Big Industry News: HASA Buys Bio-Dex
A chemical brand doesn’t survive since the 1960s by accident and Hasa’s acquisition of Biodex is a sign these formulas are sticking around for the long haul. We talk through why this partnership is a big deal for pool service pros, then get practical about the Biodex products that earn repeat use on real routes, not just on a spec sheet. If you’ve been hunting for reliable pool chemicals, proven stain removers, or safer ways to handle an acid wash, this one is built for you.
We start with Biodex Plaster White and Bright, an acid wash additive that changes the game by thickening the acid and water mix. That thicker, slow-moving coating helps you cover plaster more evenly, boosts brightening, and can reduce fumes while you work. We also share a straightforward mixing approach and how this small tweak can make an acid wash feel more controlled and consistent.
Next, we dig into Biodex Aquadex 50 Stain Off and the kinds of stains it can lift, from light brown discoloration to ugly streaks that can show up after adding certain salts with anti-caking additives. You’ll hear how to apply it, why brushing matters, and the biggest “don’t ignore this” warning: stain treatments can crush your free chlorine if you overdose, and pH in the low 7s can be the difference between mediocre and impressive results.
We also cover Biodex 300 Tile Cleaner and why it’s one of the strongest options for calcium scale, along with the handling cautions that protect decks, plaster, and even mosaic tile. We wrap with notes on algaecides, foam control, enzymes, and where to actually find Biodex products online without getting lost. Subscribe for more field-tested pool service tips, share this with a tech who fights stains, and leave a review with your toughest pool chemistry question.
We break down why Hasa acquiring Biodex is good news for pool pros and why these long-running chemicals still earn a spot on a service truck. We share the Biodex products we trust most, how we use them in the field, and the safety and water balance details that decide whether they work or backfire.
• why the Hasa and Biodex partnership matters for availability and product continuity
• Plaster White and Bright as an acid wash additive that thickens the mix for better coverage and fewer fumes
• Aquadex 50 Stain Off for metal and organic stains, including a real-world salt staining save
• the chlorine drop risk with stain removers and why correct dosing matters
• pH targets that improve stain treatment performance
• Biodex 300 Tile Cleaner strength, handling cautions, and when to keep it away from employees or delicate surfaces
• algaecide options including Skillet, plus foam and surface film considerations
• Foam Down use cases and the reminder to fix the cause of foaming, not just the symptoms
• where to find Biodex products online and how to navigate their product listings
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1 SPEAKER_00: Hey, welcome to the Pool Guy Podcast Show.
Hasa recently acquired Biodex.
Biodex is a chemical company that's been around since the
1960s and they make some really great chemicals.
So the acquisition by Hasa is really a great partnership.
And today I'm going to touch on a few of the Biodex products
that I use all the time and that I like the most.
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 swimmingpoollearning.com.
The first Biodex product, actually, there's two products
that I was introduced to when I first started in pool service,
and I use these products over the last 30 plus years, and I
know that they're highly effective.
And I'll touch on the first one that I think is something that
is often overlooked.
And when you do acid washes, this is a great additive that
really helps make the acid wash more effective.
The product is called Biodex Plaster White and Bright, and
this is something you put into the acid water mix.
Now it depends on what you're using to dispense it.
I like using a flour watering pot with the you know kind of
the sprinkle type nozzle on top.
I don't know how to describe it, but not the straight pour one,
but a little bit of a sprinkle.
And this really helps with the acid wash.
Now, what does the white and bright do?
The white and bright actually thickens the acid water mixture,
and this makes it really a much easier way to coat the pool with
the acid and water mixture.
It just really brightens everything too.
But the main element that I like about it is that it makes the
mixture really thick, and when you pour it on, it actually
doesn't come off like just water basically.
It's like a thick, slow-moving, syrupy formula, and this coats
the plaster really well.
And it's something that I think is essential for the acid wash.
It also seems to eliminate a lot of the fumes as you're using it
and as you're going around pouring the acid on the plaster.
So this is a great product if you do acid washes.
You would want to do one gallon of acid to two gallons of water,
and if you use the five-gallon plastic bale, you would add
about eight ounces of the plaster white and bright.
So a quart of it's good for an acid wash.
You don't have to get the gallon unless you do a lot of acid
washes.
And you could also add the Aquadex 50 stain off, which I'll
touch on a little bit later.
This also helps with any kind of metal staining while you're
using this product in the acid wash.
But if you haven't tried this yet, I highly recommend you get
the Biodex Plaster White and Bright for your next acid wash.
Add it to the mixture.
Now the other product, I guess I'll touch on this one next, and
it's the Biodex Aqua Dex 50 stain off.
I didn't really start using this product actually until about I
guess 12 years ago or so.
It wasn't one of the go-to products that I had on my route.
I like the Hasa Super Stain Out.
I would use that a lot, and it was really effective, especially
when I had you know any kind of kind of brown staining in the
pool.
Maybe organic staining was part of it.
Sometimes it was metal staining.
And I found that the Hasa Super Stain Out was highly effective.
