503 Pinks and Blues: Beyond Industrial Water Week 2026
Scaling UP! H2O
Industrial Water Week 2026 has ended, and Trace Blackmore, CWT, challenges listeners to carry its focus on learning and mentorship into the rest of the year. This Pinks and Blues episode combines reflections on IWW26 and the AWT convention with listener questions about AI and professional development. Give continued learning a place on your calendar Trace proposes a specific challenge: choose one of Industrial Water Week’s five focus areas and schedule 30 minutes to improve your understanding. Those areas are pretreatment, boilers, cooling, wastewater, and careers. ...
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502 Industrial Water Week 2026: Careers Friday
Scaling UP! H2O
Experienced water treaters carry knowledge that the next generation needs. For Careers Friday, Trace Blackmore, CWT asks them to pass it on. The Industrial Water Week 2026 finale connects industrial water treatment careers with mentorship, practical training, and curiosity. Pass on the reasoning behind the work Trace describes a mentor as someone you can call when a system presents a problem you cannot explain. Learning from another professional’s challenges, mistakes, and experience helped him solve problems and later mentor others. He also addresses professionals preparing to retire....
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501 Industrial Water Week 2026: Wastewater Thursday
Scaling UP! H2O
A wastewater inspection appeared to expose a failed treatment program—until Trace checked where the sample had been collected. For Industrial Water Week 2026: Wastewater Thursday, Trace Blackmore, CWT, connects correct sampling, water reuse, and careful troubleshooting with the decisions water treaters make every day. Check the sample location before drawing conclusions In an early-career account, a plant operator faced a threatened shutdown after an inspector’s sample produced out-of-spec results. Trace reviewed logs, spoke with the engineer, and tested two locations. The...
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500 Industrial Water Week 2026: Cooling Wednesday
Scaling UP! H2O
Cooling Wednesday brings a practical reminder: correcting a treatment problem requires understanding what caused it. For Industrial Water Week 2026, Trace Blackmore, CWT, celebrates Episode 500 with lessons on cooling tower foam, biocide feed verification, Legionella risk, and unexplained chilled water loss. Start with the feed history When a cooling tower produces enough foam to spread across the property and trigger low water shutdowns, Trace begins with the biocide feed logs. He compares the chemical remaining in the tank with calculated consumption and finds evidence of...
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499 Industrial Water Week 2026: Boiler Tuesday
Scaling UP! H2O
Boiler Tuesday is a reminder that industrial water treatment exists to protect heat transfer efficiency. For day two of Industrial Water Week 2026, Trace Blackmore, CWT, connects feedwater preparation, condensate quality, and treatment distribution to the everyday decisions that keep steam systems working. Feedwater quality sets the stage Trace starts with a practical measure of boiler performance: how much heat from the flame reaches the steam? Feedwater conditions directly affect that work. He links inadequate feedwater heating with higher chemical demand,...
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498 Industrial Water Week 2026: Pretreatment Monday
Scaling UP! H2O
is here—and Day 1 is Pretreatment Monday. In Episode 498, Trace Blackmore, CWT, opens the 2026 celebration with troubleshooting stories, returning guest greetings, and a new Detective H2O case that brings pretreatment performance into focus. Celebrate with purpose Take a photo with your favorite pretreatment equipment—a softener, RO, or filter housing—and post it with #IWW26. Then search the hashtag to connect with others doing the same work. Trace’s invitation makes the week visible and recognizes the people who keep downstream systems operating. Start with the pretreatment train At...
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497 Pinks & Blues: From Sample to Solution
Scaling UP! H2O
A controller and a handheld meter give you different readings. Before you adjust blowdown or chemical feed, how do you determine which result deserves your confidence? Reliable water treatment testing starts with understanding the sample, the system, and the equipment behind the number. In Episode 497, “Pinks and Blues: From Sample to Solution,” Trace Blackmore, CWT, answers listener questions that build on Episodes 397 and 408. He connects testing with repeatable procedures so technicians can interpret results, make informed adjustments, and explain their decisions to...
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496 Growing Through Change in Water Treatment with Mark Lewis, Part 2
Scaling UP! H2O
When a water treater can run a test but cannot yet diagnose a failing system, the next training decision matters. In Growing Through Change with Mark Lewis, Part 2, Mark Lewis of CRB Water joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to connect training choices with work in the field. Match Training to Experience Mark sees the space between AWT’s March and November training sessions as a chance to revise material instead of repeating the same presentation. He explains how Fundamentals and Applications, Program Designs and Operations, and Technical Training serve different levels of readiness....
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495 Growing Through Change in Water Treatment with Mark Lewis, Part 1
Scaling UP! H2O
Change is unavoidable, but uncertainty does not have to control how water treatment professionals respond to it. Mark Lewis returns to share what he learned when Southeastern Laboratories was acquired by CRB Water—and how employees can remain valuable, informed, and open to opportunity during a business transition. Navigating an Acquisition from the Employee’s Perspective Southeastern Laboratories began exploring a buyer because its owners wanted to protect the company and approximately 30 employees. When CRB Water entered the picture, employees naturally wondered what...
