co-incidence, because I have a 12 year old son named Mitchell, and as fate would have it, we also live in Moorebank. The subject is “Sleeping” and the email reads...
Hi Pool man,
I just wanted to say the parts that I have listened to are very informative but I fall asleep after about two minutes. I have never come across a podcast that can do such an amazing thing like put me to sleep that fast.
Thanks pool man.
I sense a stitch-up is under way here!! I also sense that Mitchell’s allowance may be reduced, or suspended altogether!! Don’t be rude Mitchell, as you know, The Pool Man Podcast is an interesting and informative exploration into all things “Swimming Pools”... perhaps one day your podcast will be as successful as mine!!
This production was made by me and should only be used s a guide to keep your swimming pool clean and clear. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician should you have any issues you are an able to solve yourself.
You can email your questions to thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com and put the word “Question” in the subject field. It just helps me sort through them all a bit more easily.
So drop me an email and I’ll do my best to answer them for you in an upcoming episode. You can also use this email address if you’d like me to come out and have a look at your pool. If it’s too far for me personally, I’ll be happy to hook you up with a professional pool technician in your area, Australia wide.
I now have a Facebook page up and running and you can find it over at facebook.com/thepoolmanpodcast, and I’m also up and running with the Pool Man website where you’ll find all the show notes for the podcast, info on my business and tips and tricks for you to keep your pool sparkling!! Head over to thepoolmanpodcast.wixsite.com/thepoolman or just search for The Pool Man Podcast in the Apple Podcasts app, Overcast or Stitcher Radio which is available on iOS and Android. You can also find the podcast over at thepoolmanpodcast.podbean.com
I do ask that after you listen, could you please give me a rating and subscribe so you automatically get the next episode when it becomes available, it also gets my numbers up so I rank a little higher, and that really helps other people find me too, so I thank you very much in advance for that!!
So stay safe and stay in touch at thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com
I hope you can join me again for the next episode of The Pool Man Podcast, coming soon to a pod catcher near you.
Episode 6 - “2018 Jim’s Pool Care Conference Edition”
You’re listening to episode six of The Pool Man Podcast - “2018 Jim’s Pool Care Conference Edition”
This episode was recorded over August 8th, 9th and 10th, 2018.
I’ve designed this podcast to give you all the information you need to keep your pool in tip top condition all year round, but occasionally I’ll have a special episode to deliver, and this is the first of those special episodes. This one is aimed at the pool owners listening out there, and I certainly hope it will be of some interest to pool technicians as well.
The Pool Man Podcast is written and produced by me, and is intended as a guide only. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician, should you encounter any problems you are unable to solve yourself.
Welcome to the sixth episode of The Pool Man Podcast… coming to you from sunny far North Queensland, at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort in beautiful Port Douglas.
Now, you always hear about places that people have been... and sometimes they’ll throw in a description like “It was great” or “It was beautiful” ...but the Sheraton Mirage is simply stunning!! Every building is surrounded by a massive “Mote-like” pool which opens the whole structure up like a beach. There are private ladder-equipped pool entrances for every ground floor unit and the entire complex looks clean and immaculately kept.
In talking with the staff, I’m told it was built around 30 years ago by the Christopher Skase group and It’s only recently been renovated to bring it into the 21st century!! If you’re looking for one of those holiday’s that you’ll remember for years then look no further than the Sheraton Grand Mirage in Port Douglas. It’s situated a short 5 minute drive from the town of Port Douglass where you’ll find heaps of great cafes, restaurant, pubs and shopping.
So onto the Jim’s Pool Care conference for 2018. Every year Brett and Kelli Blair organise a conference for the group where we can interact with each other a bit closer, catch up with old friends from the group and get to know the representatives from our major suppliers over a beer. (Or many beers as the case may be!!)
Conference sessions are filled with information relating to running our business more efficiently, and with more profit. There are lots of round table discussions and introductions of new products from the suppliers and a heap of team building sessions all woven between way too much terrific food and equally great surroundings.
For me the highlights were the team building sessions where our last challenge was amongst us was to assemble or build 10 (Functional) push bikes from your typical K-Mart carton type bike.
