Full Transcript for Confidence Isn’t Competence: Pool Industry Edition

00:06:00.310 --> 00:06:06.629 The company said the increase reflected steady maintenance activity, inflationary pricing, and improved building material sales. 00:06:06.790 --> 00:06:11.110 Pool Corp also reported that discretionary consumer spending remained muted. 00:06:11.270 --> 00:06:17.030 Equipment sales increased approximately 3%, supported primarily by pricing and repair-related demand. 00:06:17.189 --> 00:06:20.870 Chemical sales declined approximately 2%, largely because of pricing. 00:06:21.030 --> 00:06:25.670 Pinter and Pool Corp may appear to be telling different stories, but both reports can be accurate. 00:06:25.830 --> 00:06:30.230 Pinter is describing equipment moving from the manufacturer into the distribution channel. 00:06:30.470 --> 00:06:35.670 Pool Corp is reporting products moving through distribution to dealers, service professionals, and customers. 00:06:35.830 --> 00:06:40.470 Existing pools still require pumps, filters, replacement parts, chemicals, and repairs. 00:06:40.629 --> 00:06:46.389 The greatest weakness appears to be in new pools, renovations, and equipment purchases homeowners can postpone. 00:06:47.189 --> 00:06:56.710 Leslie's Pool Supplies is reportedly considering strategic options to address its debt, including the possibility of seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. 00:06:57.110 --> 00:07:03.990 As reported by Bloomberg, on July 23, Leslie's was evaluating several options as it dealt with its debt load. 00:07:04.069 --> 00:07:08.389 As of the end of July, Leslie's had not announced that it had filed for bankruptcy. 00:07:08.470 --> 00:07:13.350 That distinction is important, considering Chapter 11 is not the same as filing for Chapter 11. 00:07:13.430 --> 00:07:17.430 The July report nevertheless raises serious questions for the pool industry. 00:07:17.590 --> 00:07:23.670 Leslie's is one of the country's largest specialty retailers of swimming pool chemicals, equipment, and supplies. 00:07:23.830 --> 00:07:31.670 A restructuring could result in additional store closure, changes to vendor relationships, and reduced availability of professional pool products in some markets. 00:07:31.830 --> 00:07:37.189 Independent pool stores and service companies could gain customers if Leslie's reduces its footprint. 00:07:37.350 --> 00:07:44.069 However, Amazon, home improvement chains, and other online retailers would also be positioned to capture that business. 00:07:44.230 --> 00:07:49.590 Pool professionals should not assume that Leslie's customers will automatically move to weekly service. 00:07:49.750 --> 00:07:57.350 If Leslie's restructures, the resulting vacuum could accelerate the movement of pool chemicals, equipment, and replacement parts into online retail. 00:07:57.509 --> 00:08:02.069 The most serious chemical manufacturing news from July came from Conyers, Georgia. 00:08:02.310 --> 00:08:12.710 As reported by the United States Chemical Safety Board on July 21st, the catastrophic September, 2024

biolab fire began after a corroded sprinkler system component failed. 00:08:12.870 --> 00:08:20.710 Water contacted chlorinated isocyonurates stored inside the warehouse, initiating a decomposition reaction and generating significant heat. 00:08:20.870 --> 00:08:26.470 Additional sprinkler heads then activated, putting more water onto reactive chemicals and escalating the event. 00:08:26.550 --> 00:08:37.590 As reported by the Chemical Safety Board, the sprinkler system had experienced significant corrosion and leaking since shortly after Biolab began storing chlorinated isocyze inurates in that warehouse in 2019. 00:08:37.669 --> 00:08:43.429 During a December 2023 inspection, more than 1,100 sprinkler heads were reportedly found to be corroded. 00:08:43.509 --> 00:08:52.629 The Chemical Safety Board also reported that approximately 14 million pounds of chemicals were stored at the facility, more than twice the quantity originally intended for the building. 00:08:52.789 --> 00:09:01.029 Materials inside the warehouse included chlorinated, isocyanates, cyanuric acid, aluminum sulfate, and sodium bromide. 00:09:01.189 --> 00:09:07.909 The resulting fire destroyed the warehouse, produced a massive toxic plume, forced residents to shelter in place, and close schools. 00:09:08.069 --> 00:09:12.069 Property damage was estimated at approximately$50.5 million. 00:09:12.629 --> 00:09:15.830 Biolab later ceased operations at the Conyers facility. 00:09:15.990 --> 00:09:19.269 The final report could affect far more than one manufacturer. 