How to start a pool service business
So you want to know how to start a pool service business?
Great, lets get started.
In this post we will first talk about how to form your new business and then we will talk about how to properly clean a pool.
Srvcly has a full online course that you can take right now on how to form your new business.
This course is going to break down;
- Why you should file an LLC and not operate as a sole proprietor.
- How you get your EIN for free
- We will talk about getting the proper insurance.
- Then we are going to design your brand with a logo, t-shirt, and business cards.
- What Quickbooks plan you need.
- Finally we will finish on setting up your website and getting on google my business
Taking the leap to start your business
Deciding to take the leap to start your business is going to be the hardest part of this entire process.
No one can teach you how to do this and no one can do this part for you, you have to do this part for yourself.
Learning the physical trade is the easy part of starting your business, but deciding to start your own business is going to be the most difficult decision you make.
Even if you decide to take that jump, there is still no guarantee that you will make it and you still might fail.
For those of you who want to try, start with the future pro starter course by srvcly.
The future pro starter course
The future pro starter course will not just help you start your business, it will show you how to do it.
We have step by step videos that show everything from forming your LLC with legalzoom, all the way to creating your own website and more.
Below each video there is a link that takes you exactly where you need to in order to file each item for yourself.
We have completely taken out all the guess work for you.
All you need to to do is follow along and do what we do.
Register at srvcly to get started!
Learning about pool service
Lets change gears a bit and talk about what you need to know in order to succeed in the pool service business.
Pool service has two sides of the business, weekly pool service and pool repairs.
Knowing how to properly service a pool is only half the battle.
You also need to know how to diagnose and repair a pool as well.
Some pros enter the trade thinking that they wont have to perform any repairs, and some get away with the.
However, in order to run a strong and successful pool service business, you will also need to provide repairs to your customers.
On the flip side some pros enter the pool service trade not wanting to provide the weekly service and just do repairs.
The pool service business works best when you provide weekly service and repairs because they work hand in hand.
So lets break down the service.
Weekly service
Lets first talk about making the pool “look” clean.
You have to net the leaves out, brush down the pools walls, and make sure that both the skimmer and the pump baskets are empty.
Steps that customers can check and clearly see if they have been completed or not should always be done in full.
Preform these steps with a pool pole, net, and brush.
Anyone can perform these steps.
If these steps aren’t enough in making the pool clean you need to vacuum the pool.
Use a vacuum hose and a vac head to do this.
Don’t over complicate these steps.
If you were provided the tools and pointed at a pool, I’m confident you could figure all this out.
Lets talk about the steps that require more knowledge to ensure the pool is clean and healthy.
There are three focus points.
- Filtration
- Circulation
- Water Chemistry
Circulation
The heart of the pool is its pump, and it is the pump that circulates the water.
The pump turns an impeller that draws water in from the suctions side of the pools plumbing.
The water circulates through the filter, it’s valves, and returns to the pool through the pressure side of the pools plumbing.
Filtration
The pool has a filter on it which will inlet dirty water and discharge clean water back to the pool through its plumbing.
There are three different styles of pool filters.
- Sand filter
- Cartridge filter
- DE filter
Each one of these filters needs different care and attention in order to filter the pool water properly.
Lets break down each one.
Sand Filter
The sand filter has a couple hundred pounds of sand inside its tank.
Pool water will enter the filter pressurizing the system.
As the pressure raises the water will force itself down through the sand.
Sand has sharp and jarred edges that help catch debris from the water passing through it.
Laterals are located beneath the sand at the very bottom of the filter.
These laterals have small slits in them that will allow water to flow back to the pool.
Dirt and debris remain stuck inside the filters sand.
Cartridge filter
A cartridge filter uses paper cartridges to filter the pools water.
Water forces into the filter and the pressure allows the water to push through the paper cartridge.
The clean filtered water returns to the pool and this cycle continues over and over again.
DE filters
Diatomaceous earth or DE filters use diatomaceous earth to coat its eight grids that are located inside the filter.
Again, the water forces into the filter and the pressure pushes the water through the DE coated grids.
The clean pool water returns to the pool and continues the cycle through the duration of the run time.
A sand filter as well as a DE filter need to be backwashed after a certain amount of run time in order to ensure proper filtration.
Backwashing is the process of discharging the debris that the filter collected out.
Charge the DE filter with the proper amount of new DE after each backwash.
Water Chemistry
Water chemistry is the most important part of keeping the pool water clean and healthy.
If you want to know how to perfectly handle a pool, learn everything you can about water chemistry.
Pool water is measured in parts per million and is also knows as PPM.
The two most popular measurements that must be mastered during your career In the pool service trade are the chlorine level and the pH level.
Chlorine level ppm
The chlorine level needs to remain between a 3 and 5 parts per million.
Add chlorine to water that measures below 3 ppm. and do not add any chlorine if the water is above 5 ppm.
Water that is above a 20 ppm chlorine level is dangerous and should not be swam in until the level subsides.
pH level ppm
pH tells you how acidic the pool water is.
The pool waters pH level needs to remain between 7.2 – 7.8. This is neutral and will allow the chlorine level to become 99% effective when in balance.
pH measuring below 7.2 means that the water is too acidic and the pH needs to be raised using soda ash.
Water measuring above 7.8 needs to be lowered using muratic acid.
When the pools water pH is out of balance your chlorine level will only be 25% effective.
We are not going to cover how much of each chemical to add in this post.
There are a lot of videos on YouTube that can help you learn how much of each chemical to use.
Also tracking apps like Pool Trac have chemical calculators that will help you when needing to know the amount to add.
What to do at each pool
When you are out servicing pools you should always have a check list of what to do at each stop and hit them each time.
Primaries
Perform primaries at every stop no matter the condition of the pool.
- Skim or net the pools water
- Brush the pool down
- Empty all pump baskets
- Check and balance the chemicals
Secondary’s
Perform secondary’s
- Vacuum the bottom of the pool
- Backwash the pool filter
- Clean salt cells if they apply (not covered here)
The business side
Running a business can be very stressful and difficult at times.
You need to understand that you are trying to learn your trade as well as how to run a business all at the same time.
Most times, business owners get too caught up in working in their business, performing the work itself, and not spending enough time learning how to run a proper business.
For example the majority of pool service pros do not spend time learning or understanding their Quickbooks.
They think that as long as the work is coming in and they are collecting checks, they are running a successful business.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
In order to make business decision such as hiring a new tech, buying a new service vehicle, or upgrading to newer equipment, you have to know what your business is doing.
From the start make sure to learn your books.
This can save a lot of headache and stress in the future with how to start a pool service business.
Go get started
There are three ways that you can now get started in with how to start a pool service business.
- W2 employee
- 1099 contractor
- Company owner
I go over these three ways in our future pro start course. So register and enroll in the course now! Hope you enjoyed how to start a pool service business.
Hello I am starting my own pool service company and was wondering how I can get in contact with your pool professional Ryan? I’m looking to get some advice on acquiring customers when your first starting and how to avoid undercutting myself just to get business?