Ep 133 Delicious Water: Steve Kenny's AOP Recipe with Farley Pool Designs

Mike and Trey Farley of Farley Pool Designs interview Steve Kenny of SRK Pools in East Hampton, Long Island, who describes his path from a family pool service business started in 1985 to building high-performance “chlorine-free” pools. Kenny explains how decades of service experience led him to advanced water treatment using high-output ozone with UV to create advanced oxidation (hydroxyl radicals), paired with activated glass media filtration, CO2 pH control, and a Blue Sentinel controller to maintain very low chlorine (about 0.1–0.2 ppm) with minimal manual intervention and monthly service. He details side-stream ozone injection, contact tanks, ozone destruction and safety monitoring, and floor-return/skimmer hydraulics to reduce dead spots. The conversation covers pathogen control (e.g., crypto/giardia), equipment “bunkers,” freeze-thaw considerations, keeping pools open year-round, wellness trends like cold plunges, and Kenny’s water-inspired mosaic art.   Discover more: https://www.farleypooldesigns.com/ https://www.instagram.com/farleydesigns/ https://www.instagram.com/luxuryoutdoorlivingpodcast/   00:00 Podcast Welcome 01:17 Meet Steve Kenny 02:26 From Culinary to Pools 04:46 Going Chlorine Free 07:42 AOP Hydroxyl Explained 09:08 Ozone System Sizing 11:53 Automation and Controls 14:32 Bunkers and Venting 17:39 Why Add UV 20:54 Glass Media Filtration 22:58 Hydraulics Skimmers Returns 25:13 Real World Results and Cost 30:26 Training Maintenance Teams 33:25 Delicious Water Philosophy 35:27 Proactive Water Care 36:10 Mindset Over Energy Costs 37:14 AOP Basics Ozone UV 38:09 Glass Media And No Minerals 40:21 Chlorine Sensitivity Explained 41:23 Building For Freeze Thaw 45:37 Plumbing Flow And Heating 46:55 Perimeter Overflow Artistry 47:44 Underwater Art And Tile 50:35 Designing For Lifestyle 51:51 System Capacity Dogs And Bugs 58:23 Wellness Cold Plunge Trends 01:01:37 Rapid Fire And Wrap Up 01:04:06 Show Mission Closing