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I think I got screwed over by a pool repair/service


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OK so I have some problems with my pool.

 

- Pool is extremely dirty

- My creepy crawley wont work to clean the pool.....I am not sure why....I have tried a few different type of cleaner "heads" but no luck

- My water leveler isn't working

- My water pressure is good when I clean my filters....but that goes away very quickly

 

 

Sooooo....I start taking some bids to clean/repair the problems of my pool.....one guy would clean the pool for $150....but I wanted to find out why some of my other stuff was not working.

 

I instead go with a different company for $250. I explained all the problems above and the quote from the owner was "when he left I would have a clean working pool"

 

Well....guess what. It isn't. Now to his credit he has been out several times, put chemicals in the pool, cleaned the pool filters, replaced the rings in the equipment (not expensive) and the pool has been brushed a few times.

 

- It was never vacuumed

- Equipment still does not work

- Still having problem with pressure

 

So after the pool guy had been out to my house around 4 times he asked for his payment and "said he would be back till everything was working"

 

I give him the check....he is out one more time after that......and then he stops answering my phone calls. I continue to try and about the 5-6th time I get the following TEXT

 

"I was there and cleaned your filter blew out your lines for the 3rd or 4th time Monday and everything was running fine i already rebult your values replaced your orings put in a fortune in chemicals and made way more visits then I can count aside. From replacing your equipment thats all I can do for you"

 

 

The problems here are:

 

- The equipment is NOT working fine, hardly any pressure....creepy crawley not working

- He was using his chemicals ALONG WITH MINE

- The pool was never vacuumed

- I assume he means rebiult my values by he sealed my valves in hopes that was the problem with the pressure. The O rings is a $10. fix

 

 

I have asked him to come out Tuesday of next week to discuss this....worth it?

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Dude. I stopped reading after the "Pool is extremely dirty" part. I've been taking care of my pool/pools for almost 20 years. ITS !@#$ING EASY to do. Honestly.

 

Save yourself some/ a shiit load money and spend a couple of hours a week taking care of your pool yourself.

 

If I'm being harsh, John, Its because of Kobe and his extramarital affairs. :lol:

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Guest dog14787
OK so I have some problems with my pool.

 

- Pool is extremely dirty

- My creepy crawley wont work to clean the pool.....I am not sure why....I have tried a few different type of cleaner "heads" but no luck

- My water leveler isn't working

- My water pressure is good when I clean my filters....but that goes away very quickly

 

 

Sooooo....I start taking some bids to clean/repair the problems of my pool.....one guy would clean the pool for $150....but I wanted to find out why some of my other stuff was not working.

 

I instead go with a different company for $250. I explained all the problems above and the quote from the owner was "when he left I would have a clean working pool"

 

Well....guess what. It isn't. Now to his credit he has been out several times, put chemicals in the pool, cleaned the pool filters, replaced the rings in the equipment (not expensive) and the pool has been brushed a few times.

 

- It was never vacuumed

- Equipment still does not work

- Still having problem with pressure

 

So after the pool guy had been out to my house around 4 times he asked for his payment and "said he would be back till everything was working"

 

I give him the check....he is out one more time after that......and then he stops answering my phone calls. I continue to try and about the 5-6th time I get the following TEXT

 

"I was there and cleaned your filter blew out your lines for the 3rd or 4th time Monday and everything was running fine i already rebult your values replaced your orings put in a fortune in chemicals and made way more visits then I can count aside. From replacing your equipment thats all I can do for you"

 

 

The problems here are:

 

- The equipment is NOT working fine, hardly any pressure....creepy crawley not working

- He was using his chemicals ALONG WITH MINE

- The pool was never vacuumed

- I assume he means rebiult my values by he sealed my valves in hopes that was the problem with the pressure. The O rings is a $10. fix

 

 

I have asked him to come out Tuesday of next week to discuss this....worth it?

 

I'm not big on pools but losing pressure seems like were you want to start because even your creepy crawly won't work without proper suction. Depending on whats causing you to lose pressure it could get expensive and it sounds like your pool guy has already exhausted some of the cheaper possibilities.

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If you are backwashing constantly to keep the pressure up then the fingers inside the filter may be shot.

 

If your pool is still dirty ( green water ) put in a bottle of drop out...it will take all the dirt and algae and anything else floating in the water and put it on the bottom of the pool..vacuum on waste and be done with it.

