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How To Service Your Own Pool

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Register License And Insure Your Business

Do Your Own Pool Maintenance

License, registration, and proof of insurance, please! No, you arent getting pulled overyou just need those documents to work by the book as a licensed pool service provider.

When youre starting a pool cleaning business, make sure to knock these tasks off your to-do list:

FREE TOOL:Try our free pool estimate template

It also keeps your team on the same page, helps you keep track of important details, and tells you how much work you have on the go.

With pool cleaning software like Jobber, you can manage all the day-to-day tasks that keep your business runningall in one place.

Sort out your software before your first job that way, youre starting off on the right foot and you wont have to make expensive or time-consuming changes further down the line.

Create your first pool service estimates and invoices for free. Job Toolkit makes it easy to look professional, impress customers, and get paid.

Jobber was part of the reason why we were able to grow from three to 35 employees in less than five years. Without it, our growth wouldnt have been entirely possible, or as easy as it has been.

Hal Denbar, Patriot Pools

You Have A Pool To Relax And Have Fun With Family And Friends

Dont let the worry about cleanliness and balancing of chemicals for health, safety, and protection of equipment stop you from accomplishing your desire. Let SPARKLING CLEAR POOL SERVICE partner with you to provide a clean and safe environment for your pool parties with family and friends.

We can provide you with our standard package or customize a special package after consulting with you. SPARKLING CLEAR POOL SERVICE is dedicated to working with you to allow you to receive maximum enjoyment from your pool. Give us a call at to discuss your needs.

Dont Be Afraid To Fire A Contractor After Theyve Started Working

The plumber had barely gotten started on his work when our pool consultant called the company and fired him. He wasnt happy with the guy trying to charge more for little details and telling us we needed to provide some of the supplies. We ended up using another plumber who not only supplied the materials the other company didnt, but he was also cheaper and did much better work!

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Dont Be Intimidated By Pool Chemistry

Basic pool chemistry is really simple, but you have to stay on top of it so things dont get out of hand. All you really need is a good water testing kit. Before you start throwing chemicals in the pool, test your water so youll know exactly how to adjust the chemicals without wasting time and money. There are 3 main things to test for:

  • pH levels: How basic or acidic your water is on a 0 14 pH scale. Low pH means acidic , while high pH is basic. You should aim to keep your pool water within the neutral zone of 7.4 to 7.6.
  • Alkalinity: a pH buffer that prevents spikes in acidity or basicity. Your ideal range should be 100 150 ppm.
  • Sanitizer: Whether chlorine, bromine, or something else, this is necessary to kill bacteria and other microorganisms. Levels vary depending on what youre using.
  • At least once a week, test your water with a good testing kit. Go slowly, follow all directions to the letter, and carefully adjust chemicals according to results. Once a month, collect a sample and bring it to your pool supply store. There, they should have high tech testing equipment that will give you an even more accurate picture of the chemical composition in your pool.

    Install Plumbing And Shell

    Pool Cleaning Tips, General Pool Maintenance Tips Lincoln ...

    The next job for your contractor and his team is the pools plumbing. Theyll install the necessary drain and circulation pipes for your pool to function effectively. Then the pool shell material is installed. A concrete or gunite pool is the most labor-intensive installation since the material must be poured on site, but it is the most durable. A fiberglass or vinyl liner shell comes already assembled and is just fitted into place, but is more easily damaged.

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    Use A Tennis Ball To Absorb Oils

    Most of the time when people think about tennis balls in a pool, they think about playing catch. However, those toys can do double duty.When swimmers exit the pool, certain oils can get left behind in the water suntan lotion, hair product, the natural oils produced by our skin. While its unpleasant to think about, luckily theres an easy solution.Simply throw a tennis ball into the water. The fibers used to make the tennis ball will help absorb the oils and keep them from leaving a slick sheen on top of the water.

    Add Chlorine To The System

    If you have a chlorinator, a tubelike tank next to the filter, it’s a great way to introduce chlorinein the form of slow-dissolving sticksinto your pool.

    You can also use a floating container, but it can be a danger if small children get their hands on it.

    Read the packaging and calculate the number of sticks needed for the pool based on the water volume. Add more in hot weather, when the heater is on, or when the pool is in more frequent use.

    Finally, check the pool’s water level, refilling if it’s less than half way up the skimmer well mouth.

    Need help with home maintenance? Read our in-depth reviews on home warranty providers.

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    Average Cost To Resurface Pool

    Trying to weigh whether to replaster your pool yourself or hire someone to do the job? Of course, costs vary depending on the part of the country in which you live, the condition of your pool and other regional factors. If you assume your pool is about 120 square feet, you should budget about $200 for supplies and about $500 for six hours of labor. That means that your total cost will be about $700 for 120 square feet.

    Pool Cleaning & Maintenance Services

    How to Maintain and Service A Swimming Pool: A Step By Step Guide

    Investing in an advanced monthly pool service can prolong the life of your pool and save money long-term. Who better to service your pool than the company that devised water testing, analysis and treatment innovation in the 1950s. And were still at the forefront of equipment maintenance and service. Our professional, highly trained staff will consistently deliver excellent service and thorough explanations of any work performed.

    Warranties

    Our technicians are trained, certified, and continuously educated by experts who set the standards for best industry practices, the most advanced technologies, and aquatic warranty specifications.

    Services

    Our company offers a full range of services, for all sizes and types of pools. You can choose from weekly and multi-weekly maintenance plans for all kinds of commercial and residential aquatic structures. During each visit the service technician provides a full chemistry analysis, checks all equipment, and does minor repairs as necessary. For bigger repairs see below.

    Equipment

    As a licensed and certified pool contractor, we repair pool pumps, filter systems, timers, automation, saltwater chlorinators, vacuums, heaters, lights, and all other equipment needed to keep your pool clean, healthy and beautiful. You can rely on our team of certified and trained repair professionals to keep your pool operating properly and efficiently.

    Cleaning

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    What Is Breakpoint Oxidation

    To reach breakpoint oxidation, the chlorine reading must be 10 ppm over your combined chlorine reading.

    Your chlorine has two readings: free chlorine and combined chlorine . Free chlorine refers to the chlorine that is free and available to kill.

    NOTE: Pool shock products are made with unstabilized chlorine or no chlorine at all. They will go in, do their job, and get eaten up by the suns UV rays very fast. Thats why its important to shock your pool at night or dusk, and let it work for 8 hours throughout the night.

    What Is The Growth Potential For A Pool Cleaning Business

    A pool service business may be a single-person operation, or it can be a large company. Many business owners never hire employees and simply clean pools in their area themselves. Others grow their business into regional or national chains. An example of a local business is Belleair Pool Service & Supply. Americas Swimming Pool Co., a national franchise.

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    Create A Maintenance Schedule

    As you learn more about your pool and how to care for it, your to-do list might start to seem a little intimidating. Creating a pool maintenance schedule makes it easy to stay organized and make sure important tasks dont slip through the cracks.

    Not only will you be able to stay on top of basic upkeep, but youll be able to plan ahead for more advanced pool maintenance tasks like closing your pool, caring for it during the off season, or getting your swimming pool ready to roll when pool season returns.

    Schedule A Yearly Service Appointment Whether You Think You Need It Or Not

    Stop Procrastinating and Get Your Pool Repaired the Right ...

    Sometimes you need to trust an expert. Especially when it comes to your pools mechanical equipment pumps, filters, heating systems you may not have the proper knowledge for care. At least once a year, have a pool service professional come out to check your devices.Before your appointment, take a thorough look at your pool as a whole, making sure to use all of your senses. Compile a list of any leaks you see in the piping, holes you notice in the linear, loud sounds coming from the mechanisms, or odd smells coming from the water. Mention them to your serviceperson in oder to give him or her an idea of where to start.In the event that there is noting amiss with your pool, the yearly service appointment may seem like a waste of money and it can be tempting to cancel. But remember: Detecting and fixing a small problem now can save you from having to fix a huge crisis later down the road.

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    Find A Business Mentor

    One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

    Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

    Use A Tennis Ball For Pool Maintenance

    While this particular pool maintenance trick may seem a bit unusual, using a tennis ballin your pool can actually be a great way to help keep it clean.To do this, you’ll simply want to drop a tennis ball into your pool and let it stay for a while. The tennis ball will actually absorb any oils that find their way into the water of your swimming pool.Oils such as suntan lotions, hair products, and natural body oils can often find their way into a pool. This trick will allow the tennis ball to absorb these oils instead and make your pool much cleaner in the process.

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    Make A Skimming And Scrubbing A Part Of Life

    Skimming the leaves and debris off of the surface of the water is a no-brainer, but it bears repeating. For a truly pristine pool, skimming should be done daily.If you have a bit of money to spend, consider buying a robot vacuum that will clean the bottom of the pool for you. This Polaris Pool 360 ranks middle-of-the-road in terms of pricing and consistently receives five-star performance reviewsIn addition to skimming, you need to scrub the sides of the pool to prevent algae build-up. Thankfully, that doesnt need to be done quite as often. You can get away with scrubbing once every other week. Just look for any growths and go at them with a scrub brush to keep your siding looking fresh and clean.For those particularly stubborn spots that wont go away with any amount of elbow grease? Repurpose an old sock. Fill it with chlorine and let it sit on top of the spot for a few hours before scrubbing once more. The chlorine will eat away at the algae and youll finally have a use for those socks without pairs. Its a win-win.

    Keep Your Pump Running

    Can You Service Your Own Pool Table???

    Your pool’s circulation system includes the skimmer, pump, pump strainer, drains and filter. The system helps chemicals work effectively and ensures that water is properly filtered.

    Run your pump long enough each day to make sure the water is properly filtered and each item in the circulation system is clean and in good condition.

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    Things Your Pool Guy Didn’t Tell You

    Most people think pool guys are either like Walter Matthau in The Bad News Bears , a scruffy guy in a beat-up Cadillac convertible, or like Jesse Metcalf in Desperate Housewives young, hot and shirtless.

    But when youre paying a minimum of $10,000 to install a pool, or in the case of an in-ground pool, $70,000 you need more than a guy with a net and a funny punchline or nice abs.

    Most pool guys are like housecleaners. They should be part housecleaner, part mechanic, said Willan Johnson, a former VP of Yahoos publisher network who is now the CEO of pool-management company Vivo Pools .

    Willan and a couple of his buddies saw an opportunity in the pool industry, which he says is still operating like its the 1970s.

    The pool industry is 99 percent one-polers just a guy in a truck, Johnson said. And that guy is probably thinking how fast he can get in and out, not really about the long-term care and maintenance of the pool. In fact, to make money, he’s actually got to get your pool cleaned in 20 minutes or less.

    The initial idea for the company was to launch a marketing platform to help pool guys get business using Google maps to identify pools in the area, Johnson said.

    To his surprise, many replied: We barely use email. Were not that interested in leveraging your platform.

    That’s right, the first thing your pool guy probably didn’t tell you he doesn’t even have an email account!

    2. You could easily clean your own pool in 20 minutes or less

    Skills Experience And Education Useful In Running A Pool Cleaning Business

    Theres no need to have a business degree to start a pool cleaning business, but certain skills and experience are helpful and can increase your chances of starting a successful business.

    Pool cleaning experience. Some experience in cleaning and maintaining pools, even if just done for a summer job, will be helpful when starting a business of your own. Familiarity with the types of equipment and cleaning strategies used is important and will make for a smoother transition into starting and owning a pool cleaning business.

    Attention to detail. When working with chemicals or choosing the right replacement part for a clients pool, attention to detail matters. Clients will quickly learn if a business does a thorough cleaning and maintenance job and if they dont.

    Mechanical experience. Pool cleaners need to maintain more than just the pool theyre often responsible for maintaining the pump, filters, and all of the other components that keep a pool running. Mechanical experience will be useful when it comes to maintaining pumps and ordering and installing new parts.

    Management skills. If a business expands and hires additional employees, management experience in interviewing, hiring, training, and overseeing employees will be important.

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    Check The Water Quality

    The first thing you’ll need to remember when maintaining your pool is to make sure that you’re testing the water qualityoften and adding the right chemicals to the water. You need to keep the chlorine levels consistent at all times.Adding chemicals to your swimming pool is one of the most important things you can do to maintain it. A pool without the right chemical balance can harbor bacteria, look murky, and be dangerous to swim in.Water quality should be checked at least once per week during the summer months, but even more often if possible. The pool should also be checked during the winter months as well, though you’ll have to do it less often. 1-2 weeks is usually often enough during the winter for checking chemical levels.Remember that the pH should always stay between 7.4 and 7.6. An off-balance pH may lead to calcium builduparound the sides of your pool and other problems, so it’s important you’re maintaining it well.

    The Time And Effort Required

    Weekly Cleaning

    Theres an obvious difference in the level of effort required to clean a pool yourself versus picking up the phone and hiring a pool service.

    The first time you clean a pool, you may feel overwhelmed. However, as you gain experience balancing chemicals, replacing filters and finding the most efficient way to clean the surfaces will come naturally.

    Depending on the equipment used, cleaning a pool yourself can take up to one hour and a half and youll need to do this weekly. However, on average most will spend 45 mins a week and a little bit of elbow grease to maintain their pool. This doesnt include replacing equipment or balancing chemicals.

    Take a look at our pool cleaners guide before you purchase your equipment.

    As a pool maintenance service will use professional-grade tools, they can complete the entire job under an hour. Best of all, this can be while youre at work, spending time with your kids or simply relaxing.

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    Step : Define Your Brand

    Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

    If you aren’t feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners, we’ll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.

    Recommended: Get a logo using Truic’s free logo Generator no email or sign up required, or use a Premium Logo Maker.

    If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

    How to promote & market a pool cleaning business

    A pool service business marketing efforts should be specifically focused on pool owners within the business service area. Businesses may reach these potential customers online via targeted ads or through direct mailing.

    Business owners who dont have much money for marketing may even be able to get their first few customers by going door to door and cold calling. While this takes a lot of work at first, any customers gained will be in the same general area — which will reduce how much time is lost driving between customers locations.

    How to keep customers coming back

    Still unsure about what kind of business you want to start? Check out the latest Small Business Trends to help inspire you.

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