00:09:20.870 --> 00:09:30.789 Pool Brain has announced that it hired Eric Knight in a strategic move to accelerate delivery of game-changing education and software tools in the swimming pool industry. 00:09:31.029 --> 00:09:43.830 As part of this move, Eric has chosen to step down from his role as executive director of Watershape University to join Pool Brain as their new head of education technology. 00:09:43.990 --> 00:09:55.430 Among other things at Pool Brain, Eric Knight will oversee the advancement of fully automated water chemistry dosing, creating guided training workflows and interactive point of need educational modules. 00:09:55.669 --> 00:10:06.550 This marks a significant shift toward digital accessibility, aiming to provide pool professionals at every skill level with the resources they need to thrive in an increasingly tech-driven market. 00:10:06.789 --> 00:10:11.029 We're thrilled to welcome an industry legend like Eric Knight to the Pool Brain team. 00:10:11.110 --> 00:10:19.750 Eric's deep industry knowledge and experience will be invaluable as we continue working to provide pool companies with even more industry-first game-changing features. 00:10:19.990 --> 00:10:22.710 Said Adam Beach, founder and CEO of Pool Brain. 00:10:23.029 --> 00:10:40.550 Knight's transition to Pool Brain follows a 16-month tenure leading Water Shape University, where he oversaw the expansion of accredited courses, the development of a new comprehensive service track, and several courses, including an eight-hour water chemistry class, Service 2211, Essential Water Chemistry. 00:10:40.710 --> 00:10:56.389 Prior to WU, Eric was vice president at both Orenda and Hasa, where he created the Rule Your Pool podcast and led development of the Orenda calculator, which is integrated into most of the pool service software platforms widely used in the pool industry today. 00:10:56.550 --> 00:11:01.029 Bill Drakeley, co-founder of Watershape University, expressed support for the transition. 00:11:01.190 --> 00:11:02.870 And that's our breaking news for today. 00:11:03.029 --> 00:11:05.990 Why share this breaking news that Pool Brain hired Eric? 00:11:06.149 --> 00:11:10.870 Pool Brain has stepped up and has come on as a new sponsor with the Talking Pools podcast. 00:11:10.950 --> 00:11:17.029 It's not sponsoring one, but sponsoring all episodes across the week of the Talking Pools podcast. 00:11:17.190 --> 00:11:19.269 So we look forward to hearing more from them. 00:11:19.430 --> 00:11:20.230 Check them out. 00:11:20.389 --> 00:11:21.669 They've got good things going on. 00:11:21.750 --> 00:11:23.110 They got big things going on. 00:11:23.269 --> 00:11:25.430 Some of the platforms out there are great. 00:11:25.590 --> 00:11:26.710 Some of them I hate. 00:11:26.870 --> 00:11:28.870 This one, it's moving and shaking. 00:11:28.950 --> 00:11:30.629 That's exactly where we all need to be. 00:11:31.590 --> 00:11:33.350 God bless the pool proof. 00:11:36.789 --> 00:11:38.149 God bless the pool pro. 00:11:42.870 --> 00:11:45.350 Pull up on my detail, gate, down, test it out. 00:11:45.590 --> 00:11:47.269 PH Facts D S D I H. 00:11:47.509 --> 00:11:53.669 Run around the top metal to our balance on the clock green by car casting on the do it in the stack. 00:13:24.629 --> 00:13:27.430 Turn it's woman, boomer getting green flee. 00:13:30.470 --> 00:13:36.710 I've been getting Service Industry News since I first stepped into this business, and every time it landed, I did the same thing. 00:13:36.950 --> 00:13:39.110 Flip straight to the horror file. 00:13:39.269 --> 00:13:43.909 The weird installs, the absurd finds, the stuff only pool pros ever see. 00:13:44.230 --> 00:13:46.470 Then I'd go back and read the articles. 00:13:46.789 --> 00:13:56.710 Service Industry News is a twice-monthly trade publication for pool and spa service texts, 24 issues a year, emailed free to over 10,000 texts and available on their app. 00:13:56.870 --> 00:14:03.190 Every issue covers nationwide industry news and real technical content you actually will use. 00:14:03.669 --> 00:14:06.950 Get your free subscription at serviceindustry news.net. 00:14:07.269 --> 00:14:09.750 Again, that's serviceindustry news.net. 00:14:10.470 --> 00:14:11.430 Do it now. 00:14:14.950 --> 00:14:17.269 Some of these folks say the stupidest shit imaginable. 00:14:17.669 --> 00:14:22.070 And anyone here, this does not apply to

