In the Clear?

In the Clear?

Water quality doesn’t always get the attention it deserves, considering its truly the difference between a safe swimming experience or a potentially disastrous one. But experts know: Clear water doesn’t always mean clean water. Here, they weigh in on a few key areas pool pros sometimes forget. For seasoned pool pros, water quality is one…

Survival of the Fittest

Survival of the Fittest

Service-based pool companies often rely on contractors. Instead of having an employee clean pools and providing them with a vehicle, tools, insurance and paying out the appropriate taxes, they hire 1099 contractors, who need to provide their own transportation and equipment and are responsible for their own taxes. When the status for contractors changes by…

Pump Up the Perks

Pump Up the Perks

The signs are everywhere: Now hiring. Help wanted. Bonuses for new employees. But good help still is hard to find. Frank Disher, a Poolwerx franchise partner in Texas, says COVID has had a huge impact on the employment status of local pool pros in his area. He receives a ton of applications but can’t seem…

A Texas-size Problem

A Texas-size Problem

As difficult as it was to find certain essential supplies early in the pandemic, pool pros might dare say now that it’s even harder to find pool equipment. “It’s just like toilet paper — once one person starts buying it, they start stocking up on it,” says Jon Krawczyk, owner of Superior Pools of Southwest…

Seeking Wisdom

Seeking Wisdom

Sometimes, you just need a little help from your friends. Pool pro friends, that is. If you’ve been in the industry long enough, it’s likely you have a handful of trusted experts, colleagues and fellow professionals you turn to on a regular basis. “I absolutely have people who I’ve met throughout the years that I…

HASA: Carefree Cleaning

HASA: Carefree Cleaning

Sanitation for pools should be easy. That’s what the team at HASA thinks, anyway. In mid-May, HASA, a producer and distributor of water treatment solutions, will release its new liquid chlorine feeder, the HASA Liquid Feeder. The non-electrical automatic sanitizer feeds the pool with HASA’s liquid sodium hypochlorite whenever the pump is running. “For a…

Keeping Up (Web) Appearances

Keeping Up (Web) Appearances

Web maintenance is a necessary, time-consuming task for pool professionals. When balancing other business priorities, website issues can go undetected for weeks. That’s where learning the basics of Google Search Console can help. The Biggest Benefits of Google Search Console Google Search Console provides tools and reports to measure a site’s search traffic and performance….

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Help Wanted

For pool pros, the pandemic has had a surprising twist: A major uptick in business. “This has been one of the best years we’ve ever had. It’s been pretty crazy,” says Justin Lex, operations manager at Swimming Pool Services, Inc., a Wisconsin-based company. “Everyone is stuck at home and trying to build a pool or…

Service-Remodels1

Making the Old New Again

Rob Blake, senior product manager of NPT Pool Finishes – POOLCORP, based in Covington, Louisiana, says there’s no better time than now for pool servicers to jump into the pool remodeling business. After all, these companies already know what a pool needs — and what can make it better. According to a study of the…

PoolOps- Employee Mental Health

Working on Wellness

Pool professionals are in the business of taking care of customers, making it easy to focus on customer happiness and well-being. But how often do you think about the mental well-being of your employees? Mental health may be out of sight, but it shouldn’t be out of mind for pool company leadership, says Jules Johnson,…

Pool Pros in Your Pocket

Pool Pros in Your Pocket

For many pool pros, podcasts have emerged as a popular way to keep up with best practices and industry trends while driving from customer to customer.  While it’s not a replacement for trade shows or conferences, it’s a valuable method for gaining free industry knowledge from your colleagues and experts. These audio talk shows are…