Fred Schweer: The Science Behind PoolRx+ and Cleaner Water

Clear water shouldn’t require a chemistry degree, a mountain of tabs, or weekly emergencies. We sit down with Fred Schweer, VP of Sales at PoolRX, to unpack how a chelated mineral system—copper, silver, and zinc—eliminates algae and frees up chlorine so your pools stay cleaner with less effort and expense. If you’ve battled microalgae, chased phosphate numbers, or watched high CYA slow your sanitizer to a crawl, this conversation reframes your approach with simple, reliable steps.

We break down what “chelated” really means and why it matters for safety, stain prevention, and long-lasting effectiveness. Fred explains how PoolRX’s unique chelation keeps minerals active for up to six months, even under pH swings and heavy oxidation, and why standard copper tests won’t read chelated copper accurately. With algae out of the picture, chlorine becomes more active, clarifiers and extra shocks fade from the routine, and many pros find they can maintain 0.5 to 1 ppm free chlorine while holding crystal clarity.

If you want to cut costs, reduce shocks and clarifiers, and keep customers happy with clear water week after week, this is a must-listen. Subscribe for more deep dives, share this episode with a fellow pro who needs a win, and leave a quick review to tell us your biggest algae headache—we’ll tackle it in a future show.

• EPA-registered, NSF-certified mineral system that prevents all algae
• Chelation that protects minerals, reduces staining risk, and confuses copper tests
• Phosphates reframed as algae food, not a chlorine consumer
• Lower chlorine targets with stable clarity and safety
• Practical tips to cut tabs, shocks, and clarifiers
• Sizing guidance for blue, black, red, orange, and spa units
• Overdose symptoms and how to correct them
• Strategy for clearing mustard and green algae pools
• Managing high CYA and regional challenges
• Steps for simple setup, clean filters, and six-month performance

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Chapters

• 2:39 Meet PoolRX And Today’s Focus
• 4:14 What PoolRX Plus Is And How It Works
• 5:51 Chelation Explained And Why It Matters
• 8:06 Phosphates, Microalgae, And Chlorine Demand
• 10:12 Running Lower Chlorine Safely
• 12:23 Make The System Work For Service Pros
• 15:08 Sizing Units And New Options
• 17:50 Overdose Risks And Easy Fixes
• 19:59 Clearing Algae And Choosing The Right Unit

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:51

Hi, welcome to the Best of the Pool Guy Podcast Show. And today I'm going to be joined by Fred Schweir of Pool RX, and we're going to talk about the mineral system that they manufacture that allows you to reduce your chlorine use and eliminates all types of algae in the pool. And so these three episodes are going to cover Pool RX in detail. And I think you're going to enjoy this look at their latest edition, the Pool RX Plus, for 2025 as we enter the 2026 pool season. Are you a pool service pro looking to take your business to the next level? Join the Pool Guy Coaching Program. Get expert advice, business tips, exclusive content, and get direct support from me. I'm a 35-year veteran in the industry. Whether you're starting out or scaling up, I've got the tools to help you succeed. Learn more at Swimmingpool Learning.com. I'm joined today by Fred Schweer from Pool RX. How are you doing today, Fred?

SPEAKER_01: 2:48

Good, David. How are you?

SPEAKER_00: 2:50

Good. And you're the VP of sales of R Pool RX, right?

SPEAKER_01: 2:53

That's correct.

SPEAKER_00: 2:54

Yeah, so you pretty much know the product inside and out.

SPEAKER_01: 2:58

I I would say so. Yes. Um been with the company going on 15 years. So um it's been a great uh experience, and and I really enjoy you know teaching folks about pool RX and how they can uh save time and money at all their pools.

SPEAKER_00: 3:13

So let's focus a little bit on the pool pro because I think this is where a lot of usage of the pool risk product is uh sold and distributed. Let's go over just the basics. What is Pool RX Plus?

SPEAKER_01: 3:26

Pool RX is an EPA registered algicide and it's NSF certified, which is necessary for all your public commercial water. Uh we're utilizing three uh active ingredients, which are copper, silver, and zinc. And our minerals are uniquely chelated, which uh protects our minerals at a molecular level. It's critical to our success. We really, it really sets us apart our chelation method. And really what pool RX does is it eliminates and prevents all types of algae. And by doing that, it's reducing chlorine demand. Uh, and even better, it's effective for up to six months. So, what we're doing is we are you know killing any existing algae you can see, but more importantly, uh pool RX uh prevents even the microalgae you can't see. So in a clear pool, uh it's the microalgae that is the biggest consumer of chlorine. And with Pool Rx, you're gonna be algae-free using less chlorine. And in addition, you're not gonna have to worry about phosphates anymore in the water. Uh, you know, the the chlorine is now more active and available to really clarify the water, so you're not having to worry about clarifiers. And we are your algae sides, so you're not gonna be using other algae sides. Uh, and again, you know, we're gonna be reducing chlorine demand, and you're not having any algae, so you won't have to use excessive shock either. So a lot, a lot of benefits um to every pool using pool RX. Uh, and not not just the not just the problem pools, but really for an every pool, every pool product.

