E334: Pool Secrets Unveiled

Dive into the surprisingly complex world of pool maintenance with Ross Negger, founder of Tiki Nui Pool Care Inc. Ross's journey from Vancouver-born mechanical engineer to Florida pool expert is a testament to entrepreneurial adaptability. After building and selling various companies and working in the film industry, pandemic shutdowns led him to seek a recession-proof business—finding his answer in Florida's 25 million privately owned pools.

Ross shatters common misconceptions that plague pool owners. Did you know that crystal-clear water can still harbor harmful bacteria? Or that the strong "chlorine smell" actually indicates you need MORE chlorine, not less? Perhaps most surprising is the truth about saltwater pools—they don't eliminate chlorine; they generate it continuously! These insights represent just a fraction of the expert knowledge Ross has accumulated and documented in his comprehensive pool maintenance book, which he generously offers free to listeners.

The name "Tiki Nui" reflects a personal touch—inspired by Ross's three daughters who dance in Polynesian style. This family connection underscores the values driving his business as it services approximately 300 residential pools throughout the Treasure Coast. When he's not ensuring pristine pools, Ross embraces adventure through international travel with his wife, rides his Harley Davidson Road King, and learns to sail, dreaming of future catamaran journeys through island waters.

Ready to transform your pool experience with professional care or expert advice? Whether you're in Fort Pierce, Palm City, Jensen, or anywhere on the Treasure Coast—or simply seeking knowledge about proper pool maintenance—visit TikiNui.com or call 772-828-2281 to connect with a company that truly cares about being "the best, most professional pool company on the Treasure Coast."

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, GarfieldBowen.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of services orrepairs for your swimming pool?
Well, we may have somebodyclose to you.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
ross Negger, with Tiki Nui PoolCare Inc.
Ross, how's it going today?

Speaker 3 (00:33):
Hey, that's right.
Thanks, Garfield.
Thanks for having me on theGood Neighbor podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Listen, we're excited to learn all about you and your
business.
Tell us about your company.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Okay, well, maybe I'll go back to where I'm from.
So I was born in Vancouver,canada, way over on the other
coast, and studied mechanicalengineering and, as many people
do, I decided to do everythingbut what I studied, and so I've
had a number of differentcareers over the years and I've

(01:05):
built and sold various companies, and most recently I had been
working in the motion pictureindustry in Hollywood North and
Corona again, and shuteverything down.
And then, you know, eventuallywe came back and then we had two
overlapping strikes which shutdown the industry again.
So I was looking for somethingthat was sort of recession slash

(01:30):
, pandemic proof, and I'vealways wanted to move to Florida
.
So my research led me toswimming pools and I discovered
that the state of Florida has 25million privately owned pools,
so it's a huge business.
So, you know, one thing led toanother and I found a gentleman

(01:50):
on the Treasure Coast here thathe and his wife were ready to
retire, and I bought their bookof business and formed a company
named Tiki Nui Pool Care, andthat name is strange to some
pool care, and that name is isstrange to some.
But the background of that ismy three daughters dance
Polynesian style, dancing likeHawaiian hula, and so they

(02:13):
wanted something that reflectedthat Polynesian spirit, and so
we came up with this name.
That is quite different andunique, and today we have four
technicians and we servicearound 300 residential pools on
the Treasure Coast.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
When it comes to pool care and repair.
What are some of the myths andmisconceptions?

Speaker 3 (02:35):
I'm glad you asked.
I actually I'd say I have fiveor six that come up regularly
and form a lot of theconversations that I have with
people.
So the first myth around poolcleaning is if my water looks
clean, then it must be clean,and that's not always true.
Pool water can look crystalclear but still have bacteria,

(03:00):
microalgae and a seriousimbalance of chemistry that can
affect your health and your poolequipment.
The second myth about poolcleaning is you know, my pool
smells like chlorine, so it musthave too much chlorine in it,
and while actually pure chlorineis almost odorless, what you're

(03:22):
actually smelling ischloramines, which is a chlorine
that is bound to all that nastystuff that gets into the pool,
like sweat, urine and otherdissolved solids.
So if you smell that, thesolution is actually, ironically
, more chlorine to break up allof that stuff.
The third myth around poolmaintenance is I don't see any

(03:43):
debris in my pool, so it must beokay to turn off my pump and
not run it much.
Well, most of thosecontaminants that you were
talking about are microscopicand a pool ideally should
actually run 24 hours a day.
You know, the only reason weturn off our pool pumps is to
save money on the electricalbill.

(04:03):
So you know, in a perfect worldwe would run our pool pump
around the clock.
Myth number four around poolmaintenance is the sun helps to
disinfect my pool, and this iscompletely false.
Actually, the sun is our worstenemy, and it not only feeds
algae, which is an organicmarine plant.

