Full Transparency - Changes are Coming

Change is never easy, especially when you've grown comfortable with familiar tools and processes. But what if those changes could revolutionize how you approach pool chemistry and maintenance? In episode 144 of the Rule Your Pool Podcast, host Eric Knight pulls back the curtain on three significant updates coming to Orenda's platform—changes that promise to address years of customer feedback and technical limitations.

The Philosophy Behind the Changes

Before diving into the specifics, Knight emphasizes that these aren't arbitrary changes driven by trends or flashy features. Instead, they're the result of years of listening to real problems from real people in the field.

I listen to you. I read your emails. I read your Facebook comments, especially if someone tags me. Not that I like Facebook, but that's besides the point. I hear you. I'm in a lot of backyards. I've been in a lot of backyards with a lot of you listeners.

— Eric Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

This customer-first approach reflects a deeper understanding of the pool industry's challenges. Whether you're a homeowner dealing with a significant backyard investment or a pool professional whose livelihood depends on solving complex water chemistry problems, Knight recognizes that everyone faces similar struggles.

The podcast host makes an important point about problem pools that resonates throughout the industry:

As I say in my classes, there's only two types of pool pros out there. Those that have some problem pools and those that refuse to admit they have some problem pools. Everybody has them, and that's okay.

— Eric Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

Change #1: Precision Matters - Updated pKa Values

The first change addresses something most pool professionals rarely think about but that affects every chemical calculation: pKa values. These values determine where buffering systems have their optimal capacity, and Orenda is updating their published figures for improved accuracy.

For years, Orenda's carbonate alkalinity chart has listed the pKa value as 6.14, a figure Knight sourced from medical literature. However, this value applies to human blood, not swimming pool water. The difference? Ionic strength.

Knight admits this was a learning experience:

I didn't know what ionic strength was, but it matters to swimming pools. It doesn't matter in your blood, but it matters in swimming pools. So that's why I'm going to make a change to 6.27 because 6.27 is based on 300 parts per million calcium hardness and 1000 ppm TDS.

— Eric Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

The good news? If you're using Orenda's calculator, these changes won't affect your day-to-day operations. The calculator has been accounting for ionic strength all along through its TDS and salinity calculations. The updates will only affect the visual charts, making them more precise for educational purposes.

Similarly, the pKa value for HOCl to OCl- (the active form of chlorine to its weaker form) is being updated from the commonly cited 7.48 to 7.54. Again, this won't change your pool maintenance routine, but it represents Orenda's commitment to precision.

Change #2: Seamless Integration with Popular Test Kits

The second change addresses one of the most frequent requests Orenda receives: integration with existing test kit technology. While Knight doesn't reveal the specific brand (the integration wasn't complete at the time of recording), he hints at the scope of this project.

The integration requires Bluetooth connectivity and is significant enough that Orenda is flying their overseas developer to work on-site for a full week. This level of investment suggests the integration will be comprehensive and user-friendly.

For pool professionals and homeowners who have invested in digital testing equipment, this integration promises to streamline the process of moving from test results to precise chemical dosing recommendations.

Change #3: A Revolutionary New Calculator Approach

The third and most significant change is a completely new calculator that flips traditional pool chemistry calculations on their head. Instead of telling you how much chemical you need to achieve desired water parameters, this new tool will tell you what effect a specific amount of chemical will have on your pool.

Knight explains the fundamental shift in thinking:

Right now, the current dosing calculator will tell you how much of a given chemical it will take to get you from the left side to the right side. Well, what if we flip that math around? What is this 50 pound bag of calcium chloride going to do on my startup? Or what is this one pound bag of shock going to do to my pool?

— Eric Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

This approach addresses real-world scenarios where pool professionals work with pre-packaged chemicals or need to understand the impact of available inventory on pool startups and maintenance routines.

The new calculator represents phase one of a three-phase rollout. Phase two will focus specifically on homeowners, allowing them to save the history of their pool's chemical balance over time. This feature recognizes that while pool professionals need software that can handle multiple pools, homeowners need tools that help them understand and track their single pool's patterns and needs.

The Technology Philosophy: Force Multiplier, Not Complication

Throughout the episode, Knight emphasizes Orenda's approach to technology development. Rather than chasing every new feature or trend, the company focuses on creating tools that multiply human capability and prevent common mistakes.

Technology can either be a force multiplier for good or it can be a drain on us and it can be a problem. It can be a weakness. Everything that we've done in the Orenda app has been aimed to be a force multiplier to help you do calculations in the backyard.

— Eric Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

This philosophy drives the decision to require user login for new features—not to collect data or create barriers, but to enable functionality that simply cannot exist without user accounts, such as chemical history tracking and personalized learning paths.

The commitment to keeping core features free remains unchanged. The LSI calculator and fundamental dosing tools will continue to be available to anyone without cost, reflecting Orenda's mission to prevent pool damage through better chemistry understanding.

What This Means for Pool Professionals and Homeowners

For pool professionals, these changes represent enhanced precision and new capabilities without disrupting existing workflows. The partnership approach with routing software companies continues, recognizing that specialized business software serves pool pros better than trying to recreate those features in-house.

Homeowners, meanwhile, gain access to historical tracking and more intuitive calculation methods. The ability to understand what a specific chemical purchase will do to your pool addresses the reality of retail chemical buying and storage.

The test kit integration promises to bridge the gap between testing and treatment, potentially eliminating transcription errors and speeding up the decision-making process.

Preparing for the Future

Knight's transparent communication about these changes reflects a mature approach to software development and customer relations. By explaining not just what is changing, but why these changes matter and how they address real customer needs, Orenda builds trust and sets appropriate expectations.

The emphasis on foundational work—building capabilities that may not seem exciting but enable future innovations—demonstrates long-term thinking. Just as understanding pKa values enables better chemistry education, building robust user account systems enables personalized features that serve customers better.

For users of Orenda's tools, the message is clear: these changes are designed to solve real problems you've been experiencing, even if you haven't always been able to articulate them clearly. The new calculator's approach of starting with available chemicals rather than target parameters reflects how pool maintenance actually works in the field.

As the pool industry continues to evolve, Orenda's commitment to precision, customer feedback, and practical problem-solving positions them well to serve both current needs and future challenges. The transparency about development timelines and technical limitations builds realistic expectations while maintaining excitement about the possibilities.

These changes represent more than software updates—they reflect a deep understanding of how pool chemistry education and practical maintenance intersect. By continuing to offer free core tools while developing enhanced features for specific user needs, Orenda maintains its educational mission while building sustainable business practices.

Whether you're a pool professional managing dozens of accounts or a homeowner trying to maintain one backyard oasis, these updates promise to make your job easier, more precise, and ultimately more successful. The key is understanding that change, when driven by genuine customer needs and technical precision, leads to better outcomes for everyone involved.

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Transparency Promise
• 03:45 Understanding Customer Pain Points
• 06:20 Change #1: Updated pKa Values for Precision
• 12:15 Change #2: Test Kit Integration Project
• 15:30 Change #3: Revolutionary Calculator Approach
• 22:10 Technology Philosophy and User Login Requirements
• 28:45 Future Plans and Customer Commitments