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Three raffle entries. One winner. Six months of pool cleaning True wishes he hadn’t given away.

This week on Tru in the Loop, True shares how a holiday giveaway landed him a problem pool with relentless debris and a layout that made every visit a headache. The experience changed what he looks for before quoting a new account.

Then pool builder Adam joins the conversation to explain how his years on a service route shaped the pools he builds today. From equipment access to return placement, Adam builds with the person maintaining the pool in mind. He also shares how he grew from a teenage pool tech into a business owner overseeing construction and roughly 250 service accounts, and why keeping his maintenance route has helped him weather construction’s slower stretches.

Plus, should cleaning algae off the coping be included, charged separately, or handled as goodwill? True weighs the responses and explains why taking care of customers starts with pricing your service correctly.

In this episode:

• Gas Money Monday (Not affiliated with the Talking Pools Podcast) turns one pool pro’s generosity into help for another.
• The giveaway that became six months of unpaid headaches.
• Why True now counts and checks return locations before quoting service.
• Building pools with maintenance and equipment access in mind.
• Adam’s approach to plumbing upgrades and customer expectations.
• Creating distinctive pools with Baja shelves and custom spa finishes.
• Adam’s perspective on contractor credentials, written agreements, and progress payments.
• Knowing when to hire instead of doing everything yourself.
• How recurring service revenue supports a construction business.
• Pricing the little extras without building resentment.
• Setting phone boundaries so work doesn’t follow you everywhere.

A takeaway worth remembering:
“Don’t jump over dollars to pick up dimes.”

This week’s business tip:
Separate your business number from your personal number and establish a cutoff time. Being available to customers shouldn’t mean being on call every waking hour.

Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you in part by Pool Brain, software built to help pool service businesses operate more efficiently.

Listen to Tru in the Loop every Tuesday on the Talking Pools Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your favorite podcast app.

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

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Pool equipment has changed. Water testing has changed. So why has Australia’s pool water quality standard taken so long to catch up?

On this episode of Mondays Down Under on the Talking Pools Podcast, Lee Salisbury and Nick welcome Chris Smith from Waterco for a look inside the proposed rewrite of Australian Standard AS 3633.

With 42 years in the industry and a seat on the technical committee, Chris explains how the draft came together, why its scope is expanding beyond private pools, and which proposals are generating debate. The conversation tackles filtration, testing, supplementary sanitizers, and the challenge of creating consistency across state health requirements.

There’s also a question for every pool business owner: Have the people recommending your products actually used them?

In this episode:

• Chris’s journey from building equipment to chemical training and research.
• Why retail staff need hands-on experience with green pool cleanups.
• Reading product labels and catching changes to instructions.
• Expanding AS 3633 to address residential and public pools.
• How working groups, technical review, and public comments shape the draft.
• Australian Standards versus state and local requirements.
• Professional water testing and the tools technicians use.
• Proposed testing frequencies, including total alkalinity.
• Chlorine dioxide and the discussion around supplementary sanitizers.
• Proposed chlorine limits and the practical challenges of heavy bather loads.
• Accounting for cold plunges, warmer water, filtration, and equipment response.

Episode chapters:

00:12 | Welcome to Mondays Down Under
02:14 | Meet Chris Smith: 42 years in the pool industry
07:05 | Research, product trials, and asking why
08:46 | Get your retail staff out into the field
09:58 | Read the label, even when you know the product
12:35 | Why AS 3633 needed a rewrite
18:49 | Expanding the scope to residential and public pools
24:43 | When standards and local requirements differ
28:22 | What counts as professional water testing?
31:23 | Public comments and evidence behind the proposals
33:24 | The alkalinity testing discussion
34:26 | Chlorine dioxide and supplementary sanitizers
44:27 | Proposed combined chlorine limits
45:25 | Temperature ranges, cold plunges, and sanitizer targets
47:23 | Chlorine limits, bather loads, and equipment capacity

About the guest:
Chris Smith of Waterco brings experience across pool equipment, water chemistry, training, and product development. He joins the conversation as a participant in the AS 3633 technical committee.

This episode discusses draft proposals under review at the time of recording. Proposed values should not be treated as final requirements.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Talking Pools for more conversations from across the pool industry.

The Pool Shop Coach
an online store offering industry-specific business mentoring, coaching, and training programs

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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Rudy Stankowitz and Eric Knight of Pool Brain continue their three-part crossover conversation with a question that gets uncomfortable fast: How can the same water readings look balanced in one calculation and aggressive in another?

They compare the PHTA/NPC calculation Rudy teaches with the Orenda calculator Eric helped develop, explain where their approaches differ, and discuss what those differences mean when you’re standing beside an actual pool.

Then there’s everything your standard test kit might miss, the challenge of managing water between weekly visits, and the difference between teaching someone a range and teaching them how to make a decision.

In this episode:

• Beyond the basic test kit: Sulfates, nitrates, manganese, and what your source-water report can tell you.
• Cold-plunge testing: Why sample temperature belongs in the conversation.
• Ranges, alkalinity, and pH: Where Rudy and Eric agree—and where their targets differ.
• Same readings, different LSI: A comparison of calculation methods, including how they account for CYA and borates.
• Every pool has an environment: Trees, covers, turbulence, and adapting your approach to the backyard.
• Seven days between visits: Customer participation, specialty chemicals, and automation across different budgets.
• Teaching judgment: How to move technicians from memorizing numbers to understanding the pool.
• Manufacturer education: Bias, transparency, and Eric’s account of how the Orenda calculator evolved.
• Phosphates and algae: Their role in a service strategy, recurring problems, and the importance of brushing.
• Salt-cell flakes: Eric challenges a familiar explanation and discusses the testing behind his position..