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494 Preparing for AWT 2026: Leadership, Change, and CWT Growth with Matt Coffindaffer, Part 2
Scaling UP! H2O
A strong convention outcome starts before the first session and continues long after the exhibit hall closes. Association of Water Technologies Executive Director Matt Coffindaffer explains how deliberate preparation, wider professional relationships, and volunteer service can turn AWT 2026 into practical value for an industrial water treatment career or business. Find the Right Place to Volunteer AWT offers yearlong committee service, shorter task-force assignments, and opportunities across technical research, marketing, membership, regulatory affairs, business resources, young...
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Cooling Wednesday brings a practical reminder: correcting a treatment problem requires understanding what caused it. For Industrial Water Week 2026, Trace Blackmore, CWT, celebrates Episode 500 with lessons on cooling tower foam, biocide feed verification, Legionella risk, and unexplained chilled water loss.
Start with the feed history
When a cooling tower produces enough foam to spread across the property and trigger low water shutdowns, Trace begins with the biocide feed logs. He compares the chemical remaining in the tank with calculated consumption and finds evidence of earlier underfeeding, even though the pump operates correctly during his inspection.
Trace connects the foaming to accumulated biofilm and explains why a biological treatment program needs a clean system to maintain. The case highlights the value of checking historical chemical delivery alongside current equipment operation.
Find what interrupted treatment
After the tower is cleaned and the biocide program is restored, the problem returns. A plant engineer discovers that a contractor has unplugged the biocide pump from the controller output and connected a power tool instead.
The team labels both the pump plug and its connection at the controller, then adds a notice identifying the connection as something other than a general outlet. Their response addresses the cause and gives other people working around the equipment a clearer instruction.
Connect cooling data with risk management
Returning guests Jake (Jacob) Deak, Christine McHugh, and Matt Freije share Cooling Wednesday greetings. Jake discusses tracer monitoring technology, while Christine describes using water temperature, circulation, pH, makeup water, and environmental data to inform Legionella risk reduction.
Matt recalls a cooling tower worker’s experience with Legionnaires’ disease and emphasizes water management, maintenance, treatment, and testing. Their contributions connect cooling performance with the people working around these systems.
Investigate where the water is going
In the fictional Detective H2O: The Case of the Blues, a hospital’s chilled water loop loses pressure and requires increasing makeup water, yet inspections reveal no visible leak. The investigation finds an ice machine connected to the chilled water loop instead of domestic cold water.
The story emphasizes verifying actual piping connections rather than relying only on labels or drawings. Trace also reflects on learning since his first recording in 2017 and invites listeners to share cooling equipment photos with #IWW26.
For water treatment professionals, both cases reinforce the same responsibility: follow the evidence, identify the cause, and take steps to prevent recurrence.
Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!
Timestamps
01:00 — Trace opens Cooling Wednesday and recognizes the industrial water treatment community’s work.
02:00 — The Episode 500 milestone becomes a lesson in starting, learning, and improving through practice.
06:10 — Trace thanks Pyxis Lab and describes a tank measurement tool developed in response to field needs.
08:00 — Cooling towers, chillers, and heat exchangers illustrate the water treater’s role in maintaining heat transfer.
09:30 — Willis Carrier’s humidity problem provides an example of solving an operational challenge by thinking differently.
11:50 — Severe cooling tower foam introduces a case involving water loss and disrupted operation.
12:40 — Feed logs and chemical inventory reveal earlier biocide underfeeding despite correct pump operation during the visit.
14:10 — Trace connects accumulated biofilm with foaming and emphasizes establishing a clean system before maintaining it.
15:50 — Jake Deak shares a tracer technology greeting and a memorable PTSA spill in the field.
16:20 — Christine McHugh connects cooling tower data with Legionella risk reduction, training, and maintenance discussions.
17:20 — Matt Freije highlights the human consequences of Legionnaires’ disease and the importance of cooling tower water management.
19:00 — Detective H2O opens “The Case of the Blues,” a fictional hospital investigation into unexplained chilled water loss.
22:10 — Verified pressure and makeup readings direct the investigation beyond visible leaks.
27:50 — Blue ice provides the clue that leads to an ice machine connected to the chilled water loop.
31:20 — The story outlines correcting the piping connection and monitoring makeup water and pressure afterward.
34:30 — Trace invites LinkedIn voice guesses and announces that Friday’s episode will reveal the mystery voices.
36:10 — A contractor’s use of the biocide controller connection explains why treatment delivery was interrupted.
38:50 — Trace emphasizes preventing recurrence, then closes with appreciation for the community and the Cooling Wednesday photo invitation.
Connect with Jake Deak
Phone: +15704197057
Email: jacob.deak@pyxis-lab.com
Website: Inline & Handheld Analytical Tools for Water Treatment | Pyxis Lab®
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobddeak/
Connect with Christine McHugh
Phone: +19179409383
Email: christine.mchugh@whitestrand.com
Website: White Strand Development
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-a-mchugh/
Connect with Matt Freije
Email: mfreije@hcinfo.com
Website: Legionella Water Management Plans
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattfreije
Links Mentioned
AWT (Association of Water Technologies)
Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses
Industrial Water Week Scaling UP H2O Resource Page
001 A New Podcast for Water Treaters
443 Industrial Water Week 2025: Cooling Wednesday
423 Pushing the Boundaries: Jacob Deak on Innovating Water Treatment Systems
439 Innovating Water for Smart Cities: Christine McHugh’s Vision
083 The One About Water Management Plans
432 Water Management Plans: Evolving Standards and Best Practices with Matt Freije
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