Pool Maintenance, what am I paying for?

[DirtyDave]

First off, I don't know squat about pools. That's why I pay for a pool cleaning service. They come once a week and it's usually thrs or fri. Today is Wed and this is what I came home to. Before I call and complain about the service, am I doing something wrong? Am I supposed to be cleaning/brushing the pool a few times a week? If I have to do it, what am I paying for?
When I signed up for the service they asked if I wanted it done weekly or every 2 weeks. I chose weekly. Can't imagine what it would look like with 2 weeks between cleanings.

[Walker]

I can tell you that sun leaches chlorine out and were getting a lot of sun.

[JayB]

Algae. It grows in water that is exposed to the sun. Algaecide will fix it. Chlorine is only part of it and, like said above, sun destroys chlorine and we have an abundance of sun right now.

[Lynn21]

Whatever you do, don’t let black algae sit in.

[WTX]

Contact the pool company and have them revisit. You check Amazon for a product called…. poolRX and follow the instructions.

[Mike D]

This heat and high sun exposure will do that no matter how much chlorine you are dosing it. Just part of a pool in this heat. The sun cooks off the chlorine as well.

[BowFever]

Probably just trying to cut back on the outrageous priced chlorine to see what they can get by with. That's what I do with my pool, find that fine line. Could be a Ph / balance issue magnifying it also. Either way, a paid for service should no way be looking like that. The Pool Rx mentioned above is the real deal if taking care of the pool yourself, save You lot's of money on Chlorine. I bought the granular Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate (same ingredient as Pool Rx) and use it in my pool to save on chlorine needed, like only need half as much and crystal clear water. Dosage is critical though. Use PoolRx if you don't want to worry on dosage.

[100%TtId]

Poolperfect works well also. Algae needs phosphorus to thrive and Poolperfect removes it.

[Black Ice]

First off, I don't know squat about pools. That's why I pay for a pool cleaning service. They come once a week and it's usually thrs or fri. Today is Wed and this is what I came home to. Before I call and complain about the service, am I doing something wrong? Am I supposed to be cleaning/brushing the pool a few times a week? If I have to do it, what am I paying for?
When I signed up for the service they asked if I wanted it done weekly or every 2 weeks. I chose weekly. Can't imagine what it would look like with 2 weeks between cleanings.

I’d be losing my mind if my pool looked liked that. I get a few spots here and there but I just brush them off. My pool Guy is awesome and actually builds pools for movie sets all over the country. I switched 3 of my buddies to my pool guy after they started having problems.

[Lungbustr]

Easier to just do it yourself. Thats what I learned, because anybody you hire is going to do a bad job.

[E.TX.BOWHUNTER]

Do you have a DE filter? Are they removing and cleaning the fins every few weeks or just backwashing? Dirty fins will lead to an algae explosion. Algaecide is a weekly must. Apply 24-48 hours after shocking. Shock after heavy use. Check PH and chlorine weekly. Brush once a week. Vacuum anything visible that settles to the bottom a day after brushing.

[bigdawg]

Is it me or has the algae problem been worse this year than previously? A friend of mine showed me a YT video where a guy put a bag with some small random copper fittings in the skimmer basket and that cleared up the water nicely. I haven't tried it but there were lots of comments saying it worked.

[Green]

I battled a mustard colored algae for two summers years back. One day I had to drive to the pool supply store to get some algaecide and the guy asked me what type of brush I was using. Was using one of the plastic bristle brushes. He said for algae use the metal bristled brush. I switched and within two complete brushings I had it under control and it hasn't been back. I only brush monthly now just for good measure. I also haven't had to purchase algaecide since. Maybe this will help.

[Sackett]

To answer your initial question, you're paying for convenience. Sure, you could probably do the maintenance yourself and learn how to properly maintain a pool, but like most of us, you already have a plethora of responsibilities and paying someone to keep one more off the list ain’t so bad.

[TexasBob]

Is it me or has the algae problem been worse this year than previously? A friend of mine showed me a YT video where a guy put a bag with some small random copper fittings in the skimmer basket and that cleared up the water nicely. I haven't tried it but there were lots of comments saying it worked.

I have seen this as well. Keep thinking I should try it. Our maintenance has been fairly easy but I walk that chlorine line and have had some yellow algae a couple times