Follow the crossover:

• Part 1: Rule Your Pool — October 28.
• Part 2: Talking Pools — this episode.
• Part 3: Rule Your Pool — November 4, the conclusion.

Sponsors featured in this episode: Service Industry News, Pool Brain, Blueray XL, AquaStar Pool Products, and Jack’s Magic.

#TalkingPools #RuleYourPool #PoolChemistry #PoolService #LSI #PoolProfessionals

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Are you making money on every pool, or just staying busy?

This week on Thursdays with Wayne & Steve, the guys get back to business basics for pool professionals. Steve explains why knowing your costs, understanding your pricing, and building relationships with reliable subcontractors can make the difference between having a full route and having a profitable business.

Steve also shares what his coastal community has been dealing with as storms and beach erosion threaten homes, and he talks candidly about the toll the uncertainty has taken on his mental health.

In this episode:

• Welcoming Truman, host of Tru in the Loop, to the Talking Pools lineup
• Calculating the real cost of servicing a pool, from chemicals and labor to insurance and transportation
• Hourly pay versus pay per pool when bringing on help
• Pricing weekly service and accounting for the full year
• Knowing when to turn down an account that doesn’t make financial sense
• Working with repair and leak-detection specialists
• Having a plan when you encounter equipment you don’t know how to service
• Storm preparation, evacuation plans, and the stress of living with uncertainty

Insurance Interlude: Steve is joined by Pat Grignon to discuss questions pool professionals should ask their insurance agents. They cover potential gaps involving chemical spills, overfilled pools, acid washes, popped pools, and equipment repairs. Coverage depends on the policy, so review your own terms and limits with your agent.

Steve also shares a practical tip for reducing the risk of an overfilled pool: a mechanical hose timer that shuts the water off after a set period.

Have a topic or question for Wayne and Steve? Email talkingpools@gmail.com.

This episode contains adult language.

#TalkingPoolsPodcast #ThursdaysWithWayneAndSteve #PoolService #PoolBusiness #PoolProfessionals #PoolServiceInsurance

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Hot tubs may be small, but the problems hiding in them can be anything but. In this episode of the Talking Pools Podcast, Natalie Hood sits down with microbiologist Dr. Roy Vore to tackle hot tub chemistry, sanitation, and the misconceptions that can leave bathers soaking in more than warm water.

Roy explains why hot tub water chemistry can change much faster than in a swimming pool, how heat and aeration affect it, and why sanitizer residual is only one part of spa care. Natalie and Roy also discuss chlorine versus bromine, recreational water illnesses, and what Roy does before stepping into a hotel hot tub.

In this episode:

• Why a hot tub isn’t simply a small swimming pool
• How heat, bather load, and jets affect spa water
• Chlorine versus bromine: Roy’s perspective
• Pseudomonas, biofilm, and recreational water illness
• Why water replacement matters
• Testing the water before taking a soak
• The importance of operator training and regular monitoring

Next Wednesday: Natalie and Dr. Roy Vore return to conclude their conversation about hot tubs, germs, and how to keep the water safer.

This episode is brought to you in part by Pool Brain, helping pool professionals run smarter, more efficient, and more profitable service businesses.

Support the show

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

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A clean pool wasn’t enough to keep the customer. In this episode of Tru in the Loop, Pool Boy True shares a hard lesson he learned when a customer asked for service documentation, and he took too long to provide it. Her request was about more than paperwork: she wanted peace of mind.

True joins Christian of Pure Water Pools on Florida’s Treasure Coast to talk about servicing standalone spas. They discuss how spa use affects maintenance, what technicians should consider when pricing service, and why Christian believes spas can profitably add to a pool route.

Plus, True gives Rob the Pool Boy of Blue Horizon Pool Company his flowers, reads a listener’s unforgettable route story, and wraps up his hiring miniseries with three interview questions designed to uncover ownership, motivation, and problem-solving skills.

In this episode:

• Why listening to customer concerns can make or break an account
• Service documentation and customer confidence
• Standalone spa maintenance, filtration, and water chemistry
• Pricing spa service and communicating its value
• When it may be time to walk away from a customer
• Three interview questions to help find the right fit for your team

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you in part by Pool Brain, providing tools to help pool professionals run smarter, more efficient, and more profitable service businesses.

Mentioned: Swim University

Catch Tru in the Loop every Tuesday on the Talking Pools Podcast. Stay blessed!

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When the schedule fills up, shortcuts start looking pretty reasonable. A missing job note here, a skipped photo there. Then a customer calls, a pump won’t start, and suddenly that five-second video becomes the most valuable thing your technician recorded all week.

On this episode of Mondays Down Under, Lee, The Pool Shop Coach, joins Nick to discuss building procedures that pool professionals actually use. From consistent service standards to employee onboarding, they explore how clear expectations, accessible instructions, and explaining the “why” help keep a growing business running smoothly.

Nick shares a customer dispute involving a green pool cleanup and a failed pump, illustrating why service documentation matters. Lee suggests reviewing one procedure each week with the team, giving technicians a voice in improving the processes they follow.