the listeners of the Talking Pools podcast. 00:14:22.149 --> 00:14:24.149 You guys are top-notch and you know your shit. 00:14:24.230 --> 00:14:33.750 But somebody asks the question, and these people come charging into the comments like they were launched out of a cannon packed with confidence, fire grease, and unresolved childhood issues. 00:14:33.990 --> 00:14:39.110 They don't know the answer, but they know they have an answer. 00:14:39.350 --> 00:14:42.230 And in their minds, that's apparently the same thing. 00:14:42.470 --> 00:14:43.350 It isn't. 00:14:43.669 --> 00:14:46.789 Bad information is not just annoying. 00:14:46.950 --> 00:14:50.550 Chemistry ignorance can become expensive, dangerous, and public. 00:14:51.269 --> 00:15:00.870 While we're arguing over bullshit on Facebook, Conyers Georgia is sitting there as a reminder that pool chemistry is not comment section entertainment. 00:15:01.110 --> 00:15:12.389 When 14 million pounds of pool chemicals help to feed a catastrophic fire, bad information stops being funny and starts becoming a huge public safety problem. 00:15:12.629 --> 00:15:18.470 Now let me say, everyone that listens to this podcast is at a higher level. 00:15:18.710 --> 00:15:25.909 But we know those folks are out there, and there is a major difference between having an opinion and accurate information. 00:15:26.070 --> 00:15:27.909 They don't see it, but it's there. 00:15:28.149 --> 00:15:29.990 An opinion is what you think. 00:15:30.470 --> 00:15:33.110 Accurate information is what you can support. 00:15:33.430 --> 00:15:35.750 Those are not interchangeable. 00:15:36.310 --> 00:15:39.909 I've always done it this way, is not research. 00:15:40.149 --> 00:15:49.669 My old boss told me, a guy at SCP said, I saw somebody post it in another Facebook group is definitely not fucking research. 00:15:49.909 --> 00:15:52.310 That's not even hearsay anymore. 00:15:52.550 --> 00:16:03.029 That's hearsay that's been photocopied twelve times, left in the rain, run over by a truck, eaten by a goat, and shit back into a laminated chart, and then reposted as a colorful infographic. 00:16:03.269 --> 00:16:15.990 And once that infographic has a blue background, a picture of a swimming pool and three words written in capital letters, people treat it like it's the Ten Fucking Commandments, chiseled into a chlorine puck when all it really is is confidence dressed up as a source. 00:16:16.230 --> 00:16:22.470 Then somebody who actually understands the subject enters the conversation and says, Well, you know what, that's not quite how it works. 00:16:22.710 --> 00:16:24.470 Now we have a problem. 00:16:25.029 --> 00:16:28.310 Because the original commenter isn't interested in learning anything. 00:16:28.550 --> 00:16:31.029 They're interested in protecting their position. 00:16:31.430 --> 00:16:38.710 Now their entire identity is tied to whatever bullshit they typed with Cheeto dust on their fingers while sitting in their truck outside. 00:16:39.190 --> 00:16:40.870 They can't back down now. 00:16:41.190 --> 00:16:42.710 So they dig in. 00:16:43.110 --> 00:16:44.629 You show them chemistry. 00:16:44.870 --> 00:16:46.230 They show you confidence. 00:16:46.389 --> 00:16:47.669 You give them research. 00:16:47.909 --> 00:16:49.269 They give you an antidote. 00:16:49.509 --> 00:16:51.350 You explain what actually happened. 00:16:51.590 --> 00:16:54.230 They say, Well, I've been doing this for 20 years. 00:16:54.470 --> 00:16:55.509 Congratulations. 00:16:55.750 --> 00:16:58.389 You may have been wrong for 20 consecutive years. 00:16:58.550 --> 00:17:01.669 Longevity doesn't automatically create expertise. 00:17:01.830 --> 00:17:05.990 Sometimes it just gives bad information, two decades to breathe in the walls like mold. 00:17:06.230 --> 00:17:09.589 And profanity only makes the mold louder. 00:17:09.829 --> 00:17:20.230 Doing something for 20 years can make you incredibly knowledgeable if you spent those 20 years paying attention, asking questions, studying failures, updating your understanding, and correcting yourself. 00:17:20.309 --> 00:17:27.349 But if you repeated the same procedure every day without questioning it, you don't necessarily have 20 years of experience. 00:17:27.669 --> 00:17:31.509 You might have one year of experience repeated 20 times. 00:17:31.829 --> 00:17:33.909 That's not the same thing. 00:17:34.309 --> 00:17:35.829 Pool industry has changed. 00:17:36.149 --> 00:17:44.470 Our understanding of water chemistry, microbiology, filtration, corrosion, scaling, coatings, hydraulics, and disinfection has changed. 00:17:44.789 --> 00:17:49.669 Science did not freeze on the day you completed your first training class. 00:17:49.909 --> 00:17:52.950 It didn't hold a meeting and say, that's enough, everybody. 00:17:53.190 --> 00:17:59.589 Vinny from Long Island's got his certificate and now put the microscopes in a dumpster, shoot the textbooks, and shut down the laboratories. 00:18:00.069 --> 00:18:01.349 Science keeps moving. 