. Poop in Pool Archives - Aquatic Facility Training and Consultants

Oh Crap, Someone Pooped In The Pool!

Post author:Rudy
Post published:July 14, 2019
Post category:Apartment Pool Maintenance CPO Certification Class Home Owner Pool Care Hotel Pool Maintenance Pool Safety Pool Service Tips Water Chemistry

Code Brown!!! Sh*t happens, right? A fecal incident can occur from someone being ill, a child not wanting to get out because they are having too much fun, or even…

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

What does nearly 50 years in the swimming pool industry teach you? According to Jerry Wallace, there are no shortcuts, you never stop learning, and sometimes you need to show up with a rolling suitcase full of textbooks.

Natalie Hood sits down with Jerry Wallace, president of Swim Chem and one of the 2026 Talking Pools Podcast Top Ten Pool Industry Mentors. Jerry shares how he entered the family business as a teenager, the mentors who shaped his career, and why mentoring is about leaving the industry better than you found it.

Then Jerry puts his decades of water chemistry, plaster, and expert-witness experience to work busting some persistent myths about calcium nodules. Are they caused by excessive calcium hardness? Are they simply another form of scale? Can adjusting the water chemistry stop them?

Jerry explains why calcium nodules are typically associated with voids, delamination, pinholes, or cracks beneath the plaster surface, not a pool professional’s failure to maintain the water. His message to service professionals is blunt: educate yourself, document your work, demand an explanation, and stop allowing people to steamroll you.

Jerry also discusses why manufacturers need to listen more closely to service professionals, what younger professionals bring to the industry, and the three groups every successful business must protect before looking at the profit-and-loss statement: family, employees, and customers.

And, because this is Talking Pools, Natalie settles the critically important question of whether pineapple belongs on pizza.

In This Episode

How Jerry entered the pool industry at age 16
The mentors who helped shape his career
Why mentorship is about life lessons, not merely technical knowledge
How to recognize when someone is no longer coachable
Why there are no shortcuts to long-term success
The difference between calcium scale and calcium nodules
Why high calcium hardness does not selectively create isolated nodules
How voids, delamination, cracks, and pinholes contribute to nodule formation
Why changing the water chemistry treats the symptom, not the underlying problem
How service professionals can defend themselves against unsupported blame
Why pool professionals must become experts in their trade
What manufacturers misunderstand about real-world equipment retrofits
Why the industry needs stronger communication between engineers and field professionals
What younger generations are bringing to the pool industry
The three priorities Jerry’s father used to measure a successful year
Jerry’s controversial but unwavering defense of pineapple on pizza

Jerry’s Message to Pool Professionals

Do not assume a calcium nodule is your fault simply because someone points at the water chemistry. Test the water, investigate the surface, document the evidence, ask for the actual mechanism, and make the person assigning blame show their work.

If you are going to work as a pool service professional, become an expert and stand up for yourself. Nobody else is going to do it for you.

#TalkingPoolsPodcast #PoolIndustry #PoolService #SwimmingPools #PoolChemistry #CalciumNodules #PoolPlaster #Mentorship #PoolProfessionals #WaterChemistry #PoolEducation #SwimChem #JerryWallace #NatalieHood #MythbustingWednesday

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