In this episode:

• Why busy teams slip back into old habits.
• How missing notes create problems long after the service visit.
• Using photos, videos, and job records to support technicians during customer disputes.
• Keeping procedures accessible through shared folders and service software.
• Explaining why each task matters to improve staff buy-in.
• Updating service procedures when equipment and methods change.
• Making workplace safety part of onboarding and regular team meetings.
• Building employee handbooks that answer everyday questions.
• Introducing technical training in manageable stages.
• Recording repeatable training videos with Loom.

Episode chapters

00:00 Sponsor: PoolBrain
00:12 Welcome to Mondays Down Under
00:36 Procedures, habits, and cutting corners
05:40 A pump dispute and the value of documentation
07:47 Where your procedures live
11:04 Consistent service and explaining the “why”
15:43 Updating procedures and involving the team
17:41 Photos, accountability, and backing your technicians
21:23 Workplace safety and employee onboarding
24:36 Handbooks and professional first impressions
27:32 Training resources and learning in stages
28:46 Using Loom to record repeatable processes
31:31 Sharing training videos across your business
32:20 Listener shout-out and how to get in touch

Takeaway: Pick one procedure at your next team meeting. Review what it says, explain why it matters, and ask the people doing the work what needs updating.

Resources mentioned: PoolBrain, Loom, Dropbox, Google Drive, supplier training portals, SPASA Training, and LaMotte water training.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you in part by PoolBrain.

Send questions and topic suggestions: talkingpools@gmail.com
Connect with Lee: Find The Pool Shop Coach on Facebook and Instagram.

Content advisory: Contains occasional adult language.

The Pool Shop Coach
an online store offering industry-specific business mentoring, coaching, and training programs

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

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

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

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Can a Facebook group keep its edge without making every question a public execution?

Rudy Stankowitz rejoins 14 PSI’s Shawn Davis and Dan Chiles for the conclusion of their conversation about toxicity, accountability, and changing the culture of an online pool-professional community.

The goal sounds straightforward: build people up, share useful knowledge, and keep the ball-busting. Putting that into practice? That’s where the conversation gets interesting.

Rudy presses for specifics on consistent moderation, helping newcomers, addressing personal conflicts, and encouraging experienced members to become better teachers. Shawn and Dan discuss the group’s restructuring, acknowledge the need for change, and explain why they still want room for sarcasm, roasting, and personality.

Along the way, they explore why advice that works in one region can fail spectacularly in another. From sandy soil on the Outer Banks to Texas clay and Florida groundwater, troubleshooting requires context—and the professional standing beside the pool has information a Facebook comment cannot replace.

In This Episode

• Advice needs context: Why location, soil, and site conditions change troubleshooting decisions.
• Correction versus humiliation: Helping someone improve without telling them to leave the industry.
• Accountability among friends: Calling each other out before an argument becomes something worse.
• Changes at 14 PSI: The administrative restructuring described during the recording.
• Education beyond good intentions: Possible discussions, expert Q&As, and mentoring opportunities remain under consideration.
• Getting lurkers involved: What would help hesitant members start asking questions and sharing their work?
• Keeping the edge: The difference between inviting a roast and asking for help.
• Recognizing improvement: Giving public credit when someone develops their skills.

Chapters

00:00 — Acknowledging the negativity and introducing Part Two
01:16 — Why good advice doesn’t work everywhere
05:57 — The professional poolside makes the final call
07:55 — Consistent expectations and recognizing growth
09:22 — Turning experience into better mentoring
10:51 — Personal conflicts and moderator support
11:56 — Group restructuring and the proposed direction
14:49 — Holding longtime friends accountable
15:21 — Education plans and encouraging questions
16:57 — What meaningful progress would look like
18:27 — Trade-show memories and community connections
19:26 — Dan’s invitation to hesitant posters
19:56 — Why join 14 PSI?
20:47 — BlueRay XL shout-out and closing remarks

Content advisory: Explicit language, adult humor, and frank discussion of online hostility.

The question for listeners: What would make you comfortable asking for help in a professional Facebook group—and what would make you leave?

Be good. Be safe. Don’t put tabs in the skimmer.

#TalkingPoolsPodcast #PoolIndustry #PoolProfessionals #Mentorship #OnlineCommunity

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Talking Pools Podcast | Thursdays with Wayne & Steve

Wayne Ivusich is flying solo, and he’s brought a list. Welcome to “Pissed-Off Wayne Thursdays,” where questionable pool service habits earn a finger wag and a reminder that saving a few minutes can create expensive problems.

From chlorine tablets in skimmers to backwashing on autopilot, Wayne tackles shortcuts he sees across the industry. He explains why testing only chlorine and pH leaves part of the picture missing, discusses water balance, and encourages technicians to think about the long-term effects of their service decisions.

Then, Steve Sherwood joins Pat Grignon of the California Pool Association for an Insurance Interlude about a deceptively simple task: filling a pool. A discussion of an overflow incident involving a damaged retaining wall turns into a conversation about liability, subcontractors, documentation, and why “the homeowner said they’d turn it off” can become a very expensive sentence.

In This Episode

• Skimmer shortcuts: Wayne discusses chemical dosing practices and potential equipment damage.
• Chemical additions: Why compatibility, application instructions, and dosing sequence deserve attention.
• Backwashing habits: Using pressure readings and manufacturer guidance to make maintenance decisions.
• Testing beyond chlorine and pH: Alkalinity, calcium hardness, cyanuric acid, temperature, and total dissolved solids.
• Additional troubleshooting tests: Phosphates, copper, iron, and manganese.
• Pool overflow liability: How a running hose can lead to property damage and disputes over responsibility.
• Documentation that matters: Service records, photos, customer texts, and subcontractor insurance.
• Managing pool fills: Hose timers, flow meters, and estimating fill time.

