AFT&C news🗞️ - Page 9 of 18 - Aquatic Facility Training and Consultants

CPO Class Flashcards

Post author:Rudy
Post published: August 29, 2020
Post category:Pool News CPO Certification Class

Enrolled in a Certified Pool Operator Certification Class? Okay, maybe you haven't been in school for a long time. I get it. Studying for a test is something we had…

CDC’s CMAHC to Cap Chlorine Levels

Post author:Contributor
Post published: August 15, 2020
Post category:Pool News

CMAHC Dropping The Max on Chlorine, Part l [responsivevoice_button voice="US English Female" buttontext="Listen to Post"] The Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code (CMAHC) is voting to lower the maximum…

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…

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: Cleaning a Swimming Pool Salt Cell

Post author:Contributor
Post published: July 25, 2020
Post category:Equipment

[responsivevoice_button voice="US English Female" buttontext="Listen to Post"] salt cell care, pH control, & phosphate removal ? More and more people are installing SWGs (saltwater generators) these days. Part of a…

Pool Pro Cleared by Autopsy

Post author:Contributor
Post published: July 4, 2020
Post category:Waterborne Illnesses

Necrotizing fasciitis WARNING: This article may contain images that are disturbing to some readers. Every story has two sides. The following account is based solely upon that of Leland Jacobson…

Get Rid of White Water Mold & Pink Slime

Post author:Rudy
Post published: June 21, 2020
Post category:Subscription Content Algae

There's a Fungus Amongus! Chunks of wet toilet paper floating in the pool. That's probably the most accurate description for what these semi-transparent floating globules of loogie look like. Like…

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…

Photo Contest Winners

Post author:Rudy
Post published: June 10, 2020
Post category:Pool News

Congratulations! Congratulations to the Winners of the Talking Pools? Ugly Pools photo contest. Over three dozen entries. Top 5 fan votes (which became Top 6 due to a tie for…

Photo Contest Finalists

Post author:Rudy
Post published: June 1, 2020
Post category:Pool News

UGLY POOLS PHOTO CONTEST After two months of Fan Voting, our top five finalists have become a top-six with a tie for fan votes on the fifth slot. The Finalist's…

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.

Ask a question here

Talking Pools Podcast | Thursdays with Steve & Wayne
Hosts: Steve Sherwood and Wayne Ivusich
Insurance Interlude Guest: Pat Grignon

That commercial pool account looks impressive on your client list—but is it making you money, or slowly eating your business alive?

Steve and Wayne dig into the realities of commercial pool service: unpredictable chemical demand, marathon equipment-room visits, failing valves, and bids that leave customers wondering why you charge so much. Steve explains why pricing a hotel pool like a backyard account can turn a big opportunity into a very expensive mistake.

In this week’s Insurance Interlude, Pat Grignon joins Steve to discuss pool pop-ups, chemical spills, acid-wash damage, and what happens when a claim exceeds the coverage available. Steve also shares a balancing-tank disaster from earlier in his career—a story involving a missed valve, a flooded equipment room, and one deeply uncomfortable meeting.

Then it’s back to leak detection, a historic hotel’s relentless equipment problems, and the business skill that keeps showing up in every conversation: communicating before a frustrated customer starts shopping for your replacement.

In this episode:

Commercial bidding: Accounting for labor, travel around large properties, chemical use, and the residential work you could complete in the same time.
Facebook’s useful side: How answering a stranger’s questions helped Steve build one of his biggest client relationships.
Insurance limits: Pat discusses coverage examples, sublimits, and potential exposure when repair costs exceed available insurance.
Leak-detection training: Why buying a hydrophone doesn’t automatically make you a leak detector—and how confirmed leaks can become training opportunities.
A hotel equipment nightmare: Elevated water, equipment far below, substantial pressure, hot water, and recurring valve failures.
Owning service mistakes: How Steve handled missed visits, algae, and the cost of making things right.
Mentoring without stopping production: Supporting students and technicians while giving employees room to do their jobs.
Route efficiency: How repeated trips to the truck quietly steal time from your day.

The guys also discuss Leslie’s store-closure news as understood at recording and give a shout-out to the standout pool projects featured in AQUA.

The takeaway: A busy route doesn’t guarantee a profitable business. Price the actual work, understand your coverage, train your people, and keep your customers informed.

Questions for Steve and Wayne?
Email talkingpools@gmail.com and direct your message to either host. Your question could become part of a future episode.

Contains explicit language.

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com