Specialty Chemicals: Making Chlorine Work Smarter, Not Harder with Jodi O’Grady

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.

Transcript

Speaker 2 (00:00)
Welcome back to the Talking Pools podcast, your go-to source for everything wet, wild, and wonderfully misunderstood in the pool world. I'm Natalie Hood, Director of Education and Network Development for The Grit Game. And today we're tackling a topic that's often misunderstood, but absolutely essential, the power of specialty chemicals. Specialty chemicals may not get the spotlight like chlorine, but

When used correctly, they can be a game changer for water clarity, swimmer comfort, and overall pool health. Today, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Jodi O'Grady, Director of Commercial Sales for API Water. Jodi, how are you doing today?

Speaker 1 (00:39)
doing very well, Natalie. Thank you for bringing me on to this and giving me an opportunity to talk about what my current life entails. So thank you.

Speaker 2 (00:48)
You know, you and I have been friends for, well over a decade. Yeah, I know about your background, but for our listeners who are just tuning in, tell us about yourself.

Speaker 1 (00:53)
Yeah, yeah.

Well, I've only been with API less than a couple of years. I just concluded an almost 30 year relationship with another manufacturer in this industry, Taylor Water Technologies. That's a Fluidra brand. That's where I started my career. My degree is in chemistry. Even though I just kind of gave away my age, I just say that I graduated in the last century.

And Taylor was really my first job and looked for another opportunity. And here I am at API Water, still able to use and enjoy using my chemistry degree. And I still mix that in with, I do some volunteer work for PHA. I'm currently the vice chair of their technical advisory council. We're kind of like the dispatch for the technical subjects and where they need to go.

whether they need to be addressed by a committee I used to chair, which is the recreational water and air quality committee. If it needs to go to a standards consensus committee or the standards process committee, or if it's something that could be addressed by something like the CPO advisory council. So that's been, I think a great remodel of the technical side of the house by the PHA and I've really enjoyed.

Really enjoyed doing that and mixing that in with my current job at API.

Speaker 2 (02:19)
love that. I absolutely love that. Well, and thank you for coming on with us today. You know, so our topic is the power of specialty chemicals. And you know, so often you hear myths about specialty chemicals. So let's start with a first myth right out the door if that's okay with you. Sure. And it's

chlorine can be be replaced entirely by specialty chemicals and all.

Speaker 1 (04:01)
I do run into that. I think if you really know about chlorine, you'll understand that it's really a myth. And the reason why is that we need chlorine in the water or one of the other sanitizers like bromine or bi-guyanide.

Sanitizers in our industry are regulated by the EPA. So really if you want to count on something as a sanitizer, it needs to have that EPA registration number on it. But let's really talk about what chlorine is good at and that's sanitizing. So sanitizing is really about killing the pathogens, When we talk about pathogens, that's a very broad category of germs, bacteria,

and really bad stuff, one that you might have heard about in a report from a couple of years ago, it was a brain

amoeba that actually caused death in the surf park.

Speaker 2 (04:56)
Dewey, Case and I talked about

Speaker 1 (04:58)
that brain eating amoeba, nigleria fowra, which of course got a lot of press, can actually be killed by just a few parts per million of chlorine. And unfortunately, what they found in that surf park, there was no chlorine in that water whatsoever. And that's what really caused that death. was just no chlorine. And when we look at, really, there's no...

There's no data that supports when there's at least one part per million of chlorine in the water. There's been no reports of bacteria like this that are causing deaths. Now there is an exception to that, is crypto, but that's a whole nother podcast, right? But we need to talk about the most common ones. Stuff like Pseudomonas aeruginosa that causes

ear infections or the hot tub rash, You only need like one part per million of chlorine to kill that, So that's what chlorine is meant to do and the other sanitizers to kill those. So things like those are not going to keep replicating and getting swimmers sick, Now we also know that chlorine does something else and that's oxidize.

