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This week on Talking Pools, Rudy sits down with Carrie Dibrell, publisher of Service Industry News, for an in-depth conversation about the state of the swimming pool service industry, why education matters more than ever, and the responsibility pool professionals carry every single day.
The discussion begins with an update on the ongoing issues surrounding the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, including statements from both Rhino Linings and Atlantic Industrial Coatings regarding the localized coating failures. Rudy explains the technical questions that remain unanswered, particularly surrounding manufacturer recoat windows and surface preparation, before shifting the conversation back to the professionals who keep pools operating safely every day.
Carrie shares the remarkable story behind Service Industry News' annual Homeowner Water Safety & Drowning Prevention Edition, a publication specifically designed for service technicians to pass along to their customers. What began as a challenge issued by the National Drowning Prevention Alliance has grown into one of the industry's most effective public education tools. Together, Rudy and Carrie discuss how pool professionals can become the bridge between technical service and homeowner safety while also creating additional value for their businesses.
The conversation explores some of today's biggest challenges facing service companies, including homeowners purchasing equipment online and expecting professionals to install it, declining profit margins, technician retention, employee training, and the increasing need for affordable education for new technicians. Carrie explains why Service Industry News has remained focused on the service technician for nearly four decades and why education continues to be the number one reason readers engage with trade publications.
Rudy and Carrie also dive into:
- The changing role of trade publications in a digital world
- Why technician education is the industry's greatest investment
- Electrical safety and the need for more service-specific training
- Pool chemical incidents and preventing feeder accidents
- Why every service professional should understand their legal responsibilities
- The growing concerns surrounding Airbnb and short-term rental pools
- Swimply pools and commercial pool regulation
- Industry myths that refuse to die—including acid columns, cyanuric acid, phosphates, and black algae
- Why chloramines remain one of the most misunderstood subjects in swimming pool chemistry
- The importance of testing beyond just free chlorine and pH
- Why continual education is essential as science evolves
As always, Rudy mixes technical discussion with humor, industry commentary, and a healthy dose of Gen X sarcasm while reminding listeners that behind every clean, safe swimming pool is a dedicated service professional whose work often goes unnoticed.
In This Episode
- Reflecting Pool coating update
- Rhino Linings and Atlantic Industrial Coatings statements
- Service Industry News' drowning prevention initiative
- Educating homeowners about pool safety
- Technician training and workforce development
- The challenge of online equipment sales
- Electrical safety for pool professionals
- Chemical feeder failures and liability
- Airbnb and Swimply pool safety
- Pool industry myths vs. modern science
- Chloramines and indoor pool air quality
- Why education remains the industry's greatest asset
Resources Mentioned
- Service Industry News – Free subscription for pool service professionals
- Homeowner Drowning Prevention Special Edition
- Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool rehabilitation discussion
- Pool service education and technician safety initiatives
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