 

Pools are easy to keep up once you do it yourself and learn the tricks of your pool..And the pool will always let you know when something ain't right!!!

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Where I live I couldn't get someone to come to my house five times to spit on the driveway for $250, much less spend hours working on a pool. I think you got all you are gonna get from the dude.

 

 

I agree. I paid Majestic 3 weeks ago $220 to blow out the lines to open the pool. They were there a grand total of 10 minutes. One of these years I am going to learn how to do it myself. The problem is, if you do not get them to open & close the pool(another $220) you lose the guaranty that pipes will not freeze in the winter. I know I could open the pool myself but not totally sure I would not f*ck something up to close it. If I had Majestic over 5 times the bill would probably be about a grand by now.

 

Sounds like something is wrong with your filter. I was having pressure issues a few years ago & the problem was there was a piece of plastic inside the filter that the basket did not catch. It was blocking the pressure. I had to take the filter apart & get it out. I use the creepy crawler too but you should vacuum it yourself once in awhile. I am assuming this is an inground pool right? The other thing that could be causing the loss of pressure is the air valve is not tight enough. I doubt it is that though because the pool guy would of been able to figure that out in about 2 seconds.

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BOHICA

 

Drain the pool, clean it and start from scratch. Once you get it going its easy to maintain. Also, if you have low pressure check the impeller in the pump, sometimes they get clogged.

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BOHICA

 

Drain the pool, clean it and start from scratch. Once you get it going its easy to maintain. Also, if you have low pressure check the impeller in the pump, sometimes they get clogged.

 

 

If it is an inground pool & he has a linar, it will collapse I believe. Above ground, I think you could do that. Like the new avatar. :thumbsup:

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Sand or earth filter. If it's a sand filter, it might be time to change the sand. If it's an earth filter, might be time to have the filter elements cleaned.

 

Also, you need to isolate the drop in water pressue in your system. It sounds like an in-ground pool. You'll need to pressure test your lines to see if there are any leaks. Just about any pool service can do that for you . . .

 

From your description, it sounds like your "sucking air" on one of your intake lines. Starts out great, but slowly loses pressure over time. If it is an in-ground, that can be tricky to repair . . .

 

Good luck. Hope all of the advice here helps.

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I agree. I paid Majestic 3 weeks ago $220 to blow out the lines to open the pool. They were there a grand total of 10 minutes. One of these years I am going to learn how to do it myself. The problem is, if you do not get them to open & close the pool(another $220) you lose the guaranty that pipes will not freeze in the winter. I know I could open the pool myself but not totally sure I would not f*ck something up to close it.

It's virtually impossible to "!@#$ up" closing a modern pool. Your pump has a fitting on it that's capped. You hook up an air compressor to that fitting and blow air through the system. Each line blows individually. When one "blows", you cap it and move on to the next.

 

Toss in the right chemicals and cover it up and you're done. All you need is a "gizmo" (plastic thing that screws into the skimmer), the right fitting for your pump, and a compressor.

 

Opening is even easier. You "prime" the pump by filling it with water and take off all the caps and the "gizmo" you screwed into the lines. Toss in some shock, algecide, and "Pool Perfect" and you're off.

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Dude.

 

Take it to the porno board.

 

:thumbsup::devil:

 

God I love this board... Between you and Eryn (who I agree with), there are some of the greatest responses!

 

And John... Take it from the other guy and start from scratch... You seemed to get your money worth, 250 doesn't buy you a whole lot.

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It's virtually impossible to "!@#$ up" closing a modern pool. Your pump has a fitting on it that's capped. You hook up an air compressor to that fitting and blow air through the system. Each line blows individually. When one "blows", you cap it and move on to the next.

 

Toss in the right chemicals and cover it up and you're done. All you need is a "gizmo" (plastic thing that screws into the skimmer), the right fitting for your pump, and a compressor.

 

Opening is even easier. You "prime" the pump by filling it with water and take off all the caps and the "gizmo" you screwed into the lines. Toss in some shock, algecide, and "Pool Perfect" and you're off.

 

 

Like I said i am going to start doing it because there prices are crazy($220 for the opening & the closing). Just do not want the pipes bursting in the winter because I did not blow out the lines correctly.

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A reminder - follow the label precautions when transporting, storing, and using pool chlorination agents. A couple of years ago here in the Cincy area a woman was transporting some. It somehow spilled, contacted organic material (vehicle carpet), and went off like a rocket - that poor one was immolated.

 

These compounds are powerful oxidizing agents. And chlorine gas evolution has been well-documented for years. Use them properly.

 

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/swimming.html#_1_3

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A reminder - follow the label precautions when transporting, storing, and using pool chlorination agents. A couple of years ago here in the Cincy area a woman was transporting some. It somehow spilled, contacted organic material (vehicle carpet), and went off like a rocket - that poor one was immolated.

 

These compounds are powerful oxidizing agents. And chlorine gas evolution has been well-documented for years. Use them properly.

 

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/swimming.html#_1_3

 

Wow! That is crazy! Thanks!

 

On another note, do you actually expect people to read signs!

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If the CC isn't working and you replaced the head and it still isn't working, check the hose. You may very well have a crack or split somewhere in the hose.

 

Disconnect the CC hose completely, cap off one end of the hose and run water into it (from a garden hose) until it is filled up and check it for leaks.

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If it is an inground pool & he has a linar, it will collapse I believe. Above ground, I think you could do that. Like the new avatar. :thumbsup:

 

My father has had a inground fiberglass pool for over 30 years and he drains it all the time... He does pull the plug and relieves the pressure on the backside AND DOES NOT KEEP IT DRAINED FOR VERY LONG BEFORE REFILLING IT! It is a smaller pool and he claims he saves a ton on chemicals... And BTW, who wants overly chemmed up water! :devil:

 

Two ways (actually 3 if you count getting NEW water, but that may fall under dillution) to handle bad water:

 

1. Treat it.

2. Dillute it.

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My father has had a inground fiberglass pool for over 30 years and he drains it all the time... He does pull the plug and relieves the pressure on the backside AND DOES NOT KEEP IT DRAINED FOR VERY LONG BEFORE REFILLING IT! It is a smaller pool and he claims he saves a ton on chemicals... And BTW, who wants overly chemmed up water! :thumbsup:

 

Two ways (actually 3 if you count getting NEW water, but that may fall under dillution) to handle bad water:

 

1. Treat it.

2. Dillute it.

 

The fiber glass pools are different. At least with the new ones there is no linar to them. You can drain them. I wish I had a fiberglass one, those are sweet. Plus I heard they keep the heat in better.

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OK so I have some problems with my pool.

 

- Pool is extremely dirty

- My creepy crawley wont work to clean the pool.....I am not sure why....I have tried a few different type of cleaner "heads" but no luck

- My water leveler isn't working

- My water pressure is good when I clean my filters....but that goes away very quickly

 

 

Sooooo....I start taking some bids to clean/repair the problems of my pool.....one guy would clean the pool for $150....but I wanted to find out why some of my other stuff was not working.

 

I instead go with a different company for $250. I explained all the problems above and the quote from the owner was "when he left I would have a clean working pool"

 

Well....guess what. It isn't. Now to his credit he has been out several times, put chemicals in the pool, cleaned the pool filters, replaced the rings in the equipment (not expensive) and the pool has been brushed a few times.

 

- It was never vacuumed

- Equipment still does not work

- Still having problem with pressure

 

So after the pool guy had been out to my house around 4 times he asked for his payment and "said he would be back till everything was working"

 

I give him the check....he is out one more time after that......and then he stops answering my phone calls. I continue to try and about the 5-6th time I get the following TEXT

 

"I was there and cleaned your filter blew out your lines for the 3rd or 4th time Monday and everything was running fine i already rebult your values replaced your orings put in a fortune in chemicals and made way more visits then I can count aside. From replacing your equipment thats all I can do for you"

 

 

The problems here are:

 

- The equipment is NOT working fine, hardly any pressure....creepy crawley not working

- He was using his chemicals ALONG WITH MINE

- The pool was never vacuumed

- I assume he means rebiult my values by he sealed my valves in hopes that was the problem with the pressure. The O rings is a $10. fix

 

 

I have asked him to come out Tuesday of next week to discuss this....worth it?

John,

 

Good luck to you and god bless you, but why in the hell are you always in some kind of turmoil with every facet of life? LOL. I mean, cmon man, it seems that you and your children are always in some kind of earth shattering crisis. I do enjoy seeing your posts, so this isn't another one of the "stop posting all your drama stuff" but man. Cmon!

 

:rolleyes:

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The fiber glass pools are different. At least with the new ones there is no linar to them. You can drain them. I wish I had a fiberglass one, those are sweet. Plus I heard they keep the heat in better.