So ironically, I couldn't get it one day at my supplier, they
were out of stock, and they had the Biodeck Aquadex 50 there, so
I got a quart of that and I used it to treat some staining in a
pool, and it was highly effective in removing the
staining.
So I never went back to the Hasa Super Stain Out.
So since Hasa now owns Biodex, I guess it's still a Hasa product
that I'm using, and it's a highly effective way to get some
stains out of the pool.
Interesting enough, I first used it highly effectively when I was
adding salt to a pool.
A customer bought this Clorox salt from Walmart and I put like
eight bags of it in the pool.
Then I noticed there was like yellow streaks, like maybe like
six foot long yellow streaks, about maybe half an inch in
length in width and you know six feet long on the bottom of the
pool after I added the salt.
And so I looked it up online and I realized that Clorox, the
Clorox salt, they use an additive to anti-anti-clumping
additive that they put in there, and sometimes they put too much
in there, and that causes staining in the pool.
I was really not happy with it because it was actually a brand
new replastered pool.
They remodeled it, got a salt water system.
I added the salt and I left these you know yellow streaks on
the bottom.
So I got a quart of the Biodex Oxo X50.
I turned the pool off and then I poured it directly in the center
of the pool where the stains were, let it kind of settle
down, and then I had the pool to come on later in the day.
I got back there the next week and the stains were
significantly lighter.
I was pretty impressed and amazed by it.
And then I got my brush and I was brushing it because I
recommend brushing it afterwards, and I brushed it
really thoroughly.
Then I added another quart maybe a week or so later, and all that
staining actually was removed from the pool, which thankfully
was something that I really think the product helped
tremendously for that.
I've also had success when I get to a pool and there's some kind
of brown staining on the plaster, you know, it's it's
kind of like a light brown, and this really is effective in
lightening it up too.
It doesn't necessarily eliminate all the staining, it's not a
cure-all, but definitely will lighten a lot of stains.
I even have used it on the first step of a pool where you know,
if you ever take over an account and they have a trichlor
floater, and they don't tie it to the skimmer lid, which I
recommend you do to prevent staining on the steps.
But if they don't do that, usually the first step will have
like a half moon burn mark on it because as that trichlore comes
out of the bottom of the feeder, especially if it's the first
step that's right at the top of the pool, it'll actually leave a
stain on that step.
And I've had really good success with this product as well,
pouring it directly on that step.
I actually pour a whole quart on there, let it set on that top
step without the pool circulating for a couple hours,
and it does lightening that lighten that stain pretty
effectively.
So it's a pretty good stain remover.
Again, that's not something that's gonna cure every stain in
the pool.
If you catch the stains early, it's more effective.
But I found that it does really work on a lot of different
stains in the pool.
Now, one thing to note on the other side of the product is
that it will lower the chlorine level or even zero out the
chlorine in a lot of cases.
So don't want to overdose the pool.
I had this pool where I put too much in the pool and it took a
while for it to get a free chlorine level back up in that
pool because it does have the potential of lowering the
chlorine or zeroing out the chlorine in the pool.
So just be aware of the fact that this product can do that as
well.
And you want to make sure that when you use it, you follow the
directions specifically because it is effective when used
effectively, and you have to have the pH in range as well for
the best results.
So the pH should be 7.2 rather than 7.8 for the best results.
So if you lower the pH, it's gonna really help this product
be more effective.
And my videos there also on this product on their site, so it's
another product that I really recommend, and it's really
effective in removing some stains in the pool, and nothing
is a cure-all, of course, but I always recommend this when
someone says they have a stain in their pool, maybe it just
happened or it's just forming.
This product does work really well in lifting the stain,
whether it's organic or a metal stain.
Another product that I have used is their tile cleaner.
Now, if you're looking for this list of products, their website
is okay.
I mean it it's kind of overdone.
If you go there, it's like pretty fancy.
But to find an actual list of products is kind of difficult
and they're all scattered about.
I found I found that the best link is if you go to Google and
you search for products, they they gave me this link, which I
found to be the most effective link.
It should probably be on their homepage and it should be
populated like this to make it easy.
But if you go to biobio hyphen d e x.com, so biodex.com, and then
you do the backwards slash mark, and you put the word products in
there, it's gonna come up to a really nice product page where
everything is listed there by category, and it's really easy
to find.
And again, this is a great thing they should have on the front of
the page so you can find all their products easily.
And they do have the product categories on the front page,
but they don't have anything where you see everything that
they make all on one page, and this is the best place to find
that.
Again, biohyphods.com backwards slash products.
I know there's a better way to say that backwards slash, but I
just can't remember it right now.
But you kind of know what I'm talking about.
So the product that they that I like also is their tile soap,
and the tile soap, let me see here, it's the 300 tile cleaner.
Now, I'll start with the caution here.
There are actually three kinds of acid in this tile soap, so
you have to use this with caution, wear gloves, and really
don't spill this product on the customer's deck.
And if the water level is low and the plaster is exposed, it
actually will streak the plaster because there's three types of
acid in this product.
That's why it's highly effective on removing some calcium buildup
from the tile, but just be cautious with it.
And if you are have employees, I would probably say don't use
this product, don't let them use this product right away.
