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AFT&C news🗞️

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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 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
Read more about the article Greg Beard – The Poolside Philosopher

Greg Beard – The Poolside Philosopher

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:August 17, 2025
  • Post category:Talking Pools Podcast

In the chlorine-scented world of pool service, where long days blur into hot afternoons and precision matters down to the decimal, a few names carry real weight. One of them…

Continue ReadingGreg Beard – The Poolside Philosopher
Read more about the article Top 10 Finalists Named for 2025 Mentor of the Year Award

Top 10 Finalists Named for 2025 Mentor of the Year Award

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:August 5, 2025
  • Post category:Talking Pools Podcast

Top 10 Finalists Named for Talking Pools Podcast 2025 Mentor of the Year Award 🔍 Behind the Process: How We Chose the Top 10 Mentors of the Year in the…

Continue ReadingTop 10 Finalists Named for 2025 Mentor of the Year Award
Read more about the article 2025 Mentor Awards Finalists and Sponsorship Lineup

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…

Continue Reading2025 Mentor Awards Finalists and Sponsorship Lineup
Read more about the article Peeing in Pools: The Chemical Reactions

Peeing in Pools: The Chemical Reactions

  • Post author:Rudy
  • Post published:April 13, 2025
  • Post category:Water Chemistry

When someone decides "Peeing in Pools" is ok and it's time to take a little "bathroom break" (because apparently, that's just fine), a chain of chemical reactions starts to unfold…

Continue ReadingPeeing in Pools: The Chemical Reactions
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
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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. 

When Corporate Buyouts Kill Technical Support
byRudy Stankowitz

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What happens when the people who actually know the product disappear—and customer service becomes a phone tree, a 90-minute hold, or an ordering department that cannot answer a technical question?

This week, Steve Sherwood and Wayne Ivusich examine the decline of accessible technical support across the pool and spa industry. Wayne reflects on his 32 years with Taylor Technologies, where he answered technical questions, developed educational materials, and taught an estimated 45,000 to 50,000 industry professionals. Since Taylor’s acquisition by Fluidra, much of that direct technical access—and even some of Wayne’s educational content—appears to have disappeared.

The conversation expands into a larger industry problem: corporate consolidation may preserve a product name, but it does not necessarily preserve the people, knowledge, or customer relationships that built the brand.

Before that, Steve is joined by Pat from the California Pool Association for the Insurance Interlude. They discuss how installers can protect themselves when equipment works correctly at completion but fails—or gets damaged—months later. Photos, service records, clearly defined warranty terms, and a documented follow-up may be the only things standing between you and somebody else’s blame game.

Topics discussed include:

  • Protecting your company after completing equipment installations
  • Documenting that equipment was operational when you left
  • Why a written follow-up can become valuable evidence
  • Distinguishing parts warranties from free labor
  • Damage caused by homeowners or subsequent service technicians
  • The importance of maintaining complete water-chemistry records
  • Wayne’s 32-year career with Taylor Technologies
  • What Fluidra’s acquisition of Taylor meant for technical support
  • The loss of experienced educators and product specialists
  • Steve’s experience waiting 90 minutes for manufacturer assistance
  • Why sales representatives have become unofficial technical-support channels
  • The value—and danger—of relying on Facebook groups for answers
  • Knowing not only what questions to ask, but whom to ask
  • Why genuine mentorship teaches people to investigate instead of merely supplying answers
  • How Talking Pools can serve as an industry resource when manufacturers cannot

The label may survive an acquisition, but the institutional knowledge does not survive unless somebody deliberately protects it. When the experts disappear, customers are left owning products without reliable access to the people who understand them.

Have a pool, spa, chemistry, equipment, service, or business question you cannot get answered? Email the Talking Pools Podcast team at talkingpools@gmail.com.

Support the show

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

  • Facebook
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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

Support the show

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

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Tik Tok

Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

When Corporate Buyouts Kill Technical Support
When Corporate Buyouts Kill Technical Support
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