Talking Pools Podcast - podcast cover

Talking Pools Podcast

Forget chasing chlorine headaches and battling algae wars alone. The Talking Pools Podcast is your weekly escape from pool purgatory, where 250+ years of combined pro wisdom explodes into actionable hacks, mind-blowing tips, and secrets so ancient they make Poseidon jealous.


Think of it as your weekly poolside braintrust, fueled by eight seasoned pros, each a rockstar in their own aquatic lane. Got a filtration fiasco? Chemical conundrum? Equipment enigma? No problem. We've got a host for that:


  • The Tech Titan: Unravels the mysteries of pumps, filters, and gizmos that make pools tick (without the electrical shocks).


  • The Chem Crusader: Your personal alchemist, whipping up potion-perfect water balance with a dash of science and a sprinkle of magic.


  • The Maintenance Maverick: From tile tricks to algae assassins, he's got the lowdown on keeping your pool looking like a liquid emerald palace.


  • The Customer Calmer: Smooths ruffled feathers faster than a pool noodle bouquet, turning hangry homeowners into poolside pals.


But Talking Pools isn't just about technical wizardry. It's about camaraderie, the shared language of pool pros who've seen it all, from exploding filters to synchronized swimming squirrels (no, really, we had an episode!).


Every week, you'll:


  • Steal game-changing secrets: Learn pro-grade hacks to make you the "Pool Whisperer" in your market


  • Laugh until you spit out your piña colada: These guys are as witty as they are wise, turning pool problems into poolside punchlines.


  • Get ahead of the curve: Stay on top of industry trends and tech before your competitors even smell the chlorine.


  • Feel the love (and the sunshine): Remember why you got into this business in the first place – the joy of creating backyard oases where memories are made.


So, ditch the Drano, grab your headphones, and dive into the Talking Pools Podcast. It's your weekly dose of poolside wisdom, laughter, and community. We'll see you on the flip side!


P.S. Subscribe now and you might just win a case of pool party essentials (floaties not included, sorry squirrels).


P.P.S. Tell your pool-loving friends – sharing knowledge is like sharing sunscreen, it protects everyone!

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Episodes

🎧Why you should fill your pool filter with glass🎙️

Text us a pool question! Glass media vs Silica sand in your sand filters. Is it really the better way to go? Tuesdays with Tim & Kelli is a brand new show on the Talking Pools Podcast Network! This week Tim & Kelli take a caller question from a pool pro who is searching for more info on glass. 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...

Mar 01, 202228 minSeason 2Ep. 42

Building your brand + 𝘗𝘖𝘖𝘓 𝘐𝘕𝘋𝘜𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘠 𝘐𝘊𝘖𝘕 𝘈𝘕𝘕𝘖𝘜𝘕𝘊𝘌𝘚 𝘙𝘌𝘛𝘐𝘙𝘌𝘔𝘌𝘕𝘛

Text us a pool question! Whoa! Does Pool Industry Icon say goodbye? 🤷‍♂️It is a lot like the Hotel California in here "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave" - The Eagles Developing your brand is not about the logo or the wrap on your truck. It goes far beyond that and has everything to do with your success. It's not too late, check out the tips from the team of pros in this episode to find out what can be done. BLUERAY XL The real mineral purifier! Reduce your pool maint...

Feb 25, 202221 minSeason 2Ep. 41

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝙳𝙲'𝚜 𝙽𝙴𝚆 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚙💩

Text us a pool question! In 2017 the CDC made changes to their ' Fecal Incident Response Guidelines '. Most significant was the NEW procedure for the remediation of a diarrheal incident (high-risk event for contamination caused by Cryptosporidium). Despite being adopted by most health departments as the only permissible treatment option in their public pool code, this new regulation remains widely unknown. Aquatic Facility Training & Consultants Online CPO & AFO Certification Classes the...

Feb 18, 202235 minSeason 2Ep. 40

TDS IS NOT AN STD

Text us a pool question! Anything you add to your swimming pool will increase something and everything you add increases Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). In this one, Why you should care and how it should affect the chlorine type you chose to use. Jump right in. The water's fine. Join us, Poolside! Find us on Website: https://talkingpools.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpools/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingPools Twitter: https://twitter.com/TalkingPools YouTube: Talking...

Feb 11, 202237 minSeason 2Ep. 39

THE NEXT GREAT POOL IDEA

Text us a pool question! No one knows swimming pools better than you. So, that idea you had to make it easier or that tool you Rube Goldberg-ed to get the job done faster is something that everyone with a pool to care for needs to hear about. It could also give you the opportunity to write your own ticket. Jump right in. The water's fine. Join us, Poolside! Find us on Website: https://talkingpools.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpools/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingP...

