TFPC pool care service?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
ComputerGuyInNOLA said:
I have thought of this often. Why not get seven refillable jugs for each customer and prefill them with the amount of bleach needed for each day between visits. All the customer has to do is pour in a premeasured dose of chlorine each day. Make it idiot proof for the customer. Test once a week during the visit and adjust the other chems while you are there.
Click to expand...

People who hire a pool service want to do nothing but swim when they want. They don't want chemicals stored there and they don't want to remember to put something in the pool daily. About the only way to make this work is to only service pools with either SWG or a liquid chlorine injection system.
 
Time to stock up on Liquidators or make your own and include the installation of them as part of the business. Liquidators are quick and simple to install and are entirely passive. I've had mine up and running for only 32 days now but so far, I love it. I'm curious if I'll get any calcium build-up and I'm curious about any salt build-up as well.
 
I think testing and re-balancing twice a week may be feasible. I know i have personally gotten lazy with my own testing rituals(my SWG hasn't worked since i set up my pool) and I still maintain perfect pool conditions. this last week i checked it maybe three times and only had to add minimum amounts of acid and chlorine. The initial balance and getting it to crystal clear conditions would have to be daily attention, but my thoughts are that warrants a higher initial set-up fee then after pristine conditions have been achieved switch to twice a week visits. I would also figure for an extra charge for pre party visits to raise FC levels to combat the extra bio load in the pool
 
I will probably experiment with this in my own pool for the rest of this season and see if i can find a bare minimum to maintain current conditions without going way overkill on the amount of chemicals added each "visit" and still maintain pristine conditions and algae not trying to grow.
 
I really wish there was a more common way to get the education of what your system is and how it works. I've been carefully mooching information off our pool guy, as he literally refused to teach us. He was afraid, I think, that we'd not hire him. There's a bizarre collection of plumbing and valves in the pool shed that I still don't know what everything does. I know some of it, and I know what all the big parts are... but not how to, say, drain the pool.

The education part is really hard to get, as the system in my shed looks nothing like the pictures I've seen of others. Or sort of like it, but with a tangle of PVC plumbing.

I sort of do wish for a more basic primer on the chemistry; exactly what to test and when. I think the raw data is here, but I haven't found the basic guide yet, and I've read the entire Pool School section.
 
Lou Erickson said:
I really wish there was a more common way to get the education of what your system is and how it works. I've been carefully mooching information off our pool guy, as he literally refused to teach us. He was afraid, I think, that we'd not hire him. There's a bizarre collection of plumbing and valves in the pool shed that I still don't know what everything does. I know some of it, and I know what all the big parts are... but not how to, say, drain the pool.

The education part is really hard to get, as the system in my shed looks nothing like the pictures I've seen of others. Or sort of like it, but with a tangle of PVC plumbing.

I sort of do wish for a more basic primer on the chemistry; exactly what to test and when. I think the raw data is here, but I haven't found the basic guide yet, and I've read the entire Pool School section.
Click to expand...
. Take a bunch of pictures and post them. Members here will help you sort out what all those valves are for. As for learning the chemistry part, you need to get a good test kit. There are only two and the TF-100 is the best of those two. Then you need to start by doing your own testing and post your results here. We will help you solve any problems. Once you actually start to use the info in Pool School it will all fit together. If you do order a TF-100, spend your time while waiting for it reading, re reading and studying Pool School. It will all slowly begin to make sense. And there are always people here ready to answer any questions.

BTW: Start your own thread, avoid thread jacking.
 
Lou Erickson said:
I really wish there was a more common way to get the education of what your system is and how it works. I've been carefully mooching information off our pool guy, as he literally refused to teach us. He was afraid, I think, that we'd not hire him. There's a bizarre collection of plumbing and valves in the pool shed that I still don't know what everything does. I know some of it, and I know what all the big parts are... but not how to, say, drain the pool.

The education part is really hard to get, as the system in my shed looks nothing like the pictures I've seen of others. Or sort of like it, but with a tangle of PVC plumbing.

I sort of do wish for a more basic primer on the chemistry; exactly what to test and when. I think the raw data is here, but I haven't found the basic guide yet, and I've read the entire Pool School section.
Click to expand...

PM me and I'll help educate you. :)
 
I think people would pay for the "hands-on" education to get started. It somewhat feels like you're trying to get a drink of water from a fire hydrant when you're first learning your way around.

Charge ($50?) for the initial consult. You go to the pool and have a look, use your own kit to test. Tell them you specialize in providing the education of the TFP method and hand-holding while they learn it, but if they want to merely receive daily instructions on what to do for the remainder of their pool days, you're fine with that too.

You can have each client purchase their own kit, instructing them to the TFP site, along with specific directions to buy X gallons of X bleach from a specific store, and whatever else they'll likely have immediate need for according to the condition of their pool. Also check out their tools and specifically tell them to buy X from X store.

If they don't want to mess with the gathering of all the items, you can provide that service for them also for a charge of ($50?) plus the cost of the supplies.

Once they (or you) gather all their loot, they make an appointment for you to come and show them what and how to test.