SPEAKER_00: 4:57

Let me just ask you, let's just focus on the chiolating thing because I a lot of people get confused, and there's other products out there. There's of course copper algecides that aren't chiolated. And chialation has been used in the medical field for a long time to, you know, lead poisoning, things like that. So this process basically the metals are going to drop out of solution and stain the pool. Is that the main reason why we do that?

SPEAKER_01: 5:23

Yeah, we need to protect the minerals at a molecular level. Um, so it they it uh doesn't they don't have any adverse reaction to other chemicals in the water or you know, high or low pH fluctuations, over oxidation. So our minerals are protected uh through the life of the mineral. And lots of products out there claim to be uh chelated. But what happens is over time that chelation breaks down and also from uh overoxidation, you know, chlorine levels. And so with Pool Rx, uh the unique um way that we do archelation really protects our minerals for the life of the mineral. So our minerals do get used up and filtered out over time, but the chelation is protecting those minerals to the life of that mineral. So we never have uh any type of uh fallout or staining issues due to our chelation uh breaking down. In fact, the chelation is so strong that you're not gonna be getting an accurate uh copper test reading uh from your typical reagent uh test strips or liquid reagents, spin labs, any of that stuff. Uh the chelation um is is preventing uh the reagent from seeing it accurately. Uh that's a good thing because it it's it's it shows that it's protected. Uh it becomes a little bit challenging for folks to understand when to add booster minerals, but we can get into that later. The more critical part is that our our product is safe. Uh, we're able to have a little higher uh higher copper levels in the water that are safe and will not come out and stay in your pool. So that that's really a big part of our success is that method that we chelate the minerals. So yeah, it's it's super important for us. And uh it's it's one of the things that really sets us apart.

SPEAKER_00: 7:13

Let's talk a little bit about you mentioned, of course, algae prevention and microalgae. What about phosphate? This is something big in the industry because they're everywhere now, every product has them. Even metal sequestering agents have phosphates, tile soap, orthophosphates being introduced to the pool water, to the cities to keep the pipes from rusting. What about phosphates? What is plurex and phosphates? How does that relate?

SPEAKER_01: 7:37

Yeah, so phosphates, you know, to start off, I mean, phosphates are simply food for algae, right? Phosphates don't consume the chlorine. They do not consume chlorine. They're feeding the microalgae that consumes your chlorine. So again, with phosphates, you can't see them, you can't smell and taste them in the water. You know, elevated levels of phosphates are really a non-issue when you're using chluarx as directed. Chlurex is is um really freeing up the chlorine, be more active and available to really clarify the water. And uh the phosphates are just a non-issue. You know, so really you're and if you're always battling phosphates coming in from other sources, for us, we're we're making it simple. We're saying, look, we're gonna take algae out of the equation. So it no longer, you no longer have to worry about the phosphates, and um you'll be allergy-free using less chlorine. So it's pretty pretty simple.

SPEAKER_00: 8:28

Yeah, and then losing less chlorine is a fact because if anyone's used this, and I get a lot of pool pros that ask me afterwards, like, my chlorine is like so high in the pool now since I started using pool RX, I have to cut back. And I used to use two tabs, I'm using one tab at this pool. And this is the truth of using the product.

SPEAKER_01: 8:47

Yeah, that's absolutely correct. You know, like I said earlier, what we're doing is we're eliminating and preventing that microalgae. And that's the stuff that typically consumes your chlorine. And so when it's not there, your chlorine is much more active and available. And so what you're gonna find is that you're going to not only be able to keep and maintain a lower part per million target in your pool, but it's gonna physically take you less chlorine to reach and maintain that that level. Um, with pool RX, we only need 0.5 to 1 part per million of free chlorine in the water for uh for our product to work as advertised, with all things considered. You know, if if the water is in normal pool chemistry ranges, normal pump run times and filtration, uh, and pool RX in the water as directed, uh, your water is gonna be uh not only allergy-free, but clear and safe. Yeah, that reduction of chlorine in the water is it's a real thing, and that's that's a huge value to most service professionals out there and homeowners for that for that matter, um, because you're you're not gonna have to use as much. It's gonna save you some money, and uh your water is gonna look and and stay in a better range uh for a longer period of time. So um a lot of benefits uh for that. And and one thing I do bring up with with guys that are listening to this that are full service pros, you know, make pool RX work for you. Um what I mean by that is, you know, if you're coming back to a pool and and you're still uh well above one part per million of free chlorine in the water, and you know, you you can lower your target part per million for that pool for that next week. So you can start by putting in less. You know, if you come back to that pool and and and you're zeroed out, then you know, you're obviously uh, you know, a little bit too too low. But um again, even that zero chlorine, I know it's gonna maintain uh clarity for a while and it's gonna you're gonna still maintain algae-free water. This is not a zero chlorine product, but what this is is it's another layer of insurance. It's another layer of support that you're not going to come back to these pools uh that are are you know having algae problems or that are cloudy. You're gonna maintain um you know clarity and and uh safety for a lot longer uh at a lower free chlorine part per million. So again, for the service pros, it's just a great insurance policy. Um, you so you're not gonna have those repeat phone calls, you're not gonna have to come back and and uh hit that pool you know a second time that week. So it gives you it gives you a lot of uh wiggle room uh regarding beta loading conditions and uh those things that you can't really control. So what I love about it for these guys is that you know the minerals are always working for you even when you can't be there, and that's a huge value uh to a pool professional.

