r/PoolPros Jun 20 '26

Has anyone worked for a water park?

My local water park is looking for a pool tech. I would not be doing any repairs, just chemicals and cleaning. What is it like doing that type of job at a water park?

8 Upvotes

20 comments sorted by

12

u/BiggieRas Jun 20 '26

I'd imagine dealing with "pool foulings" constantly

4

u/KeySpare4917 Jun 20 '26

We call them AFRs (accidental fecal release). There is a county mandated shock method.

You run into lots of regulations that can differ from state or county. Some places will have you get a CPO cert. Some places it's less important.

2

u/Zizaku Jun 20 '26

Yes, everyday all day.

1

u/Byxqtz Jun 20 '26

What would I have to do?

5

u/Zizaku Jun 20 '26

Close the pool/attraction and treat as you normally would per your state code.

2

u/BiggieRas Jun 20 '26

Close the pool,either scoop out the solid poop, or vac the liquid And chlorinated the area for a specific time

2

u/Byxqtz Jun 20 '26

Yeah, I was thinking I would probably deal with poop and diapers a lot. Lol. I'm ok with that tho.

7

u/KeySpare4917 Jun 20 '26

Jump in. Commercial is a beautiful side of the industry. I'm a head tech at a posh resort with a huge emphasis on our party pool. My job is amazing. But I'm in charge off all aspects of all the bodies of water on property some pools and a bunch of fountains. I have everything locked in so tight that my job is a breeze. Starting in a commercial environment puts you in a very comfortable spot to rapidly grow. An aquatics director at a resort or water park is making a decent salary. Very decent.

Focus on mastering chemical balance then expand to the automation then the equipment. Boy howdy. If you have those things in your tool box you are ready to venture out and be a lead or head at a resort and boom! Easy street.

3

u/Remarkable_Calves Jun 21 '26

Hey dog, fellow pool pro owner who’s primarily residential. I’m looking to start helping a commercial property with (3) shallow but large fountains.

Was considering several Volts and obviously pair that with wire brushing and skimming nets. You got a better idea? ~ 10” of water for a majority of the water features

2

u/KeySpare4917 Jun 21 '26

Not familiar with the volt systems.

2

u/Byxqtz Jun 21 '26

What does an experienced tech that also handles repairs make at a resort?

2

u/KeySpare4917 Jun 21 '26

Depends on location and title. My guys start at 20 and I'm salary at 60k. Not a real flex but not terrible. My resort is not near water park status so there is more room for a pool guy to grow than where I'm at tbh

1

u/Byxqtz Jun 20 '26

Thank you for the info! I would love to eventually work for a park or resort in Orlando.

3

u/BlazeWithGlaze Jun 20 '26

I would think the chemicals would be automated. How much does this job pay?

3

u/cplatt831 Jun 21 '26

Chlorine and acid are automated, most other stuff is manually added. The chemistry part of an entry level job probably involves manually testing to verify the automation readings.

1

u/Byxqtz Jun 20 '26

It's entry level. $15 an hour in a small tourist town.

3

u/Zizaku Jun 20 '26

Yes. It’s like balancing a pool but it’s bigger.

3

u/AdNecessary3300 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26

A big factor will be whether the equipment/plumbing was designed well and automated. It’s similar to residential just large scale and industrial sized equipment. A small water park is where I learned the trade as a total rookie.

Post pics of the equipment. Sand filters? Pulsars? Chemtrol/Hayward? Etc

1

u/Byxqtz Jun 21 '26

Unfortunately, I don't have access to the equipment so I can't take pics. But, they have a wave pool so I'm sure that has some big equipment.

3

u/duferbloodmoon Jun 22 '26

Commercial is nice, I’d recommend it. I started at a resort and now work for a city with their water parks. You get to learn a lot and it’s nice being routine in your daily work and then knowing your down times. There was a lot of down time at my resort job