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Read more about the article Understanding Piecework Pay for Pool Service Technicians

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…

Continue ReadingUnderstanding Piecework Pay for Pool Service Technicians
Read more about the article Employee or Contractor? The High-Stakes Choice That Could Make or Break Your Pool Business

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…

Continue ReadingEmployee or Contractor? The High-Stakes Choice That Could Make or Break Your Pool Business
Read more about the article Pool Business Workforce Shortage

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…

Continue ReadingPool Business Workforce Shortage
Read more about the article Ready to Hire Somebody, but…

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…

Continue ReadingReady to Hire Somebody, but…
Read more about the article How to Correct an Employee if He/She Gives a Customer the Wrong Information

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…

Continue ReadingHow to Correct an Employee if He/She Gives a Customer the Wrong Information
Read more about the article LIFEGUARD FAILS

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…

Continue ReadingLIFEGUARD FAILS
Read more about the article Hiring Gen Z  – What to Expect

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"                                            …

Continue ReadingHiring Gen Z – What to Expect
Read more about the article Keeping Employees Engaged

Keeping Employees Engaged

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:January 7, 2018
  • Post category:Employees

How Pool Service Companies Keep Employees Engaged and Prevent Burnout The evaporation fog hangs low over the swimming pool like a horror movie set. Morning light slowly pushes back the…

Continue ReadingKeeping Employees Engaged
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
Breakpoint Is Wrong (And Enzymes Aren’t What You Think) – Rudy
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