Lesson 1 - Find A Mentor

     Welcome to the first in a series of lessons especially for new pool owners, based on my many years in the business. There are a number of great books available that cover the basics of pool care and maintenance, so I won't go over that material here. Please visit our Virtual Library for a list of reading materials I hope you will find helpful and informative.

     Instead I want to give you the kind of advice that you may not find in a book. If you asked me to visit your pool and we were talking, these lessons reflect common sense things we might discuss. 

     I specialize in teaching new pool owners how to take care of their pools for several reasons. First, it's fun to help a person navigate through a sometimes confusing topic. I remember when I first learned to care for pools. It took several years of practice and frankly, I've made a lot of mistakes. You don't have to make every mistake I did. You can take a short cut and learn from some of mine. I love to see someone learn and become more confident. 

     Second, this is my specialty because it is good business. To be honest, there are some pool professionals that don't want to share their 'secrets' for fear of losing business. I'm see it just the opposite. If I can teach a person some tips and tricks that save time and money, then when a repair job comes up that the homeowner cannot handle, hopefully they will call me. In other words, I try to build loyalty by being open and honest. And it works.

     Third, it keeps me sharp. The best way to learn something really well is to teach others. You would not believe the great questions I get from students. I've included some of the best ones in my Q & A lesson. I invite you to e-mail questions to me. Some of the best lessons were spawned from an intriguing question from a pool owner. So if there is something you are confused about, or curious about, by all means send it along. 

     Enough about me and my motives, let's get on with the first lesson. I call it " Find A Mentor" because you weren't born knowing how to take care of a pool. You have to learn it from someone else. You need to find someone who knows a lot about pools in general, and your pool in particular. I had mentors who taught me the basics. I still consult colleagues who have been in the business longer than me, or have more experience in some area. 

     I'd recommend seeking out a pool professional because they are most likely to have current information pertinent to your situation. Plus they have the breadth of knowledge to give you correct information. Anyone can give you the wrong advice, but to save time and money you'll need advice you can count on. At the end of Lesson 4 I caution against using friends, neighbors and relatives as mentors. 

     So where can you look for a mentor? 1)The best place to start is to ask another pool owner who they know. 2)Also, you can visit a local pool and spa store. 3)Or you can try the phone book. 4)Finally,let's not forget the internet. Each source has it's pros and cons.

    Asking another pool owner is always a good place to begin. We get a lot of our business from word of mouth referrals. People pass our name around the office, they recommend us to their neighbors, and we like to get business that way. You really can't go wrong with a referral because your friends won't recommend someone they don't trust.

     Visiting a local pool store can be a good source of information. You will need to find a place to buy your chemicals anyway. Any good pool store will allow you to bring in a water sample and test it for free. But be wary of pool stores that don't make house calls. Someone who diagnoses your pool's problem over the phone or from behind a counter is at a disadvantage. No offense to their expertise, but there is absolutely no substitute for a first hand look at the pool in question. Water samples tell you a lot, but they can give you a false picture too. 

     Here's a common example. A pool owner brings a water sample into the store to be tested and tells the clerk, "My pool is green." Now the clerk doesn't know why the pool has a green color. It could be green because of algae, metals, discoloration from leaves, or some other reason. I've even seen pools green from too much chlorine, which is a green gas. A bromine pool will turn green when you add acid.

     When a customer says 'green' many store clerks naturally think algae. So they recommend 6 to 8 pounds of granular chlorine to shock the pool. But if the green color was due to metals in the water, as is often the case, then adding calcium hypo chlorite (shock treatment) will exacerbate the problem. Conversely, if they interpret 'green' to be a metal problem and start a metal treatment, when actually the problem was algae, then the algae will get worse while treating for metal. (For a discussion of metal treatment, visit Lesson 3 - The Water.)

     It's hard enough to make the correct diagnosis when you are looking at the pool. It's almost impossible when you are relying on the customer's description to guide you in your diagnosis. It's not the clerks' fault. They do the best they can with the information they are given. But if they cannot visit the pool, then it's almost impossible to verify the diagnosis. 

     Moreover, the only option a store clerk has in any situation is to send the customer out the door with an arm load of chemicals. After all, they are in business of selling. Once you walk out that door, you're on your own. The store assumes no responsibility for what happens to your pool once you've added what they sold you. If the stuff they sell you doesn't solve the problem, their solution is to sell you more stuff. We see several cases every year in which a customer has spent hundreds of dollars at a self serve pool store on chemicals. Turns out they are trying to solve the wrong problem. 

     Having said that, there is one thing our store bound colleagues actually do better than we do in the field. Aided by computers they can provide very accurate and comprehensive analysis of pool water samples. I occasionally take my water samples to them when accuracy and completeness are paramount, or when a difficult case arises. 

     To find a mentor you might let your fingers do the walking. The phone book lists pool companies, but it's hard to know which to choose. Do you go for the company with the biggest ads, the ones with the most experience, perhaps the ones located closest to you? How do you decide? I face these same issues when I'm looking in the Yellow Pages, and there is no simple answer. That's why I prefer referrals from friends. Still, there are a few tips I can offer. 

     I have found that the size of the Yellow Page ad is not a sure indicator of what kind of pool service you will get. I know some companies with huge half-page ads that give poor service, and small one-line listings for companies that are renowned for giving great service. Some companies don't even place ads in the phone book because they have enough business via referrals. 

     However, Yellow Page ads do tell you something about the company. It's location, it's specialties, and hours of operation will be listed. Call their number and see how they answer the phone. Don't be put off if they have an answering service or voice mail. But do be put off if they don't respond in a reasonable period of time. Ask them questions about their charges and whether they can provide references. Ask how long they have been in business in your area. If they say they are too busy to take on your project, ask them if they can refer you to someone else. A good established company will be glad to help point you in the right direction. 

     I wish I could give you better advice on finding a pool company from the phone book, but it's probably the hardest way to go about it. Just be patient and go with your instincts. If they are nice on the phone, if they seem organized and professional, then you will probably have a good experience.

     However you go about finding a mentor, it is the first essential step to mastering your pool, or as we say "Taming Your Wild Water". He or she will save you time and money, and hopefully prevent you from making costly mistakes. In the section called Your Pool, I caution you against having your next door neighbor being your mentor. They may not know more than you, or they may think that what works for them will work for you. That's not necessarily true. So locate a pool care professional and start a relationship that will last throughout the life of your pool.

     The next lesson is called Safety First, because safety should be the paramount concern of every pool owner. The lessons can be viewed in any order, since each one is self contained. If you have questions that are not addressed here, please e-mail me and I will respond.

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