Pool News Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Aquatic Facility Training and Consultants

2025 Mentor Awards Finalists and Sponsorship Lineup

Post author:Rudy
Post published:July 19, 2025
Post category:Pool News

Talking Pools Podcast Announces 2025 Mentor Awards Finalists and Sponsorship Lineup July 19, 2025 – Gainesville, Florida – The Talking Pools Podcast is proud to announce the 2025 Mentor of…

Preparing Your Pool for a Hurricane

Post author:Rudy
Post published:October 16, 2024
Post category:Pool News Home Owner Pool Care Pool Operator Talk News Pool Service Tips

Hurricane Damage courtesy of Hurricane Helene

New Research on Reducing Cyanuric Acid Levels in Swimming Pools

Post author:Rudy
Post published:April 3, 2024
Post category:Pool News

The Service Industry News article Studies Show Alum Reduces Cyanuric written by Marcelle Dibrell provides valuable information about using aluminum sulfate (alum) in reducing cyanuric acid levels in swimming pools.…

CPO Certification Class to Expert in Swimming Pools

Post author:Rudy
Post published:January 14, 2024
Post category:Pool News

In the realm of swimming pool maintenance, the Certified Pool Operator (CPO) class stands out as a crucial stepping stone for individuals looking to establish a solid foundation in the…

CPO Certification Class discount code

Post author:Rudy
Post published:January 7, 2024
Post category:CPO Certification Class Pool News

Unlock your path to professional excellence in swimming pool maintenance with the exclusive 2024UP discount code for the Certified Pool Operator (CPO) certification class at CPOclass.com, hosted by Aquatic Facility…

CPO Class School Supplies

Post author:Rudy
Post published:January 5, 2024
Post category:Pool News

For the Certified Pool Operator (CPO) class, you'll want to ensure you have the necessary materials to effectively navigate and utilize your resources in the class and during the test.…

Wilfred Langelier’s formula

Post author:Rudy
Post published:April 22, 2023
Post category:Pool News Education

Wilfred Langelier's formula for predicting calcium carbonate precipitation potential (CCPP) is a widely-used method for assessing the scaling potential of water. Langelier's formula, also known as pHs, measures the tendency…

Florida Pool Chlorine level & pH Change

Post author:Rudy
Post published:December 15, 2022
Post category:Pool News

The State of Florida Bureau of Environmental Health (Tallahassee headquartered) wants to significantly change your swimming pool water test. In a proposed rule that is expected to pass and take…

How enzymes work

Post author:Rudy
Post published:November 14, 2021
Post category:Chemicals Pool News

If you've been following along, I'm sure you've noticed that I've been spending a lot of time talking about specialty chemicals lately. That's because the availability of the critical disinfectants…

Coronavirus vaccination record card. Protective mask divided into two parts.Concept of defeating Covid-19. High quality photo

Can your customer require proof of Vaccine?

Post author:Rudy
Post published:July 22, 2021
Post category:Pool News

This came up the other day because a peer was asked, so I thought I would snoop around. As we go through this, I am not a HIPAA Lawyer; I…

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.

Pool Pros text questions here

In this episode of Flock It Friday, Rudy Stankowitz revisits the topic of borates in swimming pools, exploring the chemistry behind them, the regulatory history, and why recent geopolitical tensions have brought boron compounds back into the conversation.

Recent instability in key shipping corridors such as the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and the Suez Canal has raised concerns about global freight movement. Since Turkey holds the world’s largest boron reserves and supplies a significant portion of the global market through its state-owned producer Eti Maden, disruptions in shipping routes could tighten the supply chain that delivers boric acid to the U.S. market. The chemistry itself hasn’t changed—the mines are still operating—but the logistics that move industrial minerals around the world can shift quickly.

Rudy then breaks down the science behind borates. In pool water, boron compounds typically exist as boric acid and borate ions, forming a secondary buffering system that helps resist pH drift, especially in pools with saltwater chlorine generators, where aeration accelerates carbon dioxide loss and causes pH to rise.

Most pools that use borates maintain concentrations between 30 and 50 ppm. Below that range the buffering effect becomes minimal, and above it there is little additional benefit. Once added, borates remain stable in the water and are only removed through dilution, splash-out, backwashing, or water replacement.

Borates are often described as algistatic, meaning they may inhibit algae growth, but they should not be considered a primary algaecide. Chlorine remains the primary sanitizer responsible for algae control.

The episode also touches on the regulatory evolution surrounding borates. Following the introduction of NSF/ANSI Standard 50 Annex R in 2015, many niche pool chemical additives—including borate products—were not pursued for certification under the updated framework. As a result, borates largely disappeared from modern certification listings, though they remain widely used in residential pools where certification is not required.

The bigger takeaway is that the chemistry hasn’t changed—but the systems that deliver pool chemicals have. In today’s global economy, the most complicated part of pool chemistry may not be the reactions happening in the water, but the international supply chains that bring those chemicals to the pool service professional.

Support the show

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

Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com