PoolRx Boosters: When, Why, and How—According to Fred Schweer

Clear water without the constant chlorine chase starts with getting the minerals right. We sat down with Fridge Tweer from PoolRx to unpack how proper sizing, clean filters, and smart booster timing keep mineral levels in the sweet spot so chlorine stays low and algae stays gone. From backyard pools to large commercial bodies of water, we walk through the exact steps that improve clarity, reduce chemical costs, and shave time off weekly service.

The conversation digs into the real-world variables that affect longevity: gallons, filtration, initial water quality, and dilution from backwashing or splash-out. You’ll learn the telltale signs that your mineral level has dipped—rising chlorine demand, dull water, or that first hint of algae—and how to fix it fast with the right booster. For saltwater pools, we outline simple moves that pay off: lower pH to 7.2–7.4 on install, then dial SWG output down to 30–40 percent as chlorine holds longer. A touch of zinc in the formula helps scale resist sticking to salt cells, meaning less acid use and fewer cleanings.

We also cover compatibility so you can streamline your kit: PoolRx plays well with UV, ozone, enzymes, phosphate removers, and borates, while avoiding bromine, sodium bromide, biguanides, and other copper-based algaecides. If you use Cal Hypo granular, dissolve and dilute in a bucket first to prevent instant oxidation stains; tabs and other chlorines are fine. With DE filters, consider recirculating on install or place the unit in the far skimmer and start at the beginning of a run cycle to help minerals dissolve into solution. Variable-speed setups benefit from longer initial run times to finish the dissolve. 

• lifespan drivers and why clean filters matter
• signs you need a booster and which size to choose
• commercial and large-pool scaling options
• saltwater pool setup, pH targets, and SWG output
• zinc’s descaling benefits on salt cells
• compatible products and what to avoid
• Cal Hypo dilution to prevent oxidation stains
• DE and variable-speed pump install timin

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Topic Setup
• 3:24 Season Length And Usage Patterns
• 4:44 What Drives PoolRx Longevity
• 8:34 When To Add A Booster And How
• 9:59 Commercial And Large Pool Sizing
• 10:49 Saltwater Pools And pH Prep
• 13:32 Turn Down SWG Output And Descaling
• 15:38 Compatibility And Products To Avoid
• 17:36 Cal Hypo Cautions And Best Practice
• 19:38 Install Tips For DE And VS Pumps
• 21:24 Proven Results, Savings, And Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:51

Hey, welcome to the Best of the Pool Vay podcast show. In this episode, I'll be joined by Fridge Tweer of Fool RX, and we're going to talk about how FoolarX works and the different sizing of Fool RX in 2024-2025. They came out with new sizings of the Fool RX Plus. We're going to go over that as well. And Full RX Plus, of course, will allow you to use a lot less chlorine in the pool and eliminate all types of algae in your pool. 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 swimming poollearning.com. Yeah, so let's talk a little bit about the lifespan of the Full Rex unit and the booster. So a lot of questions come up with you know four to six months. Most people swim season, like it's changed a lot in Southern California. I was just talking to one of my group members about how our season's changed here because it's getting warmer later now. Used to be five or eight years ago, May would be the beginning of the pool season. It was already 90, 100 degrees, but it's kind of shifted into June. And then school starts here beginning of the middle of August. So once the kids go back to school, no one's using the pool anymore. And so we really have a pretty short season in my area now because um in Los Angeles County because of the school year starting early. And then the season typically, at least for the last two or three years now, hasn't really started till like June. But you want to talk about the what affects the length of the pool or X and what about the booster?