They all had names attached and we were a bit unsure what that was all about, but after they were complete it was revealed that they would be donated to 10 disadvantaged children (6 of which arrived to collect them that day!!) and needless to say many of us choked up and shed tears when we saw these little kids smile and ride around the resort on their new bikes.
It was one of the best things I’ve personally been involved with in my lifetime!!
We also had Kate, a great motivational/keynote speaker who spoke over multiple sessions during the 3 days, and we all took away some great lessons about success and building our businesses.
The conference wrapped up on the last night with the regular gala dinner and awards night “Al-Fresco” by the pool. We got to honour the winners of the awards and there was a lot of genuine matemanship, and a real feeling of being a part of a group.
To my great surprise my own name was called out having won the Sydney South Franchisee of the Year award!! A total shock as I was half way to the toilet at the time, and my wife was checking Facebook!! I certainly wasn’t expecting that, but I’m extremely proud be be honoured in that way.
The next section of the podcast was recorded on the suppliers floor area so you’ll hear a fair bit of background noise and a lot of background voices.
I went around to each of the suppliers and had a quick minute or two of discussion about who they are and what they had there to show us this year. I was very impressed with many of the products and this year we’ll have quite a bit of new high-tech equipment for you pool owners to play with...
The sound quality will not be as good as you’re used to but it’s more than adequate to get an idea about the products and the suppliers!!
Lee Schatkowski - Daisy Pool Covers and Rollers
Toby Campbell - Maytronics Australia
Gregg Scholten - Zodiac Fluidra
Sarah Barben - AstralPool Fluidra
Anthony Lestani - Sunbather Solar Pool Heating and Covers
Ben Coyne - LaMotte Pacific
David Pearce - Pool Systems
Brett Blair - Jim’s Pool Care Australia
Kelli Blair - Jim’s Pool Care Australia
There you go ladies and gentlemen... a great range of products available through you local pool care professional!! The one stand-out product for me, the one I was really impressed with was the Astral “Blue Connect Plus” I can see that there’s going to be a huge demand for these and I’ll certainly be trialing it when I get my hands on one!!
Drop me an email if you’re interested in the Blue Connect, Blue Connect Plus, the special Jim’s Pool Care branded Maytronics robot, or any of the other products featured in this episode of the podcast, I’m happy to put you in contact with your local pool care professional Australia wide.
Due to the longer version of the podcast there will be no feedback for this episode, but keep the questions rolling in and I’ll try to get to them all in the next episode. The same with the Pool Man Podcast jingle competition, keep the entries rolling in and I’ll play the first contestant’s entry very soon. Remember I’m looking for something catchy, but not too serious!! Have fun with it and get your entry in and you could have your song become the official jingle for the Pool Man Podcast!!
This production was made by me and should only be used s a guide to keep your swimming pool clean and clear. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician should you have any issues you are an able to solve yourself.
You can email your questions to thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com and put the word “Question” in the subject field. It just helps me sort through them all a bit more easily.
So drop me an email and I’ll do my best to answer them for you in an upcoming episode. You can also use this email address if you’d like me to come out and have a look at your pool. If it’s too far for me personally, I’ll be happy to hook you up with a professional pool technician in your area, Australia wide.
I now have a Facebook page up and running and you can find it over at facebook.com/thepoolmanpodcast, and I’m also up and running with the Pool Man website where you’ll find all the show notes for the podcast, info on my business and tips and tricks for you to keep your pool sparkling!! Head over to thepoolmanpodcast.wixsite.com/thepoolman or just search for The Pool Man Podcast in the Apple Podcasts app, Overcast or Stitcher Radio which is available on iOS and Android. You can also find the podcast over at thepoolmanpodcast.podbean.com
I do ask that after you listen, could you please give me a rating and subscribe so you automatically get the next episode when it becomes available, it also gets my numbers up so I rank a little higher, and that really helps other people find me too, so I thank you very much in advance for that!!
So stay safe and stay in touch at thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com
I hope you can join me again for the next episode of The Pool Man Podcast, coming soon to a pod catcher near you.
Episode 7 - "Blue Connect Plus Product Review"
You’re listening to episode seven of The Pool Man Podcast - “Blue Connect Plus Product Review”
This episode was recorded over October 12th, 2018.
