Which Type Of Pool Service Do You Need?

A home swimming pool is a great benefit to any homeowner, but it's also a lot of work. If you're like many homeowners with new pools, you're considering the pros and cons of hiring a pool service to take some of the pool care duties off of your hands. Hiring a pool service is actually a very smart decision. Pool care requires a variety of different skills, and not too many people have all of them. You need the skills of a plumber, a chemist, and a mechanic, just to start with. The question is how much work you want the pool service to do, and what you plan to do yourself. Do you plan to be fairly hands off and let the service do most of the work, or do you want to do all but a few things yourself? Check out some common types of pool service packages to help you decide what kind of service you need.

Chemical Maintenance Service

Are you happy to clean out the pool and maintain the pump by yourself, but you don't want to mess around with acid and chlorine? That's understandable. If that describes you, then what you need is a chemical maintenance pool service package.

The pool service company will send someone out weekly, biweekly, or monthly to maintain the chemicals in your pool. They'll check the chlorine balance and pH levels in the pool to ensure that your pool has the right balance of chemicals. Then, if the pool is unbalanced, they'll add chlorine and other chemicals as needed to restore the chemical equilibrium in the pool.

Chemical maintenance service also usually includes "shocking" the pool – adding large amounts of chlorine at one time to clean and sanitize the water. This should be done several times during the swimming season.

Pool Cleaning Service

While most pool owners can handle skimming the pool and emptying the filters, not everyone has the time to spare. Pools tend to catch a lot of debris from nearby trees and lawns, and they usually need cleaning at least once a week, if not more often.

Cleaning services usually include skimming the pool, emptying the filters, and vacuuming the pool. You can hire a pool service to do the cleaning once a week or more if you don't plan to do any of it yourself, or less often if you plan to do some of the cleaning on your own.

Repair Service

There are a lot of things that can go wrong with a pool. Having a repair service ensures that you'll have someone on call to take care of anything from a crack in the pool's surface to a malfunctioning pool pump.

A service contract may also include maintenance to prevent these problems from coming up in the first place. Many mechanical problems can be avoided by maintaining the pump and pool surface and replacing hoses and gaskets as necessary.

Winterizing Service

Even if you plan to take care of every other aspect of pool service yourself, you may need the help of a pool service when it comes to winterizing the pool and closing it when the swimming season is over, opening the pool back up when the new swimming season starts. Closing the pool is a complex process that involves adding winterizing chemicals to the water, ensuring that the pool is protected against freezing, lowering the water level, cleaning out the plumbing lines, and covering the pool and draining the filter.

Opening the pool at the beginning of a swimming season involves many of the same chores, but in reverse. Many pool service companies will offer pool opening and closing services for homeowners who find the procedures a little too time consuming or complicated.

Of course, you may decide that you need more than one of these pool services. If so, you should talk to your pool service company about saving money with a bundled service deal. You'll save money and time while ensuring your pool is properly cared for.