You can kind of, some people say that's mixed in with the sanitizing process. And that's basically said because it's really just a chemical reaction, but there's all kinds of oxidizers out there. Chlorine is just one of them, but one of those specialty chemicals is a specialty oxidizer. And we really need to look at what oxidation is. You look like you have a question.

So.

Speaker 2 (06:41)
I know I do it. Some of our listeners might as well. So with that, what role does do oxyders actually play in pool care?

Speaker 1 (06:48)
So oxidizers are going to go after those non-living contaminants, things that actually form combined chlorines, That's where we get that chlorine smell and that eye irritation. we actually have to look at chlorine is trying to oxidize them. That's why it's combined with chlorine and it's trying to get to the end of that reaction and completely break it apart,

Unfortunately chlorine in some cases when it goes after things that have more carbon in them petroleum based products like shampoo, sun tan lotion, a lot of that stuff.

Speaker 2 (07:27)
Baby

oil that just put on in the summer.

Speaker 1 (07:30)
Natalie, said it. Oil. do that. No, right. Right. You burn. But if we think about oil, oil is petroleum based. Chlorine wants to try oxidizing this really, really long chain oil sunscreen, and it doesn't do a really good job of it. And that's why combined chlorines are formed. Now, a specialty oxidizer that's

Speaker 2 (07:34)
Trust me.

Speaker 1 (07:56)
we'll call it persulfate base. We'll just get down to like the main component of an oxidizer used in our industry. Persulfate has a chemical formula of S2O8. So that means there are eight oxygens in that molecule. How many oxygens are in chlorine? One, there's only one. So if you look at a specialty oxidizer that could be

per sulfate based, There's lots of non-chlorine shock products out there.

Speaker 2 (08:29)
I have seen so many. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (08:32)
So they have these really high oxygen based components that are going after those oil shampoos or whatever and can get to a reaction completion quicker than chlorine can.

Speaker 2 (08:48)
Let me throw you a bit of a curveball for all those girls out there from California, so I'm going to ask it. What about dry shampoos?

Speaker 1 (08:50)
Okay.

It's still, has chemical compounds in it that can be oxidized, So oxidizers are going to go after them as well. And when you have more oxygen in those oxidizers, you're going to get to completion first. And that's why the specialty oxidizers can prevent the formation of combined chlorines. And what I would ultimately say, reduce them. I wouldn't say they would.

that they are breaking them apart. That's not what it's doing. Because breakpoint chlorination is its own reaction. It's about breaking apart those precursors, those things that chlorine would normally go after. But the oxidizer is going to snatch them and destroy them first before chlorine can get to it. And that's where it comes into when you talk about

chlorine levels that are needed, Because we talked about the amount of chlorine that's needed for sanitizing and then people keep putting in more chlorine because they want to break apart combined chlorines. But sometimes it doesn't always work.

Speaker 2 (10:04)
And you want to make sure that those swimmers are having a good experience. They're walking away with those memories with their children. What happens if the chlorine level gets too high, let's say over four PPM.

Speaker 1 (10:20)
Well, you're going to get me into my EPA pad a little bit, Yes. So the first thing that we want to look at is the label on that sanitizer. It really says, swimmer should not be in the water above four parts per million.

Speaker 2 (10:35)
I cannot tell you how many times I've been in the water, much younger, but I've been in the water and I'm swimming and all of a sudden I just see a service tech or someone, I don't know if they're, you if they were actually certified, but here I am swimming and they're just over there walking along the pool deck, just pouring, you know, chemicals in and I'm like, huh, when's that gonna get, when are my eyes gonna start to burn?

Speaker 1 (10:57)
We.