00:18:01.589 --> 00:18:09.909 The instruments used to examine water, surfaces, microorganisms, and chemical reactions have improved drastically over the last 10, 20, and 30 years. 00:18:10.069 --> 00:18:13.990 At the same time, the business side of the industry is shifting too. 00:18:14.149 --> 00:18:19.750 And I think pool people are understanding what happens when a major retailer starts circling the drain. 00:18:19.909 --> 00:18:29.029 You're potentially about to lose one of the largest forces keeping professional pool car in front of the public through massive national advertising campaigns. 00:18:29.109 --> 00:18:38.869 And when that familiar retail option disappears, the floodgates don't suddenly open and send all those customers running to their neighborhood pool professional. 00:18:39.109 --> 00:18:48.229 A lot of them are going to look online first, where bad advice, miracle products, and have a bag comment section chemistry become even

more dangerous. 00:18:48.469 --> 00:18:56.629 They open Amazon where common sense goes to die in a cardboard box next to a six-pack of pool potion and a flashlight shaped like a duck. 00:18:56.789 --> 00:19:07.669 Every pool owner already standing on the DIY fence is about to get shoved onto the other side with a test strip in one hand, a smartphone in the other, and same-day delivery heading toward the front porch. 00:19:08.229 --> 00:19:10.469 Did you think they were coming to you? 00:19:11.189 --> 00:19:12.629 That's adorable. 00:19:13.750 --> 00:19:20.149 Back to extreme algae, LSI, and chlorine dreams because that same pattern shows up everywhere. 00:19:20.389 --> 00:19:23.269 Here's the thread running through all of this. 00:19:23.509 --> 00:19:27.509 Experience matters, but only when it stays connected to evidence. 00:19:27.750 --> 00:19:34.869 The moment experience becomes a shield against new information, it stops being wisdom and starts being fossilized bullshit. 00:19:46.229 --> 00:19:51.429 The Jax Magic three-step program is a quick and effective way to remove stains and scaling. 00:19:51.589 --> 00:19:56.469 First, we identify the problem, then our top quality products will remove the discoloration. 00:19:56.629 --> 00:20:00.629 Finally, our preventative solutions will keep your pool looking like new for much longer. 00:20:00.789 --> 00:20:05.109 Get helpful tips and check out our product catalog today at Jaxmagic.com. 00:20:05.349 --> 00:20:16.709 Aquastar's new pipeline cartridge filters, available in two sizes, deliver top-notch hydraulic efficiency along with best-in-class filtration performance, approaching that of DE filters. 00:20:17.029 --> 00:20:22.309 Uniquely designed open plate spacing means 100% of the media square footage is usable. 00:20:22.389 --> 00:20:25.429 And these claims are backed by NSF test results. 00:20:25.669 --> 00:20:35.829 Designed with a pro's time and comfort in mind, the patented double locking system improves safety and ease of access, making filter cleanings faster than ever before. 00:20:36.069 --> 00:20:37.109 Available now. 00:20:37.269 --> 00:20:39.589 Ask your supplier for pipeline filters today. 00:20:39.829 --> 00:20:40.549 That is amazing. 00:20:40.629 --> 00:20:43.669 I can actually go out and make money doing filter cleanings if you were like this. 00:20:43.829 --> 00:20:47.589 If they were Aqua Star filters out there, then I could be a filter cleaner girl. 00:20:48.469 --> 00:20:49.029 We can do that. 00:20:49.189 --> 00:20:49.669 Make it happen. 00:20:49.829 --> 00:20:50.389 Let's make it happen. 00:20:51.990 --> 00:20:52.629 There you go. 00:20:52.789 --> 00:20:53.189 Awesome. 00:20:53.349 --> 00:20:54.949 Thank you, Jules the Pool girl. 00:20:55.189 --> 00:20:58.949 Again, Aquastar Pool products pipeline filters. 00:20:59.269 --> 00:21:00.309 Super easy, right? 00:21:00.549 --> 00:21:01.750 Super easy. 00:21:14.229 --> 00:21:21.589 Whether you have 20 accounts or 20,000, Blu-ray XL's

direct pricing and free shipping to the pool trade have you covered. 00:21:21.750 --> 00:21:25.990 Improving pool professionals' profit and work-life balance is what they do. 00:21:26.229 --> 00:21:29.429 Blu-ray XL, the real mineral purifier. 00:21:29.589 --> 00:21:32.389 Visit them at Blu-rayXL.com. 00:21:35.589 --> 00:21:37.429 Blu-ray all day. 00:21:39.109 --> 00:21:48.389 Researchers can now detect, measure, and observe things that were difficult or sometimes impossible to see when many of us first entered this industry. 00:21:48.629 --> 00:21:52.469 That means some of what we were originally taught was incomplete. 00:21:52.789 --> 00:21:54.389 That should excite you. 00:21:54.629 --> 00:21:57.269 New information doesn't erase your experience. 00:21:57.509 --> 00:22:00.949 It helps you understand your experience more accurately. 