WEBVTT
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Welcome back to the Talking Pools Podcast's Wednesday myth busting session.
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Natalie is back with Greg Beard for part two, because apparently one episode wasn't enough to interrogate the plaster, threaten a few bad habits, and figure out why the service guy gets blamed for everything except the homeowner's erectile dysfunction.
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Today, they're talking mentorship, plaster problems, and the industry's favorite troubleshooting technique.
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Pointing at somebody else until the invoice goes away.
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Could the trouble have started back at the mixer?
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What does actually teaching somebody look like?
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And can pool professionals collaborate without turning the conversation into a territorial pissing contest fought with telescopic poles?
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Greg also explains why his most valuable business app is his wife, which makes accepting the terms and conditions a substantially more serious conversation.
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There's experience, there's perspective, and somehow there's pizza-related bathroom commentary.
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Because this is talking pools, and even a discussion about professional development can end up on the toilet.
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Grab your headphones, put down the parts canon, and let's get back to Natalie and Greg Beard.
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When someone asks you for help, are you likely to give them the answer, or do you typically have them work with you through it to discover the answer?
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So that's a great question.
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I prefer a little bit more hands-on with them.
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The reason why is, you know, you get the phone call, hey man, my heater's not working.
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Okay, well, hey, you know, get your tool bag and get your voltage tetra.
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You know, the most common thing you'll get, I don't have a voltage tester.
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And I'm like, well, wait a minute.
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If you don't have a voltage tester, we're not gonna be able to test voltage from knowing that we've got high voltage coming into a heater going to twenty-four volts.
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We we gotta go and we gotta go and test certain things.
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And nowadays some of these heaters have little little I'm gonna call 'em little dashboard lights on them that can tell you that there's this is what's wrong, and you can throw parts at it, but you still didn't learn why it failed.
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So being hands-on, I think, is the best way to teach people because then they retain it.
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And if you can stand back over the top, and and and one thing people seem to forget is when you're teaching it over the phone, you're you're teaching it where you have to kind of bring it from upstairs and put it in your voice to to to get another one to retain it and perceive it.
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It's a little bit tricky.
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So, really true story, there's a kid that is in blight.
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I call him a kid because a lot younger.
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You know what time it is?
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Wednesday vibes on the talking pools punch.
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The future of our industry is shaped by those willing to invest in it.
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The following companies have stepped forward to support education, leadership, and mentorship across the swimming pool industry.
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These are the sponsors of the 2026 Talking Pools Podcast Mentor Award.
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Title Sponsor, Blu-ray, XL, Title Sponsor, United Chemical, Gold Sponsor, Lamont Chemical, Silver Sponsor, Revved Up Apparel, Supporting Sponsor, Aqua Comfort Water Group.
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Thank you for helping us recognize and celebrate the mentors who continue to shape the future of the swimming pool industry, and God bless the Pool Pro.
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The 2026 Talking Pools Podcast, Top Ten.
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Pool industry mentors are Jeff Hampey, John Poma, Greg Beard, Lacey Davis, Tim McDowell, Chris Kavanaugh, Terry Timenin, Peter Wiederman, and Jerry Wallace.
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Last Friday on Talking Pools, we talked about mental health in the pool industry, the weight people carry while still showing up, answering calls, and taking care of everybody else.
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If you missed it, I want to share a moment from that conversation.
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And if it hits close to home, you are allowed to have help.
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So as I'm cleaning this pool, a helicopter is circling my area, and next thing you know, I just find myself just sobbing and tears coming down my eyes.
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And I'm like, you know, why is that?
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Within a three-day, four-day work week, I mean I have a lot more time to think about the past, right?
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And and then it's just like things just randomly come up, and it's like it it just makes me think about those moments.
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I've had lows.
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Sometimes I've had dark times.
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I never once reached for a phone.
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He was the first person to say, even though I'm having issues, I want to talk about it because I want to help another person.
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I want to help a group of people.
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It took me a it took me a little while to process.
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And this is where my mental health struggles.
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To this day, I have I have not cried over her.
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I have not cried over my dad, who passed away last December.
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I didn't cry over my mom.
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I tried to use humor to deflect a lot of this.
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There would be times I'd sit in the car and I'd squeeze the steering wheel really fucking tight and I would scream and just Ah Jew, like seriously.
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But releasing my emotions.
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And then other times there would be I would sit there and I'd cry.
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I I would just cry.
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There have been 100%, I won't lie.
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100%.
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I've I've dropped the balls on things.
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I haven't been able to answer the phone because I'm not feeling myself and I've, you know, come off the back of something.
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No.
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That's just the way this episode is brought to you in part by Pool Brain.
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Pool Brain gives pool professionals the tools to run smarter, more efficient, and more profitable service businesses.
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Check them out at PoolBrain.com.
00:11:06.230 --> 00:11:11.190
So, you know, coming through the whole borate thing has been a huge thing that I was involved with.
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Now we got the zinc monopersulfate, we got, you know, the blu-rays and things like that on the copper base side of things.
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And, you know, teaching guys to use it the right way so that we can stay out of the finger pointing games and and stay out of the chemistry games.
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I I would rather have a guy that's screened than a guy that knows old tricks that don't work any longer.
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Yeah.
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Or bad habits.
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You know what I mean?
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So I'd I'd rather teach from from the beginning, but uh it doesn't matter.
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It's uh I think it's it's better to teach 'em all.
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It's just, you know, because they're gonna eventually and I have guys come back to me and said, Man, you know, that trick you just taught me is is phenomenal.
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So I recently just posted up a little cover that we found on Amazon that will go over the display of an Intellichem.
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And it's just two little stainless steel screws on the door of the Intellichem and keeps the keeps the LED screen out of the sunshine.
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And I've had so many guys come back to me, and it wasn't even my finding.
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It was a builder that I worked for, Sunset Builders, John Zon, and his guy, his office manager found it online, and so I'm just I'm kind of spreading that around, but it's just a great little thing, and it's just those little tricks and tips that you get out there.
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And uh one of the guys that came back to me is Trey from Oaks in Texas, Oaks Pool.
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Trey was like, Greg, this is genius, and I'm like, Well, it wasn't mine, but I'm glad I could share it with you so maybe you can go and buy that twenty-six dollar item on Amazon and and get a couple of your screens covered up.
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So I I think it's all a matter of just teaching them.
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You know, whether they're green or they owed they know their old bad tricks.
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You know, it's a little humbling when you lose an account, but when you get to a point where you're no longer firing being fired, you're firing.
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That's a that's a that's a good feeling to have.
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Yeah.
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Definitely you're in a different different area at that point.
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A hundred percent.
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Stage.
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Yeah.
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Well awesome.
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So I say let's let's come back to mentorship.
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So you've spent more than 35 years, you know, working on pools and really seeing firsthand what happens from the day the pool is built through years of service.
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So, and you know, I couldn't have beer man on myth busting Wednesday without busting a few myths.
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So we talked about a few.
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So let's kind of dive into it, if you will.
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The first one, um, myth or fact, is it's in its plaster problems start after the pool is filled.
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And I'm gonna say that that is gonna be soon to be proved a myth.
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The the plaster the plaster problems do occur and we start to see them after the pool is filled, but we have to go all the way back to a few things that happened at the back of the truck on the plaster rig, and it starts with the water hose that was going into the cement water ratio.
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That's where 90%, I think, of our problems are starting.
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And John Temple's on a mission, and he's on a great, great platform right now, and he's he's starting to un unroll this stuff to where honestly there should be no service guy that ever takes a plaster-related claim and gets in trouble for it unless he's really got his head in the sand and he's really not done his job.
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Most of these plaster-related problems that we got going, and it's all the way through all some tissues' surfaces, are being we're we're literally acid washing these things too soon.
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And we're moving too quick because that almighty dollar, I gotta get to the next job.
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And so when you're looking at plaster trucks that used to do two and three pools a day, there was things that they were doing at the mixer that nobody was privy to.
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And I'm not blaming the plasters, I'm not after the plasters.
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I've been that pool guy that's been on the recipient side of trying to keep all my ducks in a row on the chemistry side and the service side.
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It's just like us when we drink water, we hydrate and we're we're gonna precipitate.
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That's that's just a natural curing process.
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But a lot of these problems that they're finding, Natalie, are are definitely starting at the back of the mixer.
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And you know, there's a question in there that says it wasn't the water that did it.
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It was the water in the So it wasn't the water that did it, it was Yeah, it wasn't the water in the pool, it was the water at the mixer.
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So when you look at what you know, it may have been a warmer day when they when they mix the c cement at the back of the truck, hey, that that tender may have put a little bit more water into the mix.
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It obviously has got to go somewhere because you know, we're coming back twenty-four hours later, usually is what the industry standard has been to to go in and acid wash a pool that may have just gotten pebbled or maybe it's a quartz finish and we're trying to bring the color out of it and expose the pigment a little bit.
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But if we had allowed the latency to come to the top, like John Temple has been on you know, finding, that would have that process isn't done within a twenty-four hours, and we're trying to rush that pool to what we want to call pure, and that's just that's just not enough time to bring all the all the latency out of the it may be on the surface, maybe hard, but down underneath at the bottom of the shell, that that mud is still is still rum.
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So then what happens is we fill them up, they start to hydrate, and we have this whole process that we're doing as a we want to call it a plaster startup or pool startup or you know, new pool process, whatever you might want to call it.
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And we as pool service techs go start just dumping in a bunch of stuff, you know, and I'm still a little bit hesitant on if we're causing some of our own problems by adding calcium in too fast.
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I'm starting to see where some of those pools that we were putting 10 and 15 pounds of calcium on a real soft water fill, we're starting to see where those pools scale a little bit easier than the ones that we naturally let them climb on their own.
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I'm now I'm not saying don't go add calcium to your water.
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Yeah.
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I'm saying it do it in a slower moderation.
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You know, the first thing is is you know, we start to we will come in and you know, you you gotta you gotta prep homeowners and people that are having the pain for this construction to be done as well and these remodels to be done.
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You gotta prep them and you gotta educate them to what's gonna happen in the next couple weeks.
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You know, the first thing is, and I tell people this real simple, hey, there's no heat in your pool right now for a reason.
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So we're all set out on a hike.
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We don't want to hydrate with cold water, not a warm water.
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And that's pretty simple to find out.
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We know if we boil a pan of eggs, we're gonna get calcium precipitate that's gonna come around the rim of the pan and calcium hydroxide that's going to form on the outside of that pan, boiling those eggs by turning up the heat.
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We know that that's gonna change chemistry.
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We know that the pH is is gonna rise, and we know the the alkalinity is gonna follow it.
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So when we start to pour acid on things to try to cure it, I I just think if you know we're we're doing this and I and I'm really, really staying up to speed as much as I can on this, and I don't know everything, but I think what what John Temple's got going on is gonna be huge in our industry and it's gonna save a lot for the service guys on the insurance side, and it's gonna start holding those accountable that need to be held accountable.
00:18:05.829 --> 00:18:05.990
Yeah.
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And I think that's the huge thing, is that's the big question right there is what's the ratio of water at the mixer?
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Yeah, I was just gonna ask that.
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How important is that water to cement ratio?
00:18:19.589 --> 00:18:25.029
There's a new voice in the Talking Pools neighborhood, and we've already handed him a microphone.
00:18:25.509 --> 00:18:27.349
That's how these things get out of control.
00:18:27.909 --> 00:18:34.149
True in the Loop with Truman is the newest show on the Talking Pools podcast, taking over Tuesdays.
00:18:34.389 --> 00:18:36.869
His very first episode aired yesterday.
00:18:37.029 --> 00:18:39.189
And if you missed it, go back and listen.
00:18:39.429 --> 00:18:40.549
It's a podcast.
00:18:40.709 --> 00:18:42.229
The damn thing waits for you.
00:18:42.629 --> 00:18:44.069
Help us welcome Truman.
00:18:44.309 --> 00:18:48.549
Catch his debut and make true in the loop part of your Tuesday routine.
00:18:49.029 --> 00:18:51.589
You're already talking to yourself between service stops.
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Might as well give somebody else a turn.
00:18:56.869 --> 00:18:59.189
How important is that water to cement ratio?
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It's huge.
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It is huge.
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So it could be a cooler day, less water.
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Obviously, you know, the more water you're gonna put in there, the more porous it's gonna become.
00:19:08.149 --> 00:19:20.309
And, you know, obviously that cement is is is curing it, and it's not hard for guys that have been around long enough to know that in a swimming pool, the softest part of the pool is at the main drain.
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And we wonder, you know, we we look at these six and ten inch main drains that we just went through all this Virginia Graham Baker stuff.
00:19:26.709 --> 00:19:26.869
Yeah.
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And as a service tech, you know, where do you always find the black algae?
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Right off, right around the remaining drain because that's the softest part that gets eroded the first.
00:19:35.909 --> 00:19:45.109
And it's not hard to figure out that chemicals heavier than water, so when we pour chemical in a pool, I don't care how much you dilute it and how much you mix it, it's going to the bottom of the pool.
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I've always kind of been one of those guys that I would start vacuuming a pool in the shallow end.
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I'd treat my water as I'm um servicing the pool in hopes that I can go down with my vacuum and vacuum the main drain area last as that chemical slid to the bottom of the pool.
00:19:59.189 --> 00:20:07.589
You're gonna have less erosion and less, you know, real real stubborn surface down at the bottom and it's gonna be real porous.
00:20:07.829 --> 00:20:14.709
You're gonna have less of that, and you're gonna have less black algae clinging onto your main drain plastics in the bottom because that mud got eaten first.
00:20:14.869 --> 00:20:15.589
So it's not harder.
00:20:15.909 --> 00:20:20.949
Obviously, if the deep end of the pool is the softest, that would mean that the top steps gotta be the hardest.
00:20:21.990 --> 00:20:30.069
So everybody's worried about these things cracking as the cement starts to dry out and the latents come to the top, and John's proving them all wrong.
00:20:30.149 --> 00:20:32.149
And and it's it's a huge story to watch.
00:20:32.229 --> 00:20:38.549
And just you and I having this conversation, yeah, I I'm gonna warn you, it's gonna turn it's gonna start turning some heads.
00:20:38.709 --> 00:20:40.389
It's really gonna start turning some heads.
00:20:40.629 --> 00:20:47.589
Well, I think it's awesome what John's doing, and you know, the the service pros, the pool pros, they get blamed, I think, too much.
00:20:47.750 --> 00:20:49.109
And yeah.
00:20:49.269 --> 00:20:50.229
I I think it's great.
00:20:50.309 --> 00:20:51.750
Let's let's let's stop pointing.
00:20:52.149 --> 00:21:05.349
And and Skinner on Balance has been behind this for for for a long time with bicarb startups and things that he's been then saying Kim Skinner's been in there and you know there's been this there's been this whole headbutt in our industry.
00:21:05.509 --> 00:21:06.629
We've gotta get rid of that, man.
00:21:06.709 --> 00:21:27.589
We gotta we gotta we all gotta be able to sit in a room and get along with one another and think, okay, this guy's got years in it, I've got years in it, you've got years in it, and we need to collaborate and get everybody's knowledge together to become more of a stronger industry in the end and say, hey, w we have enough power that we can figure this out the right way to do it.
00:21:27.669 --> 00:21:34.629
And I think is you know, you're always gonna have your underground world, we call them scabs, um, that are working without the licenses and things like that.
00:21:34.789 --> 00:21:42.629
But you're gonna always get those guys that are not gonna want to quite do it right, but then you're gonna get those of us we want the right way for the best thing for our clients.
00:21:42.789 --> 00:21:44.309
We wanna do it the right way.
00:21:44.469 --> 00:21:54.309
And when you can find a guy like Kim Skinner, John Temple, Eric Knight, my brother, Alan Smith, and you put all these guys in a room, that's a powerful, powerful wheel.
00:21:54.869 --> 00:21:55.189
Powerful.
00:21:55.509 --> 00:21:57.990
Yeah, and you know, I Eric and I talk about it.
00:21:58.149 --> 00:22:01.349
Competition's healthy and it's the drama's unnecessary.
00:22:02.309 --> 00:22:03.349
There's no need for the drama.
00:22:03.509 --> 00:22:04.149
It really isn't.