SPEAKER_00: 11:34

Let's let's talk about sizing a little bit. Now that you have different sizes available, we can probably touch on a few of those too. And sizing is probably the key to this product.

SPEAKER_01: 11:46

Yeah, it is. Uh that's where we got to start. You know, we it's it's pretty it's pretty easy. Um we have it's all pool RX is all the same product uh as far as our units go. They're just different different pre-sized units, you know. Uh as people are used to, the the blue and the black units are most common for pools. Um the the blue unit is 7,500 to 20,000 gallons, the black being 20 to 30,000 gallons. And then we also, of course, have our spa sizes that we've always had, which is the 100 to 400 gallon size, and then the 400 to 1,000 gallon size. Uh so we've always had those. And then uh new this year, uh we're coming out, we've we've come out with two new sizes. Uh we have a a red unit that is 2,500 to 5,000 gallons, and we have the orange unit that is uh 5,000 to 7,500 gallons. And these units are are great. There's always kind of been a gap for us. We've typically had to use multiple spa units for these uh other sized bodies of water. So uh now if you have anything in that in that range, um, it could be you know a little above ground pool, it could be a larger, you know, like a swim spa, it could be a fountain, um, you know, lots, lots of applications for for those sizes. Um, and again, you can kind of mix and match as needed. Uh so yeah, we're we're excited about those. Um, all of our products also come singles now, as well as four packs. Uh the four packs are new this year. Um, we've always had the blue and the black four packs and the booster four packs, but now we have our smaller um sized units that come in four packs that are great for service professionals.

SPEAKER_00: 13:21

Yeah, and I think the new sizes are are essential because again, sizing the the Polar X unit, I think is where people make some errors when they put, you know, too big of too large of one. Because it's it's based on the mineral content of each size.

SPEAKER_01: 13:56

Yeah, that that's correct. And to your point, yeah, we want to, there's a wide range for air, uh, but there are limits, and and we want to stay close to what you're sizing because it's it's pre-sized with the right amount of mineral based on the gallons of the pool. So if you overdose the pool uh excessively, the granular mineral that's packed inside of the pool rex unit uh needs to dissolve out of that unit uh completely and immediately into the water. And if there's not enough, if there's too much mineral, it won't have room to dissolve in the solution. You know, the the analogy I use is like a glass of iced tea, you pour sugar into it and you stir it up, and that sugar makes it sweet. And the excess sugar settles to the bottom of the glass. Uh, same with us. If you put too much mineral in the water, only so much can dissolve in the solution, and that excess mineral will either float around and that water will be blue and murky, or it'll you know settle to the bottom or it'll stick to the scale. Um, and so we don't want that to happen. I mean, it's a pretty easy fix. If you've slightly overdose, you could just dilute the water uh and lower the pH a little bit to help dissolve those minerals off the surfaces. If you've done an extreme overdose, um, which from time to time happens because folks don't don't listen or don't read the directions. If you put a blue unit, a blue unit into a spa, you're you're gonna have to drain and start over. I mean, there is just too much. So um, yeah, that and that's again, guys, the the easy part of our product, you know, they're all labeled very clearly of of what what gallons you're supposed to support. Yeah, that's um that's definitely where we start. So sizing is important.

SPEAKER_00: 15:30

Ideally, in the in the in the dream land world, all the pools are balanced, pH is in range, coins in range, there's no algae in the pools, but that's not the real world case out there. And let's just talk to the pool pros out there that have a normal pool route. Let's say you get to a pool, it's 15,000 gallons, and the walls are covered in mustard algae.

SPEAKER_01: 15:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 15:52

You know, you get to a pool and the pool is turning on you at that point too. So now at this point, you can use pool RX for sure because it it is going to help turn that pool around. How would you size something for a situation like that?

