pool maintenance Archives - Aquatic Facility Training and Consultants

Tim Bolden: From Navy Life in Guam to Poolside Royalty in Atlanta

Post author:Rudy
Post published: October 5, 2025
Post category:Pool News

When you meet Tim Bolden, owner of The Pool Butler in Atlanta, you quickly realize this isn’t just another guy running a service company. He’s a Navy veteran, a…

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…

How to Prep for the CPO exam for Certified Pool Operator certification

Post author:Rudy
Post published: November 25, 2023
Post category:CPO Certification Class

Prep for the CPO exam for Certified Pool Operator certification requires a strategic approach that goes beyond traditional study methods. Here's a step-by-step guide on how a student should prepare…

How to take the CPO test for Certified Pool Operator Certification

Post author:Rudy
Post published: November 25, 2023
Post category:CPO Certification Class

CPO exam exams can be deceptive; just because you can bring in your notes and CPO Handbooks doesn't guarantee success. Adequate preparation and strategic test-taking skills are essential to navigate…

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…

Apocalypse Good for Pool Business ?

Post author:Contributor
Post published: May 3, 2020
Post category:COVID-19 Pool News

Is an Apocalypse Good for Business? The world has, for all intent and purpose, been grounded. We are limited to work (if we are lucky) and then sent to our…

Could a Deadly Chlorine Gas Cloud Happen at Your Apartment Complex Pool

Post author:Rudy
Post published: September 14, 2019
Post category:Chemical Safety Apartment Pool Maintenance Risk Management

Liquid Chlorine Bleach + Muriatic Acid = Chlorine Gas ? Almost All of the Gas Cloud Incidents in the News occurred in Pools using Liquid Chlorine Bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite) Hey…

Top 10 Swimming Pool Test Kits

Post author:Rudy
Post published: June 16, 2019
Post category:Apartment Pool Maintenance Home Owner Pool Care Hotel Pool Maintenance Pool Tools

Which Kit is Your Go-To Test Kit? Top 10 Selling Test Kits on Amazon #10 Blue Devil B7448 5-Way OTO - Chlorine/Bromine, pH, Alkalinity & Acid Demand #9 Taylor K-2106…

Aquatic Facilities and Risk Management Practice

Post author:Contributor
Post published: March 24, 2019
Post category:Risk Management University Aquatics

Identification, Evaluation, and Prioritization - by Michelle December Aquatic facilities are often viewed as being synonymous with risk So how do aquatic professionals effectively manage the inherent risks associated with their…

Kessing Pool

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Post author:Contributor
Post published: January 28, 2019
Post category:University Aquatics

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Aquatics and Community Programs If you recall, in December we spoke with University of Houston's Assistant Director of Aquatic Operations, Cara Green.This month, University of…

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

Your total alkalinity is 100 ppm. So is the pool next door’s. Why does one keep climbing in pH while the other takes a dive when you add alum?

On this Floc-It Friday, Rudy Stankowitz breaks down what’s behind that number on your test kit. He runs through a pool with 100 ppm total alkalinity and 100 ppm cyanuric acid, shows how the one-third shortcut changes the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) calculation, and explains where that shortcut can get you in trouble. Then he takes it back to the equipment pad with a pool whose pH keeps creeping up, an acid dose, and an alum treatment.

Rudy opens with a thank-you to Olga Welch at Rutgers University for a letter about his years teaching pool water quality. He also reads past the headline on Haviland’s announced $26 million Indiana facility and gets to the questions that matter when chemicals are included in your monthly service rate. Will it handle the products you buy? Will it change what’s available? What will you actually pay?

And in Hudson, Florida, two pickups roll onto a jobsite with a championship belt for John Poma, the 2026 Talking Pools Podcast Pool Industry Mentor of the Year. Rudy tells the story of the surprise and shares how John handles a late-night call about a plaster problem. He asks what you saw, what you checked, and what you think it means. The next time you see it, you know where to start.

Chapters

00:01 A letter from Rutgers and a thank-you to Olga Welch
00:38 Haviland’s $26 million announcement and what to ask your supplier
03:28 What your total alkalinity test actually measures
07:59 The 100 ppm example, the LSI calculation, and rising pH
11:48 John Poma’s surprise championship belt reveal
13:24 The mentor who shaped John’s approach and how the award was decided
19:01 The limits of the one-third CYA shortcut and what happens when you add acid
24:21 Alum, alkalinity demand, and why starting pH only tells you part of the story

Got a water chemistry question you’d like Rudy to tackle on Floc-It Friday? Email talkingpools@gmail.com.

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com