Feb 04, 202235 minSeason 2Ep. 38

NPC, BORATE, & BICARB FRESH PLASTER START-UP

Text us a pool question! 02:00 NPC Fresh Plaster Start-up 16:55 Pool Nation Podcast Net Challenge 19:15 Talking Pools Column in Pool Magazine 19:35 Borate Fresh Plaster Start-up 25:45 Bicarbonate Fresh Plaster Start-up (The one with the 55-gallon drum) Jump right in. The water's fine. Join us, Poolside! Find us on Website: https://talkingpools.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpools/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingPools Twitter: https://twitter.com/TalkingPools YouTube:...

Jan 28, 202239 minSeason 2Ep. 37

HOW SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS CAN EASE ANXIETY

Text us a pool question! Special guest Laura Holley, Director of Prevention for Meridian Behavioral Healthcare and co-host of the popular The Brain Factor podcast , shares methods small business owners can use to ease anxiety in the face of supply-chain issues, workforce & product shortages, and multiple price increases especially when under the added stress of a pandemic. Laura has been working in or around Mental Health for nearly 20 years in various capacities. She is a subject matter exp...

Jan 21, 202243 minSeason 2Ep. 36

BLACK ALGAE ll: toxicity, prevention, & eradication

Text us a pool question! Join us for part two of our two-part podcast episode on swimming pool black algae where we find out the toxicity of black algae, how to get rid of it, and how to prevent a swimming pool from getting it in the first place. See an outline of Rudy's Black Algae research here: Swimming Pool Black Algae | Request PDF (researchgate.net) , Rudy's book ( How to Get Rid of Swimming Pool Algae ), and his online Algae Specialist Certification course . Jump right in. The water's fin...

Jan 14, 202231 minSeason 2Ep. 35

SWIMMING POOL BLACK ALGAE: toxicity, prevention, & eradication

Text us a pool question! Our host Rudy Stankowitz is said to know more about swimming pool black algae than any other person on the planet. See an outline of Rudy's Black Algae research here: Swimming Pool Black Algae | Request PDF (researchgate.net) After years of research (both in the field and lab), a published book ( How to Get Rid of Swimming Pool Algae ), an online Algae Specialist Certification course , and countless interviews, Rudy, along with his co-host Andrea, will be breaking it dow...

Jan 07, 202223 minSeason 2Ep. 34

How to: REMOVE STAINS in a POOL

Text us a pool question! 03:00 Andrea's stain assessment process 08:12 Contamination of the imported pool chemicals 14:50 Vitamin C iron stain test 16:00 How ascorbic acid removes stains 19:43 Oxalic acid for iron oxide removal 22:21 Spot treat acid wash 23:40 Tannin stains 25:40 Citric acid 26:34 Copper-cyanurate 30:43 Copper stain removal Jump right in. The water's fine. Join us, Poolside! Find us on Website: https://talkingpools.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpools/ Facebook...

Dec 31, 202138 minSeason 1Ep. 33

Here's why ALUM is the MAGIC PILL💊 for your pool(s)

Text us a pool question! 03:05 History of Aluminum Sulfate use in Water Treatment 11:24 As a phosphate remover 14:09 Alum vs Ascorbic acid for stain removal 24:27 Green 2 Clean 35:43 Killing Black Algae with Alum 36:22 Alum/CyA removal method (lowering the Cyanuric acid chemically) Jump right in. The water's fine. Join us, Poolside! Find us on Website: https://talkingpools.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpools/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingPools Twitter: https://twi...

Dec 22, 202147 minSeason 1Ep. 32

How to: Lower the Calcium Hardness level chemically

Text us a pool question! 00:00 Andrea's customer's pool loses 70,000 gal 08:39 Listener Questions 10:48 Lowering Calcium Hardness chemically 18:42 Handling bad reviews on Social Media 30:04 Twas the night before pool service price increases Jump right in. The water's fine. Join us, Poolside! Find us on Website: https://talkingpools.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpools/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingPools Twitter: https://twitter.com/TalkingPools YouTube: Talking Poo...

Dec 17, 202133 minSeason 1Ep. 31

How to: IDENTIFY INVALID POOL WATER TEST RESULTS

Text us a pool question! 00:29 Pool job interview hit & run 04:56 Liquid chlorine and acid on the rise 12:25 Pool water test kit interferences The swimming pool test kit is the most valuable tool in a pool tech or pool owner's arsenal, but for as much as we depend upon drops, colors, strips, or disks to give us unchallenged accuracy. Would it surprise you to learn that some seemingly minor properties of water or water chemistry can cause a whopper of a lie? Could you see through a test resul...

