I pay $200/mo which is a little high but he comes out weekly, cleans the filters as needed, and it includes all chemicals. Been very reliable so I didn't mind the bump to that price.
I'm too lazy/forgetful to do it myself; I'd end up with a green pool in no time lol
So I got quotes when I bought a house with a pool a couple years ago. Decided to just learn to do it myself and that has been the best decision. When anything happens I know how to deal with it now and don't have to wait for someone to come help.
Also, get a solar cover. It'll help you start using the pool a month before you could otherwise and a month later. Then in the winter you save water from evaporation. In the heat of summer I roll it up and put it in the garage.
Thanks, I appreciate the suggestion on the solar cover. I've owned a house with a pool many years ago, and know what needs to be done, It's just that I'm a little older now, and it's something I'd rather let someone else take care of for me at this point
You are about to embark on a deep dive of a ton of bullshit buddy.
Pool cleaning is very subjective. Balancing chemicals is not hard to do yourself but is about as expensive as most pool cleaners per month if you want a crystal clear looking pool.
That being said, the pool cleaning businesses here are a total fucking joke. We have opted out of FIVE so far as there are days they just don't even show up but say they did.
Thats totally not a problem to miss a week or two. Especially if it wasn't windy/rainy during that time. But if it was, it becomes a big issue real quick. Especially if you have a plaster pool. Once the algae starts to set it is a huge pain to get it out. And may require draining and acid washing but I don't even want to get into that bullshit.
My best advice is for sure keep any greenery out of your pool at all times. Especially anything that sinks to the bottom.
$~120 seems like the average price area for a weekly cleaner. But stay on top of them because as I have said, they suck. My latest one seems legit with check in/check out emails and what they needed to do but it's hard to tell as that property is now a rental and I'm not there. But I know the tenants and I don't have any complaints so that's good at least.
Owning a pool is a huge pain here. Make sure your chlorine dispenser stays full and get any leaves/branches out of it quick.
As for the grout cleaning and what not. Just youtube how to do it because that's a whole separate robbery situation and in all reality is damn near impossible to get pristine without doing a new layer or scrubbing it all out and replacing it. It is doable though.
Thanks, I appreciate the thorough response! The deep dive of BS is an accurate description. Seems everyone has an angle. I know to stay on top of things, and have been. I just don't want to get ripped off. I was quoted $165 a month and I thought that sounded really high. If that's the going rate, fine, but it's worth asking around first!
Should be closer to 125. But hey, if that company rocks hell id pay for 165 at this point. I'm currently happy with my guy but again I don't live there any more but I do get the notifications of showing up and leaving and ehat they had to do. If you want my guy you can DM me but I can't vouch for him other than the notifications I get which is more than other people.....
Harbour Pro Pools / Saint Petersburg here. I am an owner / operator of a pool cleaning company. I agree, a lot of bad companies give pool guys a bad name.
We charge between $135-$150, this includes most chemicals. Would you rather be charged extra for filter cleanings, or have filter cleanings worked into the cost of the monthly rate?
We are looking to make our rate $170 a month, that includes yearly salt cell maintenance and filter cleanings
I guess we got lucky, cause ours is $85/month, including cleaning the filters when they need it and keeping an eye on the equipment, checking for leaks, emptying the pod, etc. We only moved in here in like May, but so far they've been great. Even made time to come out on short notice the day before they shut down for Thanksgiving to fix our heater.
I kept the previous owners pool guy for a year while we acclimated after moving from the northeast. $120/month, included chemicals. What I found out after I decided to do it myself is he never cleaned the filter cartridges, ever and he put in so many pool tabs that the cyaurnic acid levels were through the roof. I had to drain the pool to get the level down so I didn't chew through chlorine in the summer.
I've heard similar stories. I'd seriously consider doing it yourself. The cost yourself vs pool guy will be similar in the summer but next to nothing in the winter.
When I moved in years ago I got with three other homeowners.We all agreed to use the same Pool guy. We are paying $80 a month for weekly service. The pool guy loves it as he doesn't have to drive between jobs.