Episode Chapters

00:01 — Wayne goes solo: Welcome to Pet Peeve Thursdays
Chemical dosing, skimmer habits, backwashing, water testing, and water balance.

22:11 — Sponsor messages

24:20 — Insurance Interlude: When filling a pool becomes a nightmare
Steve and Pat discuss overflow damage, responsibility, insurance, and practical precautions.

38:00 — Closing thoughts and listener questions

Featured Voices

Wayne Ivusich — Thursday co-host and water chemistry educator
Steve Sherwood — Thursday co-host
Pat Grignon — Vice President, California Pool Association

Support Our Partners

LaMotte WaterLink Spin Touch: https://www.waterlinkspintouch.com/
Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code: https://www.cmahc.org/
PoolBrain: https://www.poolbrain.com/

Questions or episode suggestions? Email talkingpools@gmail.com.

Listener note: Contains explicit language. Follow product labels and equipment manufacturer instructions for chemical application and maintenance. Insurance coverage and liability depend on the policy and circumstances.

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Before he worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger or led ocean innovation initiatives, Terry Tamminen was servicing swimming pools in Malibu. And when he couldn’t find the comprehensive maintenance reference he wanted, he wrote one.

This week on Talking Pools Podcast’s Wednesday Mythbusting Session, Natalie Hood wraps up the 2026 Top Ten Mentor interview series with Terry, author of The Ultimate Pool Maintenance Manual and a 2026 Talking Pools Podcast Mentor Award finalist.

Terry shares how his pool industry experience helped shape a career in environmental protection, why sharing knowledge still matters decades later, and what happened when the company servicing his own pool discovered whose backyard they were standing in.

There’s also a technician cutting his route short to go skiing. Apparently, checking the slopes was easier than checking the pools.

In this episode:

• The Malibu years: Building a pool service business with a celebrity clientele.
• Writing the manual: Turning years of classes, equipment information, and field experience into a resource for pool professionals.
• Mentorship with patience: Adapting to different learning styles and helping people reconsider old habits.
• Knowing your limits: Why “let me find out” beats confidently handing someone a bad answer.
• Pool myths: Discussing strong pool odors, chloramines, and the misconception that saltwater pools are chlorine-free.
• Professional standards: Why education and technical competence matter in a business involving water, electricity, and chemicals.
• The blue economy: Introducing emerging careers in aquaculture, underwater robotics, and ocean technology.
• Honest feedback: Finding people who will tell you when you’ve screwed up, even when you haven’t asked.

Episode chapters

00:00 — Meet Terry Tamminen
02:36 — From real estate to a Malibu pool route
09:58 — What the mentor recognition means to Terry
11:32 — Sharing practical knowledge and staying involved
15:30 — The people who shaped his approach
17:57 — Giving someone an opportunity
19:15 — When guidance doesn’t work out
22:25 — Teaching beginners and challenging established habits
24:07 — Strong pool odors and testing before treating
26:15 — Saltwater pool misconceptions
28:56 — Education and professionalism
31:12 — Mentorship and ocean careers
32:56 — Taking the pool industry seriously
34:57 — Why mentors need honest feedback, too
36:11 — A boat trip to Catalina and a chance to learn
38:30 — Terry’s closing message

The takeaway: Keep learning, share what you know, and take the work seriously. Even the person who wrote the book can learn something from the technician standing in his backyard.

2026 Talking Pools Podcast Mentor Award sponsors

• Title Sponsors: BlueRay XL and United Chemical
• Gold Sponsor: LaMotte
• Silver Sponsor: Revved Up Apparel
• Supporting Sponsor: AquaComfort Water Group

Content advisory: Contains explicit language.

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Tru in the Loop | Talking Pools Podcast
Host: Truman
Guest: Zach of Pineapple Pool Boyz, Arizona

Truman bids a one-day cleanup that turns into a four-day construction-debris nightmare, complete with a long commute and a well-water refill that adds another headache. Then he revisits the morning he fell into a pool and walked face-first into a glass door in front of a room full of realtors. All before 9 a.m. Some business lessons come with spreadsheets. Others leave forehead prints.

This week, Zach of Pineapple Pool Boyz joins Truman to explain how he went from a corporate banking job to buying his first 12 pool accounts and building a service business. They get into buying routes, training technicians, hiring longtime friends, and why a poorly priced account is the owner’s problem to fix.

The conversation tackles a trap plenty of pool pros recognize: chasing more accounts without making enough money on the ones they already have. Zach shares his approach to pricing, charging separately for chemicals, building customer trust, and bringing in skilled repair professionals when their expertise saves time.

Plus, Truman opens the mailbag for a debate about high pool water levels and closes with part two of his business mini-series: writing a job description that tells applicants what the work actually requires.

In this episode:

• The cleanup estimate that missed three extra days of work.
• Leaving corporate life and starting with a small pool route.
• Growing through referrals, networking, and account purchases.
• Training employees before sending them out alone.
• Hiring friends while setting clear expectations and boundaries.
• Paying technicians fairly and taking responsibility for pricing mistakes.
• Improving profit per pool instead of simply adding more stops.
• Building relationships with customers, employees, and fellow pool pros.
• Finding mentors who help you understand the business side.
• The water-level debate: skimmer performance, debris, and customer communication.
• Turning company values into an honest hiring process.

