r/PoolPros

What’s up pros, just started building out my pack out collection. I run my solo pole operation out of my hatchback, and need everything to be as organized as possible. I have a large divider pack out box with all of my misc parts, electrical.

I usually stash all my cleaning supplies - net, brush, vac head and hose in one of those plastic 27 gallon totes.

I guess I’m asking if any of the specific pack out kits fit something uniquely well! I was looking at the larger boxes too

Hey Y’all, I’m going to try to keep this as short as possible but I’m looking for advice specifically from those who run their own business. I was a Pool Tech for my friend’s Dad’s company and loved the job. Got really good at it and built lasting relationships with majority of my accounts. Some would even tell me that if I started my own business, I would be successful. I never got to learn the repairs side of the industry nor the installation. I just knew how to get pools dialed in chemically and presentation. I only left the company due to the fact that for half of my tenure there was under the table in terms of payment and no way of advancing within the company. My boss did talk about selling me the route but ultimately I went elsewhere. After being in almost all industries at the age of 22, I have decided the only thing that is going to allow me to be fulfilled in life is owning a business and a Pool Business seems to light my bulb. I always tell people I’d still be there if benefits were available and if there were ways to advance. To cut to it, Should I leave my job in management and get back into the industry as a Pool Tech for another company so I can relearn and learn the stuff I didn’t get to learn? Should I buy a route and expand and learn as I go? The advice would really help, I appreciate if you made it all the way!

We have been taking care of this commercial property for the past year.

Approximately 45,000 gallons
Mec-o-matic system
3” plumbing
2vsp’s with 2 sand filters plumbed individually to each pump meeting at the return line.
3” return line

I have checked the pressure in the return line, which is less than .5psi
Both of the sand filters when clean are in between 7-10psi
200GPM

The issue we’re having is the mec-o-matic ceramic ball spring loaded with a Viton gasket keeps on having scale buildup.
I tried Stenner duck mouth injector and same issue.
Also: every time with a new check valve brand new I can’t blow into it with my mouth either way but after the system is started up I can blow into it both ways freely with little force.

Sometimes an issue: check valve fails (most likely because of scale buildup) and lets water into the 15 gallon liquid chlorine jug and causes it to over flow. ~I’ve turned down the rpm’s to temporarily fix this issue~

We are using 12.5% sodium hypochlorite
Chemistry: 95 alkalinity - 7.6 pH - 230 calcium - 50 cya

Backstory: previous management of the property before we took over somehow combined calhypo and acid. Upon us taking over calcium levels were 450’s. Since then we have partial drain and refill until we got the chemistry we needed.

Manufacturers have been no help with this issue and I do not know who to call anymore since I have exhausted my resources. I cannot necessarily blame them because it seems like more of a chemistry issue. I really hope somebody can help me on here we’ve replaced 6-7 of the injectors and same issue, not a manufacturing issue.

Stuff I haven’t tried that I can think of: flushing the system of calcium scale inside plumbing (if there is any, we don’t get any shooting out of return jets or calcium precipitate)
Turning up pumps % and trying a new check valve

I have a hammerhead, and I wrap my chord with love, but I think it has gone bad after 3 years.

I know it might seem like a stupid question but does anyone have tips or tricks or a little secrets for staying cool while working outside? My boyfriend is a pool tech and he has to work in boots and jeans because all the chemicals, but I feel like there has to be a better option or at least a lighter one! Any tips welcome for beating the heat and humidity

Trying to understand something and figured I'd ask people who actually do this instead of guessing from blog stats.

1. Paper/spreadsheet or software (Skimmer, PoolBrain, POM, etc.)? If paper — what's kept you off software? Price, setup hassle, tried one and hated it, never got around to it?
2. If you're on software — what still eats time at each stop? Typing readings with wet hands, dead zones, remembering pool volume/dose history, something else?

— just trying to understand the real day-to-day workflow.

I’m considering buying an existing pool route/business in Houston or Dallas.
My plan is to learn the operation well, but my main role would be focused on growing the company. I’m looking for a business that already has employees/technicians, and over time I’d like to reinvest profits into acquiring more customers and potentially buying additional routes and adding them to the company.
I have a few questions, especially for people who have tried to scale this type of business:
-How difficult is it to consistently acquire new pool service customers?
-How difficult is it to find and retain good technicians who can perform the work correctly without the owner constantly supervising them?
-Do you feel pool service is mainly a business where the owner eventually has to run his own route, or can it realistically be built into a larger company with multiple technicians and systems?
-For those who have used marketing, Google, social media, referrals, etc., have you been able to acquire customers profitably and somewhat predictably?
-What is usually the hardest part of scaling: acquiring customers, finding employees, maintaining quality, controlling chemical costs, route management, or something else?
-If you were buying another pool service business today, what would you inspect very carefully before buying?
-Is there a certain size where the business suddenly becomes much harder to manage?
My goal is not to be completely absent from the business. I want to understand the operation and be involved in the important decisions, but I want to build a system where growth does not depend on me personally cleaning pools every day.
Any good or bad experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Trying to understand something and figured I'd ask people who actually do this instead of guessing from blog stats.

1. Paper/spreadsheet or software (Skimmer, PoolBrain, POM, etc.)? If paper — what's kept you off software? Price, setup hassle, tried one and hated it, never got around to it?
2. If you're on software — what still eats time at each stop? Typing readings with wet hands, dead zones, remembering pool volume/dose history, something else?

— just trying to understand the real day-to-day workflow.

Hey all,

I don't have a pool service company, but I do have an Aquarium service company and the overlap with recurring service visits is very similar. I have looked into the big software like housecall and jobber and didn't really like the way they dealt with recurring visits and they seemed more geared towards HVAC or plumbing where you go to a house maybe twice per year if you're lucky.

So I looked at a company called Skimmer and it looks close to what I would want since it's geared towards pool pros and recurring visits. Does anyone here use this? Do you like it? Anything I should look out for?

Mods I guess delete this if it's too off topic.

Looking for alternatives to the shitty Poolife feeders. I found the CCH tabs to be a significantly better product than the NST tabs however I can only find the commercial feeder for
CCH. Has anyone installed one before and is it practical to try and fit it into a residential set up?

Still have a few clients that have the older offline original system they came out with under the optimight tabs and they’re starting to get frustratingly annoying to keep running even with proper chems/keeping LSI slightly lower as per the poolife rep.

How are you guys feeling about these boosters? Ive been running into a lot of issues with them lately. I've installed a decent amount of them over the last 5 years and I'm noticing a good percentage of them are having problems within a handful of years. Part of my brain chalks it up to "they don't make things like they used to" because I have some boosters on my route that are old tanks humming along after 15 years. But I'm starting to wonder if anyone else has been unhappy with this pump in particular?

For those who have purchased an existing pool service route/business, what was your experience with customer retention after the takeover?
Did most customers stay without any issues, or did you lose a noticeable number simply because there was a new owner?
Also, how important is it to customers to keep the same pool technician? If you change the technician but the service quality remains good, do customers usually stay, or are many loyal to the specific person servicing their pool?
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have actually gone through an acquisition.

PM me as I am expanding my business and need reliable and knowledgeable folks. Thank you for reading.

Hello all!

I am looking into starting my own pool service company. The only experience I have is with my own pool (Above ground 😔). I’ve been toying with the idea about starting a business for a while now. I have been doing my own research and learning about pool care as often as I can. Background on myself, I’m a heavy equipment technician and I have been for 13 years. Has anyone ever dove into this industry with no experience? Any advice or pros and cons? Obviously I would be building the business part time until it replaces my current income.
TIA. 🙏