When a pool consultant needed to demonstrate his expertise, he reached out to me. My history in the pool industry in creating marketing materials and a clear understanding of the needs made me the perfect choice. This story though, it's a whopper!
Turning Murky, Chemical-Loaded Water Into a Clean, Safe Pool & Spa
“As an electrician, I solve problems, fix things, and troubleshoot them every day. I’m good at it! But when it came to my pool and spa, I hired someone because it’s water and I don’t know what I’m doing. The guy was supposed to make my life easier.”
Within a couple of months after hiring the last pool guy, his spa equipment had leaks everywhere and the water made their skin itch. Not only that, but the steam from the spa smelled like chemicals. The smell was so strong their eyes burned.
The pool water wasn’t much better. It was murky and the chemical smell was so strong he wouldn’t let anyone use it.
After trying to get this pool tech to fix it (when he showed up), he gave up and told Gene, "It’s just the way it is.”
Needless to say, he fired that pool guy.
Time to DIY (What Could Go Wrong?)
Instead of finding someone who would hopefully fix his pool and spa, Gene decided to DIY the pool maintenance. He figured it couldn’t be that hard and he’d have everything ready in time for the summer party.
It wasn’t quite as easy as he expected.
“There were so many little things that I didn’t understand — pH is important, but how do you adjust it? I knew I needed stabilizer, but not how much.”
On top of all that, his last pool tech left the water so far out of balance that they needed a different approach. The local pool store wasn’t much help either. “I left the store more frustrated than ever and didn’t feel like I had the answers I needed.”
Only now it was almost summer, and their annual party was only a few weeks away.
"Everything I was doing seemed to make it worse."
He needed to find help — fast. Fortunately, before Dave moved from California to Texas, he cared for Gene's pool. Gene remembered how knowledgeable and helpful Dave always was and decided to give it a try.
Maybe he could help from a distance?
“By the time I called Dave, I was frustrated and angry. Not just at the pool techs who let me down, but at myself. There’s no way this should be that hard.”
“Dave listened patiently as I explained everything that was wrong with my pool — from the spa leaks and stinky, murky water, to the vapor that was burning our eyes.”
During the video call, Gene showed Dave the pool's nasty water and spa with its plumbing leaks.
“After I finished describing the problems, he had me read the water test results to him.”
“Dave answered all my questions and by the end of our video call, I finally had the answers I needed to fix my pool and spa water.”
In a 30-minute call and a follow-up, Dave diagnosed and helped him fix the problems — from the water to the spa leaks.
From Gene’s description, visual inspection through the video, and the water test results, the answer was straightforward, once the problem was properly diagnosed: Gene needed to remove a portion of the water from both the pool and spa and refill with fresh. The biggest mistake Gene had made when he took over was to keep adding chemicals.
Then, he had Gene retest the water and read those results.
“Within a week, the water was clean and clear, the chemical smell was gone, and our eyes didn’t burn anymore." Dave also gave him instructions on how to fix the seals in the spa that the awful water chemistry had damaged.
Best of all? They didn’t have to cancel the party, the pool and spa were safe to use again. And, unlike the pool store or previous tech, Dave didn't just throw chemicals at the problem — he actually diagnosed what was wrong and explained why.