 

 

Is gunnite still used for in-ground pool construction?

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Is gunnite still used for in-ground pool construction?

 

 

They are not as popular anymore but you could still get them. The popular ones are the fiber glass now. Just dig a hole & they drop them in, one piece, they are pricey though. My friend just got one installed, pretty much just your basic model with 4 yards of concrete all the way around. Got a nice saline solution filter(no chemicals needed) Not totally sure how it works. Told me he paid a little north of $35K. When you consider it will be june 6th tomorrow & I have been in my pool once this year so far, that is a steep price to pay for the weather we have in WNY.

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Dude. I stopped reading after the "Pool is extremely dirty" part. I've been taking care of my pool/pools for almost 20 years. ITS !@#$ING EASY to do. Honestly.

 

Save yourself some/ a shiit load money and spend a couple of hours a week taking care of your pool yourself.

 

If I'm being harsh, John, Its because of Kobe and his extramarital affairs. :rolleyes:

 

I was actually trying to get stuff running and just clean the pool really good once....and then I was going to do it from there.

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BOHICA

 

Drain the pool, clean it and start from scratch. Once you get it going its easy to maintain. Also, if you have low pressure check the impeller in the pump, sometimes they get clogged.

 

I have dont that aleady....got dirty quick..:rolleyes:

 

This is the thing on the pool pressure....when I clean out the filter (cartridge filter) the flow is good for a while.....but dies off after a couple of days.

 

I was thinking that the pool was SO DIRTY that the filters were becoming clogged again and again from stuff....I was trying to get a good cleaning done to see if that was the problem.

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Sand or earth filter. If it's a sand filter, it might be time to change the sand. If it's an earth filter, might be time to have the filter elements cleaned.

 

Also, you need to isolate the drop in water pressue in your system. It sounds like an in-ground pool. You'll need to pressure test your lines to see if there are any leaks. Just about any pool service can do that for you . . .

 

From your description, it sounds like your "sucking air" on one of your intake lines. Starts out great, but slowly loses pressure over time. If it is an in-ground, that can be tricky to repair . . .

 

Good luck. Hope all of the advice here helps.

 

Is this the same as "blowing out" the lines? If so this pool guy did that a few times.

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John,

 

Good luck to you and god bless you, but why in the hell are you always in some kind of turmoil with every facet of life? LOL. I mean, cmon man, it seems that you and your children are always in some kind of earth shattering crisis. I do enjoy seeing your posts, so this isn't another one of the "stop posting all your drama stuff" but man. Cmon!

 

:rolleyes:

 

God...if you think THIS is turmoil I dont want to scare you.

 

I keep that stuff off the board....this is just looking for advise for other people who might have had the same problem....

 

No turmoil is your athete son blowing the chance at a full ride scholarship because he cant stay away from the females and dont care about his grades......

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BOHICA

 

Drain the pool, clean it and start from scratch. Once you get it going its easy to maintain. Also, if you have low pressure check the impeller in the pump, sometimes they get clogged.

 

I second that it has to be the impeller or motor itself malfunctioning.

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My father has had a inground fiberglass pool for over 30 years and he drains it all the time... He does pull the plug and relieves the pressure on the backside AND DOES NOT KEEP IT DRAINED FOR VERY LONG BEFORE REFILLING IT! It is a smaller pool and he claims he saves a ton on chemicals... And BTW, who wants overly chemmed up water! :thumbsup:

 

Two ways (actually 3 if you count getting NEW water, but that may fall under dillution) to handle bad water:

 

1. Treat it.

2. Dillute it.

There isn't a single reason to drain a properly installed fiberglass pool and if you do drain it and something happens, I'll all but guarantee that the warranty is voided.

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The fiber glass pools are different. At least with the new ones there is no linar to them. You can drain them. I wish I had a fiberglass one, those are sweet. Plus I heard they keep the heat in better.

My fiberglass pool is less than 3 years old and if I drain it below the bottom of my skimmer it voids the warranty. I don't know where you're getting your information but that's not a correct statement as far as I know.

 

The biggest benefit to fiberglass pools is they aren't porous. Nothing sticks to them and they are virtually maintenance free when properly maintained. They are also several times stronger than gunnite. I've never heard anything about "holding the heat in better".

 

My fiberglass pool was by far the cheapest when compared to Vinyl and Concrete. It wasn't even close.