00:22:01.189 --> 00:22:04.709 It gives names to things you observed but couldn't explain. 00:22:04.869 --> 00:22:11.349 It lets you separate what actually caused a result from what happened to be standing nearby when the result occurred. 00:22:11.669 --> 00:22:17.669 That makes a difference because human beings are terrible at separating correlation from causation. 00:22:18.229 --> 00:22:21.509 We do something, something else happens. 00:22:21.750 --> 00:22:26.229 Then we decide that the first thing must have caused the second thing. 00:22:26.549 --> 00:22:29.109 We pour chemical A into a cloudy pool. 00:22:29.429 --> 00:22:31.349 The pool clears two days later. 00:22:31.509 --> 00:22:33.990 Therefore, chemical A cleared the pool. 00:22:34.229 --> 00:22:34.789 Maybe. 00:22:35.269 --> 00:22:39.429 Or maybe the filter ran continuously for 48 hours. 00:22:39.669 --> 00:22:42.869 Maybe the chlorine finally caught up with the demand. 00:22:43.189 --> 00:22:45.269 Maybe the particles settled. 00:22:45.509 --> 00:22:48.389 Maybe somebody cleaned the filter without telling you. 00:22:48.629 --> 00:22:50.629 Maybe the circulation improved. 00:22:50.869 --> 00:22:52.789 Maybe the water would have cleaned. 00:22:53.990 --> 00:22:54.869 Anyway. 00:22:55.269 --> 00:22:59.589 A result can be real while your explanation for the result is completely wrong. 00:22:59.909 --> 00:23:04.229 That is one of the most important things any professional can understand. 00:23:04.629 --> 00:23:10.309 Being right about what happened does not automatically mean you're right about why it happened. 00:23:10.469 --> 00:23:13.669 But social media doesn't reward that kind of careful thinking. 00:23:13.909 --> 00:23:16.469 Social media rewards certainty. 00:23:16.789 --> 00:23:24.549 The person who writes, there could be several contributing factors and we would need more information gets ignored. 00:23:24.789 --> 00:23:32.949 The person who writes, Drain it, bad TDS, gets 63 likes and an invitation to appear on a live stream. 00:23:33.189 --> 00:23:41.109 Apparently, punctuation, capital letters, and the confidence of someone shitting out flaming porcupines has replaced laboratory analysis. 00:23:41.349 --> 00:23:49.909 And if you add three red siren emojis, suddenly the bullshit looks urgent, which is how a bad guest gets dressed up as a public service. 00:23:50.229 --> 00:23:55.909 We have created an environment where the fastest answer often beats the correct answer. 00:23:56.149 --> 00:23:58.629 People don't read the question carefully. 00:23:58.869 --> 00:24:00.869 They don't ask for test results. 00:24:01.029 --> 00:24:10.869 They don't ask about pool volume, water temperature, surface type, circulation pattern, sanitizer, chemical history, weather source water, or anything else that might matter. 00:24:11.109 --> 00:24:15.269 They see one word they recognize and start typing Cloudy? 00:24:15.750 --> 00:24:16.709 Phosphates. 00:24:17.029 --> 00:24:17.509 Stain? 00:24:18.389 --> 00:24:19.029 Copper. 00:24:19.589 --> 00:24:20.309 Algae? 00:24:20.629 --> 00:24:21.750 Not enough chlorine. 00:24:21.990 --> 00:24:23.750 High chlorine demand? 00:24:24.149 --> 00:24:24.949 Ammonia. 00:24:25.509 --> 00:24:26.949 Paint peeling? 00:24:27.349 --> 00:24:28.869 Taylor Swift. 00:24:29.669 --> 00:24:30.949 Pump making noise? 00:24:31.189 --> 00:24:32.629 Fauci motor. 00:24:32.949 --> 00:24:39.909 How the fuck did you diagnose all that from one blurry photograph in a sentence written by somebody who spelled chlorine three different ways? 00:24:40.149 --> 00:24:41.829 That's not a diagnosis. 00:24:42.229 --> 00:24:43.429 That's theater. 00:24:43.750 --> 00:24:49.750 Sometimes guesses are correct, but a correct guess is not the same as a competent diagnosis. 00:24:49.990 --> 00:24:57.829 If I throw a wrench across the equipment pad and it accidentally tightens a union, that doesn't make me a mechanic, it makes me a lawsuit. 00:24:58.069 --> 00:25:00.309 Professionals collect information. 00:25:00.709 --> 00:25:03.669 Professionals consider competing explanations. 00:25:03.990 --> 00:25:09.669 Professionals understand that the obvious answer is not always the correct answer. 00:25:10.149 --> 00:25:19.029 For anyone newer to the term, the Langolir Saturation Index is a way to estimate whether water is likely to dissolve or deposit calcium carbonate. 00:25:19.109 --> 00:25:22.869 It is useful, but it answers a narrow question. 00:25:23.189 --> 00:25:25.990 Not every question that matters in a pool. 00:25:26.309 --> 00:25:35.669 People think the LSI is the answer to swimming pool water chemistry, that if the little number lands in the acceptable range, nothing else needs to be considered. 00:25:35.909 --> 00:25:37.269 That's bullshit. 00:25:37.509 --> 00:25:39.990 The LSI answers one narrow question. 00:25:40.229 --> 00:25:45.829 Whether the water is likely to precipitate or dissolve calcium carbonate under those conditions. 00:25:46.069 --> 00:25:46.949 That's it. 00:25:47.269 --> 00:25:50.309 It doesn't tell you whether the water is properly sanitized. 00:25:50.389 --> 00:26:04.789 It doesn't measure

