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PODCAST

Talking Pools Podcast

Rudy Stankowitz

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,

education how to

All Episodes

53:26

“I Just Test the Water” Won’t Cut It: Entrapment, Bad...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/10/05

Ask a question here A pool can look immaculate and still have a dangerous suction system. A renovation can deliver a beautiful finish while leaving the same hazardous plumbing underneath. And a bigger pump can create problems that another bag of chemicals will never fix. This week on Mondays Down Under, Lee, Nick, and Shane welcome Spiros from Next Gen Experts for a serious conversation about suction entrapment, hydraulic design, and what pool professionals need to notice beyond the water tes...

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27:18

Pool Pros Deserve Better: Industry Politics, Product...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/10/02

Ask a question here WARNING: INTENTIONALLY ABRASIVE If you want to know what pool professionals need, ask the person in the fucking truck. This week on Floc-It Fridays, Rudy Stankowitz takes on the gossip, gatekeeping, and behind-the-scenes politics that make an already demanding trade harder than it needs to be. From manufacturers’ reps badmouthing pool professionals to private calls about who should appear on a podcast or receive mentor recognition, Rudy shares the experiences that have cha...

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57:02

Pool Pros Need More Regulation - and Fewer Facebook...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/10/01

Ask a question here A truck, a pole, and a Facebook opinion: is that enough to call yourself a pool professional? This Thursday on Talking Pools, Steve Sherwood and Wayne Ivusich tackle a question guaranteed to get somebody typing in all caps: Does the pool industry need more regulation? Steve makes the case for continuing education, stronger professional standards, and a system that makes more sense than a patchwork of requirements and inconsistent enforcement. Then they turn to the professi...

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51:04

A Floating Liner, a Family Business, and the Advice...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/30

Ask a question here Talking Pools Podcast | Mythbusting Wednesday with Natalie Hood What do you do when heavy rain turns a vinyl liner into a waterbed? Chris Cavanaugh has a clear first instruction: do not drain the pool. In this episode, Natalie talks with the 2026 Talking Pools TOP TEN Mentor about floating liners, groundwater, salt systems on steel-wall pools, and the mistakes that can turn a repairable problem into an expensive one. Chris is a third-generation pool professional and presid...

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44:27

“Chlorine-Free” With a Chlorinator? SPASA Takes on...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/27

Ask a question here What does freshwater mean when a pool system has a chlorinating cell? On Mondays Down Under, Lee Salisbury, Nick and Shane welcome Ben Makepeace, SPASA’s policy manager, to unpack SPASA’s new guide to swimming pool and spa sanitisation marketing claims. Ben explains why the industry developed the voluntary guide and how pool retailers, service technicians and builders can use it to question product labels, compare systems and ask suppliers for evidence behind their claims....

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41:08

One-Star Tribunal: Pool Pros vs. People Who Shouldn’t...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/25

Ask a question here A one-star review can damage a reputation built over decades. Rudy breaks down how pool pros can respond without turning a bad review into a public cage match: cool off, check the service records, own genuine mistakes, correct false claims with facts, and know when to stop replying. Then court is in session for the One-Star Tribunal. On the docket: a contractor blamed for a Category 5 hurricane, a complaint aimed at the wrong pool company, a review campaign over $139.99, a...

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38:34

When Water Goes Where it Shouldn't

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/24

Ask a question here A storm strips sand from Steve’s Long Beach neighborhood, tears up the boardwalk, and forces nearby residents to evacuate. That leads Steve and Wayne into a pool professional’s nightmare: a hose left running at a hillside pool, followed by evacuations and damage below the property. They discuss the risks of draining pools, what hydrostatic relief valves do, and why suspected structural problems call for an engineer. Steve also gets into the business side of service: settin...

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55:14

Ancient Pool Warrior: John Poma on Mentorship,...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/23

Ask a question here Natalie Hood continues her conversations with the 2026 Talking Pools Podcast Top Ten Mentors with John Poma—the “Ancient Pool Warrior” and a two-time Top Ten honoree. John shares how a summer job pouring precast main drains became a decades-long career spanning commercial pool construction, service, plumbing, equipment installation and heavy machinery. He explains why the best field professionals must sometimes become their own engineers, how mentorship has evolved from gu...

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44:23

Workplace Safety: It’s Not a Problem Until It’s a...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/20

Ask a question here Workplace health and safety is not optional—especially when your team handles hazardous pool chemicals, works outdoors in extreme heat and enters unfamiliar equipment rooms every day. On this episode of Mondays Down Under, Lee Salisbury is joined by Shane Sneddon and Nick Day to discuss the safety practices every pool and spa business should have in place. From PPE, chemical segregation and spill containment to SDS registers, vehicle storage, staff induction and mental wel...

