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Rudy does something different this week: he takes the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) out of the pool industry echo chamber and walks it through the lens of academics, civil engineers, groundwater chemists, and industrial water experts who don’t care about plaster warranties, brand marketing, or trade show politics.

If you’ve ever argued about “which LSI is right” in a Facebook group, this one is for you.

Episode Overview

Rudy kicks off with a news analogy:
How the same event looks completely different on U.S. news versus international coverage. Same facts, different framing.

He uses that setup to shift how we look at LSI:

• We already know the pool industry story about LSI: PHTA charts, app calculators, Orenda talks, trade folklore.
• But this episode asks:
  “What does the scientific community think about LSI when they’re not talking to pool people at all?”

Rudy dives into how universities and researchers actually use and define LSI in research on:

• Groundwater
• Drinking water stability
• Industrial cooling systems
• Desalination plants
• Boiler operations
• Cement leaching
• Environmental engineering

Key Concepts Covered

1. LSI as the Outside World Sees It

• Academics consistently define LSI = pH − pHs, where pHs is the calculated saturation pH, not something you measure with a test kit.
• pHs is derived from:
  • Calcium hardness
  • Carbonate alkalinity
  • Ionic strength (modeled via TDS / activity coefficients)
  • Temperature
• LSI is treated as a thermodynamic index:
  • It shows which direction water wants to move with respect to calcium carbonate.
  • It does not tell you how fast scale forms, how thick it gets, or how quickly surfaces dissolve.

2. What Negative, Zero, and Positive LSI Actually Mean (Academically)

• Negative LSI
  • Water is under-saturated in calcium carbonate.
  • It is capable of dissolving calcium carbonate if given the chance.
  • Researchers call it “aggressive” or “decalcifying” water—but they do not say it guarantees corrosion.
• LSI ≈ 0
  • Theoretical equilibrium with calcium carbonate.
  • In the real world, systems almost never sit at perfect equilibrium because of flow, aeration, dosing, and turbulence.
• Positive LSI
  • Water is supersaturat

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This week, Steve flies solo again — but with good news: Wayne is on the mend and expected back very soon. Until then, Steve brings a full toolbox of stories, lessons, and a deep dive into one of the most-requested topics from pool pros: leak detection as a service.

🔥 Segment 1 — Cautionary Tales From the Field

Steve opens with some brutally honest stories from the last month on his route:

• Losing a couple clients — why it happened, what could’ve prevented it, and why sometimes letting a low-margin client go is actually a win.
• The dangers of overpromising on scheduling (the 8–12 weeks of missed Mondays story).
• Why setting expectations — and saying no when you must — is better than apologizing for 12 weeks straight.
• How daylight savings, shorter days, and rushed afternoons can wreck your rhythm if you don’t adjust.

Includes a quick detour into Tales From the Crypt, because of course it does.

🔥 Segment 2 — The Test Kit Incident (AKA: The Accidental Heist)

Steve recounts a hysterical-but-humbling event:

• One of his techs “borrowed” a client’s commercial test kit to refill reagents…
• … forgot it in the truck for DAYS…
• … which triggered a full internal investigation at a massive resort with security footage, engineer meetings, and finger-pointing.

The takeaway:
Communication prevents chaos.
Even innocent mistakes look guilty on camera. Steve made it right, replaced the kit, and lived to fight another day.

🔥 Segment 3 — The Insurance Interlude (with Pat from California Pool Association)

Pat joins Steve to tackle a question EVERY pool pro needs to know:

“If my client is renting out their pool on Airbnb or Swimpley… does that affect MY liability?”

Key takeaways:

• Yes, they should absolutely tell you. It changes the risk profile dramatically.
• Some general liability policies do differentiate between residential/commercial use.
• Airbnb pools are statistically higher risk — more strangers, more alcohol, more incidents.
• If someone is hosting swim lessons, renting the house, or renting just the pool, call your insurance agent.
• Injuries, even small ones (like a teenager scraping their leg) can trigger six-figure claims.
• Acid washes, resurfacing issues, and sharp plaster? Document. Sign waivers. Photograph everything.

Talking Pools listeners get $100 off CPA general liability insurance — mention the podcast when you contact them.

🔥 Segment 4 — Tools, Training & Showing Up Prepared

Steve explains why you should never:

• Show up without channel

Support the show

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

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Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com

Pool Pros text questions here

On this Talking Pools episode, host Natalie Hood, Director of Education and Network Development for The Grit Game, sits down with Jodi O’Grady, Director of Commercial Sales for API Water and long-time industry chemist, to unpack one of the most misunderstood topics in pool care: specialty chemicals.

Chlorine gets all the attention, but oxidizers, enzymes, and flocculants quietly decide whether your water is comfortable, clear, and compliant—or a cloudy, smelly headache full of disinfection byproducts and complaints. Jodi draws on decades with Taylor Water Technologies and her work on PHTA’s Technical Advisory Council to bust myths, explain the science in plain language, and show how specialty products can support (not replace) chlorine to keep pools safer and easier to manage.

If you’ve ever wondered whether non-chlorine shock actually does anything, if enzymes are all “basically the same,” or what Flock It Friday is really about, this episode connects the dots.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

Chlorine’s job vs. specialty chemicals’ job

• Why chlorine (or bromine/PHMB) is irreplaceable as a sanitizer and must be EPA-registered to be counted as such.
• The difference between sanitizing (killing pathogens like Pseudomonas and brain-eating amoeba in properly chlorinated water) and oxidizing (burning off non-living contaminants).
• Why “chlorine can be replaced by specialty chemicals” is a myth—and how crypto is a different beast entirely.

Non-chlorine oxidizers: the quiet workhorse

Real-world impact of high chlorine levels

Enzymes: not “all the same”

Myth-busting with real stories

Flock It Friday and how flocculants actually work

Clarity as a safety standard, not a luxury

The payoff for pros and operators

Guest Info – Jodi O’Grady, API Water

• Director of Commercial Sales, API Water
• Nearly 30 years in the pool industry, starting with Taylor Water Technologies (a Fluidra brand)
• Chemistry degree and long-time volunteer with PHTA, currently Vice Chair of the Technical Advisory Council, with prior work on the Recreational Water and Air Quality Committee.

Jodi is available for follow-up questions and industry conversations via LinkedIn and direct contact (details provided in the episode outro).

Host Info – Natalie Hood

Director of Education and Network Development, The Grit Game, and regular host on the Talking Pools Podcast, focused on education, professional development, and giving pool pros real-world tools they can use on deck tomorrow.

Support the show

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

• Facebook
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• Tik Tok

Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com