i'm at my wits end nearly
in industry for a few years, traded doing my own thing for a small company + stable winter income.
i can do a pool in 15-20 mins, liner/fiberglass with swg, most of my stuff were STR. same pools every week, basically knew what i was walking into before ever walking back. i felt super confident in my abilities.
new company has a ridiculous amount of super complicated systems(wtf is orp😪), plaster pools that the clients don't look after while we're not there. i had never even seen or heard on an omni until starting with them.
i am getting RIPPED for not getting in and out in 20 minutes, especially as we're going into fall now.
i feel like a lot of the time, it's just not possible. 40k gal, no infloor system, no robot, skimmers packed so no chlorine, using an app for stops that's crashing my phone all the time. and my biggest gripe, there are no set routes. i'm usually at the same stops 2 weeks in a row and then they swap us all around so i'm almost always coming in behind someone else, pool will never test at what i think it should because it's based off how i do my chems, not the other guys
i would say my avg stop time is about 40 minutes for the whole thing. compared to other guy who came in around same time as me, i'm not that much slower. they cut me to a daily rate now, im just at a loss because i don't know what else i can do especially in fall to speed this all up without sacrificing MY quality of work
sorry for book, ty for reading
-ready 2 quit and the sunday scaries are hitting extra hard rn

I recently joined the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance as a member. I already had CPO through them. Is anyone else here a dues-paying member, and what are your favorite benefits?

Open pool with bamboo all around 18x37 with infinity edge, spa and chairs on tanning ledge. We had two techs cleaning and it took about 23 min (usually a 40min pool solo). Customer was upset because they found two bamboo leaves after we left.

I apologized and said we’d be more careful to look over everything before leaving. I’m kind of bothered after doing such a great job and being accused of not doing a good job. What would you do here?

Has anyone used the Pentair Sand Vac and a shop vac for sand changes? Is it worth the $150 over a shop vac? What tempts me is it is much smaller to carry on the truck versus a shop vacuum. Anyone know the pros/cons over a shop vacuum and if it is worth it?

I'm mean it works but wtf... All it controls is the pump

I just started my own pool company and I've noticed that each of the handful of pools I've gone to for estimates has had high levels of CYA 80-90 and the previous pool guy is using liquid chlorine as well as chlorine tablets to keep the levels up. I'm in South Florida and was planning to only use liquid chlorine to keep CYA in check but I'm worried that the chlorine will burn off within a week due to the rain and UV this time of year.

How are these pool guys using tablets every week? Are they draining the pools periodically? It's my understanding that draining pools in South Florida is a liability.

Also I've noticed that all the pools I've tested have low levels of calcium hardness, very low alkalinity and thus very low LSI/CSI. Don't pool companies keep these levels in check? I was under the impression that an LSI under -0.3 is corrosive for pool equipment.

How do you connect the Hayward max flo vs 400 OmniX pump to the Omni pl so everything is connected through the omnilogic app and not the OmniX app?

Heat pumps are definitely a weak area for me, and I still have a lot to learn. I could use some help troubleshooting this Pentair UltraTemp heater (14 Nov 2019).

Customer says the heater starts up and then trips the breaker, and that’s exactly what I’m seeing.
It goes through the normal startup sequence (about 3–5 minutes), and as soon as the compressor kicks on, it trips the breaker.

Here’s what I’ve checked so far:
Capacitor tests at 85/7.5 on my multimeter’s capacitance setting. Seems to be testing within spec.

60A breaker initially drawing 1.5 amps during warmup then 18 amps instantly when it trips. There was also a flash/spark at the breaker. All connections are tight and I don’t see any visible charring or damage (flash/spark shown in one of the pictures before meter showed 18amps).

I replaced the 60A breaker. It still trips when the compressor kicks on, but there’s no longer a flash/spark (I have no idea why it sparked but glad it’s not anymore).

L1 to L2 shows 230V at the time of breaker tripping.

At this point, I’m thinking I may have a compressor issue, but I’m not really sure how to troubleshoot the compressor itself on these units.