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25:30

Cancel Me: Gen X, Cancel Culture and Knowing When to...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/18

Ask a question here This episode is intentionally and unapologetically Gen X, slightly abrasive and definitely not safe for the easily rattled. Beneath the profanity and sarcasm is a serious discussion about accountability, professional communication and knowing the difference between telling an uncomfortable truth and simply acting like an asshole. Rudy takes on cancel culture, trigger warnings, political correctness and the challenge of communicating like an actual human being in a cu...

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50:47

Jeff Hampe: Mentorship, Mosaic Mastery and Pool-Tile...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/16

Ask a question here Natalie Hood continues her conversations with the 2026 Talking Pools Podcast Top Ten Mentors by sitting down with Jeff Hampe, a longtime pool professional known for his all-tile pools, artistic glass mosaics and uncompromising attention to detail. Jeff shares how he progressed from repairing hot tubs in New Jersey to cleaning pools, repairing equipment, performing leak detection and eventually becoming a licensed pool contractor and sought-after mosaic specialist. He also ...

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38:30

Can Your Pool Business Survive Without You?

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/13

Ask a question here What happens when a family emergency forces you to leave your business with almost no warning? This week on Mondays Down Under, Lee, Nick, and Shane reunite to discuss Shane’s unexpected six-week absence and how his pool service business continued operating while he was overseas. From trusting an employee with 65 regular clients to managing emergencies across a 12-hour time difference, the conversation offers an honest look at delegation, communication, and building a comp...

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22:03

Reflecting Absence: The Engineering Behind the 9/11...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/11

Ask a question here Twenty-five years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, this special episode of the Talking Pools Podcast is presented without commercial interruption. Rudy Stankowitz remembers the 2,977 people murdered that day, the passengers and crews who fought back, the first responders who ran toward danger, and the survivors and recovery workers who carried the physical and emotional consequences home with them. The episode then examines Reflecting Absence, the two enormous memo...

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46:57

Chemicals in the Skimmer, Insurance Gaps & the Pool...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/10

Ask a question here This week on Thursdays with Wayne and Steve, Wayne climbs back onto his favorite soapbox: your skimmer is not a chemical-dispensing system. The guys break down the risks of feeding acid, calcium chloride, chlorine tablets, and other products through the skimmer—and discuss the limited situations where manufacturer directions may call for it. Steve also speaks with Pat from the California Pool Association about liability coverage for residential, commercial, and high-end aq...

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61:06

Mentorship, AI, and Common Sense with Peter Wiedermann

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/09

Ask a question here Natalie Hood welcomes 2026 Top Ten Pool Industry Mentor Peter Wiedermann for a conversation about his 31 years in the swimming pool industry, the people who shaped his career, and the technicians he helped develop along the way. Peter explains why a mentor should build independence rather than dependence, why trust is essential, and why challenging someone’s thinking is sometimes the greatest help a mentor can provide. He also shares how recognizing burnout led him away fr...

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46:40

Training Today Builds a Stronger Pool Industry Tomorrow

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/06

Ask a question here Hiring new employees is only the beginning. If pool and spa businesses want knowledgeable technicians, loyal teams, confident customers, and fewer unqualified operators dragging down the trade, they must invest in professional development. On this episode of Mondays Down Under, Lee Salisbury, Nick Day, and Shane Sneddon welcome Rachel, General Manager of IR Learning—soon to return to the name SPASA Training—to discuss the education and qualifications available to pool and ...

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30:58

Pool Remodels: What Lies Beneath the Plaster

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/05

Ask a question here A pool remodel is rarely as simple as replacing the tile and plaster. Once the old surface comes off and the ground is opened, contractors can uncover structural cracks, deteriorated rebar, undersized plumbing, missing hydrostatic relief, unsafe electrical work, and decades of questionable shortcuts. In this bonus episode, Kelli speaks with Jose Gonzalez of Adams Pool Solutions in Pleasanton, California. Jose grew up working alongside his father in the pool industry and ha...

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31:04

Ten Things Wrong with the Pool Industry

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/04

Ask a question here This episode is intentionally abrasive. The pool industry wants the respect, credibility, and compensation of a skilled trade. But are we willing to establish, demand, demonstrate, and charge for skilled-trade standards? Rudy asked pool professionals what they believe is wrong with the industry, and the responses came flooding in: inadequate training, nonexistent licensing, bargain-basement pricing, oversized egos, unqualified technicians, social-media experts, bad install...

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12:18

Selling Your Pool Business? Protect Yourself Before...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/03

Ask a question here Private equity has entered the pool industry, and companies looking to acquire thousands of service accounts are knocking on the doors of independent pool professionals. But what happens when they knock on yours? In this Insurance Interlude, Steve Sherwood and Pat Grignon discuss what pool company owners need to consider before selling their business, route, or customer accounts. Steve shares his own experience with an acquisition offer and explains why a bigger salary was...

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60:30

Calcium Nodules, Mentorship, and 50 Years of Pool...

Talking Pools Podcast ·

2026/09/02

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 i...

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1,090 results

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