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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 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 Preparing Your Pool for a Hurricane

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

Continue ReadingPreparing Your Pool for a Hurricane
Read more about the article Cold Plunge Pool Maintenance: Essential Tips for Pool Professionals

Cold Plunge Pool Maintenance: Essential Tips for Pool Professionals

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:July 1, 2024
  • Post category:Pool Service Tips

Cold plunge pools maintenance presents a unique challenge in the pool industry due to their relatively recent introduction and the specific requirements of lower water temperatures. Unlike traditional swimming pools…

Continue ReadingCold Plunge Pool Maintenance: Essential Tips for Pool Professionals
Read more about the article CALCULATE POOL GALLONS CHEMICALLY

CALCULATE POOL GALLONS CHEMICALLY

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:May 8, 2021
  • Post category:Pool Service Tips

That's it! One method for calculating gallons will work in every pool, no matter what the shape or size. Rectangle, oval, or amoeba-shaped, you'll have greater accuracy if you calculate…

Continue ReadingCALCULATE POOL GALLONS CHEMICALLY
Read more about the article What To Do When Pool Water Freezes

What To Do When Pool Water Freezes

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:February 15, 2021
  • Post category:Pool Service Tips

If you own a swimming pool and have winterized it because you are in an area where that is the common practice - This is NOT for you! You have…

Continue ReadingWhat To Do When Pool Water Freezes
Read more about the article How Pool Pump Cavitation Sucks!

How Pool Pump Cavitation Sucks!

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:December 11, 2020
  • Post category:Equipment/Pool Service Tips

I'm afraid there's not going to be anything pretty about this one. At least not with the diagrams. I want to talk about Why Pool Pump Cavitation Sucks and the…

Continue ReadingHow Pool Pump Cavitation Sucks!
Read more about the article Backwashing Pool Filter Weekly is NOT a Thing!

Backwashing Pool Filter Weekly is NOT a Thing!

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:December 4, 2020
  • Post category:Equipment/Pool Service Tips

[responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Male" buttontext="Listen to Post"] Backwash Pool Filter. Filters are designed to have water run through them in a certain direction. To clean two of the three types…

Continue ReadingBackwashing Pool Filter Weekly is NOT a Thing!
Read more about the article Cleaning Paint Spilled in a Pool

Cleaning Paint Spilled in a Pool

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:October 17, 2020
  • Post category:Pool Service Tips

Whether it is by accident or the act of vandals, discovering paint dumped into a swimming pool is extremely disheartening. This is the intent of the crime in the case…

Continue ReadingCleaning Paint Spilled in a Pool
Read more about the article Get Rid of Green Algae

Get Rid of Green Algae

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:August 9, 2020
  • Post category:Algae

?Charophyta & Chlorophyceae Okay, this should be the easy one, right? Green alga is certainly the most common algae we face in a swimming pool and is definitely the least…

Continue ReadingGet Rid of Green Algae
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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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