Pool Service questions from Collin County homeowners

Weekly full service starts at $165 per month for a typical residential pool, standard chemicals included. Spas, large pools and pools under heavy tree cover are quoted after the first visit. There is no contract.

Most repair calls in Frisco are scheduled within two to four business days. A pump that is tripping the breaker or a pool that is turning green gets moved to the front of the line.

Water above 85 degrees with low chlorine is the recipe, and summer water here sits above that line for weeks. A storm adds phosphates and debris, and a pump that quit for two days finishes the job. A green pool cleanup starts at $400 depending on how far gone the water is.

Usually a start capacitor or seized bearings. Turn it off at the timer so the motor does not burn out, then call. A capacitor is a cheap same-visit fix. A seized motor on an old single-speed pump is usually replaced with a variable-speed unit.

Low flow from a dirty filter or a pump on low speed is the top cause on both gas and heat pump units. After that it is an igniter, a pressure switch or a sensor. The heater diagnostic is $125 and is applied to the repair.

Do the bucket test. Set a bucket of pool water on the top step, mark both water lines, shut the auto-fill off and check after 24 hours. If the pool lost more than the bucket, it is a leak. A leak detection visit is $350.

The cell reads conductivity, not salt. A scaled cell, a worn cell and cool water all show as low salt. Do not add more until the actual salt level is tested with a meter. Hard fill water scales the cell plates, and a scaled cell reads low no matter how much salt is in the pool.

Sometimes it is the right call, but it is not a weekend job. An empty shell can crack or shift when the ground around it is wet, and plaster that dries out in the sun cracks. Frisco's stormwater ordinance bars filter backwash and chlorinated pool water from the storm drain and allows only dechlorinated pool water there, and Allen and other Collin County cities enforce the same rule. We backwash and drain to the sanitary sewer cleanout at a slow rate, or let the chlorine fall to zero first.

Frisco needs no permit for minor repairs or part replacement, but replacing a whole appliance such as a water heater is permit work pulled by a registered contractor or an owner-occupant. Pool pumps and heaters are not named on that list, so we confirm with Frisco Building Inspections before a swap and pull the permit when required.

Texas does not license pool service companies, so insurance and references are the proof of a good one. The trades around a pool are licensed: pump wiring and bonding need a TDLR-licensed electrician, natural gas piping a licensed plumber, and propane work a Railroad Commission LP-gas licensee. We bring those trades in when a job needs them.

Do not drain the pool. Lower the level a few inches if heavy rain is forecast. Shut the pump off at the breaker if flooding is likely, and bring loose furniture and toys inside. Leave the pool uncovered. After the storm, call and we will get the debris out and the chemistry back before it goes green.