This week’s business homework

Before writing your next technician job description, answer three questions:

• What personality traits does your ideal technician have?
• Which parts of this job have made you want to quit?
• What made your worst hire, coworker, or boss difficult to work with?

Use those answers to describe the person you need, the realities of the work, and who would struggle in the role. Next week, Truman moves into interview questions.

Connect with Zach

Find Pineapple Pool Boyz on Instagram. Boyz ends with a Z.

Episode sponsor

PoolBrain, tools to help pool professionals run smarter, more efficient, and more profitable service businesses.

Listen, follow, and share

Send this episode to the pool pro who keeps adding accounts but still wonders where the money went. Follow Talking Pools Podcast for more conversations about the work, the business, and the people behind the pole.

Contains adult language.

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

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Link to The Pool Shop Coach’s ‘KNOW YOUR NUMBERS’ CALCULATOR : www.thepoolshopcoach.com.au/knowyournumbers

Your shop is packed, the service trucks are rolling, and bags of salt are flying out the door. So why does the profit disappear?

On this episode of Mondays Down Under on the Talking Pools Podcast, Lee Salisbury, The Pool Shop Coach, and Nick in Brisbane tackle the expenses quietly eating away at pool business profits. From merchant fees and surprise freight charges to fuel, wages, and electricity, those “little” costs can turn a busy season into a whole lot of work for very little return.

The conversation kicks off with a spirited discussion about Australian card payment surcharges before getting into the bigger question: When did you last review your prices against what it actually costs to run your business?

Lee explains why adding a few cents to your prices might fall short, how discounts take a bigger bite out of gross profit than owners realize, and why value-added offers deserve a closer look.

In this episode:

• Merchant fees and the hidden cost of getting paid.
• Why a 10% discount can cut gross profit by 20% in the example discussed.
• Markup versus margin—and why a 50% markup produces roughly a 33% gross margin.
• Accounting for overhead, including a wage for the owner.
• Using store incentives to encourage return visits.
• Identifying products that may be losing money.
• Why a healthy bank balance doesn’t necessarily mean a profitable business.
• Preparing for summer with prices grounded in your actual costs.

Featured resource: Lee introduces her free Know Your Numbers calculator, designed to help owners understand overhead and what each sale needs to contribute before the business earns a profit.

The episode also opens with a heartfelt message of support for Shane and his family following the loss of his mum. Our love is with them.

The takeaway: Before you sell another pallet of salt, make sure you know whether those bags are helping pay the bills—or adding to them.

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you in part by Pool Brain, helping pool professionals run smarter, more efficient, and more profitable service businesses.

Questions or topic suggestions? Email talkingpools@gmail.com.

Support the show

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

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

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On this Floc It Friday episode of the Talking Pools Podcast, Rudy Stankowitz sits down with Shawn Davis and Dan Chiles, two former admins of 14 PSI Industry Lounge, for a candid conversation about toxic Facebook groups—and the responsibility that comes with helping shape their culture.

But first, breaking news on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The Washington Post reports that a contractor-commissioned inspection identified at least EIGHTY-FIVE failures in the pool’s new blue coating following its fourteen-point-seven-million-dollar renovation.

In their October fourteenth investigation, reporters Meg Kelly, Klara Auerbach, and Amy Brittain describe buckling along eight of ten interior expansion joints, nearly forty blistered areas, and peeling in nearly two dozen locations. According to the inspection, contributing factors included materials unable to accommodate joint movement, possible application errors, and insufficient curing time. Photographs showed crews applying coating shortly before — and after — refilling began, despite a seventy-two-hour curing requirement.

While President Trump and administration officials have repeatedly blamed vandals, The Post reports that this inspection did not identify vandalism as a cause of the coating failures. A separate Park Service assessment identified four locations where vandalism was considered possible.

The Interior Department says the contractor is obligated to repair the pool, and the company has said repairs would be covered under warranty. The inspection’s central recommendations: Follow curing requirements and test coating products before application.

The dark side of Facebook groups and an effort to correct course

You came to ask about a pool repair. Somehow, you’re defending your intelligence, your business, and three generations of your family against a guy whose profile picture is a cartoon shark.

Welcome to the comment section.

Shawn and Dan acknowledge their own roles in an atmosphere that sometimes rewarded tearing people down. They discuss moving toward more education, better advice, and a community where pool professionals can contribute without preparing for a digital barroom brawl.

The conversation gets uncomfortable, funny, and refreshingly direct. There’s still plenty of profanity. The question is whether we can keep the personality while putting down the virtual barstools.

In this episode:

• When roasting shuts down learning: Why knowledgeable professionals stop posting and valuable experience stays hidden in private messages.
• Community versus combat: The friendships and professional support the group has fostered alongside its rough reputation.
• Taking responsibility: Recognizing harmful behavior, discussing apologies, and acknowledging moderation decisions that went too far—or didn’t go far enough.
• Generational differences: How language, expectations, and humor collide online.
• Lost in translation: Why the sarcasm you hear in your head can land very differently on someone else’s screen.
• Correcting dangerous advice: Bringing qualified voices into a discussion without making someone afraid to learn.
• The hardest three words: Why “I was wrong” might do more for the industry than banning every F-bomb.
• Doing versus teaching: Whether being skilled at pool work automatically makes someone qualified to teach it.

The takeaway: Pool professionals should be able to ask questions, challenge advice, and admit mistakes without becoming the afternoon’s entertainment. Education works better when people are willing to participate.

Tune in next Friday for part two and the conclusion of Fear of Facebook. It’s time to leave the barroom brawl and dive deep into education.