oxidation, algae, biofilm, phosphate, cyanuric acid management, combined chlorine sulfate damage, corrosion involving metals other than calcium carbonate, or whether your treatment protocol makes any practical friggin' sense. 00:26:04.949 --> 00:26:14.229 You can have a beautifully balanced LSI and still have an unsafe, algae-filled equipment destroying swimming pool that looks like Satan rinsed his balls off in a blender full of swamp meat. 00:26:14.389 --> 00:26:16.149 The LSI is a tool. 00:26:16.309 --> 00:26:21.429 It is not the whole damn toolbox, the truck, the map, the priest, and the exorcism kit. 00:26:21.750 --> 00:26:28.069 Professionals are willing to say three words that terrify social media experts. 00:26:28.469 --> 00:26:29.429 I don't know. 00:26:29.669 --> 00:26:31.990 There's no shame in saying I don't know. 00:26:32.229 --> 00:26:35.269 The smartest people I know say it regularly. 00:26:35.589 --> 00:26:37.829 The fool has an answer for everything. 00:26:37.990 --> 00:26:39.829 The expert has questions. 00:26:40.389 --> 00:26:41.509 What changed? 00:26:41.750 --> 00:26:43.429 What are the test results? 00:26:43.669 --> 00:26:44.869 What's the surface? 00:26:45.109 --> 00:26:46.309 What's the history? 00:26:46.549 --> 00:26:47.349 What was added? 00:26:47.509 --> 00:26:48.309 When was it added? 00:26:48.469 --> 00:26:49.750 What happened after that? 00:26:49.990 --> 00:26:52.869 Those questions aren't signs of weakness. 00:26:53.189 --> 00:27:03.750 They're the tools that keep us from confidently projectile vomiting bullshit across the internet when what we really need is patience, evidence, and a little professional humility. 00:27:03.990 --> 00:27:09.029 Nobody checks anything and then people pass it along until it starts sounding like fact. 00:27:09.429 --> 00:27:12.789 No, it isn't gossip wearing safety glasses. 00:27:12.949 --> 00:27:16.869 We live in a time when fact checking yourself has never been easier. 00:27:17.109 --> 00:27:34.149 You have a device in your pocket that can access technical documents, patents, scientific journals, manufacturer instructions, government publications, safety data sheets, university research, and more recorded knowledge than any previous generation could have possibly imagined. 00:27:34.389 --> 00:27:36.309 And what do some people use it for? 00:27:36.549 --> 00:27:41.269 To type you're an idiot under an answer they didn't understand. 00:27:41.589 --> 00:27:42.549 Amazing. 00:27:43.189 --> 00:27:51.589 Entire recorded history of human knowledge is sitting in your hand and you're using it to argue that Chlorine has whispering prophecies from the sewer. 00:27:52.069 --> 00:27:55.269 You don't need to become a research scientist. 00:27:55.669 --> 00:28:02.229 You need enough intellectual discipline to stop before you post and ask yourself, do I actually know this? 00:28:02.469 --> 00:28:03.750 How do I know it? 00:28:03.990 --> 00:28:05.349 When did I learn it? 00:28:05.589 --> 00:28:07.269 Has the information changed? 00:28:07.589 --> 00:28:10.949 Can I find a reliable source supporting it? 00:28:11.269 --> 00:28:13.990 Can you back up everything you say? 00:28:14.229 --> 00:28:19.429 That five-minute pause could save you from looking like an asshole whose confidence outran as evidence. 00:28:19.589 --> 00:28:26.149 And if you want to be appreciated for your contributions, stop trying to be the first person to answer. 00:28:26.469 --> 00:28:28.549 Be the person whose answer can be trusted. 00:28:28.709 --> 00:28:35.909 That reputation takes longer to build, but it comes from accuracy, not volume, titles, or performative expertise. 00:28:36.149 --> 00:28:37.269 And nobody's perfect. 00:28:37.429 --> 00:28:40.069 Nobody can literally never be wrong. 00:28:40.309 --> 00:28:49.750 But there is a tremendous difference between making an honest mistake after doing work and being recklessly wrong because you couldn't be bothered to look something up. 00:28:49.990 --> 00:28:53.109 When you discover you were wrong, correct it. 00:28:53.589 --> 00:28:55.750 Say, I was wrong. 00:28:55.990 --> 00:28:57.829 Here's the correct information. 00:28:58.309 --> 00:29:07.029 That single sentence will earn you more respect from intelligent people than a hundred defensive comments ever could, because being corrected is not humiliation. 