Just as with cars, pools come with that critical decision everyone owner is face with: Am I going to be a “do-it-yourselfer” or am I going to have the pros handle it?
Most of us grew up changing our own oil, tuning up the engine, and changing the filters on our car. However, these days it has become so complicated that replacing a head-light can turn into a 2 hour ordeal. I have a buddy who is an engineer, and he lost the better part of a Saturday trying to made some simple adjustments to his Volkswagen.
With the advent of energy efficient pumps, smart pools, and new chemicals; pool maintenance has become more complicated. In fact, to keep up, we are yearly attending the Western Pool and Spa show convention as well as several training classes throughout the year. This kind of education has become critical to keeping afloat with all the new pool technology.
That is why more folks are deciding to leave it to the pros. Not only do they save time, but the avoid the hassles that come from misdiagnosing a problem or failing to keep to up maintenance. Finally, they spare themselves the hassle of buying, and storing, all the tools and chemicals required.
Another huge side benefit is the savings that comes from not having to purchase your own chemicals. Increasing chemical costs are why we see competitors charging in excess of $160 / month for basic pool services. Pool chemicals alone, when bought by the owner, can cost up to $800 per year. Since we buy in bulk, and only use what is required, customers can often recoup their service costs just in chemicals alone. In recent years, pool chemical prices have increased up to 50% nation-wide, makes it even more difficult to justify doing it yourself. These prices are being driven by very large market forces, including gas prices and the use of muriatic acid in fracking.
Not to mention, you have to figure out where to store them safely and be knowledgeable about all the proper precautions and procedures. While pool chemicals are available to solve almost all water problems, they can be dangerous to humans and animals if handled improperly.
To provide our customers with better visibility into their true chemical usage, we are using a new app that automatically emails them with treatments we perform. This is intended to help you track just what is going on with your pool, and identify trends, In addition, our new report facilitates better communication. For example: if you are planning on having a large pool party, this report will help you see what treatments were required to bring chemical levels back into range.
Before making any major changes in your pool technology, be sure to check with us. We can help you determine the hidden prices that have impacted our other customers. If you have any questions/concerns about you pool’s chemical treatments, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are happy to help!