Also featured

A reminder from our mental health episode: the people answering calls and taking care of everyone else sometimes need support themselves. If you missed that conversation, go back and listen. You are allowed to have help.

Music credits

🎵 “How Life Goes” — Wendy Lucas
Used with permission. Thank you, Wendy, for sharing your music with Talking Pools.
Listen to “How Life Goes” on Spotify.

🎵 “Kings and Queens of the Game” — Rick Stone of Lion Heart Pools
AI music credit to Rick Stone. Thank you for contributing music celebrating the pool professionals who keep this industry moving.

Sponsor appreciation

Thank you to PoolBrain, Service Industry News, BlueRay XL, AquaStar, and Jack’s Magic, featured in this episode.

We also recognize our 2026 Talking Pools Podcast Mentor Award sponsors: Title Sponsors BlueRay XL and United Chemical; Gold Sponsor LaMotte; Silver Sponsor Revved Up Apparel; and Supporting Sponsor AquaComfort Water Group.

Content note: Explicit language and discussion of online bullying, PTSD, grief, and mental health.

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

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

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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.

Support the show

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

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

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The plaster looks like hell, and somehow the guy holding the net is already the prime suspect. Case closed? Natalie Hood and Greg Beard have a few follow-up questions.

On this Wednesday Mythbusting Session of the Talking Pools Podcast, Natalie welcomes Greg back for part two of their conversation about plaster problems, hands-on mentorship, and an industry that occasionally treats collaboration like somebody suggested sharing a toothbrush.

With more than 35 years of pool experience, Greg shares his perspective on what can happen before a pool is filled, why documentation matters, and how helping another professional solve a problem can accomplish more than another social media pissing contest.

In this episode:

• Plaster problems before the fill: Greg discusses water-to-cement ratios, application practices, and the work of John Temple.
• Water chemistry and the blame game: Looking beyond an automatic verdict against the service professional.
• Acid-wash timing: Natalie challenges the idea that washing new plaster sooner always produces a better finish.
• Mentorship that sticks: Teaching someone to troubleshoot instead of handing them an answer—or encouraging another expensive round of parts roulette.
• Knowing your worth: Building the knowledge and confidence to answer a homeowner’s questions.
• Community over turf wars: Sharing experience, supporting newcomers, and learning from other businesses.
• The business behind the route: Long-term customer relationships, the work Greg’s wife contributes, and his own struggle to find balance.

Somewhere along the way, there’s a stubborn pool-light cord, a boating challenge, and a pizza discussion that takes an unnecessary but thoroughly on-brand detour through the bathroom.

Also in this episode: A clip from our mental health conversation and a welcome to Tru in the Loop with Truman, the newest Tuesday show on Talking Pools. If you missed Truman’s debut, go back and give it a listen.

Sponsor appreciation

Thank you to PoolBrain, Revved Up Apparel, and H2Flow Controls, featured in this episode.

We also recognize the sponsors of the 2026 Talking Pools Podcast Mentor Awards: BlueRay XL and United Chemical as Title Sponsors, LaMotte as Gold Sponsor, Revved Up Apparel as Silver Sponsor, and AquaComfort Water Group as Supporting Sponsor.

Music credit

“How Life Goes” by Wendy Lucas. Thank you, Wendy, for sharing your music with Talking Pools.

🎵 Listen to “How Life Goes” on Spotify.

Listener note: Contains adult language and a mental health excerpt referencing PTSD and grief.

Keep challenging the myths, keep learning, and keep sharing what you know.

Spotify music credit verified. Spotify

Support the show

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

• Facebook
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• Tik Tok

Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

Ask a question here

Meet Truman, “Pool Boy Tru,” the newest voice on the Talking Pools Podcast. An Air Force veteran, former basketball coach, and Tampa-area pool business owner, Tru grew from a purchased route of 17 pools to 60 pools and an employee in two years. Now he’s bringing his lessons, questions, and industry connections to Tru in the Loop.

For his first episode, Tru welcomes Mike the Mechanic, owner of Swimming Pool Mechanics, the mentor who sold him his original route. They talk troubleshooting, expensive mistakes, and why understanding how equipment works beats memorizing fixes.

Tru also shares a painful early lesson: paying for a $120 repair before having an honest conversation with the customer—and getting fired the following week anyway.

In this episode:

• The “I touched it, so I broke it” trap: Why assuming responsibility before investigating can cost you money.
• Repairs versus weekly maintenance: Why Mike shifted his business toward equipment work to create more flexibility for family.
• Protecting pumps: Low water levels, leaks, and valve positions that can lead to costly equipment damage.
• Finding suction-side air leaks: Mike explains his approach to narrowing down problems around pump lids, fittings, and valves.
• Understanding the system: Learning what the water and equipment are doing so you can diagnose the actual problem.
• Raising rates without panic: Tru runs the numbers on a 12% increase—and shows how a smaller route can still produce more revenue.
• Hiring with purpose: Part one of a four-part business series starts with defining your company’s core values before adding employees.

The rate-increase example

A route of 50 pools at $150 per month produces $7,500 in monthly revenue. Raise the rate to $168 and retain 48 pools, and monthly revenue becomes $8,064—an additional $564 per month, or $6,768 per year, while servicing two fewer pools.

Business tip of the week: Know your core values before you hire

Drawing from Traction, Tru explains how to identify the traits that already define your business and use them to guide hiring and customer service.

