Rudy, Author at Aquatic Facility Training and Consultants

Don’t Undercut the Market ✂

Post author:Rudy
Post published: March 3, 2019
Post category:Marketing

Value-Based Pricing A service priced below market value is often perceived as a low quality service This is Dick. Dick wanted to own his own business and decided he would…

Pool Tools the Pros Use

Post author:Rudy
Post published: February 19, 2019
Post category:Equipment Product Review

Whether you are brand new to the service industry or just looking to maintain your existing pools, buying the equipment needed to keep a swimming pool in good condition can…

Copper Stains in Swimming Pools

Post author:Rudy
Post published: January 13, 2019
Post category:Staining

Blue, Green, Black, Gray, and Purple! Photo credit: CDC, 1964, Puerto Rican public health weighing out a measure of copper sulfate. They would then apply this waterway to control…

Chlorine Gas Cloud Injuries at Public Pools

Post author:Rudy
Post published: December 17, 2018
Post category:Chemical Safety

Chlorine Gas Cloud Injuries at Public Pools: The Role of Circulation and Safety Interlocks Chlorine Gas Cloud Injuries at Public Pools can lead to serious health concerns and need…

Raise Pool Service Prices

Post author:Rudy
Post published: December 11, 2018
Post category:Marketing

Raise Pool Service Prices: A Practical Guide for Pool Service Professionals To successfully raise pool service prices, professionals should communicate transparently with their clients about the reasons for the changes.…

Field Sampling of Swimming Pool “Black Algae”

Post author:Rudy
Post published: December 3, 2018
Post category:Algae Subscription Content

Wet mounts were prepared from the sample biomass and examined at 100× magnification using a Nikon Eclipse Ti-S inverted microscope equipped with phase-contrast optics and epifluorescence. Field Sampling of Swimming Pool “Black Algae”

Microcystin Analysis in Swimming Pool Cyanobacterial Biofilms

Post author:Rudy
Post published: December 3, 2018
Post category:Algae Subscription Content

Microcystin Analysis in Swimming Pool Cyanobacterial Biofilms

Investigating the True Nature of Swimming Pool “Black Algae”

Post author:Rudy
Post published: November 18, 2018
Post category:Algae Subscription Content

Biofilm-forming microorganisms—including cyanobacteria (Swimming Pool “Black Algae” ) —can exhibit increased resistance to chemical treatments because the extracellular polymeric matrix protects the organisms embedded within the colony.

Successfully Marketing a Pool Service Business

Post author:Rudy
Post published: November 12, 2018
Post category:Marketing

Marketing a Pool Service Business: Evidence-Based Strategies for Finding Your First Customers Starting a swimming pool service company is often appealing for one simple reason: compared with many other trades,…

Swimming Pool Horror Movie: 12 Feet Deep

Post author:Rudy
Post published: October 21, 2018
Post category:Horror Movie Reviews

Diving into the Movie: 12 Feet Deep When Aquatics International magazine first called me and asked if I would be interested in a project that involved watching a horror movie…

Talking Pools Podcast

If you’ve ever stared at a test kit like it personally insulted your family… welcome home.

Talking Pools Podcast is the pool industry’s “pull up a chair” show—part shop talk, part field manual, part therapy session—built for people who actually live on pool decks: commercial operators, service techs, builders, facility managers, and anyone responsible for water that can’t afford to go sideways. The network was created to level up the pool industry with real-world conversations on water chemistry, filtration, troubleshooting, construction, safety, and the business side of keeping pools open and budgets intact.

Here’s the hook: it’s not theory-first. It’s experience-first—a roster of seasoned pros (with 250+ years of combined “been there, fixed that” wisdom) turning complicated problems into practical moves you can use the same day. And it’s not one voice, one vibe, one corner of the industry: it’s a network of shows designed to reflect how diverse this work really is—different regions, different specialties, different personalities.

Also worth saying out loud: women aren’t “special guests” here—they’re on the mic as hosts, from the beginning, with an intentionally balanced roster. That matters, because the best ideas in this industry don’t come from one lane—they come from the whole road.

If you want a podcast that can make you laugh and make you better at what you do—without pretending the job is easier than it is—Talking Pools is the one you queue up before the first stop, and keep on when the day starts getting weird.

Ask a question here

Your total alkalinity is 100 ppm. So is the pool next door’s. Why does one keep climbing in pH while the other takes a dive when you add alum?

On this Floc-It Friday, Rudy Stankowitz breaks down what’s behind that number on your test kit. He runs through a pool with 100 ppm total alkalinity and 100 ppm cyanuric acid, shows how the one-third shortcut changes the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) calculation, and explains where that shortcut can get you in trouble. Then he takes it back to the equipment pad with a pool whose pH keeps creeping up, an acid dose, and an alum treatment.

Rudy opens with a thank-you to Olga Welch at Rutgers University for a letter about his years teaching pool water quality. He also reads past the headline on Haviland’s announced $26 million Indiana facility and gets to the questions that matter when chemicals are included in your monthly service rate. Will it handle the products you buy? Will it change what’s available? What will you actually pay?

And in Hudson, Florida, two pickups roll onto a jobsite with a championship belt for John Poma, the 2026 Talking Pools Podcast Pool Industry Mentor of the Year. Rudy tells the story of the surprise and shares how John handles a late-night call about a plaster problem. He asks what you saw, what you checked, and what you think it means. The next time you see it, you know where to start.

Chapters

00:01 A letter from Rutgers and a thank-you to Olga Welch
00:38 Haviland’s $26 million announcement and what to ask your supplier
03:28 What your total alkalinity test actually measures
07:59 The 100 ppm example, the LSI calculation, and rising pH
11:48 John Poma’s surprise championship belt reveal
13:24 The mentor who shaped John’s approach and how the award was decided
19:01 The limits of the one-third CYA shortcut and what happens when you add acid
24:21 Alum, alkalinity demand, and why starting pH only tells you part of the story

Got a water chemistry question you’d like Rudy to tackle on Floc-It Friday? Email talkingpools@gmail.com.

Support the show

Thank you so much for listening! You can find us on social media:

Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com