Maybe use a regular tile soap, and maybe you just you yourself
use it to clean the tiles on your route because it does take
some handling and some thought behind it, so you don't stain
the deck or the plaster of the pool itself, but it is highly
effective because of the acid that's in this product.
It has a low pH, so be careful again that you don't stain
anything with this product.
There was a one of my members of the group many years ago had a
mosaic tile thing that they were cleaning, and this is a caution
as well.
They put this on there to clean that calcium off there, and it
actually took the mosaic off the tile because it has acid again.
It's really effective, so I'll go with that.
And the cautions are there just so that you know that you can
cause staining with it.
But as far as the effectiveness of this tile cleaner, very, very
effective in removing calcium buildup, and it's very similar
to what I use out there is the geyser tile soap with an acid
mixture.
You add your own acid to it, makes it thick, and it's pretty
good as well.
Very similar to the you know, the Biodex 300 tile cleaner, and
it's one of the probably the strongest tile cleaners on the
market that you can get.
So, again, a great product, a great tile cleaner, but used
with extreme caution.
I've also used their algicides, they have two of them.
They have the aquapure algiside, which is a copper-based
algiside, I believe.
But I don't really use that one too much, but I've used the
skillet.
This is an interesting algiside, and the skillet has some
properties in it that are effective also against bees that
use the pool or insects.
It's kind of interesting, but it creates like a thick film on the
surface when you use it.
This also is the algicide that makes a lot of foam in the pool,
so just be aware of that.
If you overdo it, overuse it.
The skillet is a really effective algisite in my
opinion.
I've used it and it works really well, but the property that I
like about it too is if you have a lot of bees that are like
drinking out of the spa or spillway and it's becoming a
real nuisance, just leaves like a film on the surface, and they
kind of get trapped in there, and then they can't stay on the
surface.
And it's a great way to kind of eliminate the bees in the pool.
It's kind of a side effect of the product, and it's really
effective as well against algae.
Again, the two algicytes, the aquapure algicide.
I'm almost certain that's a copper-based one, and then the
skillet.
I'm not sure what's in the skillet, it's like a different
kind of algicite, maybe it's a polyquat algebracyte.
You can look up the the information online to find out
the exact ingredients, but they're highly effective
algecides as well.
And two more great products made by Biodex.
I really like their foam, they're they're foamed down, and
to me, it's one of the most effective foam down products
that they make.
I use it a lot.
They have enzymes, of course, they have a lot of other
products for the spa, but they're foamed down.
I like the fact that it comes in the quart bottle and that it's
effective.
Now, of course, the foam in a spa or a pool itself, there's
something underneath that they have to address.
Why is it foaming?
A lot of times, the spa water, if you have like a fiberglass
spa and you're you're getting a lot of foam in there, it's
because the water is probably probably needs to be changed at
that point.
There's just a lot of gunk in there causing the foam in there,
and they also have enzymes for the spa that help with that
black staining that gets on those fiberglass spas.
But their foam down product is great for fountains, water
feature, spas, anywhere where foam is produced in the pool or
spa.
I like their foam down.
So they actually have a ton of products out there.
They have the acid wash product I mentioned, the plaster white
and bright, then they have the two algricides, then they have
clarifiers and what they call digesters, which are enzymes,
and there's quite a bit of that there.
They have alum, also aluminum sulfate.
They have, of course, filter cleaners for the cartridge
filter and sand filters.
They have phosphorylate removers, they actually made it
a blue formula to kind of give it a distinct look, and I kind
of like it.
It's actually an effective phosphoryl remover.
They all have similar ingredients, all the phosphory
removers, just different strengths of it, you know,
across the brands out there.
If you're looking at phosphory or the arenda, it's mainly just
the strength of the product that they the mixture of it.
They have spa products, they have the stainless scale,
there's a protect all supreme, which is a good product as well.
I didn't touch on that one too much, but you can look that one
up as well.
I have a video, I think they're using my video here as well.
And then they have, of course, tile cleaners, the quick and
thick, the 300 tile cleaner, and the protect all supreme.
And then they have water treatment, which I don't really
have I really haven't used their water treatment, but they do
have non-chlorine shock, they have a bore product, they have a
chlor X, I'm not sure what that is, but the the Bore product is
pretty interesting.
You know, there's a few companies with a Bore product
now, and this one, uh this product is called Biodex Boreat
Plus.
And if you know anything about adding Boreates to the pool,
it's highly effective and preventing algae to form in the
pool, and it makes the chlorine more effective.
So they have a whole gambit of products, and it's actually a
really good acquisition by Hasa.
I've always been a fan of the Biodex products, and there's no
conflict of interest here.
You know, Hasa is a chemical company, they already have a
render, and it's just gonna be a great way to enhance the Hasa
product lineup, in my opinion.
And it's good that this company did just didn't disappear.
I believe the owners were retiring and they had no one to
take it over, and that's why Hasa was able to acquire it.
And it's a great acquisition by Hasa, great products.
Check out their website and definitely try out the Biodex
lineup of products.
They're just a great lineup of chemicals for many aspects of
the pool and many aspects of your pool service use.
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Thanks for listening to this podcast.
Have a rest of your week.
God bless.