Daily, (for a charge of $7/day?) they email you the test results, pics of the water, and a description of the water. You respond via email and tell them specifically what to add and do.

After a week or two of this (whatever they are comfortable with), you start with the true educational part - telling them WHY they're adding this or that, etc. You do everything just as specific as before, but you also provide them with the specific text from TFP that's relevant, along with a link so that if they are so inclined, they can read it from the horse's mouth.

They may do this for the rest of their lives. That's fine with you! But if they "get it" prior to having paid you ($500?) and no longer need you, they pay the balance of the $500. And they're always welcome to email you in the future for advice at a rate of ($10 per day?) if something goes haywire.

You could also offer additional in-person visits just in case something goes amiss and you need to see things in-person. ($25 or $50?, maybe depending on where they are in the contract or depending upon circumstances).

As for how they would pay you, it would be via check in the mail once per week, weekly via PayPal (adding in cost for what PayPal will charge you) or via a direct transfer from their bank to your account (some banks even do transfers via cell phone numbers).

Easy peezy!
(And for this business plan, I'll only charge you a visit to my pool to teach my pool guy the TFP way. Lol!)
 
Household6 said:
I think people would pay for the "hands-on" education to get started. It somewhat feels like you're trying to get a drink of water from a fire hydrant when you're first learning your way around.

Charge ($50?) for the initial consult. You go to the pool and have a look, use your own kit to test. Tell them you specialize in providing the education of the TFP method and hand-holding while they learn it, but if they want to merely receive daily instructions on what to do for the remainder of their pool days, you're fine with that too.

You can have each client purchase their own kit, instructing them to the TFP site, along with specific directions to buy X gallons of X bleach from a specific store, and whatever else they'll likely have immediate need for according to the condition of their pool. Also check out their tools and specifically tell them to buy X from X store.

If they don't want to mess with the gathering of all the items, you can provide that service for them also for a charge of ($50?) plus the cost of the supplies.

Once they (or you) gather all their loot, they make an appointment for you to come and show them what and how to test.

Daily, (for a charge of $7/day?) they email you the test results, pics of the water, and a description of the water. You respond via email and tell them specifically what to add and do.

After a week or two of this (whatever they are comfortable with), you start with the true educational part - telling them WHY they're adding this or that, etc. You do everything just as specific as before, but you also provide them with the specific text from TFP that's relevant, along with a link so that if they are so inclined, they can read it from the horse's mouth.

They may do this for the rest of their lives. That's fine with you! But if they "get it" prior to having paid you ($500?) and no longer need you, they pay the balance of the $500. And they're always welcome to email you in the future for advice at a rate of ($10 per day?) if something goes haywire.

You could also offer additional in-person visits just in case something goes amiss and you need to see things in-person. ($25 or $50?, maybe depending on where they are in the contract or depending upon circumstances).

As for how they would pay you, it would be via check in the mail once per week, weekly via PayPal (adding in cost for what PayPal will charge you) or via a direct transfer from their bank to your account (some banks even do transfers via cell phone numbers).

Easy peezy!
(And for this business plan, I'll only charge you a visit to my pool to teach my pool guy the TFP way. Lol!)
Click to expand...

Almost everything you are offering (except the in person visits) is available right here on this web site and forum FOR FREE!
And we still can't get most people to learn it.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
True. There is a school of thought that says that people attach value to things that cost more. A diamond has no useful function yet it costs more than the lump of coal it came from. The lump of coal is useful, it can keep you warm, it can cook your food, it can even filter your water. But it is considered less valuable because it costs less.
 
Household6 said:
Can't say that I disagree with you.
But it's the whole "drink of water from a fire hydrant" issue.
Click to expand...
Speaking as someone who was a Fire Fighter for 40 years:

The pressure isn't any greater in a fire hydrant than in your faucet. There is just a greater volume available.

Likewise you can take your time and digest the information in larger or smaller bites. No pressure to keep up, just learn what you need. Lots of people here willing to help you along the way.

Just because a huge volume of information is available here, doesn't mean you have to learn it all in a week.
 
While it seems like a great idea, and a job I'd love!, in my area, it would not be profitable. A. Most everyone who has a pool, has a smaller AGP. B. There aren't that many pools of any kind around. C. Our swim season is from June-early Sept.

So instead, I'll just give out unsolicited advice to my friends, ha ha.
 
PAGirl said:
While it seems like a great idea, and a job I'd love!, in my area, it would not be profitable. A. Most everyone who has a pool, has a smaller AGP. B. There aren't that many pools of any kind around. C. Our swim season is from June-early Sept.

So instead, I'll just give out unsolicited advice to my friends, ha ha.
Click to expand...

This is me too. I have thought of just putting an ad in the paper/facebook during the summer and earning a little (probably very little) on the side doing some consulting or crisis management for local pools. It's a short season and the monetization model of TFP just isn't good. If you do your job, you'll have zero repeat customers. Haha!
 
Yeah I'm not sure there is really any profitability in it here in my area if my experimentation with my pool proves it feasible. Once pool tests are complete and method is proven then I just have to do market research via facebook over the winter and go from there.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply