In Episode 297 of the Pool Nation Podcast, Edgar De Jesus, John “JJFlawless,” and Zac “The Pool Boy” sit down with Jose Perez, founder of Encore Filtration also now officially known as The Duke of Dirty Filters.

This episode goes deep into one of the most overlooked yet critical components of pool service: filtration and why it directly impacts water quality, efficiency, customer trust, and profitability.

Jose shares his journey from air filtration into the pool industry, why most pool pros are losing money on filters without realizing it, and how innovation, pricing strategy, and protecting the service professional are reshaping the industry.

This isn’t just a product conversation it’s a business conversation about margins, competition from online retailers, and what it really takes to build a sustainable pool service company.

If you’re a pool pro, service company owner, or industry professional this episode will change how you think about filtration, pricing, and long-term growth.

00:00 – Welcome to the Pool Nation Podcast 01:30 – Introducing Jose Perez (Encore Filtration) 04:15 – Why filtration is overlooked in the pool industry 08:20 – Jose’s background: From air filtration to pool innovation 13:45 – Taking the leap into entrepreneurship (no customers, no guarantees) 18:30 – The biggest gaps in the pool filtration market 23:10 – The real problem: Online pricing vs. service profitability 29:40 – Why protecting pool pros matters (and why most manufacturers don’t) 36:15 – The truth about margins, pricing, and customer trust 42:00 – Innovation beyond the product: thinking differently 48:20 – The FIT Kit concept (solving real field problems) 54:10 – How to build loyalty through customer experience 59:30 – The future of filtration & industry standards 1:05:20 – Technology center & raising the bar in testing 1:10:45 – Why “good is not good enough” in business 1:15:30 – Final thoughts & lessons for pool pros 1:18:00 – The birth of “The Duke of Dirty Filters”

• Filtration isn’t just maintenance it’s a profit center
• Competing with online pricing is one of the biggest threats to pool pros
• Innovation isn’t just products it’s customer experience + business strategy
• The companies that win will be the ones that protect the trade
• If you’re not improving, you’re falling behind good is not good enough

We want to thank our amazing Pool Nation Visionary Partners for making this podcast possible:

• The SPPA
• Blu-Ray XL
• AquaStar Pool Products
• Natural Chemistry
• Raypak EnCore Brands
• Heritage Pool Supply
• Hayward Pool Products
• Poolside Tech
• Pool Brain
• Nidec
• Encore Filtration

Follow us for more content, training, and industry insights:

• Website: PoolNation.com
• Instagram: @PoolNationPodcast
• Podcast: Pool Nation Podcast

In Episode 296 of the Pool Nation Podcast, Edgar breaks down the pool service business systems that help companies scale without losing control. This is Part 2 of the series and it moves from the problem to the solution. If you want to know how to scale a pool service business, this episode walks through the systems that protect profit, improve consistency, and make growth sustainable.

Edgar covers the real structure behind pool business growth, including chemical systems, route structure, service consistency, repairs, customer communication, and the numbers every pool pro needs to know. If your company is adding pools but still feels chaotic, these pool business systems can help you create repeatable results and build a stronger operation.

This episode is for pool service business owners who want better route efficiency, stronger margins, improved customer retention, and a clearer path to scaling. If you are trying to grow your pool service company without breaking your operations, this episode gives you a practical roadmap.

00:00 Intro and Part 2 overview 03:00 What systems really mean in a pool business 07:30 Why operations break before money 12:00 Chemical systems and hidden profit leaks 20:30 How to control chemical creep 28:00 Route structure and profit 36:00 Drive time and margin loss 44:00 Service consistency and reputation 52:00 SOPs and repeatable results 59:00 Repairs and captured profit 1:08:00 Customer communication and trust 1:17:00 The numbers every pool pro must know 1:26:00 What real scaling looks like 1:34:00 Building one system at a time 1:41:00 Final thoughts and Matrix invite

Special thanks to our Pool Nation Visionary Partners for supporting the podcast and the pool industry.

SPPA Blu-Ray XL AquaStar Pool Products Natural Chemistry Raypak Heritage Pool Supply Hayward Pool Products Poolside Tech Pool Brain Nidec Oncore Filtration

EnCore Brands

E-295 Pool Nation Podcast. If you’ve ever felt like your pool business is growing… but somehow getting harder, more stressful, and less profitable—this episode is for you.

In this episode, Edgar breaks down one of the biggest problems in the pool industry: why companies break when they try to grow. And more importantly, what you need to fix before it happens to you.

This isn’t about working harder. It’s about understanding what growth actually does to your business.

Because growth doesn’t fix your business… 👉 Growth reveals your business.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why adding more pools can actually make your business worse
• The critical mistake most pool pros make between 50–100 pools
• How poor structure leads to burnout, callbacks, and lost profit
• Why not knowing your cost per pool is killing your business
• The pricing mistake that keeps you stuck and underpaid
• How repairs are the hidden profit engine you're walking past every day
• The mindset shift from technician to true business owner

If you’re serious about scaling your pool business the right way—and actually making money doing it—this episode will change how you think about growth forever.

This is Part 1 of a 2-part series. In Part 2, we’ll break down the systems and operational structure you need to scale the right way.

00:00 – Podcast Intro & Welcome 01:00 – Why Pool Companies Break When They Grow 03:30 – The Illusion of Growth (Why More Pools Feels Right) 06:00 – The Most Important Stage in Your Business (And Why You Skip It) 09:00 – The Breaking Point: 70–90 Pools 11:00 – When Everything Starts to Feel Heavy 13:00 – How Small Decisions Turn Into Big Problems 15:00 – The Hidden Cost of Rushing (Chemicals, Time, Profit Loss) 17:00 – You Didn’t Fail—You Grew Without Structure 19:00 – The Most Important Question: Cost Per Pool 22:00 – Why Most Pool Pros Don’t Know Their Numbers 24:00 – Route Inefficiency & Profit Leaks 26:00 – When Growth Makes the Math Worse 27:00 – Sponsor Break 31:00 – The Pricing Problem (Why Matching Competitors Fails) 34:00 – The 3 Things Your Price Must Cover 36:00 – The “More Pools” Trap 38:00 – Why More Work Doesn’t Fix a Broken System 40:00 – The Repair Opportunity You’re Missing 44:00 – Turning Pools Into Profit Centers 46:00 – Technician vs Business Owner Mindset 49:00 – Why Most Pool Pros Stay Stuck 50:00 – The Power of Knowing Your Numbers 52:00 – Sponsor Break 56:00 – Key Takeaways: Fix the Foundation Before You Grow 57:30 – What’s Coming in Part 2 (Systems & Scaling) 59:00 – Outro

A huge thank you to our Pool Nation Visionary Partners for making this podcast possible:

• SPPA
• Blu-Ray XL
• AquaStar Pool Products
• Natural Chemistry
• Raypak
• Heritage Pool Supply Group
• Hayward Pool Products
• Poolside Tech
• EnCore Brands
• Pool Brain
• Nidec
• OnCore Filtration

These companies are investing in the future of pool pros and helping us build a stronger industry.