His company’s five core values:

• Service first
• Uncompromising integrity
• Detail obsessed
• Growth mindset
• Ownership mentality

Your homework: Identify three to five values that reflect how you actually operate. Bring them back next week for the next installment.

Episode chapters

• 00:00 — Meet Pool Boy Tru, his journey, and the $120 repair lesson
• 08:51 — Why Mike chose repairs over a maintenance route
• 09:45 — Expensive mistakes and protecting pool pumps
• 12:08 — Troubleshooting suction-side air leaks
• 16:26 — Understand the system; don’t just memorize fixes
• 18:46 — Connecting with Mike
• 19:54 — PoolBrain sponsor message
• 20:06 — Mail Time: raising rates and defining core values

Connect with the guest

Find Mike on Instagram: @swimmingpoolmechanics_fl

Join the conversation

Follow Tru on Instagram and leave your questions or comments for a future Mail Time segment.

Sponsor

This episode is brought to you in part by PoolBrain, helping pool professionals run smarter, more efficient, and more profitable service businesses.

Stay in the loop. Stay blessed.

Support the show

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

• Facebook
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• Tik Tok

Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

Ask a question here

A hose left running. A pool that drains overnight. A concrete shell pushed out of the ground. Water has plenty of ways to turn an ordinary service visit into somebody’s very expensive problem.

On this episode of Mondays Down Under, Lee, Shane, and Nick share firsthand stories about water damage, forgotten taps, unexpected siphoning, and pools affected by groundwater pressure. Lee’s hidden dishwasher leak kicks off a conversation about the damage you don’t see until it’s already done—and the reminders that might keep a simple top-up from becoming a disaster.

Then the crew tackles the chlorine question: Are you choosing what the pool needs, or just using what’s in the truck? They compare liquid chlorine, calcium hypochlorite, and stabilized chlorine, discussing how water-test results, surface materials, calcium hardness, and cyanuric acid influence their choices.

In this episode:

• Forgotten hoses, overflowing pools, and practical reminders to shut off the tap.
• Unexpected siphoning, balance-tank failures, and disappearing pool water.
• Groundwater pressure, heavy rain, and stories of pools lifting out of the ground.
• The strengths and limitations of different chlorine products.
• Chemical application mistakes that can damage liners, finishes, and surrounding surfaces.
• Chemical storage, handling, and the importance of following product instructions.
• Lee’s “chlorine merry-go-round”: letting the water test guide the product choice.
• Why green-pool cleanups need testing before treatment—and at every return visit.

A moment for mental health

This episode also includes a clip from our October 9 discussion about mental health in the pool industry. Pool professionals share experiences with trauma, grief, and the emotional weight of continuing to show up for everyone else.

If that conversation hits close to home, remember: you are allowed to have help.

Content note: The mental health segment includes discussion of trauma, grief, emotional distress, and explicit language.

Episode chapters

• 00:00 — PoolBrain sponsor message
• 00:12 — Mondays Down Under welcomes Lee, Shane, and Nick
• 01:19 — Hidden leaks and the damage water can cause
• 04:43 — Tips for remembering to turn off the hose
• 06:39 — Siphoning and pools that unexpectedly empty
• 08:59 — Groundwater pressure and pools lifting
• 17:35 — Mental health episode excerpt
• 20:36 — Choosing your chlorine
• 26:08 — Application mistakes and surface damage
• 31:55 — Vinyl liners and chlorine choices
• 36:43 — Storage, handling, and the chlorine merry-go-round
• 41:41 — Green-pool treatment: test before you treat
• 44:08 — Wrap-up

Music credit

“How Life Goes” by Wendy Lucas. Used with permission. Thank you, Wendy, for sharing your music with Talking Pools and helping us give this conversation the space it deserves.

🎵 Listen to “How Life Goes” by Wendy Lucas on Spotify.

Sponsor: PoolBrain

Questions or topic suggestions? Email talkingpools@gmail.com.

Support the show

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

• Facebook
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• Tik Tok

Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

Ask a question here

This trailer offers a glimpse into “You Are the Storm—and You Are Allowed to Have Help: Mental Health in the Pool Industry,” released Friday, October 9, 2026, on the Talking Pools Podcast.

Join Rudy Stankowitz, Jacobi Truman, Chris Felmer, and Zarah Littlejohn for honest, firsthand conversations about PTSD, grief, bullying, and the struggles that don’t disappear when the workday starts. About checking on your people—and allowing yourself to ask for help, too.

🎧 The full episode is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere great podcasts can be found.

🎵 Music: “How Life Goes” by Wendy Lucas, used with permission. Thank you, Wendy, for helping us give this conversation a voice.
Listen on Spotify.

Content includes discussions of PTSD, suicide, grief, and bullying.

#TalkingPoolsPodcast #MentalHealth #PoolIndustry #PTSDAwareness #StopBullying #YouAreNotAlone #WendyLucas

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

Ask a question here

Content note: This episode includes discussions of PTSD, suicide, grief, childhood bullying, and strong language. Listen at your own pace and take a break whenever you need one.

We spend a hell of a lot of time talking about what goes into the water. Today, we’re talking about the person standing next to it.

In this special Floc-It Friday episode of the Talking Pools Podcast, Rudy Stankowitz opens an honest conversation about mental health and the struggles that don’t disappear when somebody puts on a work shirt.

Truman of H2O Pool Cleaning shares his experience living with PTSD after military service, including how an ordinary sound on a pool route can bring the past rushing back. He discusses the routines that help keep him grounded, the people he trusts, and his experience seeking therapy.