I’ve designed this podcast to give you all the information you need to keep your pool in tip top condition all year round, but occasionally I’ll have a special episode to deliver, and this is another one of those special episodes, my first product review.
This product is aimed at the both the pool owners listening out there, and it will definitely be of interest to pool technicians as well, because this product is designed to make life easier for both of them.
The Pool Man Podcast is written and produced by me, and is intended as a guide only. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician, should you encounter any problems you are unable to solve yourself.
Welcome to the seventh episode of The Pool Man Podcast. Today I’ll be going into depth with my product review of the Blue Connect Plus smart pool analyser by Riott Labs in Spain, and distributed here by Fluidra through their subsidiary company Astral Pool Australia.
I’ve had a very good relationship with Astral Pool over the years, and they rewarded me by setting up one of their branches smack bang in my suburb!!
This is very handy for pumps, chlorinators, filters, plumbing supplies, chemicals and other bits and pieces that I need quickly. It also gives me the advantage of being able to carry less stock on hand, and that helps keep my costs down.
As a group we also enjoy the buying power of 100 franchisees Australia wide and we are rewarded with much better pricing.
Astral introduced me to this product, The Blue Connect Plus, recently at our 2018 conference in Port Douglass.
So, what is the Blue Connect Plus and why do I need one in my pool? Well, in a nutshell, the Blue Connect Plus is a smart pool water analyser that alerts me via a smart phone app of any changes in the pool water chemistry.
The unit keeps a constant eye on 4 major levels:
Temperature
PH
ORP(Chlorine Level)
Salinity(Salt & Conductivity)
Working in the pool industry I sometimes don’t get the time to give my pool all the love that it needs so this device allows me to stay up to date with the major chemical levels at a glance, and make any required adjustments before they become a major problem.
The Blue Connect Plus arrived in an outer carton, and inside the packaging looked very professional, almost Apple-Like in it’s presentation with a very heavy gauge and great quality cardboard box inside an attractive outer sleeve.
Inside is the Blue Connect Plus unit in it’s shipping stand/cap, the instruction manual, the usage cap, the mounting saddle and a short length of white thin gauge rope.
The first instruction is to download the Connect Plus smartphone App from either the Apple App Store for iPhone or the Google Play store for Android.
From there the setup is a breeze!! The App steps you through the process quickly and easily from account creation to activation and entering the details for your individual pool.
To activate the Blue Connect Plus unit you scan the barcode into the app with the phone’s camera, then simply rotate the unit it to the correct orientation and give it a quick shake forward and you’ll hear two short beeps to confirm activation.
Next you unscrew the shipping cap/stand and push on the usage cap. This is a firm rubber cap which protects the delicate sensors and probes from damage, but also lets the water in so it can be tested.
You have three options as to where you can place the unit. The Blue Connect Plus package contains a black mounting saddle for 50mm PVC pipe should you want to plumb it in-line in a plant room, you can attach the rope and tie it in place inside the filter box, or you can (As I have done) just let it float around in the water.
You can take as many BluTooth readings as you want throughout the day, and the unit has its own (Free) permanent internet connection where it uploads around 20 tests per day this are instantly available to you through the app, SMS or via email. All these alerts can be customised in the settings.
There are multiple professional looking graphs which are also fully customisable by hour, day, week, month and year. You can also drill down into the graphs and keep a full record of the pool chemistry, trends and keep a very close eye on the condition of the pool.
The app also makes suggestions as to the required chemicals should the readings go outside the recommended parameters.
Also included with the Blue Connect Plus edition is your subscription to virtualpoolcare.io and from here you can grant access to your pool professional so they can keep an eye on the pool for you 24 hours a day via their web portal!!
The warranty on the unit is 2 years and that covers the battery and probe as well. Probes and batteries are readily available and should be replaced at around the 2 year mark.
The Blue Connect Plus retails for $599.00 and there is a scaled down version called the Blue Connect which only performs up to two tests per day and does not include the virtualpoolcare.io subscription, the mounting saddle or the Connect Plus App. It instead uses the standard Connect App which is limited in functionality and options.
The standard Blue Connect package retails for $449.00
For my money the Blue connect Plus is certainly the way to go with many more features and much more customisable content. In my opinion it’s well worth the extra $150.00 over the standard unit.
