465 From Classroom to Cooling Towers: Teaching Water Treatment with Dan Merritt (Part 1)
Release Date: 02/27/2026
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Industrial water training only works when the knowledge transfers. That means the material lands with the audience, survives the drive home, and shows up later in the field when decisions get made.
Dan Merritt, CWT, Sales Manager at CH2O, brings a rare perspective to that problem. He started as a teacher (chemistry, calculus, physics), entered industrial water treatment on February 5, 2002, and later became part of the AWT training team. This conversation follows the path from classroom instruction to boiler rooms and cooling towers, then uses that journey to examine what makes technical training “stick” for working professionals.
From educator to water treater, then back to educator
Dan shares how leaving graduate study, teaching high school and community college, and stepping into service work shaped his approach to explaining technical concepts. The throughline is simple: the instructor owns the clarity. When someone in the room does not understand, the response is not frustration. The response is translation.
Bridging the knowledge gap without dumbing it down
Trace and Dan describe a common failure mode in technical instruction: experts answering correctly, but not helpfully. They frame the goal as closing the gap between what the instructor knows and what the audience can realistically absorb in the moment, especially for attendees building competence over time.
Stories and demonstrations as tools for retention
The episode highlights why AWT trainers lean on stories and physical demonstrations, from an Archimedes fountain to static electricity experiments. Dan explains how the “light bulb moment” is the reward of teaching, and why trainers adapt when a method fails (including what humidity can do to a demo in a room full of people).
Keeping the CWT exam in proper context
The conversation also draws a firm boundary: training supports growth, but it does not replace the CWT experience requirement and recommendations. Dan and Trace emphasize accurate language around the credential and reinforce what the training can and cannot do.
Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
01:38 — Setup for a two-part series to help listeners prepare for AWT Technical Training
02:24 — AWT Technical Training logistics: March 10–13 in Frisco, Texas (near Dallas)
03:10 — Trace shares why AWT Technical Training matters personally (mentorship, community, support)
05:51 — “Desert Pete” story: why instructors “fill the bottle” by giving back through training
11:53 — Words of Water with James McDonald: definition + answer (“flow rate”)
14:13 — Events mentioned for water professionals
18:42 — Trace introduces the guest: Dan Merritt (CH2O) and their history through AWT
19:39 — Dan’s background: 24 years in water treatment; former teacher (chemistry, calculus, physics).
22:44 — Dan’s entry into water treatment: Industrial Water Engineering ride-alongs + first field impressions
26:49 — Move to Pacific Northwest + start at CH2O (service tech) and why that timing mattered
31:40 — How Dan and Trace connected through AWT training; Dan begins teaching (service tech reporting).
34:17 — Dan’s AWT involvement expands: education committee + Intro to Water Treatment online course task force
35:31 — Dan asked to teach the chemistry class; Trace frames “know your audience” and confidence gap
36:50 — Teaching tools and learning from misses: demos (Archimedes fountain, static electricity + humidity issue)
37:49 — The key teaching principle: “you’re the instructor; it’s your job to explain it clearly” (adult learners)
41:31 — Bridging the knowledge gap: why brilliance can miss the audience, and why training must translate
44:48 — Why a math/calculations class helps: making the “bang, there’s your answer” steps teachable
50:19 — Troubleshooting reality: many forces in boilers/cooling towers; deeper understanding improves diagnosis
52:00 — Field story lesson: softener cleaning foam incident (why stories stick and prevent repeat mistakes)
56:19 — CWT clarification: training helps, but it cannot replace required experience and recommendations
58:31 — CWT wording matters: it’s an “exam,” not a “test” (Trace mentions Angela Pike’s correction)
Quotes
“It’s your job to explain the material in a way that we can understand it.”
“It’s our responsibility to take this information, to package it in a way so you, not me, you can understand it.”
“Math is the only known axiom that we have. And it kind of quiets the chaos.”
“And again, it’s not a test. Do not say that it’s a test. It is an exam.”
Connect with Dan Merritt, CWT
Email: dmerritt@ch2o.com
Website: .https://www.ch2o.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-merritt-cwt-18413819/
CH2O, inc.: Overview | LinkedIn
Guest Resources Mentioned
I Said This, You Heard That 2nd Edition by Kathleen Edelman
Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
AWT Technical Training - Registration
2026 AWT Technical Training Schedule
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
Words of Water with James McDonald
Today's definition is a measure of the volume or mass of a fluid (liquid or gas) that passes through a certain point or cross-section over a unit of time. Can you guess the word or phrase?
2026 Events for Water Professionals
Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we’ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.