Yeah, right, right. that's and those are those combined chlorines. And when we look at all the different types of combined chlorines are out there. I took a look at this is where the nerdy hat goes on. I love it. White's, White's Handbook of Chlorination actually has a couple of chapters that specifically talk about combined chlorines. So there is a specific

not principle, but almost a discipline or a subcategory of chlorine chemistry that is these combined chlorines. And one of the other names that they're given are called disinfection byproducts, Because it's the chlorine that have combined with all of those things that we've just talked about. And unfortunately, some of those disinfection byproducts can be pretty hazardous.

trihalomethanes, in some cases and in some concentrations, they are considered carcinogenic. while we are trying to, as we talked about, kill all those pathogens, and we know that chlorine can oxidize, but given how long some of these oxidation reaction times take, higher amounts of chlorine are not gonna get you there. They're just gonna create more disinfection byproducts. So then,

why not add a partner to chlorine, And use a specialty oxidizer, Some kind of non-chlorine shock or a concentrated blend that states on their label that it oxidizes. That way you're not increasing the chlorine level, right? You're not creating more of those disinfection byproducts, And you can make your water look clearer

Speaker 2 (12:33)
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (12:41)
I do say safer because, you in some cases there can just be so much stuff in the water. It becomes a hazard for swimmers to be seen by a lifeguard. Maybe we'll talk a little bit more about that later.

Speaker 2 (12:54)
what I'm taking is the takeaway is chlorine is irreplaceable as a sanitizer, right? But oxides are the perfect partners. They keep combining chlorine under control, improve clarity, and really help us avoid the downsides of high chlorine.

Speaker 1 (13:11)
Mm-hmm, for sure, for sure. Yeah, yeah. Well, Natalie, what other myths do you have for me to bust when it comes to specialty chemicals?

Speaker 2 (13:20)
I love this. You're like, you're waiting for it. Another factor with specialty chemicals is enzymes and the common myth, and I think you can agree is all enzymes are the same.

Speaker 1 (13:23)
That's no.

would in our life be easier if just, you know, enzyme became a commodity. No, I, no, I, no, I think, I, that is definitely, definitely not the case. And I would say that the biggest thing, and I even said this in my previous career when it came to testing, read the label, read the instructions.

Speaker 2 (13:56)
to admit, I have to admit, so we have two cats and this is like totally not pool related. But we have two cats. And my husband's not a cat guy, right? So we got our first cat. And he's a big Alabama fan, roll tide, I'm gonna just say it now, roll tide married into it.

Speaker 1 (14:12)
Sports widow,

sports widow. Yes.

Speaker 2 (14:15)
Right. But our first cat, I named him Sabin Bear Hood. So that was the previous Alabama coach for years and years. And he was just dominated. Anyway, but so we recently, he, he recently, because he got tired of cleaning up the litter boxes, because we have two cats and he bought this automatic cat cleaner.

you know, he saw it on TikTok constantly. And I was just like, oh my gosh, do we really need this? And he brought out the, the instructor's manual and the instruction manual. And I told him, I was like, I don't want to read this. I write these things. You can. So I'm definitely, I'm guilty. I'm just, I'm going to say it now. I'm guilty, but keep going.

Speaker 1 (15:01)
Yeah, yeah. Well, and that's a perfect example because I think you probably have a little more leeway with an automatic cat litter box. Well, that's good. That's good. I'm glad.

Speaker 2 (15:09)
Working so hard.

example

right right ⁓

Speaker 1 (15:16)
Right?

So when you look at a product like enzymes, labels definitely matter. You can have one product that says one quart is for 24,000 gallons, but then you have another one that calls for 10 ounces per 10,000 gallons or something that bases it on so many ounces per 1,000 gallons or so many ounces per 100,000 gallons because of the type that it's marketed to.

when you look at a product like enzymes, labels definitely matter. You can have one product that says one quart is for 24,000 gallons, but then you have another one that calls for 10 ounces per 10,000 gallons or something that bases it on so many ounces per 1,000 gallons or so many ounces per 100,000 gallons because of the type that it's marketed to.

These are not interchangeable just because you bought brand a that you always did a court for 24,000 gallons doesn't mean the next brand that you buy is gonna be is gonna be the same. And partly and mostly it's because of the active ingredient that's in there, right? And how much it might be diluted by because it's possible. And I've also seen this when looking at different brands where they could have the same active ingredient

but they're different concentrations. So that could either, that could affect the dosage amount or it could say this does more than this does with the same amount. So that's why reading labels are just so, so important, right? And I go through this all the time, right? Yeah. Well, and it's...