Dec 10, 202135 minSeason 1Ep. 30

The Secret Ingredient in Pool Enzymes

Text us a pool question! 04:25 Talking Pools Podcast has a trade magazine column 05:04 Getting out of your own way on pricing service 12:30 Snowflaking & magnesium hydroxide in saltwater pools 21:16 Pool Enzyme ingredients Harvested from bacteria, enzymes catalyze oxidation reactions, with heavy metals in the formula... Jump right in. The water's fine. Join us, Poolside! Find us on Website: https://talkingpools.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpools/ Facebook: https://www.fac...

Dec 03, 202138 minSeason 1Ep. 29

What pool enzyme manufacturers don't tell you

Text us a pool question! 00:18 Industry Educator Grant Smith tribute/Leadership lessons 07:08 Residential pool main drain regulations 15:46 Florida man gets penis stuck in pool fitting 16:58 How pool enzymes work Before we jump into this, I need you to have a clear mind. I need you for just a minute to forget everything everyone has ever told you about enzymes and how they work. That doesn’t mean I’m saying it’s all bullshit like many things; it’s more like facts with a sprinkling of bullshit—fi...

Nov 26, 202129 minSeason 1Ep. 28

How to: Get delinquent customers to pay

Text us a pool question! 00:00 Industry Icon, Bob Lowry, passes away 02:10 Delinquent Customers In this one, Rudy and Andrea take listeners through some business practices designed to protect the service provider from customers who fail to pay and some steps the business owner can take to recoup funds. Jump right in. The water's fine. Join us, Poolside! Please find us on Website: https://talkingpools.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpools/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Talki...

Nov 19, 202132 minSeason 1Ep. 27

Looming pool stabilizer (cyanuric acid) shortage just in time for 2022

Text us a pool question! 01:50 Pool Corp acquires large retail chain 03:00 Pleatco Perfect Pool Guy/Gal Winners 08:55 Cyanuric Acid Shortage There's a cyanuric acid shortage brewing and this year's winners of the Pleatco nationwide search for the Perfect Pool Guy ( Michael Baker , Preserve Pools LLC Tucson, Arizona) and Perfect Pool Gal ( Kristen Melo of Preserve Pools, Summerville, SC) are here to share their thoughts with Rudy & Andrea on what this could mean for Pool Pros and Pool Owners ...

Nov 12, 202137 minSeason 1Ep. 26

A deep dive into Borates in swimming pools

Text us a pool question! Breaking News about Taylor Test Kits, Some monster in Fresno kills a dog at the pool, and a listener email asks for a more in-depth look at why everyone should be using borates in swimming pools, especially with the scarcity in swimming chlorinating pool products expected to last throughout most of 2022. Jump right in. The water's fine. Join us, Poolside! Please find us on Website: https://talkingpools.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpools/ Facebook: htt...

Nov 05, 202143 minSeason 1Ep. 25

A NEW TRADE SHOW, TILE CLEANING, TIGHTENING POOL ROUTES

Text us a pool question! A huge announcement from AQUA Magazine brings editor and chief Scott Webb to our show this week. Andrea takes us through her methods of cleaning scale from tile. Rudy talks about why now is the best time to fire some customers. All this and more on this week's Talking Pools Podcast episode! Jump right in. The water's fine. Join us, Poolside! Find us on Website: https://talkingpools.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpools/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com...

Oct 29, 202133 minSeason 1Ep. 25

UV, Ozone, & AOP (Advanced Oxidation Process)

Text us a pool question! This is the one where Rudy & Andrea talk about advanced oxidation process. AOP involves the generation of hydroxyl radicals in sufficient quantity to sanitize water. As a result of the process, we get the hydroxyl radical (•OH) which is the neutral form of OH⁻. We say ‘Advanced’ because the oxidation reactions are significantly faster than they would naturally occur otherwise. Rudy & Andrea discuss the four primary methods of producing •OH including one that is g...

Oct 22, 202128 minSeason 1Ep. 24

UNFILTERED: Raising pool service/build rates with unknown variables

Text us a pool question! We decided to do a Town Hall in this one we call Talking Pools Unfiltered. We opened our podcast up to a larger than the normal group to discuss a huge issue affecting pool builders & service companies Coast-2-Coast. Everyone knows we need to raise prices due to the perpetual increases in product cost we are facing, but what the h**k do you raise them to when you don't know what your cost will be or if you will even be able to get it??? Guest Host: Joe Trusty poolmag...

Oct 15, 202156 minSeason 1Ep. 23

Here's how to get paid what you're worth to clean someone's pool

Text us a pool question! Do pool service rates accurately reflect the value of the service? Or, have lowballers devalued the product in your area? This, and Rudy and Andrea take a look at swimming pool rules from the late 1800s to the mid-1920s. The problems we see now are not that different throughout the past century and a quarter. Are there things that will surprise you? You better believe it! Download this episode now and ride with Rudy & Andrea on the Swimming Pool Time Machine ⏳ Jump r...

