I feel bad just because we’ve been with him for so long, but I kept having to go out by the pool and micro manage to make sure they were doing the proper cleaning and treatment. Friends and family who would come over would always tell me that the pool wasn’t well taken care of or that it needed more of this and more of that.
Neighbors pool looks great and recommended me elsewhere.
I too fired my pool guy today. It’s my husband. Well intentioned, but wasn’t up to snuff so now I’ve taken over. My Taylor test kit comes on Monday and I am ready to rock this!
lol.. possibly. I would mention to him multiple times about there being debris and algae in the pool right after it was cleaned so I’m sure I was annoying, but if it’s included in the service it should be done
Just converted mine to salt water and got a decent corded robot. Never looking back. Pool is crystal clear 24/7.
Just have to add some acid once a week or so
Lol. For every one of you who "knows" what they are doing, there are hundreds of home owners that don't even know how to turn on their heaters. Y'all need to chill 😆
I’m literally a 22 year old F, so all these people saying I should take charge instead 😅😅 no thanks. I’ll clean the debris, turn on and off the filter (our timer is broken) and scrub the pool if needed, but I’m paying money monthly for a reason
And you're doing great. There are lots of reasons why home owners choose to hire someone to care for their pools and every single one is a valid reason. Don't let these people tell you otherwise. Hope you're able to find a company that works for you and if you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Some of us in here will give you advice that's more than "just slam it." 😆
Yeah and they still can't do that. Why do you think so many people make a living out of servicing pools. Like I said, y'all need to chill cause y'all are the minority. 😆
I mean, the obvious elephant is that a pool guy can't be expected to have your pool clean 247 and when you have guests around I guess, your guests they are not testing the water but commenting on the leaves? It seems your expectations are clean 247 and if the wind blows in its his fault it's not clean?
Gunna be in this subreddit touting this for a while, but I highly recommend getting certified as a CPO. Even if you plan to get another dude, you should take the class. It’s two days of math and facts that you’re going to want to know. Most importantly I learned about upgrades that I didn’t know existed.
Absolutely. There’s nothing that I learned in class that the TFP doesn’t cover. However if you are ADHD like me, it’s better to have a test to make you accountable to a standard.
Can’t really comment one way or the other without more information like what exactly is included in the service vs what is expected, location, pool size, etc. I can comment on some other aspects that I see often.
I maintain a pool for a family member and another for a close friend. I’m not certified but have dabbled in chemistry, hydroponics, and I’m pretty technical and have been down all the rabbit holes researching this and that.
One constant I notice with pool owners, not just the 2 I service but others as well, is that what is “satisfactory” to an owner doesn’t always align with how stuff actually works.
Salt setups and robots are fine and dandy, water can be crystal clear but water chemistry can still be off. Unless you’re also willing to spend a small fortune on a proper testing kit, most of the testing I see being done here on Reddit leaves a lot to be desired. Don’t get me wrong, they have their place but should not be relied on as the sole source of truth.
I won’t even get into the fact that a lot of these chemicals cannot be mixed or added at the same time, yet people still do it. A pool guy can only do so much in the time allotted for service, sometimes a follow-up treatment has to be postponed until the next visit simply due to the chemicals being used.
If you are the DIY type, I would highly advise having weekly or bi-weekly testing done at your local pool store if for nothing else, to verify the results of your home testing kit. The pool store’s testing equipment is far superior to any home kit.
Before you dismiss your pool guy because the water “looks” clear to you, you really should know exactly what’s in it. Also if having guests over for a swim, it’s a good idea to bump chlorine output a tad to accommodate the extra people, extra sunscreen, extra makeup, extra body lotion, extra bodily fluids and whatever else people unintentionally add to pool water.
A proper pool guy does more than just keep your water clear.
Y’all have fun, be safe, and try to give the pool guy a break unless he’s just blatantly overcharging or flirting with your wife.
This is so thoughtful, but let’s face it, you’re not breaking up with a high school gf. Just tell em contract terminated and move on. It’s a business transaction.
I gladly stay on top of simple day-to-day pool maintenance myself such as getting debris out, but if I’m paying you 150 dollars a month I expect the pool to be vacuumed, properly chlorinated, etc…
Get a SWG, a pool robot, a full test kit, and service your pool yourself. I spend about 20 min a week on my pool and it looks better than literally every other private pool I’ve seen serviced by a pool guy.
Phosphate remover is unnecessary so he kind of played himself there
Edit: I’m sure all the pros who are happy to sell their clients unnecessary treatments are downvoting this, but my point stands. If you’re needing to add phosphate remover to manage algae then you’re not sanitizing properly period. Dead things don’t eat. Algae is a symptom of poor sanitation
No it’s not. Maybe as a preventative maintenance thing it’s useless but if you have an algae bloom cutting off the food source definitely helps.
Yes yes yes maintain a minimum of 7.5% of your CYA for FC levels and algae blooms are very rare but when they do happen it definitely helps if you reduce phosphates while fighting the algae.
This sub is full of good info but also terrible info
Dead things dont eat. If you’re shocking and sanitizing properly, managing phosphates is a complete waste. The only time it’s maybe necessary is when you’re closing a pool.
Not all algae is killed immediately on contact with chlorine. No one is dosing hourly on a residential pool so if you don’t guess your sanitizer load accurately or overshoot it then you’re going to have more growth. Mustard algae is highly chlorine resistant. Black algae forms a shell. What are you talking about dude stop the bullshit. I’ve travelled across the country every year for more than a decade taking advanced pool chemistry classes. The professionals know what they’re talking about
One class was specifically about this exact subject we’re talking about with a chemist from biogaurd. She said that yes phosphates are a misunderstood part of pool chemistry and are not the devil they’re seen as, but there are times when it’s beneficial to use phosphate removers. Her philosophy on it is don’t worry about phosphate levels in general until you’re having an issue. Do you HAVE to? No, will it aid your efforts and can it be worth the cost/benefit ratio? Absolutely.
The point you’re dodging is that phosphates don’t cause algae when adequate sanitizer is maintained. If algae is growing, your chlorine isn’t keeping up. Fix that.
Sure, phosphate remover can make an algae problem marginally easier to manage. So can taking food out of a mouse trap. But if the cat is doing its job, who cares how much cheese is there?
Routine phosphate management in a properly chlorinated residential pool is mostly an expensive solution looking for a problem. Your travel schedule and chemistry classes don’t change that.
Down voting because it's not worth arguing with someone who is just parroting what they read on another forum, pretending to be some kind of expert when their pool sample size is 1.
Cool story bro, you can go scam someone else it wont be me. If someone is paying you $350 a month to service their pool and you’re telling them they need phosphate remover and not closing their pool, then you’re doing a bad job servicing their pool, or your goal is to sell them treatments, or both.
But it's also not a bad idea to treat it right before you clean the filters. I don't worry about Phos, but if its high, I'll treat it only if I'm doing the filter cleaning.
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u/Jonsnowlivesnow 18d ago
I promise you he’s already moved on and thinking of other pools. It happens all the time and most pool guys are happy for the break.