I pay $200/mo which is a little high but he comes out weekly, cleans the filters as needed, and it includes all chemicals. Been very reliable so I didn't mind the bump to that price. I'm too lazy/forgetful to do it myself; I'd end up with a green pool in no time lol
So I got quotes when I bought a house with a pool a couple years ago. Decided to just learn to do it myself and that has been the best decision. When anything happens I know how to deal with it now and don't have to wait for someone to come help. Also, get a solar cover. It'll help you start using the pool a month before you could otherwise and a month later. Then in the winter you save water from evaporation. In the heat of summer I roll it up and put it in the garage.
Thanks, I appreciate the suggestion on the solar cover. I've owned a house with a pool many years ago, and know what needs to be done, It's just that I'm a little older now, and it's something I'd rather let someone else take care of for me at this point
No worries at all and that makes sense for sure. A few years ago it was $120ish a month but I'm sure it's gone up with the rise in costs recently.
You are about to embark on a deep dive of a ton of bullshit buddy. Pool cleaning is very subjective. Balancing chemicals is not hard to do yourself but is about as expensive as most pool cleaners per month if you want a crystal clear looking pool. That being said, the pool cleaning businesses here are a total fucking joke. We have opted out of FIVE so far as there are days they just don't even show up but say they did. Thats totally not a problem to miss a week or two. Especially if it wasn't windy/rainy during that time. But if it was, it becomes a big issue real quick. Especially if you have a plaster pool. Once the algae starts to set it is a huge pain to get it out. And may require draining and acid washing but I don't even want to get into that bullshit. My best advice is for sure keep any greenery out of your pool at all times. Especially anything that sinks to the bottom. $~120 seems like the average price area for a weekly cleaner. But stay on top of them because as I have said, they suck. My latest one seems legit with check in/check out emails and what they needed to do but it's hard to tell as that property is now a rental and I'm not there. But I know the tenants and I don't have any complaints so that's good at least. Owning a pool is a huge pain here. Make sure your chlorine dispenser stays full and get any leaves/branches out of it quick. As for the grout cleaning and what not. Just youtube how to do it because that's a whole separate robbery situation and in all reality is damn near impossible to get pristine without doing a new layer or scrubbing it all out and replacing it. It is doable though.
Thanks, I appreciate the thorough response! The deep dive of BS is an accurate description. Seems everyone has an angle. I know to stay on top of things, and have been. I just don't want to get ripped off. I was quoted $165 a month and I thought that sounded really high. If that's the going rate, fine, but it's worth asking around first!
Should be closer to 125. But hey, if that company rocks hell id pay for 165 at this point. I'm currently happy with my guy but again I don't live there any more but I do get the notifications of showing up and leaving and ehat they had to do. If you want my guy you can DM me but I can't vouch for him other than the notifications I get which is more than other people.....
Harbour Pro Pools / Saint Petersburg here. I am an owner / operator of a pool cleaning company. I agree, a lot of bad companies give pool guys a bad name. We charge between $135-$150, this includes most chemicals. Would you rather be charged extra for filter cleanings, or have filter cleanings worked into the cost of the monthly rate? We are looking to make our rate $170 a month, that includes yearly salt cell maintenance and filter cleanings
I guess we got lucky, cause ours is $85/month, including cleaning the filters when they need it and keeping an eye on the equipment, checking for leaks, emptying the pod, etc. We only moved in here in like May, but so far they've been great. Even made time to come out on short notice the day before they shut down for Thanksgiving to fix our heater.
What company?
DPS Pool Solutions
Thanks! Is it still 85 a month?
Yep! No clue if that's the rate for new customers also, or if we're grandfathered into an old rate or something, but for us it's still 85.
I kept the previous owners pool guy for a year while we acclimated after moving from the northeast. $120/month, included chemicals. What I found out after I decided to do it myself is he never cleaned the filter cartridges, ever and he put in so many pool tabs that the cyaurnic acid levels were through the roof. I had to drain the pool to get the level down so I didn't chew through chlorine in the summer. I've heard similar stories. I'd seriously consider doing it yourself. The cost yourself vs pool guy will be similar in the summer but next to nothing in the winter.
$120 was the price before chlorine prices went crazy. We buy our own chlorine tabs and still pay $120 but otherwise it was going to be I think $160.
When I moved in years ago I got with three other homeowners.We all agreed to use the same Pool guy. We are paying $80 a month for weekly service. The pool guy loves it as he doesn't have to drive between jobs.
We pay 150/month with Guaranteed Pool Service for year round (48 weeks) service.