Pool Services Companies (Austin: how much, maintenance, costs)

[Localny]

Wondered if I could solicit some help on " the way things are done" in Austin in the swim pool world.

Hired a guy back in July -$43 a month to provide chemicals and keep pool in balance.

We were new to area and needed to delegate stuff as we got settled

I still clean the pool; but the guy has been helpful in my pool education

Got the bill for September - $43 plus $80 in chemical costs. Visits once a week for 10 mins. Nothing was explained about that - plus chem costs.

Does it seem high - 80 extra for chems for a month?

He fixed the lightbulb when we were refilling / bulb now dying - that was an $80 cost for labor. Not flagged ahead

Before I talk with him - I'm trying to get a sense if chemical costs should be included or are included usually in just chemical visits normally in Austin

Any help appreciated.

[DMChicago]

I pay $50/week for a small 20' X 12' saltwater pool that includes cleaning and all chemicals.

[Austin97]

$80 in chemicals means he might not know what he is doing. I spend about 50-60/month on bleach. He is probably using pucks and the cost for september might carry through october as well. If it is 80/month for chemicals, especially in the winter, that doesnt make sense.

Read troublefreepool.com to learn you only need bleach for your pool. Pucks are bad in our area for reasons related to the weather and how much rain we get. Once you know what you are doing you can use pucks somewhat strategically.

I think people I know spend about 200/month for pool maintenance.

[PrincipeAsturias]

Hope it's ok if I provide some updates for those who are looking for a pool company nowadays, since it's been a while!

Normally, most chems are included in the price of the visit, but chlorine tabs are usually an additional charge.
Most companies charge $50-65 per visit depending on how many trees and how complex your pool is. $200/month is pretty usual, or $250 if they visited 5 times depending on what day of the week you're at.

Additional chemicals are usually only needed during the summer. During the winter you don't need much.