00:29:07.269 --> 00:29:13.109 Remaining wrong after you've been shown better evidence is changing your mind is not weakness. 00:29:13.349 --> 00:29:19.349 Changing your mind when the evidence changes is exactly what rational adults are supposed to do. 00:29:19.589 --> 00:29:24.149 We need to stop acting as though consistency is more valuable than accuracy. 00:29:24.389 --> 00:29:36.149 If I believed something ten years ago and better evidence has since demonstrated that I was wrong, I should not continue repeating it merely to prove I'm consistent. 00:29:36.469 --> 00:29:38.229 That's not integrity. 00:29:38.389 --> 00:29:40.629 That's stubbornness within the corpse. 00:29:40.949 --> 00:29:45.990 You should be able to say, and this is what I understand now. 00:29:46.229 --> 00:29:47.429 That's growth. 00:29:47.669 --> 00:29:49.429 That's professionalism. 00:29:49.750 --> 00:29:52.789 That's how knowledge advances. 00:29:53.189 --> 00:29:55.750 Sometimes relearning is harder than learning. 00:29:56.069 --> 00:30:00.549 New information has to compete with the old story already living in your head. 00:30:00.869 --> 00:30:03.429 You may have taught that old story. 00:30:03.750 --> 00:30:05.750 Finding out it was wrong can hurt. 00:30:05.990 --> 00:30:06.949 I get it. 00:30:07.189 --> 00:30:08.869 I've had to rethink things. 00:30:09.029 --> 00:30:12.709 I've had to revisit explanations I accepted earlier in my career. 00:30:12.949 --> 00:30:17.349 I've had to look at new evidence and say, well shit, that changes things. 00:30:17.589 --> 00:30:18.789 That isn't failure. 00:30:19.029 --> 00:30:24.869 Failure would be seeing the

evidence and refusing to change because my ego is more important than the truth. 00:30:25.109 --> 00:30:31.750 Your experience should be a foundation, not a prison where old assumptions sit in solitary confinement, licking the walls. 00:30:31.909 --> 00:30:42.709 Use what you've seen in the field, the thousands of pools you've maintained, the equipment failures, unusual water conditions, chemical reactions, damaged surfaces, frustrated customers, and expensive mistakes. 00:30:42.949 --> 00:30:46.549 But combine that experience with current information. 00:30:46.949 --> 00:30:50.869 Field experience and research should work hand in hand. 00:30:51.189 --> 00:30:52.469 We need both. 00:30:52.789 --> 00:30:57.829 The industry does not need more people who can memorize a chart and repeat it word for word. 00:30:57.909 --> 00:31:00.389 It needs people who can fucking think. 00:31:00.869 --> 00:31:02.629 And here's the beautiful part. 00:31:02.869 --> 00:31:08.629 If you want to become a superstar in the Facebook groups or on Instagram, the bar is not especially high. 00:31:08.949 --> 00:31:13.509 People ask the same fucking questions over and over again. 00:31:13.990 --> 00:31:15.669 My pH keeps rising. 00:31:15.990 --> 00:31:16.469 Why? 00:31:16.709 --> 00:31:19.269 My salt cell has white stuff on it. 00:31:19.509 --> 00:31:22.229 Why did the pool turn cloudy after I added this? 00:31:22.469 --> 00:31:24.229 What causes black algae? 00:31:24.469 --> 00:31:26.709 Can high chlorine damage the surface? 00:31:26.869 --> 00:31:28.949 Why is my filter pressure climbing? 00:31:29.109 --> 00:31:30.229 What is this stain? 00:31:30.389 --> 00:31:32.229 How do I lower cyanuric acid? 00:31:32.389 --> 00:31:34.309 What made the water green? 00:31:34.629 --> 00:31:44.709 So with a halfway decent memory, open mind, and willingness to verify information before typing, you can become unusually useful in those spaces. 00:31:45.029 --> 00:31:47.509 What a freaking accomplishment. 00:31:47.750 --> 00:31:52.389 In a comment section full of noise, you became useful. 00:31:53.589 --> 00:31:55.349 You can make a real contribution. 00:31:55.589 --> 00:32:00.309 The technician asking that repeated question may be seeing it for the first time. 00:32:00.629 --> 00:32:06.789 They may be standing in the backyard, exhausted, embarrassed, and worried that they're about to lose a customer. 00:32:06.949 --> 00:32:08.949 They don't need you to ridicule them. 00:32:09.349 --> 00:32:19.589 They need you to know what to test, what to rule out, what information matters, and how to think through the problem without turning every answer into a magic spell from the comments section swamp. 00:32:20.229 --> 00:32:22.629 That's how you help people. 00:32:23.109 --> 00:32:28.149 Not by dropping an answer from the sky like you're the pool industry's filthy mouthed oracle. 00:32:28.389 --> 00:32:30.389 Mouth is not the credential. 00:32:30.629 --> 00:32:31.990 The reasoning is. 00:32:32.229 --> 00:32:33.990 Teach them how to investigate. 