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Author: Rudy

This author has written 131 articles
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Read more about the article Tim Bolden: From Navy Life in Guam to Poolside Royalty in Atlanta

Tim Bolden: From Navy Life in Guam to Poolside Royalty in Atlanta

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:October 5, 2025
  • Post category:Pool News

  When you meet Tim Bolden, owner of The Pool Butler in Atlanta, you quickly realize this isn’t just another guy running a service company. He’s a Navy veteran, a…

Continue ReadingTim Bolden: From Navy Life in Guam to Poolside Royalty in Atlanta
Read more about the article Technical Bulletin: Sodium Carbonate vs. Sodium Bicarbonate

Technical Bulletin: Sodium Carbonate vs. Sodium Bicarbonate

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:September 30, 2025
  • Post category:Pool News

Sodium Carbonate (Soda Ash) vs. Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) in Swimming Pool Treatment Author: Compiled from research and field guidance by Rudy Stankowitz Purpose & Scope This bulletin consolidates Rudy…

Continue ReadingTechnical Bulletin: Sodium Carbonate vs. Sodium Bicarbonate
Read more about the article From Scared of Water to Saving It: Kevin Post’s Floating-Pool Vision—and the People He’s Lifting Along the Way

From Scared of Water to Saving It: Kevin Post’s Floating-Pool Vision—and the People He’s Lifting Along the Way

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:September 21, 2025
  • Post category:Talking Pools Podcast

As a little boy, Kevin Post wouldn’t even put his face in the water. After his family moved to Texas, his mom signed him up for swim team because there…

Continue ReadingFrom Scared of Water to Saving It: Kevin Post’s Floating-Pool Vision—and the People He’s Lifting Along the Way
Read more about the article Technical Bulletin: Hackberry Aphid Impact on Swimming Pools

Technical Bulletin: Hackberry Aphid Impact on Swimming Pools

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:September 17, 2025
  • Post category:Water Quality

Hackberry Aphid (Asian Woolly Hackberry Aphid) Infestations and Their Impact on Swimming Pools Based on research by Rudy Stankowitz Hackberry trees (Celtis spp.) are common in many yards, but they…

Continue ReadingTechnical Bulletin: Hackberry Aphid Impact on Swimming Pools
Read more about the article Sweet Tea & Pool Chemistry: Why Atlanta’s Maddy Vandiver is Redefining Mentorship

Sweet Tea & Pool Chemistry: Why Atlanta’s Maddy Vandiver is Redefining Mentorship

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:September 14, 2025
  • Post category:Talking Pools Podcast

From lifeguard stands to one of the largest pool companies in Georgia, this rising leader proves that mentorship isn’t about control—it’s about connection. Redefining Mentorship. When Maddy Vandiver’s mom first…

Continue ReadingSweet Tea & Pool Chemistry: Why Atlanta’s Maddy Vandiver is Redefining Mentorship
Read more about the article Technical Bulletin Black Algae

Technical Bulletin Black Algae

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:September 12, 2025
  • Post category:Algae

This Technical Bulletin Black Algae is intended for professional pool service technicians. It assumes a workingknowledge of pool water chemistry, algae identification, and treatment practices.Introduction For decades, black algae has…

Continue ReadingTechnical Bulletin Black Algae
Read more about the article Reflect on Patriot Day: The 9/11 Memorial Pools

Reflect on Patriot Day: The 9/11 Memorial Pools

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:September 11, 2025
  • Post category:Swimming Pool News

On a September morning nearly a generation ago, America’s soul was tested. Fire and smoke rose over Manhattan, heartbreak and loss reverberated across the nation, and nearly 3,000 lives—office workers,…

Continue ReadingReflect on Patriot Day: The 9/11 Memorial Pools
Read more about the article Technical Field Guide: Mustard Algae (Diatoms)

Technical Field Guide: Mustard Algae (Diatoms)

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:September 6, 2025
  • Post category:Algae/Pool News

Mustard Algae (Diatoms) – Prevention and Cleanup Responding to the EPA Sodium Bromide Ban For Pool Pro Use Only: This guide is written specifically for professional pool service technicians. It…

Continue ReadingTechnical Field Guide: Mustard Algae (Diatoms)
Read more about the article Laci Davis: The Art of Grit

Laci Davis: The Art of Grit

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:August 31, 2025
  • Post category:Pool News

On the west coast of Florida, in the small community of Hudson, there’s a business with a name that sounds more like a mantra than a company: The Grit Game.…

Continue ReadingLaci Davis: The Art of Grit
Read more about the article Que Hales and the Ripple Effect of Mentorship

Que Hales and the Ripple Effect of Mentorship

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:August 24, 2025
  • Post category:Talking Pools Podcast

Tucson, Arizona isn’t just cactus and sunsets—it’s also home to one of the sharpest and most stubbornly curious minds in swimming pool chemistry. Que Hales, co-founder of OnBalance and longtime…

Continue ReadingQue Hales and the Ripple Effect of Mentorship
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Read Rudy's Column in AQUA Magazine
Talking Pools Podcast
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. 

Breakpoint Is Wrong (And Enzymes Aren’t What You Think) – Rudy
byRudy Stankowitz

Pool Pros text questions here

In this episode, Rudy Stankowitz breaks down two industry staples—breakpoint chlorination and enzymes—and explains why what’s commonly taught doesn’t fully match the chemistry happening in your water.

This isn’t about being wrong.
 It’s about going one level deeper.

⚗️ Breakpoint Chlorination – The Reality

  •  The 10x rule is not how breakpoint is defined in chemistry 
  •  True breakpoint is based on ammonia (as nitrogen), not combined chlorine 
  •  Pools measure combined chlorine (as chlorine) → not a direct match 

👉 Result:
 You’re applying a fixed rule to a variable system

💡 Key Insight

  •  Oxidation starts immediately 
  •  Breakpoint is not a moment—it’s a process
  •  Real demand depends on: 
    •  Organics 
    •  Nitrogen compounds 
    •  pH 
    •  reaction conditions 

⚡ Salt Systems Reality Check

  •  Salt cells produce chlorine slowly
  •  They are built to maintain, not spike

👉 In high demand situations:
 External chlorine is often required 

🧬 Enzymes – What Actually Happens

  •  Enzymes break down organics (true) 
  •  But they are proteins in an oxidizing system

👉 Chlorine can chemically alter and deactivate them

⏱️ Why Enzymes Still Work

It’s a competition for reaction:

  •  Chlorine reacts with everything in the water 
  •  Enzymes survive temporarily because chlorine is “busy” 

👉 They work within a limited time window

  •  Higher chlorine = shorter window 
  •  Less time = less impact 

🧱 Enzymes & Biofilms

  •  Enzymes do not remove biofilms
  •  They weaken the protective matrix

👉 This allows chlorine to penetrate more effectively 

Best results require:

  •  Proper chemistry 
  •  Physical disruption (brushing) 

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Breakpoint Is Wrong (And Enzymes Aren’t What You Think) – Rudy
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    • Test Kit Store
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  • Online Pool Pro Classes
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  • Keynote & Professional
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