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My fiberglass pool is less than 3 years old and if I drain it below the bottom of my skimmer it voids the warranty. I don't know where you're getting your information but that's not a correct statement as far as I know.

 

The biggest benefit to fiberglass pools is they aren't porous. Nothing sticks to them and they are virtually maintenance free when properly maintained. They are also several times stronger than gunnite. I've never heard anything about "holding the heat in better".

 

My fiberglass pool was by far the cheapest when compared to Vinyl and Concrete. It wasn't even close.

 

 

Yeah I am not sure about draining it. All I know is the guy at majestic told me that under no circumstances drain my pool(linar) because the linar will collapse. i thought you could drain them but I guess I am wrong.

 

That is surprising about the price. I never looked into prices really because the house I bought had a pool in it already. I just know my friend bought a fiberglass one & paid a sh*t load of money for it last year. If those were the cheapest, can not imagine what the other types would cost.

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Is this the same as "blowing out" the lines? If so this pool guy did that a few times.

 

When i worked for a pool company in hs/college, blowing out the lines meant sending compressed air through the lines to blow out any garbage in them.

 

A pressure test involved plugging all of the lined in the pool and then blowing in compressed air measured by a pressure guage. Plugged lines would hold the air pressure like a baloon. If there was a leak, you would see the air pressure steadily drop . . .

 

With your description of the flow starting off strong and then dropping over the next few days, it certainly sound like a "leak." However, you won't see a lot of water loss because the leak is in one of the incoming lines, either the skimmer or the main drain (assuming you have one).

 

Do you leave your pump and filter outdoors for the winter? Another common problem around here is that the pump basket housing cracks due to ice expaning. It's a small hairline crack, so it's not visible, but it will suck in air.

 

I feel for you, cuz isolating the problem can be a real biotch . . .

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When i worked for a pool company in hs/college, blowing out the lines meant sending compressed air through the lines to blow out any garbage in them.

 

A pressure test involved plugging all of the lined in the pool and then blowing in compressed air measured by a pressure guage. Plugged lines would hold the air pressure like a baloon. If there was a leak, you would see the air pressure steadily drop . . .

 

With your description of the flow starting off strong and then dropping over the next few days, it certainly sound like a "leak." However, you won't see a lot of water loss because the leak is in one of the incoming lines, either the skimmer or the main drain (assuming you have one).

 

Do you leave your pump and filter outdoors for the winter? Another common problem around here is that the pump basket housing cracks due to ice expaning. It's a small hairline crack, so it's not visible, but it will suck in air.

 

I feel for you, cuz isolating the problem can be a real biotch . . .

If John pays your airfare and lodging, will you go figure out what his problem is?

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Not sure what you have wher you live but here in Big D for about the same $250 I had a "consultant" flrom one of the supply places come to my house and he went over all of the care and maintenance for the pool. He showed me how all the components and how to care for them. suggestions regarding potential problem areas etc. I have now cared for the pool for 6 years. Your pressure problem sounds like either a leak (does your water level drop) or something blocking an impelller. Hard to say without knowing the particulars of your system.

 

Sounds like the guy you have been working with is done with you - my guess is that he knows there is something wrong that he eiother can't fix or elects not to because of time and expense.

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Would the pressure on the guage be any indication of whether or not my pool has a leak (or not)

 

For instance.....brushed the pool a couple of times......broke the cartige filter open cleaned out the filers....ran a wet back in the bottom to pick up any sand ect. Put it back together and had good water flow......dumped some chlorine and went to the gym/errands

 

Came back in the afternoon....pump pressure was back up on the gauge.....water flow was way down......in less then a day.

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Would the pressure on the guage be any indication of whether or not my pool has a leak (or not)

 

For instance.....brushed the pool a couple of times......broke the cartige filter open cleaned out the filers....ran a wet back in the bottom to pick up any sand ect. Put it back together and had good water flow......dumped some chlorine and went to the gym/errands

 

Came back in the afternoon....pump pressure was back up on the gauge.....water flow was way down......in less then a day.

How old are the filters?

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Would the pressure on the guage be any indication of whether or not my pool has a leak (or not)

 

For instance.....brushed the pool a couple of times......broke the cartige filter open cleaned out the filers....ran a wet back in the bottom to pick up any sand ect. Put it back together and had good water flow......dumped some chlorine and went to the gym/errands

 

Came back in the afternoon....pump pressure was back up on the gauge.....water flow was way down......in less then a day.

 

What are the starting and ending readings on the pressure gauge?

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