Talking Pools Podcast
If you’ve ever stared at a test kit like it personally insulted your family… welcome home.
Talking Pools Podcast is the pool industry’s “pull up a chair” show—part shop talk, part field manual, part therapy session—built for people who actually live on pool decks: commercial operators, service techs, builders, facility managers, and anyone responsible for water that can’t afford to go sideways. The network was created to level up the pool industry with real-world conversations on water chemistry, filtration, troubleshooting, construction, safety, and the business side of keeping pools open and budgets intact.
Here’s the hook: it’s not theory-first. It’s experience-first—a roster of seasoned pros (with 250+ years of combined “been there, fixed that” wisdom) turning complicated problems into practical moves you can use the same day. And it’s not one voice, one vibe, one corner of the industry: it’s a network of shows designed to reflect how diverse this work really is—different regions, different specialties, different personalities.
Also worth saying out loud: women aren’t “special guests” here—they’re on the mic as hosts, from the beginning, with an intentionally balanced roster. That matters, because the best ideas in this industry don’t come from one lane—they come from the whole road.
If you want a podcast that can make you laugh and make you better at what you do—without pretending the job is easier than it is—Talking Pools is the one you queue up before the first stop, and keep on when the day starts getting weird.
Talking Pools Podcast
The Metal Menace: Andrea & Paulette
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Got mystery stains, teal-tinted water, or customers blaming your chlorine for their new “seafoam highlights”? Andrea and Paulette dive into high metal levels in pools—where they come from (source water, corrosion, “helpful” copper products), how to confirm what you’re dealing with (iron vs. copper vs. manganese), and the smartest ways to treat the water and the stain without turning the pool into a chemistry crime scene. Real talk, step-by-step protocols, and the dos/don’ts that save callbacks.
Chapter Markers
- 00:00 – Cold Open: “No, chlorine didn’t dye your hair green.”
- 02:10 – Metal 101: Iron, copper, manganese—how they look, act, and stain
- 07:45 – Where They Come From: Source water, heaters, low-pH corrosion, old copper algaecides
- 12:30 – Testing That Doesn’t Lie: Spot tests, stain ID, metal test kits, source-water pulls
- 16:20 – Immediate Triage: When water is tinted vs. when you have bonded stains
- 20:15 – Stain-Lift Playbook: Ascorbic/citric protocols that actually work
- 25:50 – Sequestrants & Chelants: HEDP/ATMP, maintenance dosing, timing with chlorine
- 30:10 – Actual Removal: Partial drain/replace, prefilters, metal capture media, poly-fill hacks
- 34:30 – Prevention Clinic: LSI balance, anodes, heater protection, product choices
- 39:00 – Rapid-Fire Q&A & Takeaways
Key Symptoms & What They Usually Mean
- Brown/tea stains or yellowing: Often iron; may cloud when pH rises or after superchlorination
- Turquoise/black smudges; blonde hair turning green: Usually copper; often tied to low pH/heater corrosion or copper algaecides
- Black/grey/purple blotches: Possible manganese; shows up in well water regions
Testing & Identification (Fast & Reliable)
- Pull a source-water sample (hose bib before softener) to see what you’re adding every fill/top-off.
- Use metal test kits (iron/copper/manganese) and stain ID tests (vitamin C for iron, etc.).
- Verify pH & LSI first—metals love to fall out when pH/alk/CH swing.
- If a heater is present and copper is high, inspect for low pH corrosion and flow/erosion issues.
Thank you so much for listening! You can find us on social media:
Email us: talkingpools@gmail.com