This is, this has been a constant in my, in my entire professional career in the recreational water industry. Yeah. instructions I just, and here, and here's the other thing they're written for a reason, just like at my previous company, a lot of time, effort and money is gone into what is on that label. Every word is scrutinized, reviewed, tested, et cetera, before it's put on that label and printed.

10,000 times or whatever your run is for that packaging. so yeah, so all and this is the reason why all enzymes are not the same. That's why we can we can bust that myth.

Speaker 2 (22:09)
it. So then with that, what is the real role of enzymes in pool care?

Speaker 1 (22:15)
So similar to an oxidizer, it's gonna break down non-living organics, but there's something that you need to think about. Most oxidizers are granular, so that means that they can be blended with other products and do other things than then be dissolved into the water. Enzymes have a lot of proteins in them and proteins are kind of difficult to...

do in a granular form, they'll basically stick to one another and they don't, they're not gonna come out of the package real well. So that's why they're put into solutions so then they can easily be added to the water to break down more concentrated things. Like, you we talked about, we talked about baby oil, but we can also talk about body oil, the stuff that's coming off of our skin.

and it ends up on a tile line or a filter or a water filter.

Speaker 2 (23:10)
And all that makeup those girls will wear they'll put a full face of makeup. I call it painting my face, and

Speaker 1 (23:16)
So

yeah, I, I'm going to, I won't shout out because I didn't tell him about this podcast. We'll just call it one of my fellow committee members on rec water. Okay. He is a service professional out on the west coast or the left coast, as I like to call them. And he has a granddaughter who is in competitive dance and they love watching her. Right. They go to some, yeah. So far.

far flung where they're all staying at the hotel. had their day of competition. They come back to the hotel and he sees his granddaughter and her entire dance team jump into the pool with all of their still their show makeup. Now let's not forget you asked about dry shampoo. Let's not forget about hair spray and all the glitter that was in their hair.

Speaker 2 (24:06)
gel

that they have to put in their hair to keep it that way. Yes.

Speaker 1 (24:10)
Yes, and jumped in and I thought when when this fellow committee member was telling me this, I thought he was going to have a heart attack.

Speaker 2 (24:18)
No, I

Speaker 1 (24:18)
Now, when you have a bather load like that, enzymes are definitely necessary because again, chlorine is going to try oxidizing all of that stuff. And think about how long it can take to, know, chlorine's ability to try oxidizing and breaking down a piece of glitter.

Speaker 2 (24:31)
Yeah.

Can I break it down? I'm still.

Speaker 1 (24:43)
Not

really, not really, not really. when we talk about those body oils, enzymes gonna do a much better job to get them broken down and then can also work in concert with the oxidizer to continue breaking it down. But those proteins that are in the enzymes are going to help with that. They're more specialty breaker downers. I know that's not a chemical term, but.

But they're going after more specifically the body oils and, and scum we'll call it. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (25:19)
So with that, I've seen different dosing instructions. So for our listeners and pros, how should they think about that? How should they approach

Speaker 1 (25:30)
I guess a term we could use is skew rationalization, So I'll give you an example. Brand A has two different products, right? Where they have a concentrated blend and a not so concentrated blend. Where they're marketing their more concentrated blend for, you know,

almost like a tile cleaner, right? You can just put on full strength and brush it and you're good. And then you use this lower concentration for just weekly maintenance. So we'll call that brand A. But then you could have brand B that has multiple instructions on it.

where you're going to use what might be called an initial dosage or a treatment dosage. And then you would have a maintenance dosage. And those two are different amounts per the same gallons of water, say, one gallon per 100,000, verse 100,000 gallons of water for your initial or your treatment. And then you would have one quart per 100,000 for your weekly maintenance.