00:32:34.149 --> 00:32:39.990 If somebody becomes permanently dependent on calling you for answers, you haven't necessarily mentored them. 00:32:40.229 --> 00:32:43.750 You may have simply trained them to outsource their thinking. 00:32:44.069 --> 00:32:46.389 A professional helps build capable people. 00:32:46.549 --> 00:32:50.789 None of this requires you to become polite, delicate, corporate, or sanitized. 00:32:50.869 --> 00:32:52.869 You can still use the word fuck. 00:32:53.349 --> 00:32:57.109 Just make sure you've earned the confidence behind it. 00:32:57.349 --> 00:33:00.469 Be as loud as you want after you've done your homework. 00:33:00.709 --> 00:33:03.909 Because profanity backed by accurate information is a style. 00:33:03.990 --> 00:33:04.949 It's an emphasis. 00:33:05.109 --> 00:33:05.829 It's a voice. 00:33:06.069 --> 00:33:11.109 Profanity used to disguise ignorance, well now that's just noise. 00:33:11.349 --> 00:33:14.069 Like a dumpster fire trying to give a TED talk. 00:33:14.229 --> 00:33:17.589 I'm not judging professionalism by vocabulary. 00:33:17.829 --> 00:33:19.509 I'm judging it by conduct. 00:33:19.829 --> 00:33:21.909 Do you verify what you say? 00:33:22.469 --> 00:33:24.949 Do you understand the limits of your knowledge? 00:33:25.189 --> 00:33:27.109 Do you update your thinking? 00:33:27.349 --> 00:33:29.029 Do you correct your mistakes? 00:33:29.269 --> 00:33:30.869 Do you explain your reasoning? 00:33:31.109 --> 00:33:33.829 Do you help other people become better at their work? 00:33:33.990 --> 00:33:35.349 That's the difference. 00:33:35.589 --> 00:33:37.750 A professional doesn't have to know everything. 00:33:37.990 --> 00:33:41.509 A professional has to respect the truth enough to not pretend. 00:33:41.829 --> 00:33:49.029 So the next time you see a question online and feel that irresistible urge to answer immediately, take a breath. 00:33:49.269 --> 00:33:50.949 Check what you think you know. 00:33:51.189 --> 00:33:52.229 Then answer. 00:33:52.389 --> 00:33:55.429 And if you don't know, say you don't know. 00:33:56.149 --> 00:33:58.629 You don't lose credibility by waiting. 00:33:58.869 --> 00:34:15.750 You lose credibility when the answer you fired off in 12 seconds is still sitting there six months later being repeated by 20 other people who assume you knew what the fuck you were talking about when really you didn't just We can raise the level of conversation in this industry without removing its personality. 00:34:16.070 --> 00:34:21.909 We don't have to become a bunch of sanitized corporate robots speaking exclusively in approved marketing phrases. 00:34:22.150 --> 00:34:33.829 We can still laugh at the insanity of maintaining pools and brutal heat for a customer who swears nobody used the pool whilst vape pen and a pair of underwear are floating in the deep end like evidence from a crime scene. 00:34:34.150 --> 00:34:40.789 But if we want to call ourselves professionals, then we need to act like professionals when accuracy matters. 00:34:41.110 --> 00:34:51.909 Not because we politically correct them, not because we're afraid of looking stupid, but because other people make decisions based on what we say. 00:34:52.230 --> 00:34:55.269 They spend money, they give advice to customers. 00:34:55.590 --> 00:34:58.150 Bad information has consequences. 00:34:58.389 --> 00:35:05.349 Sometimes a cloudy pool, sometimes thousands of dollars in damage, and sometimes real safety risks. 00:35:05.590 --> 00:35:11.349 So yeah, say fuck when the work, the heat, and the customers and the nonsense call for it. 00:35:11.510 --> 00:35:12.470 I don't care. 00:35:12.710 --> 00:35:15.430 That isn't what determines whether you're a professional. 00:35:15.670 --> 00:35:23.670 But before you start launching facts across social media with the force of a demon clearing his throat, make sure the facts deserve the force. 00:35:23.990 --> 00:35:29.510 Don't just say shit because it sounds strong and it's okay to not have anything to say. 00:35:30.309 --> 00:35:34.550 Learn shit, verify shit, and relearn shit when better evidence shows up. 00:35:34.789 --> 00:35:49.269 Because the loudest person in the Facebook group may get the most attention, but the person who does the work, checks the facts, admits what they don't know, and consistently provides information, that's the person people eventually learn to trust. 00:35:49.510 --> 00:35:53.510 And trust is worth a hell of a lot more than likes. 00:35:54.230 --> 00:35:55.750 That's all I got for this week. 00:35:55.910 --> 00:35:57.349 I'm Rudy Stankowitz. 00:35:57.430 --> 00:35:59.269 This is the Talking Pools podcast. 00:35:59.510 --> 00:36:01.910 Until next time, be good. 00:36:03.190 --> 00:36:03.910 Be safe.