How To Take Care Of A Pool
SwimmingPoolSteve.com is user-supported. In order to keep this resource about pools and spas available for free to all readers I earn commissions for purchases made through links on this page. For more information see the full disclaimer page. By using this website you are agreeing to the terms and conditions.
Do you want to fire your pool guy and take care of your own swimming pool saving a bunch of money in the process? Well, that may or may not be a realistic goal but the information contained in this article (and video) will definitely help you to determine if this is something you are ready and prepared to do or not. In short, if you are determined you can absolutely learn to take care of your own swimming pool. Having a pool industry professional clean and balance your pool chemistry weekly is a luxury, not a requirement of owning a swimming pool. If you want, or need, to take care of your own pool then I can definitely help you accomplish this.
Before I get too far into this information I do want to address the pool industry professionals reading this who follow my pool blogging...I hope you understand that I am also a pool guy and I am not disparaging anyone here. This information is purely for people who want (or need) to take over the day to day care for their pools. Every person has a right to take care of their own home and own belongings. For some this is a point of pride more than money even. In the process of helping people to understand what they need to know to "fire their pool guy" what often happens is that people become aware of how complex some of this stuff is and decide to retain the pool help. It might appear that I am pushing people away from professional pool help but that is not the case at all. Just catering to those who want to take on the job themselves and helping to increase awareness of the technical complexity of swimming pools in general.
Why firing your pool guy might be a good idea - There is a large portion of the pool maintenance industry where the service providers are doing more harm than good. Loading chlorine pucks into pool skimmers and letting CYA climb to 300 ppm or more...if this is your pool then you have little to lose by firing your pool guy and taking over the job for yourself. They were doing you a disservice, at best. It should come as little surprise to know that a hired service person is unlikely to care for your (expensive) possessions in the same way that you would. Also, balancing pool chemistry once per week, or once every two weeks has never been a good idea. Pools need more chemical maintenance than that however in order to operate a viable pool maintenance company you are forced to care for pools in as short of a time as possible, with as few visits as possible. So it was never ideal for your pool, and the fact that you are available more than once per week to check and balance your pool chemistry is definitively a benefit to taking care of your own pool versus hiring someone to do it for you.
Why firing your pool guy might NOT be a good idea - There is a good chance there is more technical complexity to swimming pool care than you are expecting. Further, each person will have a different ability to pick up things like the chemistry interactions. It will be harder for some than others, and then add to this that some pools will be harder than others. There are a lot of moving parts here to consider, and the consequences for making a big mistake with your pool care can unfortunately be very expensive. You can ruin a pool liner with bad chemistry. You can ruin a pool heater with bad chemistry. You can cause permanent staining or etching to surfaces...the stakes are high so you need to be reasonably confident you are ready to take on the learning you need to do. It is not an impossible task, but an important one that you should not underestimate. It would also be worth mentioning that the actual dollars you will save might be less than you are hoping for. The costs of pool chemicals like chlorine have gone up drastically in price in recent years. You might find that even though your pool maintenance person has increased your rates recently they probably do not actually cover the amount of price increases they have experienced from suppliers, and likely that service person makes less on your pool this month than they did three or five years ago. Margins are getting tighter and the rewards for taking on this additional responsibility for your pool are smaller than they used to be. Finally, if you fail to notice something wrong with your pool that a more experienced tech might have noticed this can cause more problems / expensive repairs and this would be an advantage for having a pool person regularly working on and interacting with your pool. Ultimately each pool owner will have a unique situation but if you want to learn how to take care of your own pool this is definitely possible with some commitment from your end.
Resource links for pool owners:
Basic pool care outline for beginners
5 Good habits for pool owners to adopt
15 videos of basic questions new pool owners have
Fast start guide for new pool owners
Pool chemistry crash course
Salt water pool maintenance
Instructions for green to clean pool water
Not an inclusive list, these articles cover some of the more common initial questions that pool owners will have when starting to explore caring for their own pools. You can also search through my pool blog page which lists hundreds of pool and spa help articles that I have written. If there is a subject you are looking for more information about it is likely searching on this page will produce some results. Failing this you can also search the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel which has over 1000 videos answering common questions about swimming pools.
When you think you are ready to actually fire your pool guy and take over the day to day maintenance and operation of your pool then be sure to sit down with a coffee and watch this long form (over 1 hour long) video where I discuss taking over your own swimming pool maintenance with an exhaustive step by step approach. Still not enough to be a stand alone resource, I think you will find this video to be the single most important tool in helping you to understand what is involved with caring for your own pool. Certainly by the end of this video you will be much better prepared and more informed to make a decision about whether you are ready to fire your pool guy or not.
Top content from www.SwimmingPoolSteve.com
Pool and spa chemistry crash course
New pool owner guide
The Swimming Pool Steve blog
Have a question - ask Steve
Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool specialist from Ontario Canada and one of the most trusted voices in the swimming pool industry. With over 20,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the Pleatco Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print. Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Paid PDF Books From Swimming Pool Steve
Steve's Pool Survival Guide
The Swimming Pool Steve Pool Survival Guide is intended to help pool owners understand their pool and pool equipment better, understand water chemistry, water testing and chemical corrections to the water, troubleshoot the most common pool problems and have confidence in interacting and caring for their pool in the fastest possible frame of time. Also covers pool safety, things to avoid and how to operate your pool more efficiently.
New Pool Installation Value Guide
This is a value shopping guide written by Swimming Pool Steve to help home owners hiring for a new pool installation to get the maximum value for their investment with tips about how to protect your interests during the vetting, hiring and pool installation process. Anyone serious about having a pool installed will find value in this guide. Pool installers will sell the pool package that is best for them - not for you! Become an informed value shopper with this PDF guide.
Endorsed Brands From Swimming Pool Steve
The following links and products are to affiliates of the Swimming Pool Steve website. These are brands, products and services hand selected by Steve for endorsement. Please note that these endorsements can include monetary compensation, affiliate links and referral fees to Swimming Pool Steve, however there is zero additional cost to you should you use one of these products or services. Income generated from these links helps to keep this pool and spa resource available for everyone. To have your product or service considered for listing here as an endorsed brand email SwimmingPoolSteve@gmail.com.
Amazon Disclosure Statement - As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
www.PoolPartsToGo.com
New Black + Decker variable speed pumps are available online from www.PoolPartsToGo.com and they are a drop in replacement for many popular pump models including Pentair Superflo and Hayward Super Pumps. With an adjustable platform base, union connections included and a very strong warranty these pumps offer an impressive value to pool owners.
- Swimming Pool Steve