Great for the home owner who wants a bit more control over their pool and even better if they want to share the real-time readings with their pool professional and let them do the monitoring!!
I personally use a Blue Connect Plus in my pool and I have one in a strata customer’s pool. This allows me to provide real-time monitoring to the residents and if the PH or chlorine levels begin to go outside the set-points I will know immediately and I’m able to make the required adjustments before the levels go out of control.
Drop me an email if you’re interested in the Blue Connect, Blue Connect Plus, or any of the other products featured in the conference edition episode of the podcast, I’m happy to put you in contact with your local pool care professional Australia wide.
Feedback for this episode, I have a couple of emails for this episode sitting in my mailbox, so first off from Eric in Coffs Harbour who asks…
Hi Todd,
Thanks for the show, there’s not many pool guys out there doing podcasts, especially one based here in Australia!! I have a 50 000 litre pool with a Zodiac Tri chlorinator running on salt water and we also have solar heating. I have the timer set at 8 hours daily but I find that as the weather gets cooler coming into winter, we tend to get red, sore eyes when we swim. I was wondering if it’s possible that the chlorine level is too high, actually, can you have too much chlorine? A friend of mine told me that you can’t… is this true?
Thanks for everything, Eric (Coffs Harbour)
G’day Eric, yes, absolutely you can have too much chlorine in your pool. The recommended level is around 4ppm in summer, and 2ppm in the cooler months.
With your setup this can be easily adjusted through the main menu, so you want to cut the run time at least in half during winter as the cold weather tends to preserve the chlorine level. Try that first and see how it goes. If you take a sample into your local pool store they’ll give it a test, or better yet, call a pool professional to come out and investigate.
Next is David from Ipswich in Queensland who writes…
Hello Guys,
I have a Poolrite SQI series pump and after I emptied the leaf basket in the pump it will no longer pump water.
I’ve tried tightening the thumb screws but nothing I’ve tried is working.
Is the pump faulty? It sounds normal when I turn it on but it’s just not pumping any water!!
Best Regards David (Ipswich)
Hi David,
This is a common problem with this family of pumps. I would almost bet that the O-ring has come out of the little channel under the lid. This type of pump has a square lid that slots into a groove and the front of the lid is held in place with two thumb screws, but when you take the lid off the O-ring can stick to the lid and pull out effectively breaking the seal. Try some silicon grease and reseat the O-ring and it should start back up again. Let me know how you go with that one David!!
That’s about all we have this episode, but keep the questions rolling in and I’ll try to get to them all in the next episode.
The same with the Pool Man Podcast jingle competition, keep the entries coming and I’ll play the first contestant’s entry very soon. Remember I’m looking for something catchy, but not too serious!! Have fun with it and get your entry in and you could have your song become the official jingle for the Pool Man Podcast!!
This production was made by me and should only be used s a guide to keep your swimming pool clean and clear. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician should you have any issues you are an able to solve yourself.
You can email your questions to thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com and put the word “Question” in the subject field. It just helps me sort through them all a bit more easily.
So drop me an email and I’ll do my best to answer them for you in an upcoming episode. You can also use this email address if you’d like me to come out and have a look at your pool. If it’s too far for me personally, I’ll be happy to hook you up with a professional pool technician in your area, Australia wide.
I now have a Facebook page up and running and you can find it over at facebook.com/thepoolmanpodcast, and I’m also up and running with the Pool Man website where you’ll find all the show notes for the podcast, info on my business and tips and tricks for you to keep your pool sparkling!!
Head over to thepoolmanpodcast.wixsite.com/thepoolman or just search for The Pool Man Podcast in the Apple Podcasts app, Overcast or Stitcher Radio which is available on iOS and Android. You can also find the podcast over at thepoolmanpodcast.podbean.com
I do ask that after you listen, could you please give me a rating and subscribe so you automatically get the next episode when it becomes available, it also gets my numbers up so I rank a little higher, and that really helps other people find me too, so I thank you very much in advance for that!!
So stay safe and stay in touch at thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com
I hope you can join me again for the next episode of The Pool Man Podcast, coming soon to a pod catcher near you.
