How many of you have a pool cleaning service? (Scottsdale: renting, how much)

[movin'on]

Ugh, my pool is a lovely shade of green again. I'm thinking of just hiring someone to take care of it. I did that the first year I was here. Every summer I go through this and have to get it back in shape. I haven't used it for three years, so all I cared about was that it was blue, but now it's time again to start using it.

SO...how many of you do your pool and how much chlorine do you add on a weekly basis?

For those of you who do not, can anyone recommend a good and reasonably priced pool service? BTW, I live in N. Scottsdale but anyone who is good and comes to this area would be wonderful. Thanks.

[WestcoastBrit]

I service 80+ pools a week in Vegas. At least have a floater with 2/3 chlorine tabs in it. Liquid chlorine is good for quickly boosting a pool but burns off faster. Run your pump at least 8 hours during the summer in the day.

[movin'on]

Originally Posted by WestcoastBrit

I service 80+ pools a week in Vegas. At least have a floater with 2/3 chlorine tabs in it. Liquid chlorine is good for quickly boosting a pool but burns off faster. Run your pump at least 8 hours during the summer in the day.

Thanks, I dumped 8 gallons of chlorine in my pool Friday night, ran the pump all weekend, and it didn't even make a dent! It had worked before, but maybe with 12 gallons. So now, I've bought 10 bags of super shock and a quart of algaecide. Ugh. Too bad you don't live here and you could do my pool too.

[HX_Guy]

We use Bright and Clear Pool Service for weekly service and I highly recommend them. They are always prompt, they do the service at 7:30 AM for us and always leave a note that they were there and the pool is always sparkling.

I've dealt with other companies that it looked like they never even showed up some weeks.

[movin'on]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

We use Bright and Clear Pool Service for weekly service and I highly recommend them. They are always prompt, they do the service at 7:30 AM for us and always leave a note that they were there and the pool is always sparkling.

I've dealt with other companies that it looked like they never even showed up some weeks.

Thanks a lot! I will look into this!

[smallvillefan]

The house we are renting has a pool and we will have weekly pool service, but honestly is it really hard to maintain the pool yourself? We had a pool growing up and my dad did it with no problems, but the owner of the home told us that they know people in AZ that have tried it, but the pools developed major algae problems. Is there special stuff you have to do to pools in AZ compared to caring for a pool back east? Just curious because if we buy this house I want to know if taking care of the pool ourselves is realistic. Thanks!

[ComingEast]

Smallvillefan, it is not hard to maintain a pool yourself. There are no special knowledge or skills involved. The major requirement is constancy; you cannot let it go. That's why pools turn green - people don't keep up with them.

Take a jar of your pool water to Paddock or Leslie's and have them analyze it. They'll tell you what chemicals to buy and use. Buy a test kit and use it 2-3 times per week. Over time, you will get the hang of it and start understanding how much chlorine you need to add and when. Every couple of weeks (or more often if you have lots of pool use or a storm), shock it. You can buy little bags of shock at the pool shop or the grocery store. Read and follow the directions.

You also need to identify what type of filter you have, see if the directions for backwashing are printed on it and if not, ask the pool shop or google to see how to do it. Do it when the gauge on the filter indicates high pressure - ask the pool shop about how high.

You can afford to let a pool go longer in the winter - maybe a week or two even. But you cannot do this in the summertime.

The pool shop guys can really help guide you on this, so I advice you to go there and get started saving money by taking care of your own pool. Remember that when you pay the pros, they only come once/week anyhow. So if the guy comes to your house on Mondays and the storm happens on Tuesdays, how helpful is that? Learn to do this yourself - it's not that hard.

Good luck.

[movin'on]

Originally Posted by smallvillefan

The house we are renting has a pool and we will have weekly pool service, but honestly is it really hard to maintain the pool yourself? We had a pool growing up and my dad did it with no problems, but the owner of the home told us that they know people in AZ that have tried it, but the pools developed major algae problems. Is there special stuff you have to do to pools in AZ compared to caring for a pool back east? Just curious because if we buy this house I want to know if taking care of the pool ourselves is realistic. Thanks!

Yes, algae is really an issue. When temps get to be 110 degrees, it's really an issue. A pool can turn very quickly, as I've discovered on more than one occasion. First year I lived here I made the mistake of leaving for 10 days...came back to pea soup. At times I could not see the bottom. Very hard to vacuum when you cannot see the bottom. I have a diving pool, which makes it all the harder. At any rate, I'm confident I'll get this thing blue again, with a lot of expense, but I think a pool service really is the way to go. Now, it's no problem in the winter, but once things start heating up, it's a whole different story.

[movin'on]

Originally Posted by ComingEast

Smallvillefan, it is not hard to maintain a pool yourself. There are no special knowledge or skills involved. The major requirement is constancy; you cannot let it go. That's why pools turn green - people don't keep up with them.

Take a jar of your pool water to Paddock or Leslie's and have them analyze it. They'll tell you what chemicals to buy and use. Buy a test kit and use it 2-3 times per week. Over time, you will get the hang of it and start understanding how much chlorine you need to add and when. Every couple of weeks (or more often if you have lots of pool use or a storm), shock it. You can buy little bags of shock at the pool shop or the grocery store. Read and follow the directions.

You also need to identify what type of filter you have, see if the directions for backwashing are printed on it and if not, ask the pool shop or google to see how to do it. Do it when the gauge on the filter indicates high pressure - ask the pool shop about how high.

You can afford to let a pool go longer in the winter - maybe a week or two even. But you cannot do this in the summertime.

The pool shop guys can really help guide you on this, so I advice you to go there and get started saving money by taking care of your own pool. Remember that when you pay the pros, they only come once/week anyhow. So if the guy comes to your house on Mondays and the storm happens on Tuesdays, how helpful is that? Learn to do this yourself - it's not that hard.

Good luck.

Well, I beg to differ. I have spent exorbitant amounts of money by going to Leslie's. Yes, they will check your water and sell you a bunch of stuff that is overkill. I remember a couple of summers ago spending $250 and it did STILL not take care of the problem. Then recently I probably spent $50 and my pool turned blue. I think the trick is, yes, staying on top of it but going to Home Depot can do just as good. What I have now says to raise the chlorine to 5ppm and then do the algaecide thing. I've actually done this before for about, hmm, $70. I do steer away from stores like Leslies, unless you want to spend additional and unnecessary cash.

Having said all this, a pool service can be had for around $90 a month and compared to what I spend on just getting my pool squared away, it's probably a good investment for me - well, considering I'm a single woman and do not have the physical strength to really brush that pool down as it should be.

[aj661]

ComingEast is certainly right about it not being hard to do. But you have a point about the brushing... it can be a pain. (Do you have any type of cleaning system, like a pool vac such as a Baracuda or a Hayward? It would cut down on the constant need for the brush.) Once it gets away from you it may take awhile to get it cleared up. You might want to try one thing that won't cost you a lot of money - I have a pebble tec pool and a few spots that are often in the shade tend to get a little algae from time to time. WalMart sells an algaecide in a gallon jug that's really cheap and it works on pretty well. They also sell just about everything Home Depot does (except acid) but for less money.