SPEAKER_01: 3:33

Yeah, absolutely, David. Um the longevity of the product, uh, as I mentioned a little earlier, is based on several factors. But our minerals, we want to size it properly. Number one, get the right amount of mineral in the water based on the gallons. We have to get that in there because we have to have the right tipping point for the chemistry works. The longevity will be influenced by the sizing. Did you put the right size unit based on the gallons? The other one is you know, how clean was your filter prior to installation? Uh on our basic directions, it's hey, we got to clean the filter first because it's granular mineral. It needs to dissolve out of the unit through the filter into the water. Uh, the minerals are not killing anything at the filter level. So we need that mineral in solution in the water. So always say, hey, start with a clean filter before you install it. Um, the other one would be you know, how green was the pool prior to installation. So if you put this into a real swampy green pool, we'll get you cleared up. But those minerals, some of that mineral gets used up on that initial algae kill. And so you're gonna have to add a booster sooner than later. And I'll get to the booster in a second. Uh, the other thing that is influencing is you know, backwashing, uh, splash out, leaks, you know, excessive rain. You know, our minerals are not um affected by by sunlight, by heat, or evaporation. But they are affected if they lose, you know, if you're losing water from you know, backwashing, splash out, or leaks, um, or you have to, you know, you're getting heavy dilution, obviously our mineral concentration is gonna be out of the water as well. And so that will have an effect on the longevity. You know, the other ones are you know, pretty typical, like just your normal pool chemistry ranges are important, normal pump run times, normal, normal filtration, all of those things, you know, put pressure on your pool. So if those are all in normal ranges, it's gonna you're gonna have a better, you know, uh a better experience, a longer life of the minerals. The nice thing is, um, you know, we do have a booster. And so over time, the minerals, you know, they they do get recharged uh as they pass over the unit, but over time they also get used up uh from killing algae and they get filtered out. Over time, the mineral concentration does get reduced in the water. As that happens, uh, you're gonna notice, you know, four to six months after putting a pool RX in, that your chlorine demand starts to go back up. And like I said earlier, it's because the microalgae in the water can start growing again. Once our mineral concentration goes below a certain tipping point, that microalgae has the ability to grow and your chlorine demand will go up. You're still gonna be clear, it's just gonna take a little bit more chlorine. You're gonna start noticing your chlorine demand going up. The second noticeable sign would be, you know, your water is in normal ranges, you got a good um, you know, it's in normal chemistry range, you got a good free chlorine reading, but it's just looking kind of dull or cloudy. That's the next noticeable sign. And then the third one is pretty obvious. If you see any hint of algae, a little mustard spot or a little tinge of green, you know at that point we're we're overdue. Uh the minerals are are used up uh and and filtered out, and it's definitely time to add a booster. And what the booster is, as you know, David, is just um it's the same mineral that's packed inside the original unit. We have a blue booster that handles uh 7,500 to 20,000 gallons, and a black booster that that supports the 20 to 30,000 gallons. Um and all you really do is you'll, you know, like you do an install for regular pool RX. You want to make sure your water is the normal range, you want to make sure your filter is clean. Uh, and then you just open up that jar and you dump that booster into the skimmer or pump basket and you run your pump uh long enough for all those minerals to dissolve. And what's gonna happen is those minerals are gonna dissolve um, you know, through your filter into solution in the water. Uh those minerals will raise the mineral concentration back up in that water, and you're gonna be allergy-free and using less chlorine with it by the next day. Uh, as though as that water with the booster minerals in it flows over that original pool RX unit that you leave in the pump basket or the skimmer, uh, the booster minerals will be recharged to last for another four to six months. Uh, and then the following year, you want to start with a new unit because the unit, the alloy cylinder in there, does get scaled and it loses its connectivity with the minerals in the water over time. So every year it's a new unit. Four to six months later, or when necessary, you can add the booster. And then the other reason for the booster, as you know, David, is for those larger bodies of water. So you can kind of mix and match based on what you're supporting. Um, we can we can support any size body of water. We also have uh a commercial unit uh and a 10-pound bucket of minerals that can support you know pools from you know 150,000 to 500,000 gallons. And obviously we we can go higher than that. We've done you know million, million gallons, two million gallons, um, no problem. Just about getting you know the right amount of uh of our specially treated alloy in this in the system as well as uh the enough enough minerals to support the gallons. To make it simple, guys, it's it's pretty much a Pull X unit each spring. And uh at the end of the summer, uh when you need to, you can add the booster. So that that's the basics of it.