A deeply personal conversation with Chris Felmer about loss explores grief, humor, and the difficulty of processing the death of someone you love.

Zara of C&H Pool Builders in Melbourne, Australia, shares her family’s experience with childhood bullying—and what it means to keep running a business while worrying about your child’s safety. She discusses advocating for her daughter, finding a more supportive school environment, and reaching out to Dolly’s Dream.

Rudy also shares his own experience with diagnosed PTSD and asks the industry to make room for honest answers when we ask, “How are you doing?”

In this episode

• PTSD, unexpected triggers, and working alone on a pool route.
• Friendship, family, pets, and the value of having people you can be vulnerable with.
• Grief that doesn’t always look the way people expect.
• The effects of bullying on children, parents, and the wider family.
• Financial and scheduling obstacles to getting help.
• Checking on someone without waiting for them to make the first move.
• Respecting privacy when a coworker shares a mental health struggle.
• Supporting employees when they cannot safely finish their workday.
• Why “you are the storm” doesn’t mean you have to be invincible.

You don’t owe the whole industry a confession. You deserve someone who can hear an honest answer—and support before you reach a breaking point.

Music credit

Special thanks to Boston singer-songwriter Wendy Lucas, who gave permission for her song “How Life Goes” to be featured in this episode.

• Listen to “How Life Goes” on Spotify
• Follow Wendy Lucas on Spotify
• TikTok: @wendylucasmusic

Support resources

United States: Call or text 988, or visit https://988lifeline.org/ for crisis support. You can also contact the Lifeline if you’re concerned about someone else.

Veterans and their loved ones: Call 988, then press 1, text 838255, or visit the Veterans Crisis Line.

Australia—bullying support: Call 13 DOLLY (13 36 55) or visit Dolly’s Dream for confidential bullying support.

Immediate danger: In the United States, call 911. Outside the United States, contact your local emergency services. Support services and emergency numbers vary by country; find the resources available where you live and save them in your phone.

This episode shares personal experiences and encourages awareness. It does not provide diagnosis or replace professional mental health care.

Sponsor acknowledgment

For this episode, regular commercial breaks have been set aside. Thank you to PoolBrain, Service Industry News, Jack’s Magic Products, AquaStar Pool Products, and BlueRay XL for helping support Talking Pools.

You are the storm. And you are allowed to have help.

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

Ask a question here

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

Leslie’s restructuring has the pool industry talking—and Steve and Wayne have plenty to say. From store closures and price matching to homeowner access and supplier relationships, they explore how changes at a major pool retailer could affect businesses throughout the industry.

Wayne shares his perspective from his years at Taylor Technologies, including the enormous orders and private-label partnership that made Leslie’s an important manufacturing customer. Steve discusses his experience buying from local branches and why competition matters to service professionals.

The episode also includes a reading of Leslie’s September 30, 2026 press release, presenting the company’s announced restructuring plan and its commitment to continue serving customers.

Before that conversation, Steve describes an 80,000-gallon camp pool with severely elevated cyanuric acid and little oversight between service visits. His message: hiring a pool company does not eliminate the facility’s responsibility to train staff and monitor its water.

In this week’s Insurance Interlude, Pat Grignon joins Steve to discuss vehicle flooding, battery fires, equipment coverage, and the potentially expensive consequences of a pool-chemical spill.

In This Episode

• Why commercial facilities need trained staff between pool-service visits.
• How chemical costs and service expectations can expose an underpriced contract.
• Vehicle damage versus coverage for the equipment carried inside.
• Chemical spills, hazmat cleanup, and pollution coverage.
• Leslie’s restructuring and the hosts’ concerns about retail access and competition.
• Wayne’s firsthand experience with Leslie’s and Taylor’s manufacturing partnership.
• Leslie’s announced financing, debt reduction, and plans to continue operations.

Chapters

00:00 — Welcome, weather, and seasonal pool operations
00:25 — An 80,000-gallon camp pool: excessive CYA and gaps in daily oversight
09:13 — Talking Pools Podcast Top Ten Mentor recognition
09:51 — LaMotte WaterLink Spin Touch
11:34 — Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code
12:00 — Insurance Interlude: flooding and commercial auto coverage
15:50 — Battery fires, pool-cleaning equipment, and vehicle damage
18:21 — Equipment coverage and chemical-spill liability
28:22 — Leslie’s restructuring: Steve and Wayne’s discussion
33:03 — Homeowner access, local stores, and retail pricing
35:03 — Wayne’s perspective on Leslie’s and Taylor Technologies
39:06 — Competition, consolidation, and possible industry effects
42:31 — PoolBrain
42:45 — Leslie’s breaking-news summary
43:40 — Reading of Leslie’s September 30, 2026 press release
49:03 — Listener feedback and closing remarks

Leslie’s Company Announcement

In the press release read during this episode, Leslie’s announces a restructuring agreement intended to eliminate approximately 90% of its funded debt and secure $150 million in new capital. The company announces 76 store closures and states that its remaining stores and digital platforms continue operating.

The hosts’ discussion includes speculation about additional closures and possible industry outcomes. Those comments should be distinguished from the company announcement read later in the episode.

Featured Partners & Resources

• LaMotte WaterLink Spin Touch
• Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code
• PoolBrain
• California Pool Association — featured in the Insurance Interlude with Pat Grignon.

Join the Conversation

How have changes at Leslie’s or other pool retailers affected your business? Share your experiences, questions, and episode ideas at talkingpools@gmail.com.

Explicit language.

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