SPEAKER_01: 16:05

Yeah, good, good question. And and you kind of hit it on the head with the sizing. Um, you know, if if the black unit has 12 ounces of mineral um and and it's can support 20 to 30,000 gallons, our mineral, you know, as uh, and I didn't really get into this, but most of you know out there, but you know, the mineral dissolves in this solution, forms the residual in the water, and it kills and prevents the algae. And then as the water flows over the unit that you leave in the pump basket or the skimmer, the minerals are reionized to last for up to six months. And and so um regarding sizing, you know, you're you're pretty safe if you have a a lot of algae in that pool and you're at 15,000 gallons, some of that mineral is gonna get used up on that initial clearing of that algae, right? So using the black unit, if you're as long as you're above 15, I I would I would say above 15,000 gallons, uh, you you're safe to use the black unit uh in an algae pool. Um, if you're below 15, I I would stay with, you know, if you're 15 or below, I'd stay with the blue unit. And and to your point, David, you know, it it kind of if you can think about it, the the blue unit maxes at 20,000 gallons. Uh, and it's so we're at the tipping point right there. That's the max we can handle. And so if you put a 20, that you know, a blue unit, which is the max, the most we can handle is 20,000 gallons, and that pool has a bunch of mustard or green algae or or whatever algae in there, you know, we're gonna be under that tipping point pretty quick. So I would prefer you guys go with the larger unit. Um, so again, you know, it's it's rated for 20 to 30, but if if you have issues, um, you know, if you're above 15, you're you're safe to use the black unit. Um, and let's and you also talked about normal pool chemistry. So um if you want to you want to go back into that a little bit, I can I can go there.

SPEAKER_00: 17:51

Yeah, yeah. So let's say that you do have a pool, and you know, it's it's fine, everything's fine, and you've maintained it well, and it's in the normal ranges of the chemistry, the sizing for that unit would just be the exact size of the the unit for that size pool, right?

SPEAKER_01: 18:06

Sure. I mean, again, if if you're closer to that, you know, 18 to 20,000, I would definitely go with the black unit. But getting back to the pool chemistry, so pool rex is, I mean, if your water is in normal range, right? And we're talking about you know, normal pool chemistry ranges that are standard for the industry, uh, that includes obviously, you know, your cyanuric acid levels and also your any kind of metal in the water. If those are all in normal ranges, um, this is a complete, you know, it's as simple as it gets. You know, you're you're basically picking the right unit, you're starting with a clean filter, and you're dropping it in a skimmer or pump basket, and you're running the pump long enough for all the minerals to dissolve. You simply maintain normal pool chemistry, and you're gonna notice it's gonna a lot less chlorine is gonna be needed, and you're gonna be algae-free and using less chemicals for the for six months. So that's how easy it is. And that that's how how most people experience pool RX. And to your point, you asked about you know, pool service guys that are are running into all sorts of chemistry issues, right? And and they they go from depending on what part of the country they're in, uh, will kind of depend on what issues they run into. You know, um in in the West and you know, the Sun Belt, uh, you know, cyanuric acid is is a real issue. Um, people are not, um, these customers are not allowing you to drain their pools. And it that high cyanuric really is a is a struggle for for a lot of service guys because obviously we're you know, a lot of people are using you know trichlor tabs in the summer, and that that uh cyanuric acid goes up pretty quickly using those tabs. And as everybody knows, the higher that cyneuric goes, um, you know, the chlorine will last longer, but it will kill slower. And so what happens as that cyneuric uh goes well above your 100 part per million, you know, 150 parts per million, you're that that chlorine in the water is not killing the algae and bacteria as fast as it's growing. And that's where pool RX comes in, and we take algae out of the equation in these high cyneuric environments, and that's allowing that slow-acting chlorine to be more active and available to really, you know, go after the bacteria and and keep that water clear and safe. That is really where guys start with pool RX, is in their problem pools. Um, and that's that could be you know because of the cyneuric acid. Uh, it could also, you know, just be from beta loading conditions. Um, you might have normal, you know, normal pool chemistry ranges and a good cyanuric uh level, but just beta loading conditions and also food sources, you know, if if you do have those high phosphates that are coming in from your source water, uh if they're you know, they're like you mentioned earlier, they're coming in from all different areas um, you know, in the environment. If those keep going up, you're you're gonna keep, you know, you're gonna keep feeding that microalgae and you're gonna keep having problems. And again, with pool RX, you know, we just don't we just don't have those problems because we're we're preventing that uh algae from growing in the first place.

SPEAKER_00: 21:07

And if you're looking for other podcasts, you can of course find those on my website, swingpoolearning.com, on the banner. Click on the podcast icon. And I have over eighteen hundred podcasts there for you to listen to at your leisure. And if you're interested in the coaching program that I offer, you can learn more at PoolGuyCoaching.com. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Have a good rest of your week. God bless.