00:22:04.229 --> 00:22:14.949
And you know, I mean it's like I told you earlier a couple of guys that have a couple of guys that have bailed out on this top ten mentor guy that the two that pulled out, and it's like, man, you guys should have been recognized.
00:22:15.029 --> 00:22:16.789
I'm sorry, but you should have been recognized.
00:22:16.949 --> 00:22:25.509
You did yourself a disservice, I think, because whoever you was that turned your name into this nomination for the mentor, you did them a disservice in my opinion.
00:22:25.669 --> 00:22:26.389
I I really do.
00:22:26.469 --> 00:22:38.389
And then it saddens me that Rudy had to go through that and and put in a couple other guys when all in your panel that had to go through and proofread all this and go through the the known names and things like that that you guys went through.
00:22:38.629 --> 00:22:43.109
Those those two guys that pulled out, and they're they need to be in that room with us.
00:22:43.349 --> 00:22:43.909
You know what I mean?
00:22:43.990 --> 00:22:45.269
And that's that's what's huge.
00:22:45.349 --> 00:22:47.669
And we all just like you say, we gotta get rid of the drama.
00:22:47.750 --> 00:22:50.549
And let's get into the deep, deep, deep education of it.
00:22:50.709 --> 00:22:54.629
And you know, and like I said, though, there's the good Education, then there's the bad pool.
00:22:54.789 --> 00:22:57.589
You know, teaching a guy to splash and dash a pool is not good education.
00:22:57.829 --> 00:22:58.149
I agree.
00:22:58.229 --> 00:22:59.109
Yeah, you gotta be careful.
00:22:59.189 --> 00:23:00.709
There's a lot of bad education out there.
00:23:00.869 --> 00:23:01.029
Yeah.
00:23:01.349 --> 00:23:05.189
Well, here's another one, and it kind of comes we we briefly touched on it.
00:23:05.269 --> 00:23:10.229
And then it's if there's a problem with the plaster, water chemistry must be the cause.
00:23:10.469 --> 00:23:12.469
But I mean, let's talk about it.
00:23:12.789 --> 00:23:17.029
So I'm gonna I'm gonna point that that's a 50-50 myth here.
00:23:17.509 --> 00:23:18.469
So this is a tough one.
00:23:18.629 --> 00:23:22.629
This is this is really where it's gonna it's gonna start to separate.
00:23:22.789 --> 00:23:27.349
Documentation is gonna be my number one thing that we need to start really, really getting in depth with.
00:23:27.669 --> 00:23:35.189
We started it back about 15 years ago on plaster startups documenting everything and levels and different different uh chemistry levels.
00:23:35.349 --> 00:23:37.990
And then, you know, it's like calcium nodules.
00:23:38.069 --> 00:23:51.429
You know, right now Alan Smith had had backed up with the microglass, and they're finding that microglass is is one of these collodial silicates that is really, really working well in bonding all them softer materials and making them more strong.
00:23:51.589 --> 00:23:56.389
I think that that's technology where we're gonna go with all these powerhouses in the room.
00:23:56.549 --> 00:23:58.069
Chemistry is definitely a player.
00:23:58.229 --> 00:24:05.509
We know if we throw trichlor on the floor on a on a dark colored pigment, we're gonna bleach it out and we're gonna bleach that concrete.
00:24:05.669 --> 00:24:12.149
But it's also in the same token, you spill acid on the deck on the coping, and it etches it.
00:24:12.389 --> 00:24:15.669
So we're using acid to do these things.
00:24:15.750 --> 00:24:21.750
And you know, there's a guy in Arizona, Stay Fresh Pools, and they're really another rock star in the industry.
00:24:21.990 --> 00:24:29.589
Put that guy in that powerhouse room because he's a guy that's got now the pool finish stuff that he's using, that he's acid washing these pools with.
00:24:29.669 --> 00:24:35.109
And he's he's got a cool little setup, and and he he he's just an awesome individual.
00:24:35.429 --> 00:24:46.949
And I and I haven't gotten to know him enough, just been watching him, and I see some of the guys like Big Family and Pineapple Pools in the Phoenix area um that are working with him, and these guys are all coming places.
00:24:47.109 --> 00:24:50.549
That that Arizona group, man, I'm telling you, I call my desert lizards.
00:24:50.709 --> 00:24:51.189
I love them.
00:24:51.349 --> 00:24:55.429
That whole that whole group out there in the Phoenix area.
00:24:55.589 --> 00:24:57.269
There's another one, Superior Pools.
00:24:57.349 --> 00:25:00.309
He had the truck talk, and I'm drawing in Bob Spacey.
00:25:00.389 --> 00:25:09.750
Um it's another powerhouse that you need to put into that room because these dudes, these guys have come together and they've they they're working in environments that aren't friendly, number one.
00:25:09.909 --> 00:25:10.149
Yeah.
00:25:10.309 --> 00:25:12.149
Um gotta hand it to every one of them.
00:25:12.229 --> 00:25:15.909
I'm at I'm at the coast, so I I I'm a little spoiled brat, basically.
00:25:16.069 --> 00:25:19.029
But these guys are working in elements that are unheard of, man.
00:25:19.189 --> 00:25:26.149
And 115, 120 degree heat, it's a dry heat, but these dudes, that's why I call them my desert lizards.
00:25:26.309 --> 00:25:31.189
Um, but if you watch what Stave Fresh is doing, he's that's a rock star right there.
00:25:31.269 --> 00:25:51.029
And so when we look at chemistry, chemistry is just a small little portion of it because people don't realize, you know, what I did a month ago, I can get back on track today because the National Plasters Council is coming out to inspect this pool, and what happened a month ago because my chemistry was whacked out, I'm gonna see the signs of what caused that.
00:25:51.189 --> 00:25:54.069
So we all know that power of hydrogen is always on the rise.
00:25:54.229 --> 00:25:55.349
Who who lowers it?
00:25:55.509 --> 00:25:57.269
We do by adding acid again.
00:25:57.589 --> 00:26:03.029
So when you look at the way I was taught to do pools, you always did your alkalinity first.
00:26:03.109 --> 00:26:09.669
And it's you as a chemistry teacher and CPO, that's alkalinity is what's gonna stabilize the power of hydrogen.
00:26:09.829 --> 00:26:21.669
So it's not hard to figure these things out, but now we have so many other added things in here where in my area of the West Coast, I still find guys throwing six and seven tablets in a pool every week.
00:26:21.750 --> 00:26:24.309
And I'm like, yeah, well, what are you doing?
00:26:24.469 --> 00:26:27.829
Your your conditioner's so high that you've tied your hands behind your back.
00:26:27.990 --> 00:26:33.109
So in those plaster related problems, yes, chemistry is a problem for the plaster.
00:26:33.269 --> 00:26:37.829
For a guy that's out there using a spin touch and he's he's dipping in with the tailor.
00:26:38.149 --> 00:26:43.589
Personally, they're hard, they're expensive to operate, they're expensive to run pools with those things anymore.
00:26:43.669 --> 00:26:46.309
And a quick glance, I'll be the first to say it.
00:26:46.389 --> 00:26:58.469
I use strips, and if you know what's going on with the strips and you monitor your water temperature, strips are an easy way to to kind of go in and you can balance a pool, but you better go in when you start to see things start to pop off.
00:26:58.629 --> 00:27:06.469
You better go in and get your answers with the with the Taylor test kit and maybe a spin touch from Lamont, another one of our great great sponsors of this event.
00:27:06.709 --> 00:27:18.549
But it's uh it it's one of those things where I just think I think it's gonna be proven that water chemistry is not plaster-related problems because we know if it's a softwater issue, we're gonna get calcium nodules.
00:27:18.629 --> 00:27:18.869
Okay.
00:27:19.189 --> 00:27:31.029
Now, how long ago were we saying that that was all from the plasters walking on the spikes as they as they poured the mud and troweled the mud that the calcium nodules would be caused were caused from the spikes and the cleats that they were walking on?
00:27:31.189 --> 00:27:33.109
Well, we've deem that to no longer be true.
00:27:33.269 --> 00:27:36.789
It's a soft water issue where the water got hungry and and found a void.
00:27:36.949 --> 00:27:50.949
So when you start to get in with guys like John Temple, Eric, and you start to get in and you start to get in and dig in, this is where I think our industry needs to continue to go, is further deeper education with some of those powerhouse guys that I've named.
00:27:51.029 --> 00:27:58.549
And I wouldn't mind being one of them because I I I would slowly move my way from the back of the room to the middle of the room before I felt comfortable because I'm not a genius.
00:27:58.629 --> 00:28:10.149
I've just been standing around some of the some of those top guys that know it uh enough and paying attention to what's out on social media and and getting to learn and being involved in some of these problems.
00:28:10.309 --> 00:28:14.069
So I'm gonna say water chemistry is gonna soon become a myth.
00:28:14.229 --> 00:28:19.029
And it's it can be factual too, but you gotta be kind of a knucklehead in order to do it.
00:28:19.269 --> 00:28:25.109
I mean, so if you're in there, you know, bouncing in and out and chucking tabs down a skimmer, well then yeah, that's gonna happen.
00:28:25.269 --> 00:28:25.429
Yeah.
00:28:25.990 --> 00:28:28.229
We all know that the heater's gonna take a hit too.
00:28:28.309 --> 00:28:37.909
So when you start to think of some of these stains that are basically when guys call me on a staining problem on a pool, I always say, okay, hey, is it topical or is it within?
00:28:38.069 --> 00:28:39.750
And that is the main question.
00:28:39.909 --> 00:28:41.669
How do I figure out if it's topical?
00:28:41.829 --> 00:29:04.629
Well, then you can either pour acid down a pipe, you can take a sandy andy, you can get an acid purity pad and go down and you know remove the bubbles, you know, whether you know the pool uh calcified on you, or you got uh you got things going on, you can always topical ones are very easy, and you can explain that to a customer and figure out whether it's a topical stain, or is it moisture retained within?
00:29:04.869 --> 00:29:14.309
Because in gray modeling on some of those pools that we used to torch out, well, look at what John Temp what what what Temple's coming up with, you know.
00:29:14.469 --> 00:29:21.189
That could just be purely moisture that was trapped back in and never got a chance to escape, and then we buried it under more water.
00:29:21.349 --> 00:29:23.669
So we kind of have created our own nightmares.
00:29:23.829 --> 00:29:24.869
Yeah, I really do think.
00:29:25.750 --> 00:29:29.349
And I think by saying, Oh, it's it's the water chemistry is such an easy fallback.
00:29:29.429 --> 00:29:33.029
So I love that we're digging deeper and trying to really understand the root.
00:29:34.069 --> 00:29:37.189
This has been going on all too long.
00:29:37.349 --> 00:29:45.189
The finger pointing game, I think, is getting ready, it's getting ready to be shut down a little bit more, and it's not a finger pointing game as much anymore.
00:29:45.349 --> 00:29:51.189
It's it's understanding what we as an industry are doing with Sempitious Surfaces.
00:29:51.349 --> 00:29:55.829
And I think we got a lot of good people that are digging in.
00:29:56.069 --> 00:30:01.829
Really wish Lowry was still with us, and I really wish Greg Garrett was still with us, so both of those guys rest in peace.
00:30:01.909 --> 00:30:05.829
But those were two, two dudes that I couldn't have got, uh man.
00:30:05.909 --> 00:30:15.109
I wish I would have got 15 more 15 more years with them and put into my head two great guys, and one from a chemistry side, one from a sentitious side.
00:30:15.189 --> 00:30:22.149
So if that was still around, you know, that Greg Garrett, man, he used to come out of Arizona and that guy would drive anywhere to go and inspect a pool.
00:30:22.229 --> 00:30:26.709
He'd get paid for it, but he was one of those guys that always wanted to dig in and figure it out.
00:30:26.869 --> 00:30:28.949
And we need more of those guys.
00:30:29.189 --> 00:30:30.149
We need more of those guys.
00:30:30.309 --> 00:30:32.309
And I I see that with Stay Fresh.
00:30:32.389 --> 00:30:34.949
I I think you're gonna see something coming out of Stay Fresh.
00:30:35.029 --> 00:30:36.789
He's got a rock star business going.
00:30:36.869 --> 00:30:38.309
I don't know him real, real good.
00:30:38.389 --> 00:30:39.269
I just watch him.
00:30:39.429 --> 00:30:39.669
Okay.
00:30:39.909 --> 00:30:43.029
But I can see the mo I see the mo motivation in that guy.
00:30:43.189 --> 00:30:45.349
He's he's gonna become somebody real soon.
00:30:45.509 --> 00:30:45.990
I really do think.
00:30:46.309 --> 00:30:48.309
I'll say I have I've had had the pleasure.
00:30:48.469 --> 00:30:52.549
So Mike from Stay Fresh, I actually originally I'd seen him before.
00:30:52.629 --> 00:30:59.029
I met him at uh Water Shapes education vacation in Phoenix last year.
00:30:59.589 --> 00:31:04.549
And he actually he does it's just it's almost monthly, I I I bet.
00:31:04.869 --> 00:31:06.149
Or I I don't think it's monthly.
00:31:06.229 --> 00:31:07.750
He they do like a monthly event.
00:31:07.990 --> 00:31:11.189
And so if you're not following them, definitely go out and follow State Fresh.
00:31:11.349 --> 00:31:17.509
They always have something going on, and he does he's posting a lot of videos, and yeah, they're great.
00:31:17.589 --> 00:31:19.909
They're they're awesome, they're always out doing something.
00:31:19.990 --> 00:31:21.269
And I've learned a lot from them.
00:31:21.349 --> 00:31:27.349
Um but yeah, just and downright, he's just a good guy as well, which is sometimes really hard to find.
00:31:27.429 --> 00:31:29.029
Um, but he's he's awesome.
00:31:29.109 --> 00:31:30.549
He works with a great group.
00:31:30.629 --> 00:31:32.469
So a huge group out of their way.
00:31:32.549 --> 00:31:41.429
And it's funny, it's funny you say that because one of the one of the guys that I mentored and JJ Flawless, John Flawless mentored was Dean Ollette from Big Family Pools.
00:31:41.589 --> 00:31:46.389
And Dean, if you know Dean, Dean's just Dean's this all-around good guy.
00:31:46.469 --> 00:31:55.109
And I can tell you how many laughs and stories we had with Dean on the phone, but Dean is hanging out with these guys and he's finding himself in the right place at the right time.
00:31:55.269 --> 00:32:03.349
And one of the things is is Dean had called me on the phone one day, and he's gonna he's gonna come at me for telling you this story, but we call it lacking a neutral.
00:32:03.429 --> 00:32:06.069
And you'll see me post it up a lot because I'm heckling him.
00:32:06.149 --> 00:32:08.309
He called us, he couldn't figure out why these lights weren't working.
00:32:08.549 --> 00:32:10.709
He's like, Man, I just don't understand why these lights aren't working.
00:32:10.789 --> 00:32:19.669
And you know, I got power in my GFI, and I go, hey Dean, Dean, did you check the outgoing GFI neutral to make sure that you know the GFI didn't trip?
00:32:19.829 --> 00:32:23.589
No, no, I'm not I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, it wasn't that, it wasn't that.
00:32:23.750 --> 00:32:30.869
And he he he ended up we ended up finding out on the phone line one day that he was lacking a neutral, and that's why his pool lights wouldn't work.
00:32:30.949 --> 00:32:40.069
So now little little electrical story there, but Dean has come so far and just got a rock star business running as well in that Arizona area.
00:32:40.229 --> 00:32:49.750
Another one he called me recently on, we had a guy on the phone line, and I had never tried this, was a pool light cord that was stuck in a brass conduit.
00:32:49.829 --> 00:32:52.869
And he he was tugging from one end, tugging from the other one.
00:32:53.029 --> 00:32:57.750
We ran soap through it, we ran water through it, we put chlorine down that red brass pipe.
00:32:57.829 --> 00:33:08.309
And a buddy of mine on the phone says, Hey, why don't you go to the pool side where the cord is swollen, and you're gonna pull your pool light cord out into the pool from the niche.
00:33:08.389 --> 00:33:20.309
And he says, But before you do that, cut your cord back and put the cord in a chuck of a drill, put your drill in low speed and twist the cord so that it tightens up the cord.
