Episode notes
Eric survived the Cyclospora Parasite, and invited Dr. Roy Vore, a microbiologist, to educate us on parasites (including cryptosporidium) and why they are so hard to kill.
Podcast
Rule Your Pool
Eric Knight · Tech & Science · English
Rule Your Pool is a podcast by Orenda Technologies. This show was created for pool owners, operators, and service pros who want the best water quality possible. If you want to know what's really going on with your swimming pool chemistry, this might be the podcast for you. Each week, we'll cover a n
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E200 · 7 Oct 2026 · 55 min
What Have We Learned? (w/ Jarred Morgan)
Jarred makes his return to the co-host mic, as we talk about the changes in the industry and what we've learned since starting Rule Your Pool.
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E199 · 23 Sep 2026 · 18 min
Water in its Natural State
Eric is going to debate chemistry with Rudy, the host of the Talking Pools Podcast. Submit your questions and topics! In this episode, Eric goes through four tested samples of natural water from the Atlantic Ocean, a lake, and two ponds. All have different chemistry, but all equal 0.00 LSI. Water ALWAYS returns to its natural state.
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E198 · 26 Aug 2026 · 13 min
Soda Ash vs. Sodium Bicarbonate for Raising Alkalinity
Eric reads an article from onBalance by Kim Skinner, explaining the math for dosing soda ash vs. sodium bicarbonate to raise total alkalinity, and why alkalinity is measured in ppm of Calcium Carbonate.
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E197 · 19 Aug 2026 · 26 min
White Water Mold and Disappearing CYA (w/ John Davidson)
Reports of disappearing CYA in pools with White Water Mold got Eric's attention, and it sent him down a rabbit hole. John Davidson of 5-Star Pool & Spa in Billings MT joins the show to discuss this strange phenomenon.
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E196 · 5 Aug 2026 · 23 min
I've joined Pool Brain. Here's Why.
Eric explains why he has decided to step down as Executive Director of Watershape University, and move to Pool Brain as their Head of Education Technology.
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E194 · 24 Jun 2026 · 14 min
Why Alkalinity Rises in Pools using CO2 for pH Management
Thanks to numerous questions from listeners (to [email protected]), Eric explains the actual chemistry of why alkalinity rises in pools feeding CO2 for pH management. CO2 itself does not raise alkalinity. Eric shows what's really going on, and what a pool operator can do about this constant rise in total alkalinity.
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E193 · 10 Jun 2026 · 37 min
Pool Chemistry Down Under (w/ David Watson)
David Watson, a 40-year pool industry veteran in Perth, Australia joins the show to discuss his findings about using carbon dioxide for pH management, and some fascinating discoveries about Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). And he may have had something to do with the arbitrary industry-standard limit of "1500 ppm above tap water" for TDS.
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E192 · 3 Jun 2026 · 20 min
Acid Burning Through Alkalinity...and CYA?
What does acid actually do when it's added to water? And since it "burns through" alkalinity, does that include cyanurate alkalinity? Does acid reduce CYA?
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E191 · 20 May 2026 · 1 hr 6 min
Fiberglass Pool Chemistry (w/ Bill Khamis)
Eric is joined by Bill Khamis, the visionary founder of Thursday Pools, a leading fiberglass pool manufacturer in North America. We discuss fiberglass pool manufacturing, transportation logistics, installation, and more. The crux of the episode covers water chemistry and a known issue with fiberglass pools that Eric coined the term "chalking" several years ago. Bill and his company have invested heavily over the past 15+ years to understanding and resolving this problem. And the solution is beautifully simple and affordable.
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E190 · 6 May 2026 · 11 min
Is the LSI actually an "Index"?
A listener emailed the old ruleyourpool email address (the new one is [email protected]) and brought up something interesting. He said "Nowhere in your RYP podcasts have I heard you mention that the LSI is not an index. It's a delta between the saturation pH and the current pH. LSI is the difference between the pH you have and the pH your water wants." Let's discuss this.