So you as a service professional or a retail store owner or for that matter, a homeowner have to decide, can this one product from a specific brand do everything that I need it to do or do I need to buy two different products? And again, do you know what that comes back to? Reading the label and instructions.

Speaker 2 (27:02)
Okay, calm me out. Just say it. No, but you

Speaker 1 (27:04)
Right.

mean, no, it's for it's for half the listeners on on talking. ⁓

Speaker 2 (27:13)
No, you're right. mean, I am totally guilty. I will skim them. And then here you have my husband going through, I think, again, going back to that litter box, not related at all. I think it's like an 80 page manual. there's like a box. I'm telling you, it's an obvious box.

Speaker 1 (27:26)
Yeah, for a litter box. Oh, that's a bit that's

a little extra. And that's why in that

Speaker 2 (27:33)
That's why

I totally was just like, but there's an app you can like download. so like,

Speaker 1 (27:39)
Even when your cap pees?

Speaker 2 (27:40)
And it tells you the weight of the cat, right? We have two cats. We have a floofy. He's very floofy. He's very fancy. And then we have an orange little beauty, Mr. Otis. he's very, you know, he's tiny. I think he's like seven months old. Yeah, about seven months old. And my husband was like, yeah, apparently a 9.2 pound cat got into the litter box this morning. And then when they walked away, they were 8.8. And he was like, I'm glad I'm not home. And I'm just like.

Thank you for that. am home. I work from home. I'm just anyways. But the point of that is in the manual, it talked about, you know, if an issue comes up, if it's if it's cycling wrong, this or that, because I told my husband, I was like, yeah, saving was in there and he was still just, don't know if he was hanging out or what he was doing, but it started to clean it and he almost got stuck.

Yeah. Over and cycles all of it. And I was like, oh gosh, it's like, it's like a washer experience. But so I was like, okay. He was like, you really need to read the manual. And I was like, you're right. And then just talking to you, I'm like,

I'm that.

Speaker 1 (28:43)
Do you know what that brings up though? Enzymes in general though. I also watch this channel on, I don't know, YouTube or Reddit or whatever. And it's like the not the worst cleaner. And you know, she does a lot of hoard cleans and stuff and runs into a lot of animal feces that's been, you know, like

hot at the bottom of the whoring situation or whatever. And one of the things that she talks about is using an enzyme based cleaner. And I think that's also another very good example that all enzymes are not the same. So those enzyme cleaners that are used for for pet odor or whatever, are designed specifically for the components that come out in that difference between 9.2 and 8.8 pounds that you're talking about, Right. Versus versus the type of

proteins that you would need in recreational water. And probably the biggest thing is, that it's a lot more dilute, right? It's not, it's circulating, you know, throughout the water and just a little bit on that water line versus the enzymes used and we'll call it the pet cleaner enzyme that you need to make contact on very large surface areas of floors or for that matter walls.

You you might see enzyme on that label, but it's going to be a lot different than the enzymes we use in the pool and hot tub industry for sure.

Speaker 2 (30:12)
So

it sounds like there are multifunctional enzyme blends. I think that's kind of what we're diving into right now. Yeah. ⁓

Speaker 1 (30:19)
Yeah, so

enzymes, because they're in solution, there are other components that you can add to enzyme solutions. I have seen one manufacturer using a phosphate control, and that's great. Like if you, you know, if that's coming into your source water or your body of water is near a lot of vegetation, a farm or whatever, that could be a source of phosphate.

then it might make sense to use a multifunctional enzyme, just like you could use a multifunctional oxidizer. But again, it goes back to what do you need, what is on the label, and are you gonna be able to follow the directions, right? Are you gonna be able to be there for, as a service professional, do you need to go back twice a week or,

Are you going to be able to go back once a week? And then also doing all the testing associated with it to test those outcomes. To do the before test to say, OK, I have this problem. And using those products and making sure that it makes a difference, either in an after test result or making observational comments as well.