00:33:20.389 --> 00:33:25.109
And Dean had fought this pool light for hours, and we posted this up several times.
00:33:25.349 --> 00:33:42.149
Dean fought this pool light for hours, and and where the where the phone line paid off was it took that one guy that was on the phone line to tell that to Dean, and all of a sudden, within about four minutes, we heard holy shit, he had a pool light cord that came out of a red brass conduit.
00:33:42.229 --> 00:34:03.669
It was just whether it was stuck from being swollen or stuck from being in sludge in the in the in the pipe, yeah, it was just that one mentoring issue from having another person on the phone that put his brain together to say, put that cord in a chuck of a drill and spin it so that it tightens up the twist on the three wires, and all of a sudden that wire came out.
00:34:03.750 --> 00:34:07.509
So it's those kind of things, again, being being in that room.
00:34:07.750 --> 00:34:19.429
I don't mean to pick on oh old Dino Big Family Pools, but he's hanging out with Stay Fresh, and I wish I was in that area because there's there's quite a few rock stars in that Gilbert Chandler and Phoenix area.
00:34:19.590 --> 00:34:30.230
Bob Spacey's a little bit to the to the west of them, but Bob's another one that stands out and has always been a good inspiration on the Instagram world with his truck talks.
00:34:30.309 --> 00:34:44.550
And I I beat up on Bob, poor Bob, all the time telling him, Hey man, you need to bring back that truck talk because guys like myself appreciate that because that's a little that's that little nugget, golden nugget every day that you can learn from another person and watching another person speak on.
00:34:44.710 --> 00:34:50.070
So that presence on the internet on Instagram is good, but it's the drama that I don't like.
00:34:50.389 --> 00:34:51.110
Yeah, I agree.
00:34:51.190 --> 00:34:53.670
And that's why I w I went with myth busting.
00:34:53.750 --> 00:35:00.550
I really liked the idea of talking about different subjects and bringing education and just not selling.
00:35:00.630 --> 00:35:10.150
I was just so Bob Natalie, so that you know, Bob is also doing that on Instagram where he he puts it up on I think it's Mondays myth or fact.
00:35:10.710 --> 00:35:25.750
And it's just a it's an it's an awesome thing that Bob has started and and it's huge because it again, we're bringing we're bringing people together and we're we're not saying, hey, you know, I'm the brain behind all this, and it it's trying to figure out and crack the riddle.
00:35:25.910 --> 00:35:26.230
Yeah.
00:35:26.630 --> 00:35:38.710
That that's why yeah, that's why I mean when Ricky asked me to do myth busting, or when he asked me to come on the podcast, you know, shoot la uh gosh, while ago, actually, I was like, gosh, I don't I didn't know what direction.
00:35:38.789 --> 00:35:42.390
I was like, you know, I'm gonna do myth busting because there's so many myths out there.
00:35:42.470 --> 00:35:43.590
And I was like, I love it.
00:35:43.910 --> 00:35:49.990
Do myth busting it's it's you know, and the facts will eventually they'll surface just like latents do on a on a on a plastered pool.
00:35:50.070 --> 00:35:50.630
You know what I mean?
00:35:50.710 --> 00:35:54.470
The the waters the water's gonna rise to the top, and and what do we do?
00:35:54.550 --> 00:35:56.950
We come along with acid and try to take the cream back off.
00:35:57.110 --> 00:36:02.309
So it's we're gonna I think we're gonna eventually expose the cream of the crop in our industry.
00:36:02.390 --> 00:36:22.470
And there's already people like yourself, Rudy, and all the ones that we've been talking about today that are that are there, and some of these guys that we just recently talked about are are I think if like we said, man, if we can all just get rid of the drama and come back and be a tighter ship, you know, it it's just we're we're gonna set sail and and never look backwards as an industry.
00:36:22.630 --> 00:36:28.230
And then, you know, the only other thing that I think guys gotta be, and I hear this one a lot, is you've got to know your worth.
00:36:28.470 --> 00:36:30.230
You really have to know your worth.
00:36:30.309 --> 00:36:52.390
And so part of mentoring is is getting these guys educated enough to where it puts them in a different level and and trying to make that brotherhood to where if they have somebody they call, they have somebody that can help educate them, they're gonna be worth more to their own entity and their own business and their own family is going to not struggle as much because they're gonna be worth that much more.
00:36:52.710 --> 00:37:15.670
So looking at all these plaster-related startup claims and things, that's gonna hopefully level that all out to where the service side is gonna have a little bit of a cheaper liability insurance later on down the road because insurance companies shouldn't be playing plaster-related claims on the service tech side, especially when you have guys like John Temple that are proving that plot some of these plaster-related things are coming from the cement.
00:37:15.829 --> 00:37:20.870
So, and I'm not blaming the cement companies either, but we all got to be able to play in the sandbox nicely.
00:37:20.950 --> 00:37:26.550
And and we all just gotta figure out what it is going to do to solve some of our problems within our industry.
00:37:26.789 --> 00:37:27.990
Yeah, no, I agree.
00:37:28.150 --> 00:37:34.870
And this kind of leads me to my last myth, and it's the sooner you acid wash new plaster, the better the finish will look.
00:37:35.190 --> 00:37:40.470
I I that's I'm telling you, that is going to become 100% myth.
00:37:40.630 --> 00:37:46.710
That is that is gonna be proven so quickly, especially just off it off of what you and I have done here.
00:37:46.870 --> 00:37:59.750
But people that are gonna go dig into this, they're gonna start to realize that what John Temple's up to and what he's what he's starting to really reveal, I think the longer we wait and the pool sits dry for that three to four days.
00:37:59.829 --> 00:38:16.870
And and and mind you, climate's gonna play a big, big role in that because obviously in the west coast where it's cooler isn't gonna be the same in the Arizona places, and it's obviously not the same where John's at on the on the on the east coast, but you also have to realize what the humidity is doing and and the factors of the weather.
00:38:17.030 --> 00:38:22.309
And again, hot day, how hot day, how much water are we adding at the mixer?
00:38:22.470 --> 00:38:25.110
That's gonna play a huge, huge part of it.
00:38:25.190 --> 00:38:27.990
So cooler days, less water in the in the mix.
00:38:28.230 --> 00:38:38.630
You know, humidity is gonna play a part, and I and I think we're gonna start to find that something like what Stay Fresh is up to with this pool wash may be a better solution rather than acid.
00:38:38.789 --> 00:38:44.950
And he just did a big, huge Instagram thing that took off and said that's all we've ever known was muratic acid.
00:38:45.030 --> 00:38:48.470
We played with a little bit of hydrochloric, but not a whole lot, you know.
00:38:48.550 --> 00:38:51.430
But everybody uses, you know, uh muratic acid.
00:38:51.510 --> 00:39:07.430
And it's like we're starting, I think we're gonna start to see where you start getting these guys down in these pools with the with the weed eater style polishers and um some microglass going on, and you start to see some pool wash starting to starting to surface that these guys are using.
00:39:07.590 --> 00:39:18.710
And and if you look at what State Pressure's got going on with his little, he's almost got like a little canister that's on a on a dolly that he rolls into the thing that's got the pump in it and whole nine yards, he's invested some money.
00:39:18.870 --> 00:39:27.990
And and he he he would be my rock star scientist to go and and and to put that into education to start teaching guys how to do it that way.
00:39:28.230 --> 00:39:32.550
I think we're gonna start to see some different trends starting to develop.
00:39:32.710 --> 00:39:36.950
And and I can only hope mine in your interview today turns a bunch of heads.
00:39:37.030 --> 00:39:54.710
I think if we can turn some heads for the better, I think that we're gonna all grow as an industry and and the outcome's gonna be huge because these guys that are are getting out of their comfort zone and not staying, you know, creatures of habit, they're getting out of their comfort zone and they're trying to find these new ways to make things better.
00:39:55.030 --> 00:39:59.590
I think what Mike and the Stay Fresh crew and all all these people are doing is great.
00:39:59.670 --> 00:40:05.190
But what what is something that you see with newcomers that that are struggling with when they come into the industry?
00:40:05.349 --> 00:40:07.430
Because there's there's a lot going on, right?
00:40:07.510 --> 00:40:14.710
And you and I've been in here, we've been in the industry for a while, but you know, there's there's there's there's drama, there's let's leave it at that.
00:40:14.950 --> 00:40:18.710
I I think it's a it's a it's a great question, Ali, because we've all gone through it.
00:40:18.789 --> 00:40:20.309
Every one of us have gone through it.
00:40:20.390 --> 00:40:20.789
Yeah.
00:40:21.030 --> 00:40:29.190
It's it's that day when you come into the industry, you say, Oh, I'm I'm a pool guy now, okay, or I'm a pool woman, or I'm in business for myself.
00:40:29.430 --> 00:40:30.470
What does that mean?
00:40:30.630 --> 00:40:34.630
Yeah, there's a whole whole big picture that's got to be painted.
00:40:34.710 --> 00:40:41.269
And I think the worst one is you know, we can all hide behind our office desk and our computer screen and create the billing.
00:40:41.349 --> 00:40:47.510
It's that day one that you walk in and you're by yourself in a backyard and you get hit with that question.
00:40:47.670 --> 00:40:53.349
Homeowner comes out or property manager or whatever it might be, comes out and says, Hey, what's going on with the pool?
00:40:53.510 --> 00:40:55.750
And you need to now answer that.
00:40:55.910 --> 00:41:02.950
So part of what I've tried to do with my mentoring to people is I was that guy that had my knees trembling.
00:41:03.030 --> 00:41:10.309
I was that guy that was getting asked, hey, you know, last week we saw you put a little bit of a blue liquid into the pool, and now all of a sudden our pool's blue.
00:41:10.390 --> 00:41:11.110
What's going on?
00:41:11.269 --> 00:41:14.710
Well, you know, yeah, the copper as a metal fell out and stained your pool.
00:41:14.789 --> 00:41:18.550
So I've done my fair share of acid washing pools to get rid of blue staining.
00:41:18.630 --> 00:41:34.150
It's a matter of teaching these new, newer people in our industry, not only in the field, but what their worth is of being able to have that knowledge and being able to educate them the right way and getting them to use the better better poles.
00:41:34.309 --> 00:41:37.510
You know, the other day I picked up an aluminum pool pole.
00:41:37.750 --> 00:41:38.309
Oh my God.
00:41:38.390 --> 00:41:42.309
And I said, I can't believe I used to hang on to this thing for 25 years.
00:41:42.470 --> 00:41:45.670
What a blessing that the carbon fiber poles have come out.
00:41:45.829 --> 00:41:49.990
And I want to I want to give a big huge plug to Ultimate Pool Tool and Primate.
00:41:50.150 --> 00:41:55.510
There's another, there's another thing where these guys are at each other, so I don't care who who invented the first one.
00:41:55.670 --> 00:41:56.630
I could care less.
00:41:56.789 --> 00:42:10.630
Those pool poised pool poles are state-of-the-art and have basically kept my hands that are pretty beat up and working hands in better shape because I think the aluminum pool pole retains more water than the carbon fiber does.
00:42:10.789 --> 00:42:14.950
But it's just that little teaching them that perk, hey, go and buy that pool pole.
00:42:15.110 --> 00:42:20.710
I've I've had one on my truck now, it's it's on its fourth year, so at$350 a pole, that's huge.
00:42:20.870 --> 00:42:23.990
But it's$350 that was money well spent.
00:42:24.309 --> 00:42:28.550
Because now just an aluminum pole's over$100 from last I heard.
00:42:28.710 --> 00:42:37.590
But it's just teaching people those things and that nervous point of being able to, you know, create them, how to how to build things, how to how to tear things apart.
00:42:37.750 --> 00:42:41.829
You know, there's the the whole other side of it, diet's machine filter, cartridge filter.
00:42:41.910 --> 00:42:44.789
Well, cartridge filters definitely coming in stronger.
00:42:45.030 --> 00:42:50.630
And then we know that obviously if something goes wrong with the cartridge filter, you don't have as much mess with the DE in the bottom of the pool.
00:42:50.789 --> 00:42:53.110
So there's that whole evolving chain too.
00:42:53.190 --> 00:42:55.750
And you know, look at where we were with spit sand filters.
00:42:55.829 --> 00:43:00.309
And I say to people, I said, Hey, have you ever tore apart a uh aqua flow pump?
00:43:00.470 --> 00:43:01.110
They say, What?
00:43:01.190 --> 00:43:02.470
What's an aqua flow pump?
00:43:02.550 --> 00:43:11.269
They don't even know what a brass pump looks like, let alone a spin filter that I grew up, you know, putting putting spin filters between my knees, trying to get the two tanks back together.
00:43:11.349 --> 00:43:13.430
That that was a challenging part of my career.
00:43:13.990 --> 00:43:18.470
You know, I mean you you ask some of these techs out there today, they don't know what a spin filter even is.
00:43:18.630 --> 00:43:19.269
Yeah, yeah.
00:43:19.510 --> 00:43:20.710
So kind of crazy.
00:43:20.950 --> 00:43:21.349
It is.
00:43:21.750 --> 00:43:29.829
Well, you know, we've talked about I think some areas where we I think the engine we think the industry's going, you know, some things that we're really excited about.
00:43:30.070 --> 00:43:32.230
But you know, and let's kind of flip it.
00:43:32.309 --> 00:43:37.190
Where wh what do you think the industry is is doing bad at or not not doing well?
00:43:37.510 --> 00:43:38.870
Uh this is the huge one, man.
00:43:39.190 --> 00:43:40.470
This really is the huge one.
00:43:40.950 --> 00:43:41.590
Separation.
00:43:41.750 --> 00:43:42.070
Okay.
00:43:42.309 --> 00:43:49.430
Separation is I think is is been a part for a long time that's been kind of a lot of adding to the drama.
00:43:49.510 --> 00:44:00.870
Um, because one guy has an opinion, the next guy has an opinion, and rather than taking those two opinions and collaborating it together to come out with one solution, we start this we start this little, I'm gonna call it a turf war.
00:44:01.269 --> 00:44:06.390
And you know, just because one guy may have it wrong or he may say it wrong doesn't mean that it's wrong.
00:44:06.550 --> 00:44:14.870
It's just in a different way, it's a different opinion because we could all go in and you know, do you squirt the soap on the pool first or do you net the pool first or do you brush first?
00:44:15.190 --> 00:44:31.910
You know, before you vacuum, and there's there's different ways that guys are gonna do this business, and I I think it's that separation that is probably the one thing that we're all kind of not not collaborating together enough of being stronger as a whole and the divide.
00:44:32.630 --> 00:44:41.030
The divide and the separation is is what's kind of still getting our industry just that little bit of taint tainted tainted vision.
00:44:41.750 --> 00:44:42.150
Yeah.
00:44:42.550 --> 00:44:51.670
Just that dark side of us that we're you know, just because one guy's doing better than you are, he may have two trucks and you only have one running out there, you know.
00:44:51.750 --> 00:44:52.870
Maybe maybe you strive a little bit.
00:44:53.349 --> 00:45:01.030
harder to go see what he did to to uh you know go and talk to him a little bit and see what he's doing and maybe he can help you get to that point.
00:45:01.430 --> 00:45:02.950
And that's what that's what I think is huge.
00:45:03.670 --> 00:45:04.710
Yeah, no, I would agree.
00:45:04.950 --> 00:45:05.430
I would agree.
00:45:05.590 --> 00:45:16.870
And you know, again, I think competition's healthy, but I think a lot a lot of the times people tend to forget I I don't know necessarily I don't know I didn't walk in your shoes to get to where you're at today.
00:45:17.190 --> 00:45:19.670
And same thing with you know you with me.
00:45:19.750 --> 00:45:29.030
And so I think people tend to forget that and or one thing that I've seen is I I think people just assume they should rise up so quickly.
00:45:31.670 --> 00:45:39.269
Rising up going going going full throttle and becoming too big too fast is in my opinion not a good thing because I've seen guys do that.
00:45:39.349 --> 00:45:43.590
They usually don't last long and then they end up selling it off.
00:45:43.750 --> 00:45:43.990
Yeah.
00:45:44.150 --> 00:45:51.750
Rather than you know you know that 30 year old client that you've had on the books for 30 years that's that's the strongest one I've got.