Episode 8 - “The Stroke Episode”
You’re listening to episode eight of The Pool Man Podcast - “The Stroke Episode”
This episode was recorded October 10th, 2019.
I’ve designed this podcast to give you all the information you need to keep your pool in tip top condition all year round, but occasionally I’ll have a special episode to deliver, and this is another one of those special episodes, it’s all about December 2nd, 2018... the day my life changed forever!!
The Pool Man Podcast is written and produced by me, and is intended as a guide only. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician, should you encounter any problems you are unable to solve yourself.
Welcome to the eighth episode of The Pool Man Podcast. I’ll start out by saying welcome back to all the loyal listeners out there who were wondering where the hell I’ve been for the past 10 months, and why there was such a long hiatus between episodes, well I can assure you all that there was a very good reason why I haven’t managed to do an episode for a while…
I had a stroke!!
Now this episode will probably be part medical information, part personal diary and a whole lot of crazy stuff that’s floating around in my head, so strap yourselves in and I’ll tell you about what happened…
Way back on the morning of December 2nd, 2018, I woke up at around 2am with what I thought were the early signs of a migraine. Now for anybody who gets migraines regularly, as my wife and I do, you’ll recognise the symptoms as usually always starting with spots in front of your eyes, blurred vision, and then it progresses into a severe headache with nausea and severe photo-sensitivity. It really is the gift that keeps on giving… only this time it was different.
As usual I got the spots and the blurred vision, and trying to be pro-active my wife gave me a couple of aspirins and I went back to sleep. I was due to start a bar shift over at the club across the road. I was working at midday that day, so when I woke up I still had the spots, but no headache so I assumed it was a little one and hoped that it would pass and that the aspirin had worked with the headache.
My bar shift went a little crazy a couple of hours in when I was trying to pour some beers. A schooner glass dropped through my left hand and onto a tray below, but it didn’t break. I tried again and the same thing happened but this time both glasses broke.
Sadly It didn’t click that this may have been a bit more serious than a migraine. It’s only now in hindsight that I can look back and see how clear the symptoms really were.
Having dropped another glass I decided to take a run out to the tables in front of the bar to pick up some glasses, but I almost immediately smacked into a table and tripped over it crashing to the floor.
I hadn’t even seen it!!
I then proceeded to bump into a group of customers nearly knocking them over too, so I went out the back to have a short break, and one of the managers said I didn’t look well and told me I should go home.
Of course I said “No way!! It’s Sunday… can’t lose out on the penalty rates!!” So I sucked it up and got through the shift.
I walked home across the road, and by this time I had some pins and needles in my left arm, and some more weakness on that side too, but pins and needles are also a common symptom of a migraine so naturally I didn’t think too much of it, other than having the feeling that I probably would get a severe migraine soon.
So it was back to bed with some heavy duty pain killers to await the migraine I thought was coming.
I should have taken more notice at work when the left side weakness started, but hey, I wasn’t going home sick to miss out on Sunday penalty rates!!
My wife (Who is a nurse) told me to go to the G.P. first thing he next day... so naturally I ignored her and went to my first pool job instead.
She loves it when she’s right!!
The second job was back close to home and I wasn’t feeling too good by then. I knew I was about to drive right past the medical centre so I decided to drop in and see the doctor.
He took one look at me and said buddy, you’re going to hospital right now!! He tried to call an ambulance but I (As usual) ignored medical advice, took the car home and my wife had organised a friend to drop me at the E.R. instead.
A few hours and multiple tests
later I was admitted into the emergency unit of Liverpool Hospital and scheduled for a CT and MRI scan, and a day later the doctor confirmed that I had indeed suffered a fairly substantial stroke affecting the visual cortex of the brain.
The scans showed very clearly the area of my brain that had sustained the damage, and I was to stay in the stroke ward for the next week. There’s no getting around it... I have brain damage, and there’s no chance that it’ll heal. The brain just doesn’t do that!!
The area of my brain that controls and processes vision impulses that travel from the eyes along the nerves to the visual cortex, had suffered a blockage of some sort, which disrupted the flow of oxygenated blood effectively starving that area of my brain until it died.
As a result I have suffered a partial loss of vision in the lower left hand quadrant of both eyes. I failed my vision field test and the doctors advised me that I can no longer drive my work ute, or any car, which is quite a big deal when you work alone on the road!!
