Pool Management Archives - Aquatic Facility Training and Consultants

Understanding Piecework Pay for Pool Service Technicians

Post author:Rudy
Post published:September 28, 2024
Post category:Employees

In the world of pool service companies, figuring out how to compensate technicians is a frequent topic of discussion. As a business owner, you’ve likely wondered about the best way…

Employee or Contractor? The High-Stakes Choice That Could Make or Break Your Pool Business

Post author:Rudy
Post published:September 20, 2024
Post category:Employees

Should you classify your workers as W-2 employees or 1099 contractors? It's a decision that can significantly impact your business. The Department of Labor (DOL) recently introduced a new rule…

Pool Business Workforce Shortage

Post author:Rudy
Post published:September 20, 2022
Post category:Employees

The workforce shortage has been an issue for many years, but it's only recently that it's started to cause a strain on swimming pool companies. Higher labor costs, longer search…

Ready to Hire Somebody, but…

Post author:Contributor
Post published:August 2, 2020
Post category:Employees Uncategorized

[responsivevoice_button voice="US English Female" buttontext="Listen to Post"] It's just you, right? You want to grow, but the thought of handing the care of a chunk of your customers over to…

How to Correct an Employee if He/She Gives a Customer the Wrong Information

Post author:Contributor
Post published:June 14, 2020
Post category:Employees

? He told you what? How to Correct an Employee if He/She Gives a Customer the Wrong Information Yelling and screaming at an Employee in front of the customers is…

Aquatics Director Positions at Risk⁉

Post author:Contributor
Post published:April 19, 2020
Post category:Pool Management Pool News University Aquatics

When Pools Stay Closed A lot of us make our money servicing and running Aquatic Centers, Community Pools, and High School and College pools. Are we at risk of losing…

LIFEGUARD FAILS

Post author:Contributor
Post published:December 15, 2019
Post category:Employees Pool Safety

by Annette Cohen Pallowick Lifeguard Responsibilities What are the responsibilities of a lifeguard? How do we know if the lifeguard is living up to those responsibilities? Can you identify each…

Could a Deadly Chlorine Gas Cloud Happen at Your Apartment Complex Pool

Post author:Rudy
Post published:September 14, 2019
Post category:Chemical Safety Apartment Pool Maintenance Risk Management

Liquid Chlorine Bleach + Muriatic Acid = Chlorine Gas ? Almost All of the Gas Cloud Incidents in the News occurred in Pools using Liquid Chlorine Bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite) Hey…

UF Acquires Talent From UAB & Within

Post author:Contributor
Post published:September 8, 2019
Post category:University Aquatics Pool News Risk Management

PRESS RELEASE ? Making a Splash at The Swamp? UF Acquires Talent From UAB & Within The University of Florida Department of Recreational Sports has welcomed two new faces…

Hiring Gen Z – What to Expect

Post author:Contributor
Post published:August 25, 2019
Post category:Apartment Pool Maintenance Employees Hotel Pool Maintenance Pool Service Tips University Aquatics

. Supervising and Managing Post-Millennials or “Generation Z" …

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.

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Profanity does not make someone unprofessional. Confidently spreading bad information does.

In this intentionally abrasive episode of the Talking Pools Podcast, Rudy Stankowitz takes aim at the comment-section experts who diagnose complicated pool problems from one blurry photograph, defend outdated beliefs with “I’ve been doing this for 20 years,” and treat confidence as a substitute for evidence.

BREAKING INDUSTRY NEWS
July’s pool-industry news revealed a market undergoing a serious correction: as reported by Pentair, distributors are aggressively reducing excess equipment inventory; as reported by POOLCORP, essential maintenance and repair demand remains resilient despite weak discretionary spending; as first reported by Bloomberg, Leslie’s was considering strategic options—including a possible Chapter 11 filing—to address its debt; and as reported by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, years of corrosion, inadequate safeguards and nearly 14 million pounds of reactive chemicals contributed to the catastrophic Bio-Lab fire in Conyers. Adding to the industry shake-up, as reported by Pool Brain on August 5, Eric Knight stepped down as executive director of Watershape University to become Pool Brain’s head of education technology, overseeing automated chemical-dosing tools, guided training workflows and point-of-need education for pool professionals. Pool Brain announcement

The Confidently Wrong

Rudy explains why experience only has value when it remains connected to research, why a correct result does not necessarily prove the explanation behind it, and why professionals must be willing to say, “I don’t know.” He also examines the limits of the Langelier Saturation Index, the risks of oversimplified chemistry advice, and the difference between handing someone an answer and teaching that person how to investigate a problem.

The pool industry does not need to lose its personality, clean up every four-letter word, or turn itself into a room full of corporate robots. It does need people who verify what they say, correct themselves when the evidence changes, and understand that other professionals and customers make real decisions based on the information they share.

The loudest person may get the most attention. The person who consistently does the work earns the trust.

In This Episode

Why profanity is not a measure of professionalism
The difference between an opinion and supportable information
How bad pool chemistry advice can become expensive, dangerous, and public
Why 20 years in the industry does not automatically equal 20 years of growth
Experience repeated versus experience examined
How improved research and instrumentation change what the industry understands
Why correlation does not prove causation
The danger of diagnosing pool problems without enough information
What the Langelier Saturation Index does—and what it cannot tell you
Why “I don’t know” can be the most professional answer available
Correcting misinformation without surrendering credibility
Combining field experience with current science
Teaching critical thinking instead of creating dependence
Why trust is worth more than comments, likes, and online attention

Key Takeaways

Experience should be a foundation, not a shield against better information. A professional gathers facts, considers competing explanations, understands the limits of a diagnosis, and changes course when the evidence demands it.

A real mentor does more than provide an answer. A mentor teaches someone what to test, what to rule out, what information matters, and how to reason through the next problem independently.

Profanity backed by accurate information is a voice. Profanity used to disguise ignorance is noise.

2026 Talking Pools Top Ten Pool Industry Mentors

Congratulations to:

Brandon Reid
Jeff Hamp
Chris Kavanaugh
Tim McDowell
Lacey Davis
Jerry Wallace
John Poma
Greg Beard
Terry Tammanin
Peter Wiederman

These honorees were selected by the hosts of the Talking Pools Podcast for the lasting difference they have made in the lives and careers of pool professionals.

Episode Sponsors

BlueRay XL — bluerayxl.com
Service Industry News — serviceindustrynews.net
Jack’s Magic — jacksmagic.com
AquaStar Pool Products

Content Advisory

This episode contains strong language and intentionally abrasive humor.

Connect With Talking Pools

Subscribe to the Talking Pools Podcast wherever you listen, share this episode with a pool professional who values evidence over ego, and follow the show for straight talk, practical education, and pool-industry commentary without the corporate filter.

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com