00:45:51.910 --> 00:46:02.390
That new guy doesn't trust me yet and he's still kind of watching out the windows a 30 year old person is man you send them an invoice and they pay it right then and there because you you've proved yourself to them for 30 years.
00:46:02.550 --> 00:46:02.870
Right.
00:46:03.030 --> 00:46:12.789
So the you know the new ones of the rotation of clientele I think it's those those those ones that have been around and have supported you for many years are the ones you need to cherish the most.
00:46:12.950 --> 00:46:13.110
Yeah.
00:46:13.430 --> 00:46:28.230
And you know I've recently sold a few routes here just to kind of slow things down and and make more room for new new coming to kind of tighten my route up but it's it it it's it's that separation again you know that's I think is the worst thing that we're doing as an industry.
00:46:28.789 --> 00:46:42.230
You get with some of the tri and and then we're into show season now it's good that you hear guys traveling all over the place and the sponsors and things that are traveling to the different shows and these guys man like Blu-ray Chris that guy's that guy's all over the place.
00:46:42.390 --> 00:46:55.990
Yeah he's always he just he he just went and did the river float and and he's in Texas he's in Atlanta he's in Vegas he's all over the place and he's the one that travels and so to me he's got some pretty broad shoulders because he's got a lot of disciples out there.
00:46:56.150 --> 00:47:02.710
I mean he's got guys all over that are using his his product and that's huge and he never looks back.
00:47:02.870 --> 00:47:05.269
He he's always he's always running and gunning.
00:47:05.510 --> 00:47:06.710
So that's one thing I like about him.
00:47:06.950 --> 00:47:12.390
Yeah Blu-ray's great Blu-ray those guys are always yeah they're all awesome out there.
00:47:12.710 --> 00:47:18.710
Well I have an extremely important question and this could be possibly the toughest question of the day.
00:47:18.950 --> 00:47:26.070
What is your favorite pizza or no it's uh the cheese cheese at my age doesn't do you good in the bathroom so I'm gonna leave that one in the lair.
00:47:26.309 --> 00:47:30.870
The pepperoni will put some fat on you so will the sauce and I would have to say it's that crust.
00:47:31.110 --> 00:47:31.670
The crust?
00:47:31.910 --> 00:47:35.110
The crust the crust for me is it thin crust or is it thick?
00:47:35.670 --> 00:47:47.750
The thick crust the thick crust you know they were there for a while they were putting the cheese within within the crust but it was like uh favorite topping wouldn't would obviously be would be I would I'm gonna say it pepperoni but the crust is always my favorite part.
00:47:47.990 --> 00:47:56.870
Yeah I'll say that too above the crust my my husband and daughters don't eat the crust but I'm like I'll take the crust oh yeah the crust is crust to me is is the best part of the pizza.
00:47:57.110 --> 00:47:59.110
Yeah I agree for sure I agree.
00:47:59.430 --> 00:48:02.390
Each person gets a secret question you don't know what it is.
00:48:02.550 --> 00:48:05.430
And so we spent time talking about pools.
00:48:05.510 --> 00:48:09.990
So for this one I want to do absolutely nothing I want it to be absolutely nothing to do with pools.
00:48:10.230 --> 00:48:16.550
So think about it this way you get to challenge any pool professional in the industry to a competition.
00:48:16.710 --> 00:48:23.349
It can be racing fishing off-road anything you want but it cannot have anything to do with swimming pools.
00:48:23.510 --> 00:48:26.710
So what is the competition and who are you calling out?
00:48:27.110 --> 00:48:38.070
Deep didn't you I I I would say it's hard because I do have like I said I have I have my friend Jay Kalen that lives in Houston and it's like you know competition with him is is hard.
00:48:38.230 --> 00:48:48.870
This guy's thir three Lamborghinis in a poor a Porsche GT3 RS, you know, huge business huge thing you know just seems like money's no object out there in Texas for those people in Texas.
00:48:48.950 --> 00:48:58.390
But yeah I don't know competition it's like I don't know I'd I'd call Jay Kalen out to go come out to uh Lake Mojave here and ride a wave with me behind my boat because I know he said he'd never do it.
00:48:58.470 --> 00:48:59.269
So there you go.
00:48:59.430 --> 00:49:03.349
Um yeah right I'd call Jay Kalen out to uh come ride away behind the boat.
00:49:03.510 --> 00:49:04.309
That's what I would do.
00:49:04.550 --> 00:49:05.030
I love it.
00:49:05.190 --> 00:49:17.430
Yeah so I think with enough per an enough persistence of of pushing and grinding on him yeah I think he would I think he would he'd have to fly into Vegas and drive a an hour and a half but it'd be worth it it'd be a fun weekend.
00:49:17.510 --> 00:49:18.870
That's um it'd be a fun weekend.
00:49:19.110 --> 00:49:24.950
I like that okay well Greg I cannot thank you enough for coming on the show.
00:49:25.110 --> 00:49:41.349
I I've I loved hearing more about your story and I really enjoyed your perspective on mentorship and really getting to talk more about the myths and you know what is going to be coming out soon and the work that you know with John Temp and talking about stay fresh.
00:49:41.590 --> 00:49:46.950
It's I love my motto is forever student and so I loved having that conversation with you.
00:49:47.110 --> 00:49:50.710
But before I let you go, I want to give you the last word.
00:49:50.789 --> 00:50:06.070
And so if there was uh one thing that you want everyone listening to uh take away from this conversation um whether it be mentorship or one of the myths that we talked about today or just kind of advice to anyone that's just getting started in the industry, what would you want to leave them with?
00:50:06.309 --> 00:50:07.349
Knowledge and prosperity.
00:50:07.590 --> 00:50:50.070
Knowledge and prosperity I mean learn your trade surround yourself by the ones that that you see doing good along with the surrounding your ones like yourself that want to that want to educate talking pools podcast was one that I followed you know and in that social media world just finding yourself around around the ones that you see doing good like Stay Fresh and Jay Kalen's and these guys I recently had a guy that that was working was a rep for Jandy and of all the all the chapters out there he used to work for Alan Smith as well as a sales guy Brian Scaplin is his name and he jumped shipped from Jandy as a rep to become a pool service guy.
00:50:50.230 --> 00:51:02.230
It was an honor that he came to me and said hey I want to ride with you didn't come because of what I look like or how cute I am he he came because he saw that presence and he saw that engagement.
00:51:02.390 --> 00:51:25.670
So it's not to do or anything but it's more or less I I think when you surround yourself by those people that we've been talking about all day today you're you're you're gonna persevere you're gonna you're gonna you're gonna you're gonna go places and you're you're gonna have half the challenges accomplished by being able to ask those questions to those that have been there and done it.
00:51:25.829 --> 00:51:34.070
You're not gonna find yourself in a backyard with your knees trembling and being nervous and stumbling over your feet and not even able to answer a question to Mr or Mrs.
00:51:34.150 --> 00:51:43.430
Smith but you're you need to surround yourselves with those that are that are motoring and those that are motoring in the right way to lift the industry to a higher standard.
00:51:43.590 --> 00:51:51.269
And and then what before we go to Natalie don't forget that Stay Fresh Mike has also got a big thing that they're putting on that they're calling the break.
00:51:51.430 --> 00:52:16.630
Yeah that's that is that is at a at a an event it looks like it's I I'm not sure what it is he's been posting a little bit about it but that's huge that these guys have all come together they recently did pineapple pool boys recently just did a a big thing at a roofing contractors thing where they did a little training day and I think we need more of that it's not about the dollars it's about coming together as an industry.
00:52:17.269 --> 00:52:22.630
That's huge what Mike's got going as the break it it looks like it's gonna be a fun-filled action packed event.
00:52:22.789 --> 00:52:42.710
You can see the captain's will behind me I got a son that lives in Queen Creek Arizona that drives tugboats and so if I knew that he was going to be home and I could get up there to where I could kind of go and see my my son and my daughter in law and my two granddogs I I would I would be on that on that that that mission to go to the break really quick.
00:52:42.789 --> 00:52:59.430
It looks like it's a really really good environment that they're gonna have an action packed fun filled day and it's guys like that that you want to surround yourself with and guys like Bob Spacey and the ones that we've talked about Rudy I mean everybody needs to know that you know if you call Rudy or you email him he will respond to you.
00:52:59.590 --> 00:53:15.349
Oh yeah he will respond to you and it whether you love him I love him and and like him so hopefully a lot of other people will grow with that and just kind of kind of curbing yourself of staying away from the ones that that got that little bit of that got a little bit of venom in them.
00:53:15.670 --> 00:53:23.030
Just stay away from all that and and go after your prosperity and go after your knowledge and that's what's going to make you more money as time goes on.
00:53:23.269 --> 00:53:37.990
Yeah and be authentic and and I want to thank all the sponsors as well before we wrap up that's huge, huge I'm I'm hoping that Rudy can can get 15 more of them to jump on board and and and let's kick this thing off into a whole nother gear.
00:53:38.150 --> 00:53:47.430
Because I I think it's something in our industry where there is a lot of these guys that are doing a lot of things behind the scenes that a lot of guys don't take into consideration.
00:53:47.590 --> 00:54:18.789
You know it's like it seems like right now and I and I and I don't want to badmouth anybody but there's an app for this there's an app for that and there's this app and that app and this app and that app and I'm like well wait a minute they're all kind of the same you know and I don't have an app my app is my wife my wife without my wife doing the billing we wouldn't have what we have and and that's just and bless her heart she's been at it for 30 36 years and and I don't really I couldn't even tell you to where to begin and and I do sometimes put the labels on for them and then I get them crooked and she's upset with me.
00:54:18.870 --> 00:54:26.789
So I try to let her do her side of it and and like I said I I wouldn't have what I have without my app as my wife doing what she does.
00:54:26.870 --> 00:54:32.950
So it it it it takes a lot to run a business and and a successful business is going to take even more.
00:54:33.110 --> 00:54:33.510
Yeah.
00:54:33.750 --> 00:54:44.230
It it it it takes a lot and you know putting together you know it's nonstop it's not I couldn't tell you how many times the phone will ring and I'm gonna go help somebody and she's like really you're gonna answer that right now?
00:54:44.390 --> 00:54:45.750
Yeah dear he might be stuck.
00:54:45.910 --> 00:54:58.070
And you know so you know you you got to find that balance though too and I and I don't do that good enough honestly that there's anything that I can improve on it's me finding the balance and that's what I need to work on on myself is finding that balance.
00:54:58.230 --> 00:55:05.430
So it's it gives me something as we part you and I and I kind of thank you enough for your time today is what I need to go work on.
00:55:05.510 --> 00:55:06.230
You know what I mean?
00:55:06.390 --> 00:55:10.950
So again I need to find that mentor that's going to go help me find my balance.
00:55:11.430 --> 00:55:11.990
You know what I mean?
00:55:12.070 --> 00:55:15.030
Because that's all my wife will tell you that's all this man does is work.
00:55:15.110 --> 00:55:32.870
I mean work work so when she can sneak me away and you know we go do things together it it and you kind of cherish those things and you know I I know you had been chasing me to do the podcast there for a little while and it's just our garden grove home is you know a little bit more chaotic than our desert home here it's pretty quiet and it's pretty peaceful here and this is why we like it.
00:55:33.030 --> 00:55:34.070
Yeah no you're fine.
00:55:34.150 --> 00:55:36.150
It's you know I have the same problem.
00:55:36.309 --> 00:55:39.510
I I uh I love work and it tends to catch up with me.
00:55:39.590 --> 00:55:41.269
So I I have the same problem.
00:55:41.430 --> 00:55:51.430
But well I I can't thank you enough for joining me and you know congratulations again for being back on the Talkin pool's top ten mentor in the pool industry.
00:55:51.829 --> 00:55:52.390
Thank you for that.
00:55:52.630 --> 00:56:17.910
Yeah I will be rooting for you and you know I want to congratulate them all all everybody I mean even last year's guys that may not have made it in there this year and it's you know I need to do my part now I'm going to find some guys to nominate to so yeah it's uh one of those things where we all get busy in our everyday life but at the same time when we start cracking some of these myths that we worked on a little bit that's where that's where we're gonna persevere and and I think we're gonna become stronger as an industry.
00:56:17.990 --> 00:56:25.910
And and and again thank you to you thank you to the whole talking pools podcast team and all the sponsors and and and what a great event we need to keep running.
00:56:26.230 --> 00:56:29.829
And I I think I think I think we're gonna we're gonna see this take off.
00:56:29.990 --> 00:56:30.550
I really do.
00:56:30.710 --> 00:56:43.430
Yeah and having Rudy as a backer and being the guy that's pushing it from the back and and doing what he does with all of you guys is just just the just the stuff that you've done on the panel this year has been a little bit different from the first year.
00:56:43.670 --> 00:56:43.990
Mm-hmm.
00:56:44.150 --> 00:57:05.110
Yeah yeah it's been different it's been fun well I will be reading for you buddy and to everyone listening stay tuned that belt is going to be awarded soon but until next Wednesday keep challenging those myths keep learning and keep sharing what you know and we will catch you right back here next Wednesday on the Talking Pulls podcast.
00:57:05.269 --> 00:57:06.309
Until next time guys
00:00:53.109 --> 00:00:57.670
Welcome back to the Talking Pools Podcast's Wednesday myth busting session.
00:00:58.070 --> 00:01:12.710
Natalie is back with Greg Beard for part two, because apparently one episode wasn't enough to interrogate the plaster, threaten a few bad habits, and figure out why the service guy gets blamed for everything except the homeowner's erectile dysfunction.
00:01:13.269 --> 00:01:19.030
Today, they're talking mentorship, plaster problems, and the industry's favorite troubleshooting technique.
00:01:19.509 --> 00:01:21.909
Pointing at somebody else until the invoice goes away.
00:01:22.469 --> 00:01:24.629
Could the trouble have started back at the mixer?
00:01:25.109 --> 00:01:27.750
What does actually teaching somebody look like?
00:01:28.150 --> 00:01:35.829
And can pool professionals collaborate without turning the conversation into a territorial pissing contest fought with telescopic poles?
00:01:36.390 --> 00:01:45.909
Greg also explains why his most valuable business app is his wife, which makes accepting the terms and conditions a substantially more serious conversation.
00:01:46.549 --> 00:01:52.150
There's experience, there's perspective, and somehow there's pizza-related bathroom commentary.
00:01:52.549 --> 00:01:58.549
Because this is talking pools, and even a discussion about professional development can end up on the toilet.
00:01:59.030 --> 00:02:04.469
Grab your headphones, put down the parts canon, and let's get back to Natalie and Greg Beard.
00:02:07.989 --> 00:02:16.550
When someone asks you for help, are you likely to give them the answer, or do you typically have them work with you through it to discover the answer?
00:02:16.790 --> 00:02:18.310
So that's a great question.
00:02:18.790 --> 00:02:21.829
I prefer a little bit more hands-on with them.
00:02:22.069 --> 00:02:25.590
The reason why is, you know, you get the phone call, hey man, my heater's not working.
00:02:25.670 --> 00:02:29.110
Okay, well, hey, you know, get your tool bag and get your voltage tetra.
00:02:29.430 --> 00:02:32.550
You know, the most common thing you'll get, I don't have a voltage tester.
00:02:32.949 --> 00:02:34.150
And I'm like, well, wait a minute.
00:02:34.310 --> 00:02:41.670
If you don't have a voltage tester, we're not gonna be able to test voltage from knowing that we've got high voltage coming into a heater going to twenty-four volts.
00:02:41.750 --> 00:02:44.069
We we gotta go and we gotta go and test certain things.
00:02:44.150 --> 00:02:54.949
And nowadays some of these heaters have little little I'm gonna call 'em little dashboard lights on them that can tell you that there's this is what's wrong, and you can throw parts at it, but you still didn't learn why it failed.
00:02:55.110 --> 00:03:00.069
So being hands-on, I think, is the best way to teach people because then they retain it.
00:03:00.150 --> 00:03:15.910
And if you can stand back over the top, and and and one thing people seem to forget is when you're teaching it over the phone, you're you're teaching it where you have to kind of bring it from upstairs and put it in your voice to to to get another one to retain it and perceive it.
00:03:15.990 --> 00:03:17.189
It's a little bit tricky.
00:03:17.350 --> 00:03:20.550
So, really true story, there's a kid that is in blight.
