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Author: Rudy

This author has written 141 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. 

Your Pool App Says the Water’s Balanced. That’s Adorable.
byRudy Stankowitz

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.

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

Your Pool App Says the Water’s Balanced. That’s Adorable.
Your Pool App Says the Water’s Balanced. That’s Adorable.
November 13, 2026
Rudy Stankowitz
The Yellow Test That Set Wayne Off
November 12, 2026
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Passed Inspection. Booked Solid. Making Money? With Dan Lenz
November 11, 2026
Rudy Stankowitz
Chemical Washing, Callbacks & Charging What You’re Worth
November 10, 2026
Rudy Stankowitz
New Pool Standards, Old Habits, and Expensive Mistakes
November 9, 2026
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Room to Grow: Earning Respect and Looking Beyond LSI
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When a Free Estimate Becomes Free Consulting
November 5, 2026
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Hot Tubs Can Kill: Biofilm, Bad Habits & Vacation Rental Risks with Dr. Roy Vore
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Six Months of Free Pool Service. One Expensive Lesson
November 3, 2026
Rudy Stankowitz
Pool Standards Stuck in 1989? Inside the AS 3633 Rewrite
November 2, 2026
Rudy Stankowitz
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      • Florida’s CPO Certification Requirement for Public Pool Service Technicians
      • Georgia CPO Certification requirement
      • Louisiana CPO Certification Requirement
    • Test Kit Store
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  • Online Pool Pro Classes
  • AFT&C news🗞️
  • Talking Pools Podcast🎧
  • Keynote & Professional
    • Rudy’s AQUA Column
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