In an industry with little room for error, a pool service technician’s knowledge is crucial to safely transporting hazardous materials. Danny Brodersen, commercial service manager at Millennium Pools in Springfield, Virginia, says this starts with awareness for what is being transported, what it does and its location in the vehicle.“One of the biggest things is…
When a customer’s pool isn’t holding water, they probably want to know if you can fix it. There are a couple of options for connecting your customer with someone who can detect the leak. You could subcontract the job or refer them to a reputable leak detection company. Both are perfectly good choices, but maybe…
Finding good employees can feel like swimming in endless, expensive circles. For maximum return on investment, several approaches are working for pool industry companies that seek to reach a new applicant base. Mason Guarino, vice president of South Shore Gunite Pools & Spa in North Billerica, Massachusetts, says they have good luck with Facebook ads…
The Virginia Graeme Baker act demands all residential swimming pools to have a proper drain cover to prevent entrapment, but even if the right drain cover appears to be in place, poor care or improper installation can mean an entrapment risk still exists. Steve Barnes, director of science and compliance for AquaStar Pool Products in…
We asked pool pros what they kept in their service trucks. Their answers varied based on the season, location and individual service professional. But everyone had chlorine and a pole. John Reid, Founder and President Primo Pool Care (Norfolk, Virginia) @primopoolcare “The most important item in the back of the pool truck is the pool…
For Tyler Rasmussen and Greg Villafana of Brothers Pool Service and Repair in Scottsdale, Arizona, the company’s love affair with Jobber began with an invoice they received as customers. “A long time ago we had somebody put a vinyl decal on our window,” Villafana says. “The guy who put the decal on sent the invoice…
If a pool technician can’t persuade a reluctant customer to replace a feeble pump or a weathered liner, no big deal. Their pool, their choice — onto the next job. But sometimes, a tech is obligated to not take “no” for an answer. Pools that aren’t properly installed or maintained can be death traps, and…
They say a good carpenter never blames his tools — but great pool techs certainly depend on them. From repurposing standard equipment for new and imaginative purposes to using their tools to build their businesses and bolster their reputations, the best in the industry treat their tools as extensions of themselves. The Top Tool: A…
[This product has been discontinued by Hayward as of December 20, 2021] We’d discussed writing a story on ConnectedYard’s pHin product for awhile, so when they got in touch and offered to let us test it*, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to see if it lived up to the company’s claims. Our publisher,…
If you’re running your pool service company without a service agreement between you and your customers, you’re flirting with danger and loss of revenue and growth. “Service agreements are the foundation stone for profitable growth,” says Tom Grandy of Grandy & Associates, which works to teach contractors how to run profitable businesses. “It’s what ties…
In general, automatic pool covers are quite reliable. However, as with any piece of equipment, the system requires maintenance at some point. Some of these maintenance issues are foreseeable — small wear and tear or general upkeep issues, for example. Other issues, however, are unexpected. This unanticipated service can fall under two categories, electrical or…
Chemical sanitizers will continue to generate sales for the foreseeable future, however, an ever increasing number of pool owners are concerned about chlorine exposure—over 80 percent according to Darren Hickman, CEO of Card on Guard, a floating, solar-based method of oxidizing pool bacteria. And that’s exactly the motivation behind Card on Guard’s development. Released in…