00:03:20.629 --> 00:03:22.149
I call him a kid because a lot younger.
00:03:22.310 --> 00:03:23.350
You know what time it is?
00:03:23.829 --> 00:03:26.629
Wednesday vibes on the talking pools punch.
00:05:29.110 --> 00:05:34.150
The future of our industry is shaped by those willing to invest in it.
00:05:34.389 --> 00:05:41.990
The following companies have stepped forward to support education, leadership, and mentorship across the swimming pool industry.
00:05:42.150 --> 00:05:47.750
These are the sponsors of the 2026 Talking Pools Podcast Mentor Award.
00:05:47.990 --> 00:06:03.830
Title Sponsor, Blu-ray, XL, Title Sponsor, United Chemical, Gold Sponsor, Lamont Chemical, Silver Sponsor, Revved Up Apparel, Supporting Sponsor, Aqua Comfort Water Group.
00:06:04.230 --> 00:06:13.270
Thank you for helping us recognize and celebrate the mentors who continue to shape the future of the swimming pool industry, and God bless the Pool Pro.
00:06:13.830 --> 00:06:17.509
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00:07:21.270 --> 00:07:24.790
The 2026 Talking Pools Podcast, Top Ten.
00:07:25.189 --> 00:07:36.949
Pool industry mentors are Jeff Hampey, John Poma, Greg Beard, Lacey Davis, Tim McDowell, Chris Kavanaugh, Terry Timenin, Peter Wiederman, and Jerry Wallace.
00:07:38.470 --> 00:07:49.189
Last Friday on Talking Pools, we talked about mental health in the pool industry, the weight people carry while still showing up, answering calls, and taking care of everybody else.
00:07:49.430 --> 00:07:52.949
If you missed it, I want to share a moment from that conversation.
00:07:53.110 --> 00:07:57.270
And if it hits close to home, you are allowed to have help.
00:08:03.830 --> 00:08:13.110
So as I'm cleaning this pool, a helicopter is circling my area, and next thing you know, I just find myself just sobbing and tears coming down my eyes.
00:08:13.189 --> 00:08:15.270
And I'm like, you know, why is that?
00:08:23.990 --> 00:08:29.270
Within a three-day, four-day work week, I mean I have a lot more time to think about the past, right?
00:08:29.430 --> 00:08:37.029
And and then it's just like things just randomly come up, and it's like it it just makes me think about those moments.
00:08:43.990 --> 00:08:45.110
I've had lows.
00:08:45.350 --> 00:08:47.269
Sometimes I've had dark times.
00:08:47.429 --> 00:08:49.830
I never once reached for a phone.
00:09:01.750 --> 00:09:08.629
He was the first person to say, even though I'm having issues, I want to talk about it because I want to help another person.
00:09:08.870 --> 00:09:10.309
I want to help a group of people.
00:09:25.190 --> 00:09:28.149
It took me a it took me a little while to process.
00:09:28.550 --> 00:09:32.710
And this is where my mental health struggles.
00:09:33.190 --> 00:09:36.629
To this day, I have I have not cried over her.
00:09:36.870 --> 00:09:40.550
I have not cried over my dad, who passed away last December.
00:09:40.629 --> 00:09:41.909
I didn't cry over my mom.
00:09:42.149 --> 00:09:45.430
I tried to use humor to deflect a lot of this.
00:09:54.789 --> 00:10:04.550
There would be times I'd sit in the car and I'd squeeze the steering wheel really fucking tight and I would scream and just Ah Jew, like seriously.
00:10:05.110 --> 00:10:07.750
But releasing my emotions.
00:10:07.990 --> 00:10:11.350
And then other times there would be I would sit there and I'd cry.
00:10:11.590 --> 00:10:13.190
I I would just cry.
00:10:19.430 --> 00:10:21.669
There have been 100%, I won't lie.
00:10:21.909 --> 00:10:22.310
100%.
00:10:22.629 --> 00:10:25.750
I've I've dropped the balls on things.
00:10:29.509 --> 00:10:36.710
I haven't been able to answer the phone because I'm not feeling myself and I've, you know, come off the back of something.
00:10:39.590 --> 00:10:39.830
No.
00:10:41.350 --> 00:10:56.950
That's just the way this episode is brought to you in part by Pool Brain.
00:10:57.110 --> 00:11:03.669
Pool Brain gives pool professionals the tools to run smarter, more efficient, and more profitable service businesses.
00:11:03.830 --> 00:11:05.990
Check them out at PoolBrain.com.
00:11:06.230 --> 00:11:11.190
So, you know, coming through the whole borate thing has been a huge thing that I was involved with.
00:11:11.269 --> 00:11:18.070
Now we got the zinc monopersulfate, we got, you know, the blu-rays and things like that on the copper base side of things.
00:11:18.149 --> 00:11:25.029
And, you know, teaching guys to use it the right way so that we can stay out of the finger pointing games and and stay out of the chemistry games.
00:11:25.190 --> 00:11:30.310
I I would rather have a guy that's screened than a guy that knows old tricks that don't work any longer.
00:11:30.470 --> 00:11:30.710
Yeah.
00:11:30.870 --> 00:11:31.590
Or bad habits.
00:11:31.750 --> 00:11:32.310
You know what I mean?
00:11:32.389 --> 00:11:35.909
So I'd I'd rather teach from from the beginning, but uh it doesn't matter.
00:11:36.070 --> 00:11:39.830
It's uh I think it's it's better to teach 'em all.
00:11:40.070 --> 00:11:47.110
It's just, you know, because they're gonna eventually and I have guys come back to me and said, Man, you know, that trick you just taught me is is phenomenal.
00:11:47.269 --> 00:11:53.830
So I recently just posted up a little cover that we found on Amazon that will go over the display of an Intellichem.
00:11:53.909 --> 00:11:59.590
And it's just two little stainless steel screws on the door of the Intellichem and keeps the keeps the LED screen out of the sunshine.
00:11:59.669 --> 00:12:03.190
And I've had so many guys come back to me, and it wasn't even my finding.
00:12:03.350 --> 00:12:18.070
It was a builder that I worked for, Sunset Builders, John Zon, and his guy, his office manager found it online, and so I'm just I'm kind of spreading that around, but it's just a great little thing, and it's just those little tricks and tips that you get out there.
00:12:18.149 --> 00:12:23.269
And uh one of the guys that came back to me is Trey from Oaks in Texas, Oaks Pool.
00:12:23.430 --> 00:12:33.830
Trey was like, Greg, this is genius, and I'm like, Well, it wasn't mine, but I'm glad I could share it with you so maybe you can go and buy that twenty-six dollar item on Amazon and and get a couple of your screens covered up.
00:12:33.990 --> 00:12:36.470
So I I think it's all a matter of just teaching them.
00:12:36.710 --> 00:12:39.750
You know, whether they're green or they owed they know their old bad tricks.
00:12:39.830 --> 00:12:48.070
You know, it's a little humbling when you lose an account, but when you get to a point where you're no longer firing being fired, you're firing.
00:12:48.310 --> 00:12:50.149
That's a that's a that's a good feeling to have.
00:12:50.389 --> 00:12:50.550
Yeah.
00:12:51.830 --> 00:12:54.710
Definitely you're in a different different area at that point.
00:12:55.029 --> 00:12:55.509
A hundred percent.
00:12:56.149 --> 00:12:56.389
Stage.
00:12:56.470 --> 00:12:56.710
Yeah.
00:12:57.029 --> 00:12:57.669
Well awesome.
00:12:57.990 --> 00:13:01.509
So I say let's let's come back to mentorship.
00:13:01.830 --> 00:13:10.230
So you've spent more than 35 years, you know, working on pools and really seeing firsthand what happens from the day the pool is built through years of service.
00:13:10.550 --> 00:13:15.269
So, and you know, I couldn't have beer man on myth busting Wednesday without busting a few myths.
00:13:15.509 --> 00:13:17.110
So we talked about a few.
00:13:17.269 --> 00:13:19.830
So let's kind of dive into it, if you will.
00:13:20.230 --> 00:13:27.110
The first one, um, myth or fact, is it's in its plaster problems start after the pool is filled.
00:13:27.350 --> 00:13:32.230
And I'm gonna say that that is gonna be soon to be proved a myth.
00:13:32.389 --> 00:13:49.190
The the plaster the plaster problems do occur and we start to see them after the pool is filled, but we have to go all the way back to a few things that happened at the back of the truck on the plaster rig, and it starts with the water hose that was going into the cement water ratio.
00:13:49.430 --> 00:13:52.389
That's where 90%, I think, of our problems are starting.
00:13:52.629 --> 00:14:12.870
And John Temple's on a mission, and he's on a great, great platform right now, and he's he's starting to un unroll this stuff to where honestly there should be no service guy that ever takes a plaster-related claim and gets in trouble for it unless he's really got his head in the sand and he's really not done his job.
00:14:13.110 --> 00:14:23.110
Most of these plaster-related problems that we got going, and it's all the way through all some tissues' surfaces, are being we're we're literally acid washing these things too soon.
00:14:23.190 --> 00:14:27.990
And we're moving too quick because that almighty dollar, I gotta get to the next job.
00:14:28.149 --> 00:14:36.550
And so when you're looking at plaster trucks that used to do two and three pools a day, there was things that they were doing at the mixer that nobody was privy to.
00:14:36.629 --> 00:14:39.350
And I'm not blaming the plasters, I'm not after the plasters.
00:14:39.509 --> 00:14:46.550
I've been that pool guy that's been on the recipient side of trying to keep all my ducks in a row on the chemistry side and the service side.
00:14:46.629 --> 00:14:51.830
It's just like us when we drink water, we hydrate and we're we're gonna precipitate.
00:14:52.149 --> 00:14:54.950
That's that's just a natural curing process.
00:14:55.190 --> 00:15:00.629
But a lot of these problems that they're finding, Natalie, are are definitely starting at the back of the mixer.
00:15:00.870 --> 00:15:06.070
And you know, there's a question in there that says it wasn't the water that did it.
00:15:06.230 --> 00:15:13.190
It was the water in the So it wasn't the water that did it, it was Yeah, it wasn't the water in the pool, it was the water at the mixer.
00:15:13.350 --> 00:15:23.909
So when you look at what you know, it may have been a warmer day when they when they mix the c cement at the back of the truck, hey, that that tender may have put a little bit more water into the mix.
00:15:24.149 --> 00:15:40.230
It obviously has got to go somewhere because you know, we're coming back twenty-four hours later, usually is what the industry standard has been to to go in and acid wash a pool that may have just gotten pebbled or maybe it's a quartz finish and we're trying to bring the color out of it and expose the pigment a little bit.
00:15:40.389 --> 00:16:07.110
But if we had allowed the latency to come to the top, like John Temple has been on you know, finding, that would have that process isn't done within a twenty-four hours, and we're trying to rush that pool to what we want to call pure, and that's just that's just not enough time to bring all the all the latency out of the it may be on the surface, maybe hard, but down underneath at the bottom of the shell, that that mud is still is still rum.
00:16:07.350 --> 00:16:18.629
So then what happens is we fill them up, they start to hydrate, and we have this whole process that we're doing as a we want to call it a plaster startup or pool startup or you know, new pool process, whatever you might want to call it.
00:16:18.870 --> 00:16:29.990
And we as pool service techs go start just dumping in a bunch of stuff, you know, and I'm still a little bit hesitant on if we're causing some of our own problems by adding calcium in too fast.
00:16:30.149 --> 00:16:44.230
I'm starting to see where some of those pools that we were putting 10 and 15 pounds of calcium on a real soft water fill, we're starting to see where those pools scale a little bit easier than the ones that we naturally let them climb on their own.
00:16:44.389 --> 00:16:47.430
I'm now I'm not saying don't go add calcium to your water.
00:16:47.590 --> 00:16:47.830
Yeah.
00:16:47.990 --> 00:16:50.629
I'm saying it do it in a slower moderation.
00:16:50.789 --> 00:17:01.509
You know, the first thing is is you know, we start to we will come in and you know, you you gotta you gotta prep homeowners and people that are having the pain for this construction to be done as well and these remodels to be done.
00:17:01.590 --> 00:17:07.029
You gotta prep them and you gotta educate them to what's gonna happen in the next couple weeks.
00:17:07.190 --> 00:17:12.789
You know, the first thing is, and I tell people this real simple, hey, there's no heat in your pool right now for a reason.
00:17:12.950 --> 00:17:14.950
So we're all set out on a hike.
00:17:15.109 --> 00:17:18.950
We don't want to hydrate with cold water, not a warm water.
00:17:19.109 --> 00:17:20.869
And that's pretty simple to find out.
00:17:21.109 --> 00:17:32.309
We know if we boil a pan of eggs, we're gonna get calcium precipitate that's gonna come around the rim of the pan and calcium hydroxide that's going to form on the outside of that pan, boiling those eggs by turning up the heat.
00:17:32.549 --> 00:17:34.149
We know that that's gonna change chemistry.
00:17:34.230 --> 00:17:38.789
We know that the pH is is gonna rise, and we know the the alkalinity is gonna follow it.
00:17:38.950 --> 00:18:05.669
So when we start to pour acid on things to try to cure it, I I just think if you know we're we're doing this and I and I'm really, really staying up to speed as much as I can on this, and I don't know everything, but I think what what John Temple's got going on is gonna be huge in our industry and it's gonna save a lot for the service guys on the insurance side, and it's gonna start holding those accountable that need to be held accountable.
00:18:05.829 --> 00:18:05.990
Yeah.
00:18:06.309 --> 00:18:13.269
And I think that's the huge thing, is that's the big question right there is what's the ratio of water at the mixer?
00:18:13.509 --> 00:18:14.789
Yeah, I was just gonna ask that.
00:18:15.029 --> 00:18:17.429
How important is that water to cement ratio?
00:18:19.589 --> 00:18:25.029
There's a new voice in the Talking Pools neighborhood, and we've already handed him a microphone.
00:18:25.509 --> 00:18:27.349
That's how these things get out of control.
00:18:27.909 --> 00:18:34.149
True in the Loop with Truman is the newest show on the Talking Pools podcast, taking over Tuesdays.
00:18:34.389 --> 00:18:36.869
His very first episode aired yesterday.
00:18:37.029 --> 00:18:39.189
And if you missed it, go back and listen.
00:18:39.429 --> 00:18:40.549
It's a podcast.
00:18:40.709 --> 00:18:42.229
The damn thing waits for you.
00:18:42.629 --> 00:18:44.069
Help us welcome Truman.
00:18:44.309 --> 00:18:48.549
Catch his debut and make true in the loop part of your Tuesday routine.
00:18:49.029 --> 00:18:51.589
You're already talking to yourself between service stops.
00:18:51.909 --> 00:18:54.149
Might as well give somebody else a turn.
00:18:56.869 --> 00:18:59.189
How important is that water to cement ratio?
00:18:59.750 --> 00:19:00.229
It's huge.
00:19:00.549 --> 00:19:01.109
It is huge.
00:19:01.189 --> 00:19:03.589
So it could be a cooler day, less water.
00:19:03.829 --> 00:19:07.990
Obviously, you know, the more water you're gonna put in there, the more porous it's gonna become.
00:19:08.149 --> 00:19:20.309
And, you know, obviously that cement is is is curing it, and it's not hard for guys that have been around long enough to know that in a swimming pool, the softest part of the pool is at the main drain.
00:19:20.469 --> 00:19:26.629
And we wonder, you know, we we look at these six and ten inch main drains that we just went through all this Virginia Graham Baker stuff.
00:19:26.709 --> 00:19:26.869
Yeah.
00:19:27.109 --> 00:19:30.229
And as a service tech, you know, where do you always find the black algae?
00:19:30.309 --> 00:19:35.589
Right off, right around the remaining drain because that's the softest part that gets eroded the first.
00:19:35.909 --> 00:19:45.109
And it's not hard to figure out that chemicals heavier than water, so when we pour chemical in a pool, I don't care how much you dilute it and how much you mix it, it's going to the bottom of the pool.
00:19:45.349 --> 00:19:49.589
I've always kind of been one of those guys that I would start vacuuming a pool in the shallow end.
00:19:49.669 --> 00:19:59.029
I'd treat my water as I'm um servicing the pool in hopes that I can go down with my vacuum and vacuum the main drain area last as that chemical slid to the bottom of the pool.
00:19:59.189 --> 00:20:07.589
You're gonna have less erosion and less, you know, real real stubborn surface down at the bottom and it's gonna be real porous.
00:20:07.829 --> 00:20:14.709
You're gonna have less of that, and you're gonna have less black algae clinging onto your main drain plastics in the bottom because that mud got eaten first.
00:20:14.869 --> 00:20:15.589
So it's not harder.
00:20:15.909 --> 00:20:20.949
Obviously, if the deep end of the pool is the softest, that would mean that the top steps gotta be the hardest.
00:20:21.990 --> 00:20:30.069
So everybody's worried about these things cracking as the cement starts to dry out and the latents come to the top, and John's proving them all wrong.
00:20:30.149 --> 00:20:32.149
And and it's it's a huge story to watch.
00:20:32.229 --> 00:20:38.549
And just you and I having this conversation, yeah, I I'm gonna warn you, it's gonna turn it's gonna start turning some heads.
00:20:38.709 --> 00:20:40.389
It's really gonna start turning some heads.
00:20:40.629 --> 00:20:47.589
Well, I think it's awesome what John's doing, and you know, the the service pros, the pool pros, they get blamed, I think, too much.
00:20:47.750 --> 00:20:49.109
And yeah.
00:20:49.269 --> 00:20:50.229
I I think it's great.
00:20:50.309 --> 00:20:51.750
Let's let's let's stop pointing.
00:20:52.149 --> 00:21:05.349
And and Skinner on Balance has been behind this for for for a long time with bicarb startups and things that he's been then saying Kim Skinner's been in there and you know there's been this there's been this whole headbutt in our industry.
00:21:05.509 --> 00:21:06.629
We've gotta get rid of that, man.
00:21:06.709 --> 00:21:27.589
We gotta we gotta we all gotta be able to sit in a room and get along with one another and think, okay, this guy's got years in it, I've got years in it, you've got years in it, and we need to collaborate and get everybody's knowledge together to become more of a stronger industry in the end and say, hey, w we have enough power that we can figure this out the right way to do it.
00:21:27.669 --> 00:21:34.629
And I think is you know, you're always gonna have your underground world, we call them scabs, um, that are working without the licenses and things like that.
00:21:34.789 --> 00:21:42.629
But you're gonna always get those guys that are not gonna want to quite do it right, but then you're gonna get those of us we want the right way for the best thing for our clients.
00:21:42.789 --> 00:21:44.309
We wanna do it the right way.
00:21:44.469 --> 00:21:54.309
And when you can find a guy like Kim Skinner, John Temple, Eric Knight, my brother, Alan Smith, and you put all these guys in a room, that's a powerful, powerful wheel.
00:21:54.869 --> 00:21:55.189
Powerful.
00:21:55.509 --> 00:21:57.990
Yeah, and you know, I Eric and I talk about it.
00:21:58.149 --> 00:22:01.349
Competition's healthy and it's the drama's unnecessary.
00:22:02.309 --> 00:22:03.349
There's no need for the drama.
00:22:03.509 --> 00:22:04.149
It really isn't.
00:22:04.229 --> 00:22:14.949
And you know, I mean it's like I told you earlier a couple of guys that have a couple of guys that have bailed out on this top ten mentor guy that the two that pulled out, and it's like, man, you guys should have been recognized.
00:22:15.029 --> 00:22:16.789
I'm sorry, but you should have been recognized.
00:22:16.949 --> 00:22:25.509
You did yourself a disservice, I think, because whoever you was that turned your name into this nomination for the mentor, you did them a disservice in my opinion.
00:22:25.669 --> 00:22:26.389
I I really do.
00:22:26.469 --> 00:22:38.389
And then it saddens me that Rudy had to go through that and and put in a couple other guys when all in your panel that had to go through and proofread all this and go through the the known names and things like that that you guys went through.
00:22:38.629 --> 00:22:43.109
Those those two guys that pulled out, and they're they need to be in that room with us.
00:22:43.349 --> 00:22:43.909
You know what I mean?
00:22:43.990 --> 00:22:45.269
And that's that's what's huge.
00:22:45.349 --> 00:22:47.669
And we all just like you say, we gotta get rid of the drama.
00:22:47.750 --> 00:22:50.549
And let's get into the deep, deep, deep education of it.
00:22:50.709 --> 00:22:54.629
And you know, and like I said, though, there's the good Education, then there's the bad pool.
00:22:54.789 --> 00:22:57.589
You know, teaching a guy to splash and dash a pool is not good education.
00:22:57.829 --> 00:22:58.149
I agree.
00:22:58.229 --> 00:22:59.109
Yeah, you gotta be careful.
00:22:59.189 --> 00:23:00.709
There's a lot of bad education out there.
00:23:00.869 --> 00:23:01.029
Yeah.
00:23:01.349 --> 00:23:05.189
Well, here's another one, and it kind of comes we we briefly touched on it.
00:23:05.269 --> 00:23:10.229
And then it's if there's a problem with the plaster, water chemistry must be the cause.
00:23:10.469 --> 00:23:12.469
But I mean, let's talk about it.
00:23:12.789 --> 00:23:17.029
So I'm gonna I'm gonna point that that's a 50-50 myth here.
00:23:17.509 --> 00:23:18.469
So this is a tough one.
00:23:18.629 --> 00:23:22.629
This is this is really where it's gonna it's gonna start to separate.
00:23:22.789 --> 00:23:27.349
Documentation is gonna be my number one thing that we need to start really, really getting in depth with.
00:23:27.669 --> 00:23:35.189
We started it back about 15 years ago on plaster startups documenting everything and levels and different different uh chemistry levels.
00:23:35.349 --> 00:23:37.990
And then, you know, it's like calcium nodules.
00:23:38.069 --> 00:23:51.429
You know, right now Alan Smith had had backed up with the microglass, and they're finding that microglass is is one of these collodial silicates that is really, really working well in bonding all them softer materials and making them more strong.
00:23:51.589 --> 00:23:56.389
I think that that's technology where we're gonna go with all these powerhouses in the room.
00:23:56.549 --> 00:23:58.069
Chemistry is definitely a player.
00:23:58.229 --> 00:24:05.509
We know if we throw trichlor on the floor on a on a dark colored pigment, we're gonna bleach it out and we're gonna bleach that concrete.
00:24:05.669 --> 00:24:12.149
But it's also in the same token, you spill acid on the deck on the coping, and it etches it.
00:24:12.389 --> 00:24:15.669
So we're using acid to do these things.
00:24:15.750 --> 00:24:21.750
And you know, there's a guy in Arizona, Stay Fresh Pools, and they're really another rock star in the industry.
00:24:21.990 --> 00:24:29.589
Put that guy in that powerhouse room because he's a guy that's got now the pool finish stuff that he's using, that he's acid washing these pools with.
00:24:29.669 --> 00:24:35.109
And he's he's got a cool little setup, and and he he he's just an awesome individual.
00:24:35.429 --> 00:24:46.949
And I and I haven't gotten to know him enough, just been watching him, and I see some of the guys like Big Family and Pineapple Pools in the Phoenix area um that are working with him, and these guys are all coming places.
00:24:47.109 --> 00:24:50.549
That that Arizona group, man, I'm telling you, I call my desert lizards.
00:24:50.709 --> 00:24:51.189
I love them.
00:24:51.349 --> 00:24:55.429
That whole that whole group out there in the Phoenix area.
00:24:55.589 --> 00:24:57.269
There's another one, Superior Pools.
00:24:57.349 --> 00:25:00.309
He had the truck talk, and I'm drawing in Bob Spacey.
00:25:00.389 --> 00:25:09.750
Um it's another powerhouse that you need to put into that room because these dudes, these guys have come together and they've they they're working in environments that aren't friendly, number one.
00:25:09.909 --> 00:25:10.149
Yeah.
00:25:10.309 --> 00:25:12.149
Um gotta hand it to every one of them.
00:25:12.229 --> 00:25:15.909
I'm at I'm at the coast, so I I I'm a little spoiled brat, basically.
00:25:16.069 --> 00:25:19.029
But these guys are working in elements that are unheard of, man.
00:25:19.189 --> 00:25:26.149
And 115, 120 degree heat, it's a dry heat, but these dudes, that's why I call them my desert lizards.
00:25:26.309 --> 00:25:31.189
Um, but if you watch what Stave Fresh is doing, he's that's a rock star right there.
00:25:31.269 --> 00:25:51.029
And so when we look at chemistry, chemistry is just a small little portion of it because people don't realize, you know, what I did a month ago, I can get back on track today because the National Plasters Council is coming out to inspect this pool, and what happened a month ago because my chemistry was whacked out, I'm gonna see the signs of what caused that.
00:25:51.189 --> 00:25:54.069
So we all know that power of hydrogen is always on the rise.
00:25:54.229 --> 00:25:55.349
Who who lowers it?
00:25:55.509 --> 00:25:57.269
We do by adding acid again.
00:25:57.589 --> 00:26:03.029
So when you look at the way I was taught to do pools, you always did your alkalinity first.
00:26:03.109 --> 00:26:09.669
And it's you as a chemistry teacher and CPO, that's alkalinity is what's gonna stabilize the power of hydrogen.
00:26:09.829 --> 00:26:21.669
So it's not hard to figure these things out, but now we have so many other added things in here where in my area of the West Coast, I still find guys throwing six and seven tablets in a pool every week.
00:26:21.750 --> 00:26:24.309
And I'm like, yeah, well, what are you doing?
00:26:24.469 --> 00:26:27.829
Your your conditioner's so high that you've tied your hands behind your back.
00:26:27.990 --> 00:26:33.109
So in those plaster related problems, yes, chemistry is a problem for the plaster.
00:26:33.269 --> 00:26:37.829
For a guy that's out there using a spin touch and he's he's dipping in with the tailor.
00:26:38.149 --> 00:26:43.589
Personally, they're hard, they're expensive to operate, they're expensive to run pools with those things anymore.
00:26:43.669 --> 00:26:46.309
And a quick glance, I'll be the first to say it.
00:26:46.389 --> 00:26:58.469
I use strips, and if you know what's going on with the strips and you monitor your water temperature, strips are an easy way to to kind of go in and you can balance a pool, but you better go in when you start to see things start to pop off.
00:26:58.629 --> 00:27:06.469
You better go in and get your answers with the with the Taylor test kit and maybe a spin touch from Lamont, another one of our great great sponsors of this event.
00:27:06.709 --> 00:27:18.549
But it's uh it it's one of those things where I just think I think it's gonna be proven that water chemistry is not plaster-related problems because we know if it's a softwater issue, we're gonna get calcium nodules.
00:27:18.629 --> 00:27:18.869
Okay.
00:27:19.189 --> 00:27:31.029
Now, how long ago were we saying that that was all from the plasters walking on the spikes as they as they poured the mud and troweled the mud that the calcium nodules would be caused were caused from the spikes and the cleats that they were walking on?
00:27:31.189 --> 00:27:33.109
Well, we've deem that to no longer be true.
00:27:33.269 --> 00:27:36.789
It's a soft water issue where the water got hungry and and found a void.
00:27:36.949 --> 00:27:50.949
So when you start to get in with guys like John Temple, Eric, and you start to get in and you start to get in and dig in, this is where I think our industry needs to continue to go, is further deeper education with some of those powerhouse guys that I've named.
00:27:51.029 --> 00:27:58.549
And I wouldn't mind being one of them because I I I would slowly move my way from the back of the room to the middle of the room before I felt comfortable because I'm not a genius.
00:27:58.629 --> 00:28:10.149
I've just been standing around some of the some of those top guys that know it uh enough and paying attention to what's out on social media and and getting to learn and being involved in some of these problems.
00:28:10.309 --> 00:28:14.069
So I'm gonna say water chemistry is gonna soon become a myth.
00:28:14.229 --> 00:28:19.029
And it's it can be factual too, but you gotta be kind of a knucklehead in order to do it.
00:28:19.269 --> 00:28:25.109
I mean, so if you're in there, you know, bouncing in and out and chucking tabs down a skimmer, well then yeah, that's gonna happen.
00:28:25.269 --> 00:28:25.429
Yeah.
00:28:25.990 --> 00:28:28.229
We all know that the heater's gonna take a hit too.
00:28:28.309 --> 00:28:37.909
So when you start to think of some of these stains that are basically when guys call me on a staining problem on a pool, I always say, okay, hey, is it topical or is it within?
00:28:38.069 --> 00:28:39.750
And that is the main question.
00:28:39.909 --> 00:28:41.669
How do I figure out if it's topical?
00:28:41.829 --> 00:29:04.629
Well, then you can either pour acid down a pipe, you can take a sandy andy, you can get an acid purity pad and go down and you know remove the bubbles, you know, whether you know the pool uh calcified on you, or you got uh you got things going on, you can always topical ones are very easy, and you can explain that to a customer and figure out whether it's a topical stain, or is it moisture retained within?
00:29:04.869 --> 00:29:14.309
Because in gray modeling on some of those pools that we used to torch out, well, look at what John Temp what what what Temple's coming up with, you know.
00:29:14.469 --> 00:29:21.189
That could just be purely moisture that was trapped back in and never got a chance to escape, and then we buried it under more water.
00:29:21.349 --> 00:29:23.669
So we kind of have created our own nightmares.
00:29:23.829 --> 00:29:24.869
Yeah, I really do think.
00:29:25.750 --> 00:29:29.349
And I think by saying, Oh, it's it's the water chemistry is such an easy fallback.
00:29:29.429 --> 00:29:33.029
So I love that we're digging deeper and trying to really understand the root.
00:29:34.069 --> 00:29:37.189
This has been going on all too long.
00:29:37.349 --> 00:29:45.189
The finger pointing game, I think, is getting ready, it's getting ready to be shut down a little bit more, and it's not a finger pointing game as much anymore.
00:29:45.349 --> 00:29:51.189
It's it's understanding what we as an industry are doing with Sempitious Surfaces.
00:29:51.349 --> 00:29:55.829
And I think we got a lot of good people that are digging in.
00:29:56.069 --> 00:30:01.829
Really wish Lowry was still with us, and I really wish Greg Garrett was still with us, so both of those guys rest in peace.
00:30:01.909 --> 00:30:05.829
But those were two, two dudes that I couldn't have got, uh man.
00:30:05.909 --> 00:30:15.109
I wish I would have got 15 more 15 more years with them and put into my head two great guys, and one from a chemistry side, one from a sentitious side.
00:30:15.189 --> 00:30:22.149
So if that was still around, you know, that Greg Garrett, man, he used to come out of Arizona and that guy would drive anywhere to go and inspect a pool.
00:30:22.229 --> 00:30:26.709
He'd get paid for it, but he was one of those guys that always wanted to dig in and figure it out.
00:30:26.869 --> 00:30:28.949
And we need more of those guys.
00:30:29.189 --> 00:30:30.149
We need more of those guys.
00:30:30.309 --> 00:30:32.309
And I I see that with Stay Fresh.
00:30:32.389 --> 00:30:34.949
I I think you're gonna see something coming out of Stay Fresh.
00:30:35.029 --> 00:30:36.789
He's got a rock star business going.
00:30:36.869 --> 00:30:38.309
I don't know him real, real good.
00:30:38.389 --> 00:30:39.269
I just watch him.
00:30:39.429 --> 00:30:39.669
Okay.
00:30:39.909 --> 00:30:43.029
But I can see the mo I see the mo motivation in that guy.
00:30:43.189 --> 00:30:45.349
He's he's gonna become somebody real soon.
00:30:45.509 --> 00:30:45.990
I really do think.
00:30:46.309 --> 00:30:48.309
I'll say I have I've had had the pleasure.
00:30:48.469 --> 00:30:52.549
So Mike from Stay Fresh, I actually originally I'd seen him before.
00:30:52.629 --> 00:30:59.029
I met him at uh Water Shapes education vacation in Phoenix last year.
00:30:59.589 --> 00:31:04.549
And he actually he does it's just it's almost monthly, I I I bet.
00:31:04.869 --> 00:31:06.149
Or I I don't think it's monthly.
00:31:06.229 --> 00:31:07.750
He they do like a monthly event.
00:31:07.990 --> 00:31:11.189
And so if you're not following them, definitely go out and follow State Fresh.
00:31:11.349 --> 00:31:17.509
They always have something going on, and he does he's posting a lot of videos, and yeah, they're great.
00:31:17.589 --> 00:31:19.909
They're they're awesome, they're always out doing something.
00:31:19.990 --> 00:31:21.269
And I've learned a lot from them.
00:31:21.349 --> 00:31:27.349
Um but yeah, just and downright, he's just a good guy as well, which is sometimes really hard to find.
00:31:27.429 --> 00:31:29.029
Um, but he's he's awesome.
00:31:29.109 --> 00:31:30.549
He works with a great group.
00:31:30.629 --> 00:31:32.469
So a huge group out of their way.
00:31:32.549 --> 00:31:41.429
And it's funny, it's funny you say that because one of the one of the guys that I mentored and JJ Flawless, John Flawless mentored was Dean Ollette from Big Family Pools.
00:31:41.589 --> 00:31:46.389
And Dean, if you know Dean, Dean's just Dean's this all-around good guy.
00:31:46.469 --> 00:31:55.109
And I can tell you how many laughs and stories we had with Dean on the phone, but Dean is hanging out with these guys and he's finding himself in the right place at the right time.
00:31:55.269 --> 00:32:03.349
And one of the things is is Dean had called me on the phone one day, and he's gonna he's gonna come at me for telling you this story, but we call it lacking a neutral.
00:32:03.429 --> 00:32:06.069
And you'll see me post it up a lot because I'm heckling him.
00:32:06.149 --> 00:32:08.309
He called us, he couldn't figure out why these lights weren't working.
00:32:08.549 --> 00:32:10.709
He's like, Man, I just don't understand why these lights aren't working.
00:32:10.789 --> 00:32:19.669
And you know, I got power in my GFI, and I go, hey Dean, Dean, did you check the outgoing GFI neutral to make sure that you know the GFI didn't trip?
00:32:19.829 --> 00:32:23.589
No, no, I'm not I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, it wasn't that, it wasn't that.
00:32:23.750 --> 00:32:30.869
And he he he ended up we ended up finding out on the phone line one day that he was lacking a neutral, and that's why his pool lights wouldn't work.
00:32:30.949 --> 00:32:40.069
So now little little electrical story there, but Dean has come so far and just got a rock star business running as well in that Arizona area.
00:32:40.229 --> 00:32:49.750
Another one he called me recently on, we had a guy on the phone line, and I had never tried this, was a pool light cord that was stuck in a brass conduit.
00:32:49.829 --> 00:32:52.869
And he he was tugging from one end, tugging from the other one.
00:32:53.029 --> 00:32:57.750
We ran soap through it, we ran water through it, we put chlorine down that red brass pipe.
00:32:57.829 --> 00:33:08.309
And a buddy of mine on the phone says, Hey, why don't you go to the pool side where the cord is swollen, and you're gonna pull your pool light cord out into the pool from the niche.
00:33:08.389 --> 00:33:20.309
And he says, But before you do that, cut your cord back and put the cord in a chuck of a drill, put your drill in low speed and twist the cord so that it tightens up the cord.
00:33:20.389 --> 00:33:25.109
And Dean had fought this pool light for hours, and we posted this up several times.
00:33:25.349 --> 00:33:42.149
Dean fought this pool light for hours, and and where the where the phone line paid off was it took that one guy that was on the phone line to tell that to Dean, and all of a sudden, within about four minutes, we heard holy shit, he had a pool light cord that came out of a red brass conduit.
00:33:42.229 --> 00:34:03.669
It was just whether it was stuck from being swollen or stuck from being in sludge in the in the in the pipe, yeah, it was just that one mentoring issue from having another person on the phone that put his brain together to say, put that cord in a chuck of a drill and spin it so that it tightens up the twist on the three wires, and all of a sudden that wire came out.
00:34:03.750 --> 00:34:07.509
So it's those kind of things, again, being being in that room.
00:34:07.750 --> 00:34:19.429
I don't mean to pick on oh old Dino Big Family Pools, but he's hanging out with Stay Fresh, and I wish I was in that area because there's there's quite a few rock stars in that Gilbert Chandler and Phoenix area.
00:34:19.590 --> 00:34:30.230
Bob Spacey's a little bit to the to the west of them, but Bob's another one that stands out and has always been a good inspiration on the Instagram world with his truck talks.
00:34:30.309 --> 00:34:44.550
And I I beat up on Bob, poor Bob, all the time telling him, Hey man, you need to bring back that truck talk because guys like myself appreciate that because that's a little that's that little nugget, golden nugget every day that you can learn from another person and watching another person speak on.
00:34:44.710 --> 00:34:50.070
So that presence on the internet on Instagram is good, but it's the drama that I don't like.
00:34:50.389 --> 00:34:51.110
Yeah, I agree.
00:34:51.190 --> 00:34:53.670
And that's why I w I went with myth busting.
00:34:53.750 --> 00:35:00.550
I really liked the idea of talking about different subjects and bringing education and just not selling.
00:35:00.630 --> 00:35:10.150
I was just so Bob Natalie, so that you know, Bob is also doing that on Instagram where he he puts it up on I think it's Mondays myth or fact.
00:35:10.710 --> 00:35:25.750
And it's just a it's an it's an awesome thing that Bob has started and and it's huge because it again, we're bringing we're bringing people together and we're we're not saying, hey, you know, I'm the brain behind all this, and it it's trying to figure out and crack the riddle.
00:35:25.910 --> 00:35:26.230
Yeah.
00:35:26.630 --> 00:35:38.710
That that's why yeah, that's why I mean when Ricky asked me to do myth busting, or when he asked me to come on the podcast, you know, shoot la uh gosh, while ago, actually, I was like, gosh, I don't I didn't know what direction.
00:35:38.789 --> 00:35:42.390
I was like, you know, I'm gonna do myth busting because there's so many myths out there.
00:35:42.470 --> 00:35:43.590
And I was like, I love it.
00:35:43.910 --> 00:35:49.990
Do myth busting it's it's you know, and the facts will eventually they'll surface just like latents do on a on a on a plastered pool.
00:35:50.070 --> 00:35:50.630
You know what I mean?
00:35:50.710 --> 00:35:54.470
The the waters the water's gonna rise to the top, and and what do we do?
00:35:54.550 --> 00:35:56.950
We come along with acid and try to take the cream back off.
00:35:57.110 --> 00:36:02.309
So it's we're gonna I think we're gonna eventually expose the cream of the crop in our industry.
00:36:02.390 --> 00:36:22.470
And there's already people like yourself, Rudy, and all the ones that we've been talking about today that are that are there, and some of these guys that we just recently talked about are are I think if like we said, man, if we can all just get rid of the drama and come back and be a tighter ship, you know, it it's just we're we're gonna set sail and and never look backwards as an industry.
00:36:22.630 --> 00:36:28.230
And then, you know, the only other thing that I think guys gotta be, and I hear this one a lot, is you've got to know your worth.
00:36:28.470 --> 00:36:30.230
You really have to know your worth.
00:36:30.309 --> 00:36:52.390
And so part of mentoring is is getting these guys educated enough to where it puts them in a different level and and trying to make that brotherhood to where if they have somebody they call, they have somebody that can help educate them, they're gonna be worth more to their own entity and their own business and their own family is going to not struggle as much because they're gonna be worth that much more.
00:36:52.710 --> 00:37:15.670
So looking at all these plaster-related startup claims and things, that's gonna hopefully level that all out to where the service side is gonna have a little bit of a cheaper liability insurance later on down the road because insurance companies shouldn't be playing plaster-related claims on the service tech side, especially when you have guys like John Temple that are proving that plot some of these plaster-related things are coming from the cement.
00:37:15.829 --> 00:37:20.870
So, and I'm not blaming the cement companies either, but we all got to be able to play in the sandbox nicely.
00:37:20.950 --> 00:37:26.550
And and we all just gotta figure out what it is going to do to solve some of our problems within our industry.
00:37:26.789 --> 00:37:27.990
Yeah, no, I agree.
00:37:28.150 --> 00:37:34.870
And this kind of leads me to my last myth, and it's the sooner you acid wash new plaster, the better the finish will look.
00:37:35.190 --> 00:37:40.470
I I that's I'm telling you, that is going to become 100% myth.
00:37:40.630 --> 00:37:46.710
That is that is gonna be proven so quickly, especially just off it off of what you and I have done here.
00:37:46.870 --> 00:37:59.750
But people that are gonna go dig into this, they're gonna start to realize that what John Temple's up to and what he's what he's starting to really reveal, I think the longer we wait and the pool sits dry for that three to four days.
00:37:59.829 --> 00:38:16.870
And and and mind you, climate's gonna play a big, big role in that because obviously in the west coast where it's cooler isn't gonna be the same in the Arizona places, and it's obviously not the same where John's at on the on the on the east coast, but you also have to realize what the humidity is doing and and the factors of the weather.
00:38:17.030 --> 00:38:22.309
And again, hot day, how hot day, how much water are we adding at the mixer?
00:38:22.470 --> 00:38:25.110
That's gonna play a huge, huge part of it.
00:38:25.190 --> 00:38:27.990
So cooler days, less water in the in the mix.
00:38:28.230 --> 00:38:38.630
You know, humidity is gonna play a part, and I and I think we're gonna start to find that something like what Stay Fresh is up to with this pool wash may be a better solution rather than acid.
00:38:38.789 --> 00:38:44.950
And he just did a big, huge Instagram thing that took off and said that's all we've ever known was muratic acid.
00:38:45.030 --> 00:38:48.470
We played with a little bit of hydrochloric, but not a whole lot, you know.
00:38:48.550 --> 00:38:51.430
But everybody uses, you know, uh muratic acid.
00:38:51.510 --> 00:39:07.430
And it's like we're starting, I think we're gonna start to see where you start getting these guys down in these pools with the with the weed eater style polishers and um some microglass going on, and you start to see some pool wash starting to starting to surface that these guys are using.
00:39:07.590 --> 00:39:18.710
And and if you look at what State Pressure's got going on with his little, he's almost got like a little canister that's on a on a dolly that he rolls into the thing that's got the pump in it and whole nine yards, he's invested some money.
00:39:18.870 --> 00:39:27.990
And and he he he would be my rock star scientist to go and and and to put that into education to start teaching guys how to do it that way.
00:39:28.230 --> 00:39:32.550
I think we're gonna start to see some different trends starting to develop.
00:39:32.710 --> 00:39:36.950
And and I can only hope mine in your interview today turns a bunch of heads.
00:39:37.030 --> 00:39:54.710
I think if we can turn some heads for the better, I think that we're gonna all grow as an industry and and the outcome's gonna be huge because these guys that are are getting out of their comfort zone and not staying, you know, creatures of habit, they're getting out of their comfort zone and they're trying to find these new ways to make things better.
00:39:55.030 --> 00:39:59.590
I think what Mike and the Stay Fresh crew and all all these people are doing is great.
00:39:59.670 --> 00:40:05.190
But what what is something that you see with newcomers that that are struggling with when they come into the industry?
00:40:05.349 --> 00:40:07.430
Because there's there's a lot going on, right?
00:40:07.510 --> 00:40:14.710
And you and I've been in here, we've been in the industry for a while, but you know, there's there's there's there's drama, there's let's leave it at that.
00:40:14.950 --> 00:40:18.710
I I think it's a it's a it's a great question, Ali, because we've all gone through it.
00:40:18.789 --> 00:40:20.309
Every one of us have gone through it.
00:40:20.390 --> 00:40:20.789
Yeah.
00:40:21.030 --> 00:40:29.190
It's it's that day when you come into the industry, you say, Oh, I'm I'm a pool guy now, okay, or I'm a pool woman, or I'm in business for myself.
00:40:29.430 --> 00:40:30.470
What does that mean?
00:40:30.630 --> 00:40:34.630
Yeah, there's a whole whole big picture that's got to be painted.
00:40:34.710 --> 00:40:41.269
And I think the worst one is you know, we can all hide behind our office desk and our computer screen and create the billing.
00:40:41.349 --> 00:40:47.510
It's that day one that you walk in and you're by yourself in a backyard and you get hit with that question.
00:40:47.670 --> 00:40:53.349
Homeowner comes out or property manager or whatever it might be, comes out and says, Hey, what's going on with the pool?
00:40:53.510 --> 00:40:55.750
And you need to now answer that.
00:40:55.910 --> 00:41:02.950
So part of what I've tried to do with my mentoring to people is I was that guy that had my knees trembling.
00:41:03.030 --> 00:41:10.309
I was that guy that was getting asked, hey, you know, last week we saw you put a little bit of a blue liquid into the pool, and now all of a sudden our pool's blue.
00:41:10.390 --> 00:41:11.110
What's going on?
00:41:11.269 --> 00:41:14.710
Well, you know, yeah, the copper as a metal fell out and stained your pool.
00:41:14.789 --> 00:41:18.550
So I've done my fair share of acid washing pools to get rid of blue staining.
00:41:18.630 --> 00:41:34.150
It's a matter of teaching these new, newer people in our industry, not only in the field, but what their worth is of being able to have that knowledge and being able to educate them the right way and getting them to use the better better poles.
00:41:34.309 --> 00:41:37.510
You know, the other day I picked up an aluminum pool pole.
00:41:37.750 --> 00:41:38.309
Oh my God.
00:41:38.390 --> 00:41:42.309
And I said, I can't believe I used to hang on to this thing for 25 years.
00:41:42.470 --> 00:41:45.670
What a blessing that the carbon fiber poles have come out.
00:41:45.829 --> 00:41:49.990
And I want to I want to give a big huge plug to Ultimate Pool Tool and Primate.
00:41:50.150 --> 00:41:55.510
There's another, there's another thing where these guys are at each other, so I don't care who who invented the first one.
00:41:55.670 --> 00:41:56.630
I could care less.
00:41:56.789 --> 00:42:10.630
Those pool poised pool poles are state-of-the-art and have basically kept my hands that are pretty beat up and working hands in better shape because I think the aluminum pool pole retains more water than the carbon fiber does.
00:42:10.789 --> 00:42:14.950
But it's just that little teaching them that perk, hey, go and buy that pool pole.
00:42:15.110 --> 00:42:20.710
I've I've had one on my truck now, it's it's on its fourth year, so at$350 a pole, that's huge.
00:42:20.870 --> 00:42:23.990
But it's$350 that was money well spent.
00:42:24.309 --> 00:42:28.550
Because now just an aluminum pole's over$100 from last I heard.
00:42:28.710 --> 00:42:37.590
But it's just teaching people those things and that nervous point of being able to, you know, create them, how to how to build things, how to how to tear things apart.
00:42:37.750 --> 00:42:41.829
You know, there's the the whole other side of it, diet's machine filter, cartridge filter.
00:42:41.910 --> 00:42:44.789
Well, cartridge filters definitely coming in stronger.
00:42:45.030 --> 00:42:50.630
And then we know that obviously if something goes wrong with the cartridge filter, you don't have as much mess with the DE in the bottom of the pool.
00:42:50.789 --> 00:42:53.110
So there's that whole evolving chain too.
00:42:53.190 --> 00:42:55.750
And you know, look at where we were with spit sand filters.
00:42:55.829 --> 00:43:00.309
And I say to people, I said, Hey, have you ever tore apart a uh aqua flow pump?
00:43:00.470 --> 00:43:01.110
They say, What?
00:43:01.190 --> 00:43:02.470
What's an aqua flow pump?
00:43:02.550 --> 00:43:11.269
They don't even know what a brass pump looks like, let alone a spin filter that I grew up, you know, putting putting spin filters between my knees, trying to get the two tanks back together.
00:43:11.349 --> 00:43:13.430
That that was a challenging part of my career.
00:43:13.990 --> 00:43:18.470
You know, I mean you you ask some of these techs out there today, they don't know what a spin filter even is.
00:43:18.630 --> 00:43:19.269
Yeah, yeah.
00:43:19.510 --> 00:43:20.710
So kind of crazy.
00:43:20.950 --> 00:43:21.349
It is.
00:43:21.750 --> 00:43:29.829
Well, you know, we've talked about I think some areas where we I think the engine we think the industry's going, you know, some things that we're really excited about.
