“Readiness” To Meet Water Quality Challenges – A History

There’s a saying in French cooking that I’ve always loved: mise en place. Translated it means, “everything in its place,” or as I was taught in culinary school, “the state of readiness.” In practice, mise en place simply means being prepared to cook; having the kitchen set with all cookware, accouterments, and ingredients ready to …

Water Quality and the Culinary Arts – The Connection

It might sound surprising, but I’ve long seen a direct connection between the culinary arts and maintaining the highest standard for water quality. I realize that at first blush the two don’t seem to have all that much in common, but when you look into what preparing great food and providing superior water quality are …

End Users – Their Feedback Is Key

I recently had the pleasure of attending the 14th Annual World Aquatic Health Conference in Denver, Colorado. It was the second time I’ve made it to the event, which is produced by the National Swimming Pool Foundation. Like the first time around, I found the experience incredibly stimulating and inspiring. As the name suggests, the …

Automated Water Testing and Monitoring – The Benefits

It always circles back to chemistry. Managing water quality is always, very much, an exercise in manipulating chemical values so that water remains sanitized, balanced and appealing. The only way to do that—to ply the trade of the water quality professional—is to be proficient in water testing. Whether it’s through traditional reagent-based tests in vials, …

Facility Water Management – How SRK Can Help

Water treatment and the resulting water quality it does — or does not — provide are issues at the very heart of all aquatic facilities. The water is the essence, the lifeblood of places where people take the plunge. But there’s far more to it than simply managing the rigors of chemistry, hydraulics, filtration and …

Sensing Water Quality – What Our Eyes, Nose, Mouth, Ears and Skin Tell Us

As is true of most endeavors in which us humans diligently apply ourselves, the art and science of recreational water treatment become more complex and sophisticated as time goes along. Yet, for all of the sanitizing, filtration, balance and testing methods at our disposal these days, you don’t really need to know anything about those …

Perfect Water Quality for All – Idealism or Reality?

I’ve always believed that to make something real, you first have to visualize it. It’s true in most, if not all, aspects of life. Creating a different reality requires seeing it in your mind’s eye. Only then can you begin taking the steps needed to make it real and affect positive change. That’s why when …

What is a “Water Quality Manager”? – And Why Do We Need Them?

For several years, I’ve promoted the idea of establishing a new type of aquatic professional – the water quality manager (WQM). Because water quality is the key factor for any type of aquatic facility, commercial or residential, I believe it makes sense that our industry provides a class of professional who goes beyond the traditional …

Water Chemistry Basics – A New Approach

NOTE: This article was originally published in the October 2012 issue of AQUA Magazine. Maintaining superior water quality requires knowledge, skill and an enlightened perspective says veteran builder and servicer Steve Kenny of SRK Pool Services in East Hampton, N.Y. Heavily influenced by his prior career in the culinary arts, Kenny approaches water chemistry with …

Water Treatment Trailer – Offering Mobile Demos

NOTE: This article was originally published in the August 2015 issue of AQUA Magazine. By Eric Herman Outbreaks of waterborne illnesses—in particular, those caused by chloramine formation in pools—continue to cause concern. As a result, public interest in alternative sanitizers like ozone and UV has increased. Builder and water-quality advocate Steve Kenny recently decided to …