SPEAKER_00: 8:59

Yeah, for a saltwater pool, uh the polar X is compatible with salt systems. I think there is one thing that you need to do though when you're when you're initially adding it to the salt pool. Since the saltwater pools, the pH is like 8.2, 8.4. It just runs super high. Uh it's just a natural byproduct of the production. You would want to lower the pH at least to 7.4 before adding the polar X units for the minerals dissolve. Is that a correct assessment?

SPEAKER_01: 9:24

Yeah, that's absolutely right. Yeah, you're you've you've been doing this a while, and I know you've been using Polar X a while. So yeah, the minerals are granular and they need to dissolve into solution. And it's gonna be easier to dissolve into solution uh in in normal pool chemistry range. Um, you know, and I I always target, I always say, hey, let's target like a 7.2, 7.4 prior to install. Just because to your point, like you said, you know, that those soliclorine generators are producing a pH of you know, a chlorine of of about 13 coming off that cell. So that's why they're always driving the pH up. And and when they're in that scaling mode, they're it's pushing calcium out of the water. And so I would rather the minerals have an easier time dissolving into solution rather than you know, in that, you know, eight eight point zero plus eight two, eight four, where it's gonna take longer for those minerals to dissolve into the water. Um and that's where you can see you know that undissolved mineral, you know, kind of stick to the scale, you know, before it dissolves. And so to avoid that, just you know, it it's not it's not a huge factor, but again, it just leads to let's keep it in normal pool chemistry ranges. Um, and it's better to start at that at that lower level because as you're producing, you know, as that salt covering generator is running, it's gonna keep driving that pH up. And so for the initial install, yeah, I think you know, 7-4 would be great.

SPEAKER_00: 10:38

And then for a salt water pool, of course, it's gonna be the same effect where you're gonna notice the chlorine's holding in the pool longer. And I've noticed that sometimes you have to turn the salt production down to even as low as 30%, because otherwise you're gonna just be producing way too much chlorine. And typically the salt water pools have a lot less cyaneric acid in them than the trichlor pools, and that that could be a problem too. So that's a key factor, too. You lower that salt production as soon as you put the polyx unit in.

SPEAKER_01: 11:06

That's right, David. Yeah, you're absolutely right. That's the benefit not only to the pool service pro, because you're gonna be able to use less acid to keep that high pH uh in normal range. Uh, but it's also a benefit to the homeowner, right? The uh, you know, you're you're gonna prolong the life of that salt cell if if you're producing less, uh, you know, if you're having to produce less every day. So if you can turn down that salt clearing generator, um, it benefits uh both of you. Um and one additional note is you know there is some zinc in our product that is a natural descaler. Um and what this it we don't sell it as a descaling product, but but the the way that that zinc works is that it's gonna prevent the scale from attaching as easily to surfaces, uh especially the salt cells. So you're not gonna have to clean that salt cell as frequently, which again is a benefit to the to the homeowner. But um, yeah, you're you're gonna definitely notice that you you can turn down that salt and chlorine generator. Um, and all we need again, guys, is you know, to have you know 0.5 to 1 part per million of free chlorine and and everything else in normal range for us to work as advertised. So huge benefits for salt pool customers.

SPEAKER_00: 12:08

Yeah, and you mentioned using less acid because if you turn down the production, those side effects from the production of the higher pH gets reduced as well. So I think to clarify that, Clorex is going to make the coin last a lot longer in the salt pool, which means that if you're set your salt output at 80% or 100%, you bring that down to 30 or 40 percent, you're gonna have less of that side effect at the higher pH. So it does do two things actually in a salt water pool, which is great, or actually three things if you count the zinc as a descaler.

SPEAKER_01: 12:40

Absolutely. It's it's um it's kind of a no, it's it's really works great in all pools, but the nice thing about salt pools is you can really tell that your your chlorine, you know, that that's a great test of showing you, hey man, my this chlorine is much more active and available. So for folks that don't believe it, you know, try this in a salt pool. You'll you'll definitely see the benefit of what poolar X is doing as far as the chemistry goes.

