How much "value" should I get out of my pool cleaning person?

[PoolNovce]

Just exactly what value should a pool cleaner bring?

IMO they (or at least mine) is overpaid for what they do. About 10 minutes of getting a few leaves, dumping some chemicals in, checking water levels and then they take off. The prior one was worse. By far the laziest I met in any capacity. Spent less than 5 minutes per week. I fired him for talking back to me and stuttering when I asked him the PH level in the pool as I knew he had never checked it. Frankly I wanted to hold his head underwater and drown him but I had to be realistic.

The way I rationalize payment is its sort of like a retainer as you would pay an attorney. They don't deserve it but when you need them they should be available immediately. For example, the water turns green for whatever reason and the pool guy should address it immediately. Mine seemed to think he should resolve it on successive visits until I blew a fuse.

I value and am glad to pay people who offer expertise and are technical. I don't value people who can only offer manual labor ie something I could do myself if I had more time. For example, if the return jets are gurgling, I don't want to hear a response like that means there is air and then the guy runs to the next appointment. I end up having to research things online and on YouTube and determine its the drain plug leaking and fix it myself successfully. Am I expecting too much?

So what realistic value should I expect?

 

[Isaac-1]

Honestly you should take the time to learn and do it yourself, once you get the basics down and with the right equipment pool care can take as little as 1-2 minutes each day, about 5 - 10 minutes every 3rd day, and maybe 30-45 minutes once every month or so. Many of us have robots to handle the debris, then it is just a matter of cleaning out the skimmers, checking the water level, and testing and adjusting the pool chemistry every few days. The biggest problem with pool services (even the competent ones ) is that a single visit per week service without an SWG or Chlorine injection system is an inherent roller coaster juggling act, where the pool guy boosts your FC levels up to an insanely high level in the hopes that they don't drop too low and let something start growing before he gets back. There are a few tricks they can do to make things stretch out and last much of the time if they know what they are doing, but all it takes is one poorly timed rainstorm and the whole thing can come tumbling down. Now when it comes to your water conditions as a pool owner, you will find with such once per week service that your pool chemistry will always be out of balance, the chlorine will be too harsh, or too low, the pH will be too high or too low, the water will not be as clear as it could be, and you may find your eyes burn more than they should. If you decide you really don't have time to deal with these little household pool chores yourself, then you should search for a competent pool service that will make pool service calls at least 2 times per week and will do testing and leave copies of the results for your review, because when it comes down to it, you are the one that should care the most that your pool water is correctly balanced and safe to swim in.

Ike

 

[Caco]

 

[mgmoore7]

I find it interesting that so many people pay for a service but get sub-par performance at best. If I am paying for the pool to be maintained, I would expect it to at minimum stay algae free and clear water without burning eyes, chlorine smell, etc. Beside the labor of cleaning / brushing, they bring the promise that they can maintain the water and have the expertise to do so. It seems to be that most of time that is not the case.

 

[phonedave]

I view pool service pretty much as I view other services, like lawn service. It comes in two "flavors" basic support, and expert services.

I don't have a lawn service, but I can see why people do - it takes me 2 hours to cut my lawn, and it sometimes needs to be done 3 time a week. You can hire sombody who comes and cuts your grass, but if there are any problems - weeds, bugs, bare sports, etc - they really have no expert advice. Then you can have somone who has a solid background in turf management and knows what to do. Just like pools, you will find people who advice a never ending cycle of chemical treatments, or you can find somebody who really kows what they ate doing.

SO, you can hire a pool person who will come and vaccum / brush your pool , do some basic testing, and add chemicals. Or you can hire (and pay more for) sombody who really understands the pool, can maintain it, will correct any problems, and will make sure your pool stays clean. Like most things, you get what you pay for.

- dave