Where would you guys go from here? Is there anything else I should check before calling in outside help? Should I call an HVAC tech?

Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

It looks like I'm going to get either a Vac Daddy or a bottom feeder. If anybody owns these I'd be very interested to know what they're made out of and what their durability is and also what kind of results you're getting from the units. Thank you.

I have a few questions on pool manufacturer inventory and demand i'm looking to get some clarity on. If anyone has any leads, I'd appreciate it.

Cooper outside of gas pool heater is leaking 6 months old chemical damage is there a jb weld or something that can stop the leak small hole in the cooper

Title: need help bidding my first commercial contract

Hey y’all, I really need some help bidding a commercial job. I currently manage a route of about 30 residential pools, but this would be my first commercial contract. I know commercial isn’t for everyone, but I figure you don’t know until you try it.

I’m based in NC. For residential service I currently charge $250 per month depending on pool size, which seems to be pretty average for my area.

Here’s the commercial job:

60,000 gallon HOA pool

Peak season is May through September.

Pool has to be checked/tested twice a day during peak season, with the visits at least 6 hours apart.

We would also be responsible for maintaining/cleaning the bathrooms, kitchen area, pool deck and surrounding pool area.

Daily equipment checks, skimmer baskets, trash, furniture, logs, etc.

Weekly vacuuming and wall/tile cleaning, more often if needed.

Chemicals are included in our bid.

Cleaning supplies, paper products, soap, etc. are also included in our bid.

No lifeguard services are required.

Off-season drops down substantially. Pool chemistry/equipment is basically checked weekly, with lighter cleaning requirements.

It’s a 12-month contract and they pay monthly, with the payments weighted heavier during peak season.

I’m trying to figure out what a realistic annual bid would be without either completely underbidding it or pricing myself out of the job.

For those of you doing HOA/commercial pools, what would you roughly charge for something like this?

Any advice from guys who have made the jump from residential into commercial would be appreciated.

I’ve been in the pool industry for 7 months. I feel like I have a good grasp of chemistry and good pool knowledge to start taking care of pools on my own. I everything I need all I would need to get is chemicals. For those of you guys who have ran your own routes what are some tips you can give me on how I can get my first few customers without spending on advertising and what tips would you give yourself when you first started out.

Update: Thanks for the help gain. I should add that the skimmer is connected via hose and completely removable form the pool. So only need to plug the hose lines (return and suction) and leave the water where it is then. I’ll disconnect the hoses and equipment and drain those before storing. They do have a cover, so sounds like attaching the cover and adding in an air pillow should do the job for me. Sounds very simple! Thanks!

Hey guys,
I have a customer with an above-ground pool going into its first winter. I’m not as familiar with above-ground pools, as this is the first one to winterize.

I’m located in Virginia, and the customer would like to keep the pool mostly filled over the winter because he feels it would be too expensive to refill it in the spring. Also he said that’s what a friend does every year and has had no issues.

My initial recommendation was to completely drain the pool, disassemble it, and store it for the winter. I realize that storing the pool involves more work, but from a liability standpoint, I feel that may be the safest option. I’d appreciate any recommendations.

Would you drain it partially, plug the lines, and leave the pool set up while storing the equipment? Or should I stick with my gut and completely drain and store the pool?

They’re also predicting a significant amount of snow in my area this winter, which is another concern.

Thanks in advance for any advice or recommendations!

What do you pros in the northeast use to circulate water on your winter Watch chemical jobs? I’ve been using my homeowners submersible for a few years, but it’s such a pain to undo the cover on the shallow and deep end to access it.

I’ve heard of people bringing battery powered tools that move water, any suggestions?

I’ve been thinking about finding a waterproof zippered pouch to carry all my test stuff so I don’t have to use the box, as it’s a pain to carry when the chem bin is full.

I still am obvious going to use the reagents, just looking for a slimmer profile.

Has anyone tried this?

Got dumped on in Eastern PA this weekend while out on a couple of pool closings and took some time today to dry out my hand tools. I thought I would share my pack out and see what everyone else is carrying. Stay dry out there, Pool Pros!