I have plenty of customers that started using our product and they were taking pictures from before week one, week two, week three and seeing the difference. And it's the reason why there are customers now because they were seeing the difference in using the enzyme products that my company manufactures. I think it's all of that put together is what's gonna help you determine how to use specialty chemicals as a whole because

I mean, while I appreciate that chlorine does a lot, there are still limited capabilities, right? It doesn't necessarily or can be everything to everybody.

Speaker 2 (32:13)
Yeah, yeah. So I guess with this, the takeaway, right, is enzymes aren't one size fits all. know, reading the label matters, writing that. I wrote that note down, by the way. I should know better. Knowing that dosage matters and, you know, that multifunctional blends can really give you more flexibility.

Speaker 1 (32:34)
For sure, for sure. Yep, yep. this, yeah, this is our, this is our plug for using enzymes.

Speaker 2 (32:39)
I to kind of shift gears a little bit and have some fun. Rudy Stankiewicz, we love you, but is Flock It Friday, like does it actually exist?

Speaker 1 (32:52)
Well, I guess, I guess it does.

Speaker 2 (32:56)
It does. It does. It exists.

Speaker 1 (32:58)
So sorry if we had you on pins and needles, Rudy. That's we need. We wanted to have some fun. would be fun. That would be

So as many of the listeners know, Flock It Friday is on some of the social media an opportunity to talk about your products. I think it's a really fun way to end in some cases very difficult weeks in the season. if we really talk about. yeah, right.

Speaker 2 (33:58)
I mean, whenever I get like a 4pm meeting on a Friday, I'm like, why? This is when I wrap up. This is when I do my busy work. Right. Yes.

Speaker 1 (34:08)
next week. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. So I think though, this is a great opportunity to talk about what flocculence really do because block of Friday, I think is more than just a, you know, a catchy phrase and definitely hit different with me once I started with API versus, you know, a testing company because there's not many tests that are used out there for

For testing flocculants, you're really just testing the cloudiness of the water to see if you can do something about it. Right. And that's really, that's when we really get down into it. What a flocculant is, is really doing or how they actually work. Because I know that's what you want to know.

Speaker 2 (34:53)
I

was about to ask you, was like, so how do they actually work?

Speaker 1 (34:56)
So what they're actually doing is they are combining or attaching themselves to either these micro particles in the water or even larger particles and making them heavy enough so that they fall to the floor of the body of water.

Speaker 2 (35:15)
I don't need that to fall to the bottom, but yeah.

Speaker 1 (35:17)
Now the thing that people forget though is in order for that to happen you can't have the circulation of the pumps running right or that water is just going to keep circulating around and unless it's really really heavy it's not going to And then the idea is once it does fall then you can actually vacuum it out to waste and that's how you're getting rid of it.

Speaker 2 (35:42)
So it sounds simple going back. I know.

Speaker 1 (35:45)
Is

this a recurring theme?

Speaker 2 (35:48)
It is, is, you caught me. So, okay, so obviously label instructions really matter here.

Speaker 1 (35:55)
because if you look at the flocculants out there, they might require a certain amount of contact time with the circulation running, and then you shut it off. Or some require you need to not have the circulation on at all. It just really depends on who is actually manufacturing that particular flocculant, and again, what the dosage is, right?

But similarly, it's combining, right? And it's becoming heavy enough to fall out. Now, the question is, what is it actually combining with? So it could be copper, it could be iron, it could be phosphates, right? And depending on the dosage, will determine how much you can get out of that water. But then if we, you know,

go up to a higher level, like a 30,000 view, we also can look at it as, you know, what about all those pools in the spring that are green and you can't see the bottom of? A flocculent would work really, really well in this situation as well. There's been, you know, cleanups done in, you know, in 24 hours or less because it's, you know, it's doing such a good job and can turn around a pool.

in such a short amount of time.

Speaker 2 (37:15)
that's where too, I mean, you had mentioned earlier, take a before picture and take an after photo, right? I absolutely love seeing those photos on social media. I love seeing like the before photo where I'm just like, boy, they, and then it's the after photo and you have this beautiful crystal clear water and you can actually see the bottom.