00:43:30.070 --> 00:43:32.230
But you know, and let's kind of flip it.
00:43:32.309 --> 00:43:37.190
Where wh what do you think the industry is is doing bad at or not not doing well?
00:43:37.510 --> 00:43:38.870
Uh this is the huge one, man.
00:43:39.190 --> 00:43:40.470
This really is the huge one.
00:43:40.950 --> 00:43:41.590
Separation.
00:43:41.750 --> 00:43:42.070
Okay.
00:43:42.309 --> 00:43:49.430
Separation is I think is is been a part for a long time that's been kind of a lot of adding to the drama.
00:43:49.510 --> 00:44:00.870
Um, because one guy has an opinion, the next guy has an opinion, and rather than taking those two opinions and collaborating it together to come out with one solution, we start this we start this little, I'm gonna call it a turf war.
00:44:01.269 --> 00:44:06.390
And you know, just because one guy may have it wrong or he may say it wrong doesn't mean that it's wrong.
00:44:06.550 --> 00:44:14.870
It's just in a different way, it's a different opinion because we could all go in and you know, do you squirt the soap on the pool first or do you net the pool first or do you brush first?
00:44:15.190 --> 00:44:31.910
You know, before you vacuum, and there's there's different ways that guys are gonna do this business, and I I think it's that separation that is probably the one thing that we're all kind of not not collaborating together enough of being stronger as a whole and the divide.
00:44:32.630 --> 00:44:41.030
The divide and the separation is is what's kind of still getting our industry just that little bit of taint tainted tainted vision.
00:44:41.750 --> 00:44:42.150
Yeah.
00:44:42.550 --> 00:44:51.670
Just that dark side of us that we're you know, just because one guy's doing better than you are, he may have two trucks and you only have one running out there, you know.
00:44:51.750 --> 00:44:52.870
Maybe maybe you strive a little bit.
00:44:53.349 --> 00:45:01.030
harder to go see what he did to to uh you know go and talk to him a little bit and see what he's doing and maybe he can help you get to that point.
00:45:01.430 --> 00:45:02.950
And that's what that's what I think is huge.
00:45:03.670 --> 00:45:04.710
Yeah, no, I would agree.
00:45:04.950 --> 00:45:05.430
I would agree.
00:45:05.590 --> 00:45:16.870
And you know, again, I think competition's healthy, but I think a lot a lot of the times people tend to forget I I don't know necessarily I don't know I didn't walk in your shoes to get to where you're at today.
00:45:17.190 --> 00:45:19.670
And same thing with you know you with me.
00:45:19.750 --> 00:45:29.030
And so I think people tend to forget that and or one thing that I've seen is I I think people just assume they should rise up so quickly.
00:45:31.670 --> 00:45:39.269
Rising up going going going full throttle and becoming too big too fast is in my opinion not a good thing because I've seen guys do that.
00:45:39.349 --> 00:45:43.590
They usually don't last long and then they end up selling it off.
00:45:43.750 --> 00:45:43.990
Yeah.
00:45:44.150 --> 00:45:51.750
Rather than you know you know that 30 year old client that you've had on the books for 30 years that's that's the strongest one I've got.
00:45:51.910 --> 00:46:02.390
That new guy doesn't trust me yet and he's still kind of watching out the windows a 30 year old person is man you send them an invoice and they pay it right then and there because you you've proved yourself to them for 30 years.
00:46:02.550 --> 00:46:02.870
Right.
00:46:03.030 --> 00:46:12.789
So the you know the new ones of the rotation of clientele I think it's those those those ones that have been around and have supported you for many years are the ones you need to cherish the most.
00:46:12.950 --> 00:46:13.110
Yeah.
00:46:13.430 --> 00:46:28.230
And you know I've recently sold a few routes here just to kind of slow things down and and make more room for new new coming to kind of tighten my route up but it's it it it's it's that separation again you know that's I think is the worst thing that we're doing as an industry.
00:46:28.789 --> 00:46:42.230
You get with some of the tri and and then we're into show season now it's good that you hear guys traveling all over the place and the sponsors and things that are traveling to the different shows and these guys man like Blu-ray Chris that guy's that guy's all over the place.
00:46:42.390 --> 00:46:55.990
Yeah he's always he just he he just went and did the river float and and he's in Texas he's in Atlanta he's in Vegas he's all over the place and he's the one that travels and so to me he's got some pretty broad shoulders because he's got a lot of disciples out there.
00:46:56.150 --> 00:47:02.710
I mean he's got guys all over that are using his his product and that's huge and he never looks back.
00:47:02.870 --> 00:47:05.269
He he's always he's always running and gunning.
00:47:05.510 --> 00:47:06.710
So that's one thing I like about him.
00:47:06.950 --> 00:47:12.390
Yeah Blu-ray's great Blu-ray those guys are always yeah they're all awesome out there.
00:47:12.710 --> 00:47:18.710
Well I have an extremely important question and this could be possibly the toughest question of the day.
00:47:18.950 --> 00:47:26.070
What is your favorite pizza or no it's uh the cheese cheese at my age doesn't do you good in the bathroom so I'm gonna leave that one in the lair.
00:47:26.309 --> 00:47:30.870
The pepperoni will put some fat on you so will the sauce and I would have to say it's that crust.
00:47:31.110 --> 00:47:31.670
The crust?
00:47:31.910 --> 00:47:35.110
The crust the crust for me is it thin crust or is it thick?
00:47:35.670 --> 00:47:47.750
The thick crust the thick crust you know they were there for a while they were putting the cheese within within the crust but it was like uh favorite topping wouldn't would obviously be would be I would I'm gonna say it pepperoni but the crust is always my favorite part.
00:47:47.990 --> 00:47:56.870
Yeah I'll say that too above the crust my my husband and daughters don't eat the crust but I'm like I'll take the crust oh yeah the crust is crust to me is is the best part of the pizza.
00:47:57.110 --> 00:47:59.110
Yeah I agree for sure I agree.
00:47:59.430 --> 00:48:02.390
Each person gets a secret question you don't know what it is.
00:48:02.550 --> 00:48:05.430
And so we spent time talking about pools.
00:48:05.510 --> 00:48:09.990
So for this one I want to do absolutely nothing I want it to be absolutely nothing to do with pools.
00:48:10.230 --> 00:48:16.550
So think about it this way you get to challenge any pool professional in the industry to a competition.
00:48:16.710 --> 00:48:23.349
It can be racing fishing off-road anything you want but it cannot have anything to do with swimming pools.
00:48:23.510 --> 00:48:26.710
So what is the competition and who are you calling out?
00:48:27.110 --> 00:48:38.070
Deep didn't you I I I would say it's hard because I do have like I said I have I have my friend Jay Kalen that lives in Houston and it's like you know competition with him is is hard.
00:48:38.230 --> 00:48:48.870
This guy's thir three Lamborghinis in a poor a Porsche GT3 RS, you know, huge business huge thing you know just seems like money's no object out there in Texas for those people in Texas.
00:48:48.950 --> 00:48:58.390
But yeah I don't know competition it's like I don't know I'd I'd call Jay Kalen out to go come out to uh Lake Mojave here and ride a wave with me behind my boat because I know he said he'd never do it.
00:48:58.470 --> 00:48:59.269
So there you go.
00:48:59.430 --> 00:49:03.349
Um yeah right I'd call Jay Kalen out to uh come ride away behind the boat.
00:49:03.510 --> 00:49:04.309
That's what I would do.
00:49:04.550 --> 00:49:05.030
I love it.
00:49:05.190 --> 00:49:17.430
Yeah so I think with enough per an enough persistence of of pushing and grinding on him yeah I think he would I think he would he'd have to fly into Vegas and drive a an hour and a half but it'd be worth it it'd be a fun weekend.
00:49:17.510 --> 00:49:18.870
That's um it'd be a fun weekend.
00:49:19.110 --> 00:49:24.950
I like that okay well Greg I cannot thank you enough for coming on the show.
00:49:25.110 --> 00:49:41.349
I I've I loved hearing more about your story and I really enjoyed your perspective on mentorship and really getting to talk more about the myths and you know what is going to be coming out soon and the work that you know with John Temp and talking about stay fresh.
00:49:41.590 --> 00:49:46.950
It's I love my motto is forever student and so I loved having that conversation with you.
00:49:47.110 --> 00:49:50.710
But before I let you go, I want to give you the last word.
00:49:50.789 --> 00:50:06.070
And so if there was uh one thing that you want everyone listening to uh take away from this conversation um whether it be mentorship or one of the myths that we talked about today or just kind of advice to anyone that's just getting started in the industry, what would you want to leave them with?
00:50:06.309 --> 00:50:07.349
Knowledge and prosperity.
00:50:07.590 --> 00:50:50.070
Knowledge and prosperity I mean learn your trade surround yourself by the ones that that you see doing good along with the surrounding your ones like yourself that want to that want to educate talking pools podcast was one that I followed you know and in that social media world just finding yourself around around the ones that you see doing good like Stay Fresh and Jay Kalen's and these guys I recently had a guy that that was working was a rep for Jandy and of all the all the chapters out there he used to work for Alan Smith as well as a sales guy Brian Scaplin is his name and he jumped shipped from Jandy as a rep to become a pool service guy.
00:50:50.230 --> 00:51:02.230
It was an honor that he came to me and said hey I want to ride with you didn't come because of what I look like or how cute I am he he came because he saw that presence and he saw that engagement.
00:51:02.390 --> 00:51:25.670
So it's not to do or anything but it's more or less I I think when you surround yourself by those people that we've been talking about all day today you're you're you're gonna persevere you're gonna you're gonna you're gonna you're gonna go places and you're you're gonna have half the challenges accomplished by being able to ask those questions to those that have been there and done it.
00:51:25.829 --> 00:51:34.070
You're not gonna find yourself in a backyard with your knees trembling and being nervous and stumbling over your feet and not even able to answer a question to Mr or Mrs.
00:51:34.150 --> 00:51:43.430
Smith but you're you need to surround yourselves with those that are that are motoring and those that are motoring in the right way to lift the industry to a higher standard.
00:51:43.590 --> 00:51:51.269
And and then what before we go to Natalie don't forget that Stay Fresh Mike has also got a big thing that they're putting on that they're calling the break.
00:51:51.430 --> 00:52:16.630
Yeah that's that is that is at a at a an event it looks like it's I I'm not sure what it is he's been posting a little bit about it but that's huge that these guys have all come together they recently did pineapple pool boys recently just did a a big thing at a roofing contractors thing where they did a little training day and I think we need more of that it's not about the dollars it's about coming together as an industry.
00:52:17.269 --> 00:52:22.630
That's huge what Mike's got going as the break it it looks like it's gonna be a fun-filled action packed event.
00:52:22.789 --> 00:52:42.710
You can see the captain's will behind me I got a son that lives in Queen Creek Arizona that drives tugboats and so if I knew that he was going to be home and I could get up there to where I could kind of go and see my my son and my daughter in law and my two granddogs I I would I would be on that on that that that mission to go to the break really quick.
00:52:42.789 --> 00:52:59.430
It looks like it's a really really good environment that they're gonna have an action packed fun filled day and it's guys like that that you want to surround yourself with and guys like Bob Spacey and the ones that we've talked about Rudy I mean everybody needs to know that you know if you call Rudy or you email him he will respond to you.
00:52:59.590 --> 00:53:15.349
Oh yeah he will respond to you and it whether you love him I love him and and like him so hopefully a lot of other people will grow with that and just kind of kind of curbing yourself of staying away from the ones that that got that little bit of that got a little bit of venom in them.
00:53:15.670 --> 00:53:23.030
Just stay away from all that and and go after your prosperity and go after your knowledge and that's what's going to make you more money as time goes on.
00:53:23.269 --> 00:53:37.990
Yeah and be authentic and and I want to thank all the sponsors as well before we wrap up that's huge, huge I'm I'm hoping that Rudy can can get 15 more of them to jump on board and and and let's kick this thing off into a whole nother gear.
00:53:38.150 --> 00:53:47.430
Because I I think it's something in our industry where there is a lot of these guys that are doing a lot of things behind the scenes that a lot of guys don't take into consideration.
00:53:47.590 --> 00:54:18.789
You know it's like it seems like right now and I and I and I don't want to badmouth anybody but there's an app for this there's an app for that and there's this app and that app and this app and that app and I'm like well wait a minute they're all kind of the same you know and I don't have an app my app is my wife my wife without my wife doing the billing we wouldn't have what we have and and that's just and bless her heart she's been at it for 30 36 years and and I don't really I couldn't even tell you to where to begin and and I do sometimes put the labels on for them and then I get them crooked and she's upset with me.
00:54:18.870 --> 00:54:26.789
So I try to let her do her side of it and and like I said I I wouldn't have what I have without my app as my wife doing what she does.
00:54:26.870 --> 00:54:32.950
So it it it it takes a lot to run a business and and a successful business is going to take even more.
00:54:33.110 --> 00:54:33.510
Yeah.
00:54:33.750 --> 00:54:44.230
It it it it takes a lot and you know putting together you know it's nonstop it's not I couldn't tell you how many times the phone will ring and I'm gonna go help somebody and she's like really you're gonna answer that right now?
00:54:44.390 --> 00:54:45.750
Yeah dear he might be stuck.
00:54:45.910 --> 00:54:58.070
And you know so you know you you got to find that balance though too and I and I don't do that good enough honestly that there's anything that I can improve on it's me finding the balance and that's what I need to work on on myself is finding that balance.
00:54:58.230 --> 00:55:05.430
So it's it gives me something as we part you and I and I kind of thank you enough for your time today is what I need to go work on.
00:55:05.510 --> 00:55:06.230
You know what I mean?
00:55:06.390 --> 00:55:10.950
So again I need to find that mentor that's going to go help me find my balance.
00:55:11.430 --> 00:55:11.990
You know what I mean?
00:55:12.070 --> 00:55:15.030
Because that's all my wife will tell you that's all this man does is work.
00:55:15.110 --> 00:55:32.870
I mean work work so when she can sneak me away and you know we go do things together it it and you kind of cherish those things and you know I I know you had been chasing me to do the podcast there for a little while and it's just our garden grove home is you know a little bit more chaotic than our desert home here it's pretty quiet and it's pretty peaceful here and this is why we like it.
00:55:33.030 --> 00:55:34.070
Yeah no you're fine.
00:55:34.150 --> 00:55:36.150
It's you know I have the same problem.
00:55:36.309 --> 00:55:39.510
I I uh I love work and it tends to catch up with me.
00:55:39.590 --> 00:55:41.269
So I I have the same problem.
00:55:41.430 --> 00:55:51.430
But well I I can't thank you enough for joining me and you know congratulations again for being back on the Talkin pool's top ten mentor in the pool industry.
00:55:51.829 --> 00:55:52.390
Thank you for that.
00:55:52.630 --> 00:56:17.910
Yeah I will be rooting for you and you know I want to congratulate them all all everybody I mean even last year's guys that may not have made it in there this year and it's you know I need to do my part now I'm going to find some guys to nominate to so yeah it's uh one of those things where we all get busy in our everyday life but at the same time when we start cracking some of these myths that we worked on a little bit that's where that's where we're gonna persevere and and I think we're gonna become stronger as an industry.
00:56:17.990 --> 00:56:25.910
And and and again thank you to you thank you to the whole talking pools podcast team and all the sponsors and and and what a great event we need to keep running.
00:56:26.230 --> 00:56:29.829
And I I think I think I think we're gonna we're gonna see this take off.
00:56:29.990 --> 00:56:30.550
I really do.
00:56:30.710 --> 00:56:43.430
Yeah and having Rudy as a backer and being the guy that's pushing it from the back and and doing what he does with all of you guys is just just the just the stuff that you've done on the panel this year has been a little bit different from the first year.
00:56:43.670 --> 00:56:43.990
Mm-hmm.
00:56:44.150 --> 00:57:05.110
Yeah yeah it's been different it's been fun well I will be reading for you buddy and to everyone listening stay tuned that belt is going to be awarded soon but until next Wednesday keep challenging those myths keep learning and keep sharing what you know and we will catch you right back here next Wednesday on the Talking Pulls podcast.
00:57:05.269 --> 00:57:06.309
Until next time guys