Now whilst the brain can’t heal itself, it can in some cases have the ability to find alternate pathways to get those signals through, and there is the possibility that you can regain some or all of that lost vision.
This however has not proven to be the case with me so far, and whilst I am hopeful, I am also realistic about the chances of that ever happening.
So imagine this... one day everything is going along fine and the next day your life is changed forever!! How would you handle that? I’ve suffered roughly 25% of (Possibly permanent) vision loss. It took me to a pretty dark place. A place I’ve never been before and a place where I had some feelings that scared the crap out of me!!
So, apparently depression is a thing!! And I reckon I’ve got it!! Wether or not it’s a direct result of the stroke is up for debate. Perhaps it’s something that I’ve always had and the stroke simply brought it to the surface.
I don’t really know, but I am fortunate that I have a large group of friends and family that have supported me in the absolute darkest parts of this journey.
Sadly there are so many people out there that don’t have the same type of support network that I do, and many of them feel that there’s no hope, or that their loved ones would be better off without them. I know this because that’s exactly the way I felt.
The stroke ward at Liverpool hospital is a very busy place. There’s a lot of very sick patients there, and people die every day in that ward. As busy as it is there, it’s also a very lonely place and you can really feel the sadness there.
Lots of family members begging the medical staff for information about their loved ones conditions, and hoping for good news when in reality there’s not a lot of good news to go around.
I was in the room when just outside the door in the hallway I heard a doctor giving a family possibly the worst news they had ever heard. There was an 18 year old girl, a marathon runner who was out training and unfortunately she suffered a massive stroke in the area of the brain that controls movement.
The thing I remember is the sound the mother made when the doctor confirmed how bad the brain injury was. I didn’t hear what the doctor said, but it was obvious by her reaction that the news was not good. I later found out that she was not expected to walk again. That really woke me up, and in a really sad way, it showed me just how lucky I was.
Yeah it sucks that I can’t drive, and yeah I wish it hadn’t happened, but holy hell it could have been so much worse than it was. You really have to look at the big picture when something like this happened and be great full for what you have, not what you’ve lost, because there’s always somebody out there who’s in a worse position than you.
A special thanks goes out to my father in law Ray who has stepped up and taken over the driving duties for me as well as my friends Fiona, Paul, Leanne and Taylor who all took days off from their own busy schedules, just to help me out. Your help was greatly appreciated!!
And finally to my wife Nicole, who has put up with my mood swings and grumpiness. Hopefully that’s all behind us now and we can look to the future!!
Feedback for this episode, I have none!! Given the nature and content of this episode I felt that feedback should take a break, at least until the next episode.
That’s about all we have this episode, but keep the questions rolling in and I’ll try to get to them all in the next episode.
The same with the Pool Man Podcast jingle competition, keep the entries coming and I’ll play the first contestant’s entry very soon. Remember I’m looking for something catchy, but not too serious!! Have fun with it and get your entry in and you could have your song become the official jingle for the Pool Man Podcast!!
This production was made by me and should only be used s a guide to keep your swimming pool clean and clear. I always recommend that you employ the services of a professional pool technician should you have any issues you are an able to solve yourself.
You can email your questions to thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com and put the word “Question” in the subject field. It just helps me sort through them all a bit quicker.
I now have a Facebook page up and running and you can find it over at facebook.com/thepoolmanpodcast, and I’m also up and running with the Pool Man website where you’ll find all the show notes for the podcast, info on my business and tips and tricks for you to keep your pool sparkling!! Head over to thepoolmanpodcast.wixsite.com/thepoolman or https://www.commandopool.com.au/ or just search for The Pool Man Podcast in the Apple Podcasts app, Overcast or Stitcher Radio which is available on iOS and Android. You can also find the podcast over at thepoolmanpodcast.podbean.com
I do ask that after you listen, could you please give me a rating and subscribe so you automatically get the next episode when it becomes available, it also gets my numbers up so I rank a little higher, and that really helps other people find me too, so I thank you very much in advance for that!!
So stay safe and stay in touch at thepoolmanpodcast@gmail.com
I hope you can join me again for the next episode of The Pool Man Podcast, coming soon to a pod catcher near you.