Speaker 1 (37:35)
Well, that's, Natalie, you bring up a very important point to seeing the bottom because then that becomes a safety issue, right? We were talking about it before. If you cannot, mean, that's as a member of a standard writing committee for PHA, one of the sections that we talked about were the reasons for immediate closure, right? It's the water quality standard. And one of them is not only the chemicals in the water when we talked about safe levels of chlorine,

but actually seeing the bottom. If I go into a pool and I can't see the bottom, it should not be open, right?

Speaker 2 (38:08)
Yeah, even as a previous lifeguard, if I'm having trouble seeing the bottom of the pool, if there's numerous patrons and bathers in there, if the maximum capacity is, let's say, let's just go small. Let's go 125, right? Smaller pools. It's better than the beach. And there's no sharks. And there's no boats.

Speaker 1 (38:24)
lot of people.

But true, true.

Speaker 2 (38:32)
I mean, if I have, granted this is a bigger pool, there's going to be numerous stations for lifeguards. But my, you know, in my experience, if I'm having trouble seeing the bottom of the pool and I have the smaller children in one section, right. And then you have those that approved swimming. They've gone through that swim test and then have the older kids that they're, jumping off, they're doing cannonballs. They're doing things they shouldn't be doing. We're not going to talk about that. But if I can't see the bottom of the pool,

God forbid a little one slips down because they tend to go down, I'm not going to want to stand up on that stand because I'm not going to feel comfortable because it happens like that.

Speaker 1 (39:10)
So you're absolutely right. Yeah, clarity is a very important factor and using specialty chemicals like flocculants, the enzymes and the oxidizers are definitely going to get you to a safer swimming environment for sure.

Speaker 2 (39:25)
Yeah.

I mean, I think we've definitely touched on the payoff, right? You get clearer water, safer swimming environment. And what else would you say that you gain from this with the payoff?

Speaker 1 (39:36)
I would, let's see here. When you take all that stuff out of your water, right? There's those particles. Guess what? You're helping your chlorine. Chlorine doesn't have to work as hard, Because you've taken all of that stuff out of the water. So it's, there's nothing there for it or less there for it to, to try sanitize. So then when a pathogen does get introduced from a swimmer,

Speaker 2 (39:39)
have to imagine it's like less.

Speaker 1 (40:03)
then it's got a greater capability of attacking it.

Speaker 2 (40:07)
Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, so we have covered a lot today from oxidizers to enzymes to flocculins, flocc it Friday,

And I think the big takeaway is that specialty chemicals aren't just extras, right? They're powerful tools that make chlorine more effective, pools more comfortable, and water care more manageable. So Jodi, I can't thank you enough for bringing your expertise, for helping us bust some of these myths.

And really your insight shows how important it is to understand the role of these products playing, keeping pools safe, reading the labels and making sure

Speaker 1 (40:51)
Well, thanks, Natalie. really enjoyed being here today. I hope this helps some cool pros out there with specialty chemicals. You're always welcome to contact me with further questions, but I hope you've learned a little bit.

Speaker 2 (41:04)
contact

how can they contact you?

Speaker 1 (41:06)
I'm on LinkedIn, so you're welcome to reach out to me that way. We can put my contact information at the end or whatever with my telephone number and email address. But it's, like I said, I feel really privileged that I've been able to use my chemistry degree this entire century and that I've been able to help some people and educate some along the way as well.

Speaker 2 (41:27)
You know, education, it never stops. Just because you got a certification or a degree, then you really have to get hands on. And I feel like when you get your hands dirty, that's when you really learn. I know that's when I really started to actually learn. So this has been wonderful. And to our listeners, remember chlorine is the backbone of sanitation, but specialty chemicals are the partners that make the whole system work better.

And that's the power of specialty chemicals. So thank you again, Jody. Thank you for all of you guys tuning in until next time. Keep learning, keep swimming and please keep those pools crystal clear until next time guys.

Speaker 1 (42:05)
Bye.