SPEAKER_00: 13:03

Let's just talk a little bit about compatibility because a lot of people have the salt water generated, then they have UV and ozone attached to it as well. And then the Pool Pro also likes using enzymes and phosphates. A lot of pool pros like using borates. So poolar X generally is almost understanding. I said all those together because it's compatible with all the things I mentioned.

SPEAKER_01: 13:22

Yeah, that's correct. You know, if you're making money selling phosphate removers once a season, that's fine. You know, um it works with all those, but it works with borates. Yeah, again, not necessary based on our chemistry and our science. But um, if if you want to uh use those products as another layer uh of support, they have no adverse interactions. The ones we would not want you to work uh to use would be you know, bromine. Uh so any of your spas, you know, you're gonna have to start with fresh water, clean filter, uh, and use pool RX and a little bit of, you know, maybe a tablespoon of dichlor once a week, a little non-chlorine shock. So no bromine, uh no sodium bromide, uh, no bigwanides, um, and no other copper-based products. You know, so we are your algae side. You know, and again, don't use with fish, even though we have these new sizes for for fountains and ponds and stuff, don't use with fish. Fish don't react the same to chlorine and minerals um as we do, as mammals do. So um, but yeah, all those other products are fine. Um, just really based on if you want to go less is more, um, you can go pull our X and not need those. Um, but again, if if you want some extra other other layers of support and you're actually making money selling those products, uh you'll be fine.

SPEAKER_00: 14:42

The last thing I guess we can touch on before we end here is uh Calhypo. It's pretty popular in Texas. Uh Florida is becoming a lot more popular. It's always been kind of popular here, but liquid chlorine has always been more popular. It's trichloroforce, it's the number one sanitizer of choice in in Southern California. But Calhypo and Polar X, there are a couple of cautions when using it. It's nothing that's incompatible, but it's just how Calhypo kind of reacts in the water with it, right?

SPEAKER_01: 15:10

Yeah, correct. So our our basic instruction is to err on the side of caution. First of all, not all cal hypo is made the same, and that that's one uh variable. But what we say is we would rather we need you guys to dissolve and dilute your cal hypo before pouring it in the pool when you're using pool RX. If you don't, uh in some cases, you sprinkle that cal hypogranular around the edge of the pool and it settles to the bottom before it dissolves, and it can instantly oxidize and turn black or gray. So that is totally avoidable if you just take your five-gallon bucket of water and pour your cal hypogranulate into the five-gallon bucket of water, stir it up for a little bit and then and then slowly pour it in the deep end. It will prevent any of that cal hypooxidation. And some people think, oh, I can still sprinkle it in and I'll brush up real quick. No, it in some in some cases it instantly oxidizes. So that's the one all other types of chlorine have we have any kind of granular chlorine is is has no impact on that. But cal hypo is the one that we we ask you to dissolve and dilute the cal hypo before you pour it in. Yeah, cal hypo tabs, no problem. Um, so yeah, no issue there. It's just that granular. And again, guys, it's not it's not all. Uh there's a lot of cal hypo out there. Uh, but I I would rather you avoid that issue than than uh have to fix it.

SPEAKER_00: 16:33

Then the guy should be doing that anyway because pouring it directly at certain full surface types is not advisable.

SPEAKER_01: 16:39

I I know, I know, I know, David. It's but you know, we people are are cutting corners and and uh especially if you're using pullar X, you should just uh make sure you dissolve and dilute it. It's pretty simple.

SPEAKER_00: 16:49

I always think liquid chlorine is is better anyway, because it's it's just doesn't add the calcium, it doesn't cloud the water. But I know some areas liquid chlorine is is not as readily available as the cal hypo. Understandable.