(04:26):
So one of the two things aplant needs is sunlight, but the
sun also destroys the chlorinein a matter of hours.
The liquid chlorine that we putin the pool is completely
vaporized by the sun if there isno stabilizer, um, and of
course too much stabilizer isalso bad, because that renders

(04:48):
the pouring ineffective.
Uh, and that kind of leads usinto point number five, which is
I never need to change my poolwater because it rains so much
here in Florida, um, that it'salways full, and you know that
might be true, but there arecertain solids, minerals, things
like calcium that build up overtime and there's no effective

(05:11):
way to remove these things.
You know our guys, with a netor vacuum, cannot get those
microscopic particles out ofthat water.
So a pool should be drained andrefilled every four or five
years, and you know we have somepools we manage that I'll bet
have not been drained in 25years.
So you know, for your health,you know your pool should be

(05:32):
drained occasionally.
And then the last, and this isreally my favorite, and this may
be because of just generalmisconceptions, it may be
because of you know, sales pitch, you know from the equipment
stores or wherever, but I'veheard this at least once a week

(05:53):
for the last two years, and it'ssaltwater pools do not use
chlorine, and that's completelyfalse.
It's funny Saltwater poolsactually generate chlorine all
day long.
Water pools actually generatechlorine all day long.
And so it's true that you'renot dosing chlorine into a
saltwater pool, and that's onlytrue because the pool is making

(06:15):
the chlorine as it goes.
So I would say those are thetop six myths when it comes to
pool cleaning and maintenance.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
Very interesting.
I'm sure my listeners can learna lot.
I took some notes while youwere talking there.
Now we know marketing is thekey to every business.
Who's your target audience andwhat are you doing to attract
them?

Speaker 3 (06:41):
That's a good question.
Well, basically our targetaudience is anyone that lives to
the north, I'd say in FortPierce, anyone south to Palm
City, over to the east, over toJensen, that owns a house with a
pool in the backyard.
So we basically will servicejust about any type of

(07:05):
residential pool and spa.
Just about any type ofresidential pool and spa.
The only one that we reallyhave difficulty with is the.
You know the above ground, youknow pop-up pools, and for those
we're happy to lend advice andor to do the chemistry to help

(07:27):
folks with those.

Speaker 2 (07:29):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (07:30):
And have you ever thought about doing your own
podcast?
I actually have.
I've dabbled a little bit.
I have the professionalmicrophone and I actually am
quite interested in theengineering.
As a, as a young person, I loveto, um, to get to the, you know,

(07:54):
down to the nitty gritty and godown the rabbit hole and really
become an expert at the thingI'm doing.
And so, um, you know, I've I'vespent much of my free time the
last couple of years studyingpool chemistry and what makes a
pool great and what makes poolsgo bad, and I've actually
written a book that um.
You know that I can.

(08:15):
I'd be happy to send folks afree digital copy if they're
listening to this podcast.
That will help someone, whetherthey live in our area or not,
to manage their own pooleverything from the chemistry to
the cleaning to the diagnosing,you know, leaks and problems,
and I'd be happy to give that toanybody that either wants to

(08:38):
manage their own pool or justsort of bone up on their
knowledge so that they can havean intelligent conversation with
their pool professional.

Speaker 2 (08:47):
I know a lot of our listeners here.
They want to know more aboutRoss Outside of work.
When you're not busy runningyour business.
What do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3 (08:58):
Oh well, my wife and I love to travel.
I think we've been to about 10countries since the end of
Corona.
Again, I've got a HarleyDavidson Road King that I don't
get on enough, but I love toride and the last year and a
half or so I've been learning tosail and so that's sort of you

(09:20):
know, somewhere off in thesunset for my wife and I may be
spending some time on acatamaran out in the islands.

Speaker 2 (09:28):
Okay, ross, I want you to tell our listeners, if
nothing else, that they werejust to remember one thing, what
should be the one thing theyshould remember about Tiki Nui
Pool Care Inc.

Speaker 3 (09:44):
We care and we want to be the best, most
professional pool company on theTreasure Coast and whether
you're hiring us or you're justlooking for some advice, you
know we'd be happy to, even togive you some information.
If you're not in our area youlive in Texas or California I'll
give you some advice on how toselect a professional pool

(10:05):
company.

Speaker 2 (10:07):
Okay, Listeners here now just have one word on their
lips, and that is how.
How do we get more informationon Tiki Nui Pool Care Inc.

Speaker 3 (10:19):
Oh, the easiest way is just to go to our website.
It's TikiNui T-I-K-I-N-U-I dotcom, or call us at 772-828-2281.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
Listen, Ross, we really appreciate you having on
the show.
We wish you and your businessthe very best Moving forward.

Speaker 3 (10:38):
Thank you so much, garfield, I really appreciate
you.

Speaker 1 (10:41):
Thank you for listening to thefield.
I really appreciate you.
772-362-3840.