Oct 08, 202136 minSeason 1Ep. 22

EPIC ᶜᵒˡˡᵃᵇᵒʳᵃᵗᶦᵒⁿ AT AOAP SHOW ᵃᵈᵛᵃⁿᶜᵉˢ POOL PRO/AQUATIC PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

Text us a pool question! Watershape University and the Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code ( CMAHC ) are excited to announce their partnership with the Association of Aquatic Professionals ( AOAP ) during the Annual AOAP Conference & Exposition, scheduled for Feb. 5-12, 2022, in St. Pete Beach, Fla. Now in its 11th year, the Conference has earned a reputation as the premier educational gathering for aquatic professionals, drawing over 800 attendees, including health inspectors, buildin...

Oct 01, 202146 minSeason 1Ep. 21

Important facts about the pool chemicals you add nobody told you about

Text us a pool question! It is impossible to add a chemical to pool water and only change the thing you added the chemical to change. WTF?! I know! No matter how pure, no matter where you purchased it from, you are going to change something else as well. Sometimes the unintended change is insignificant, other times you need to be prepared to add an entirely different chemical to counter the incidental consequences of your dose. Jump right in. The water's fine. Join us, Poolside! Find us on Websi...

Sep 24, 202136 minSeason 1Ep. 20

5 reasons you should be talking about pool drain grates - Sᵗᵉᵛᵉ Bᵃʳⁿᵉˢ ᵒᶠ Aᵒ̴ᵘᵃˢᵗᵃʳ Pᵒᵒˡ Pʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵗˢ ᵉˣᵖˡᵃ ͥ ⁿˢ

Text us a pool question! Steve Barnes joins Rudy & Andrea via satellite radio transmission from an undisclosed location to discuss the laws regarding swimming pool suction outlets (Main drains, dedicated vacuum lines, etc) that were put in place to prevent disembowelment and entrapment of children (and adults). The original law went into effect on December 19, 2008, However vital updates and changes were made in 2021. Listen now - see how this affects your swimming pool. Find us on Website: ...

Sep 17, 202153 minSeason 1Ep. 19

Ways you were lied to about Natural Swimming Pools

Text us a pool question! The latest craze coming from across the pond is Natural swimming pools. The timing ties in perfectly as an alternative to the traditional chemically treated backyard oasis in a time where chlorine supply is scarce. They take up twice that area, come at a much higher price tag, and rely upon vegetation to sanitize the water. but, are they safe? I would like to preface this by saying I am 110% in favor of the integration of natural pools into our industry if proof can be p...

Sep 10, 202138 minSeason 1Ep. 18

Why cloudy pool water could kill you

Text us a pool question! In this one, Rudy and Andrea have a couple of cloudy water examples that will blow your socks off and leave you speechless. The terrible twosome of all pool podcasts is great and small talk of a health official major fail and a case where the swimming pool service company drops the ball. This is no Cinderella tale; not all chronicles have happy endings. What your first steps should be when the pool turns cloudy? There is an easy fix that is often overlooked. Rudy and And...

Sep 03, 202133 minSeason 1Ep. 17

Here's an insider's view of the movie POOLSIDE with Director Alex Kinter

Text us a pool question! Rudy & Andrea talk with Alex Kinter, director of the yet-to-be-released multi-award-winning film, POOLSIDE. A 1950's high society woman struggles to keep her sanity while isolated at her indoor swimming pool. The idealistic background acts as a stark contrast to the dark concepts, swimming through this candid unraveling of a woman alone, trying to understand the voices she hears underwater. . Self-doubt, addiction, loss, and fear are just a few of the emotions she st...

Aug 27, 202125 minSeason 1Ep. 16

Here's how renting your home pool could lead to a health department visit

Text us a pool question! This may be the latest share-fad, but is it being done safely? Rudy & Andrea take a look at commercial swimming pools and how home pool rentals meet that criteria. But, are they being treated as such? From what we hear, they are not. If any listeners own or maintain pools that are involved in this program - we want to hear from you! Find us on Website: https://talkingpools.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingpools/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Talk...

Aug 20, 202123 minSeason 1Ep. 15

Here's why the LSI You're Using is Inaccurate.

Text us a pool question! The Langelier Saturation Index is the basis of swimming pool water chemistry. A simple mathematical formula determines whether the water is in balance (neither corrosive nor scale forming). Realistically, not a measure of the success in preventing algae or bacteria, but a calculation designed specifically for the protection of the vessel, the swimming pool itself—a determination of calcium carbonate saturation. Let's face it; we have come to depend upon the accuracy of t...

Aug 13, 202135 minSeason 1Ep. 14
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