SPEAKER_01: 17:01

Um before we go, David, I know we want to wrap this up. Um, just a couple quick notes, guys. We we talked about sizing, installation, and maintenance. The a couple of basics that I want to cover are when you install this, you want to make sure your filter is clean. Um, if you have a DE filter, you need to actually clean the grids, put the right amount of DE in there. If you can bypass uh or put it on recirculate and bypass the DE on the initial install, even better because that mineral won't get caught on that DE filter. Um, so that's my first choice. Um, if you don't have time to do that, you know you don't want to you don't want to recirculate or or bypass that DE and come back in a few hours. Um, if you don't want to do that, you just you want to put on a DE filter, you definitely want to put it in the skimmer basket furthest from the pump. Make sure that that that skimmer has some flow and make sure that you install it at the the uh the start of the pump run cycle for the day. That will give the minerals more time uh to slowly dissolve into solution and more time to get into solution in the plumbing before they have to pass through that DE. I know DE is not as losing popularity, but uh just for those folks, and again, that also leads to the getting that mineral into the water. We don't want to get it caught up on the DE. We want to get it in solution in the water. The second thing about installation, guys, is you know, if you're if you have variable speed pumps, which is almost everybody now, you know, our directions say three to four hours, you know, it's gonna dissolve in three to four hours. That's probably more on on your higher speeds, your higher RPMs. If you're if you're not gonna be able to do that, uh and you want to you're running it for six or eight hours a day on variable or longer, you want to put the product in at the beginning of the pump run cycle, ideally. So it gives those minerals time to dissolve into solution through the filter into solution in the water. And and the longer the pump runs, uh, the better on that additional install. And then when we talked about not cleaning or backwashing after install, uh, that uh is more, you know, your the concept here, guys, is that some of that mineral does get caught up in the filter. And the longer you have for that mineral to dissolve through that filter into the water before you have to clean that filter again, means the more mineral that you paid for is gonna be in solution in the water, again, leading to better longevity. So um, but again, if if you're clearing up a green pool, you know, it's a little bit different. You're you're gonna have to run that punk 24 hours and come back that next day, and you're gonna have to probably clean that filter because of all that dead algae. So ultimately, guys, if when you have to clean the filter, you have to clean the filter. No matter if that pressure gets to a certain point that you gotta backwash or clean it, then that's what you got to do. Um, but ultimately, you know, the initial install, if we can get that right, um, we can get the most bang for your buck, and um it'll be a great season for you. You know, this product, we've been we've been saving people money and and keeping people algae-free since 1994. Um, and it's the real thing. I mean, this this is really, there's nothing like pool RX out there. That's why I love being part of this company. But you know, we are really unique compared to anything else on the market. And we really set ourselves apart, you know, with our mineral formulation, uh, the way that the product's chelated, the way the product reacts with our specially treated alloy to last for up to six months. Um so yeah, there's nothing like it. If if um you know, if you're a pool service professional, even if you know, chems included, it's absolutely no-brainer. You're gonna save yourself time and money. Uh, if you're charging for chemicals, uh, you can charge for pool RX. You're gonna be spending less time at these pools and you're gonna have a happier customer. So great for both sides and obviously great for the homeowner uh on so many levels with not only water, water quality, clarity, safety, longevity, the the whole experience of always having a nice clear pool. So great for everybody involved.

SPEAKER_00: 20:51

Yeah, and I'm a definitely a believer in the product. And there, if you look at the reviews anywhere on on the internet, you'll see that uh you guys get stellar reviews. So it's not just us talking here. Consumers over the last 30 years have really loved, and the pool pros have really loved Pool Rec. And you'll find all that that we're just not talking here. Uh, there's a lot of empirical evidence backing us up here. So thanks for your time.

SPEAKER_01: 21:17

Yep, thank you, David. I appreciate it as well. Thanks, everybody.

SPEAKER_00: 21:20

And if you're looking for other podcasts, you can find those by going to my website, swimmingpro learning.com. On the banner, click on the podcast icon. There'll be a drop down menu of over eighteen hundred podcasts for you to listen to there. And if you're interested in my coaching program, you can learn more at PoolGuyCoaching.com. Thanks for listening to this podcast. Have you guys through a week and God bless.