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This article will outline six bad habits that you can change immediately–for free–that will give you an immediate return on investment (ROI).

We recently had to adapt the Orenda Startup for a unique tap water situation.

Most tap water we test is low on the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI). On the Orenda app, it shows up with a red LSI number at the bottom. And by "most tap water", we mean almost all tap water in the country. That is, until the water we tested recently in the Bay Area of Northern California. It had a purple LSI.

Pool industry textbooks and certification courses tell us that swimming pools should be maintained ideally between 7.4 to 7.6 pH. But why? Is it for sanitizer efficiency or overall water balance? Or perhaps it is because of swimmer comfort. Everyone we have asked in the pool industry makes mention of the pH of human tears...but a simple online search debunks that myth. So let's challenge conventional wisdom and get to the truth.

A "hot start" is a method for starting up a new or resurfaced pool using a lot of acid. It is extremely aggressive–by design–so it etches calcium off the surface, hopefully evenly. The objective of a hot start is to "burn up" plaster dust and any imperfections left behind by the plaster application process, so that the customer is left with a beautiful looking pool. A hot start may also be called a "zero alkalinity startup" or an "acid startup". This article will discuss what hot starts are, why they are used, how they are done, and the chemistry behind the process.

Commercial Pool Chemicals must be NSF Certified or EPA Registered

"New: Specifies that numerous pool chemicals (stabilizers, pool-grade salt, clarifiers, flocculants,...

My grandfather has a few rules that go unquestioned and are universally obeyed. One of them is "leave it better than you found it." It could mean the bedroom I'm staying in at their home...or the kitchen after I eat lunch. It also applies to borrowing tools, the car, the tractor, or anything else that does not belong to me. Leave (or return) it better than you found it. A profoundly simple rule to remind us to respect others and their property.

We live in a world of instant gratification

Delayed gratification doesn't sell. In an effort to get ahead, tech companies (social media platforms, in particular) are in a race to feed our instant gratification appetites. Want that item? Get online and order it, it will arrive in just a few days. Wait, no, order it directly from the app.  Wait, even better, tell Siri, Alexa or "Ok Google" to order it for you! Ahh, yes, progress.

I got a text from a customer in the Northeast that just finished plastering a pool the week before. The text had a picture in it of a green pool, and it read:

The following is a true story, exactly the way I remember it. Not that I could ever forget my time in that tiny warmup pool...

Pools get cloudy for a number of reasons. This article will discuss several of them, but keep in mind you could have a combination of these factors going on. If you need further guidance, contact us, or request an online training with us.

I have never plastered a pool in my life. In fact, until this week, I had never even seen pool plaster being applied. To be honest, I did not even know the difference between plaster, cement, gunite, concrete, shotcrete, or any other type of -crete. Because of this utter lack of knowledge and experience, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at this year's National Plasterers Council (NPC) annual conference in New Orleans.