Is it Worth Hiring a Pool Company in Florida? A Complete Price Breakdown.

Sublime Pools Blog
September 1, 2020

Pool Maintenance

This summer both COVID-19 closures and concerns for health and safety have kept more families at home in Florida.

With beaches and public pools less available than ever before, more and more people are enjoying the benefits of pools in their backyard.

According to an article by Reuters, one pool supplier’s sales have skyrocketed during July 2020, with a 50% increase over the same period in 2019.

So if you are one of the many deciding to invest in a swimming pool or a seasoned owner, you might be wondering whether you can tackle the maintenance yourself or if it’s essential to get a professional pool company to take care of things for you.

Ok, so let’s dive right in and discover whether or not you might be able to save money yourself by maintaining your own Florida pool.

Can I Save Money by Doing My Own Pool Service?

Depending on the equipment used, cleaning a pool yourself can take up to 45 minutes to a whole hour and you’ll need to do this weekly. … As a pool maintenance service will use professional-grade tools, they can complete the entire job under an hour.

Doing the pool maintenance yourself may reduce your costs slightly, but not necessarily as much as you might expect.

Firstly, you’ll need to purchase all the cleaning supplies, chemicals and equipment to carry out the clean.

So how much does that cost? Let’s discover more.

“A pool maintenance service will use professional-grade tools, they can complete the entire job under an hour.”

How Much Will it Cost to do my Own Pool Service?

So let’s take a look at the breakdown of costs if you decide to service your own pool.

Testing kit – $15 will be added into costs if you decide to maintain a pool yourself.
Chemicals – One of the most important aspects of maintaining your pool is the chemicals. These can cost up to $30 per month. Pool companies with a contractors license get a discount on chemicals while consumers without a contractor’s licenses are stuck paying the full price. For a jug of Chlorine from Pinch a Penny, it costs 3.79 per gallon. This is excluding the initial cost of 8.00 for a single jug container that holds it.
Filter replacement cartridges – These can cost anywhere between $40 for a basic cartridge and up to $120 for a more high-end type. Pool contractors also get huge discounts on these filter replacements, just like a mechanic would on car parts.
Replacement sand – This is likely to cost around $12 for 50lb.
DE for filtering – As a rough guide, this will cost somewhere in the region of $20 for a 25lb bag.
Pool Vacuum: These can cost anywhere from $200 – $1000 depending on the brand and quality.

According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, it can cost anywhere between $700 and $1000 per year to manage your own pool in South Florida, even if you buy some of the necessary kits from a discount store. This price excludes the cost of buying a Pool Vacuum or any other pool service equipment.

This of course also does not take into account the time it takes for you to work on your pool, keeping it in good working order and any repairs that need fixing. It excludes the gas that it requires for you to pick up chemicals, the smell that is left within your car or truck after you drove home with the chlorine, and the cost of shocking and restoring a green pool should you mismanage your own pool cleaning service.

While you could be enjoying your pool with friends and family, you’ll be finding the time to buy and add chemicals, making sure the water levels are just right, cleaning a ton of leaves off the pool, inspecting equipment, and polishing the handrails till they gleam—this is clearly not the best use of your time.

At the end of a busy day, it can seem like one of those endless chores that you never complete…

Vacations also need extra planning, since you would have no choice but to hire a pool company to take care of your pool while you are gone.

Overall when you add in the labor needed in order to keep your pool to a good standard, the cost could in part depend on how much you value your spare time. For some, saving $200 – $400 a year is worth the time exchange, while for others, it is better to enjoy the family and spend the extra money to hire a specialist to take care of their pool.

So, you might be wondering how the best pool maintenance company in Florida can assist with your pool maintenance needs. We will cover that shortly. But first, let’s see what the average pool company covers with their maintenance service!

Vacations also need extra planning, since you would have no choice but to hire a pool company to take care of your pool while you are gone.

What is Usually Included in a Monthly Pool Maintenance Contract?

If you’re thinking of hiring an experienced pool maintenance company to look after your pool, it’s important to understand exactly what you are getting for your money.

Generally, the best reliable pool cleaners in the Florida area and beyond will service your pool on a weekly basis. Something to note is that bigger pools with additional water features require more visits.

The routine tasks that your average pool technician will tackle include:

Managing the water level
Removing debris such as foliage
Emptying the skimmer baskets ( If your pool requires it)
Ensuring filters are running to maximum efficiency
Vacuuming pool surface
Checking the PH level of water
Pool chemical balancing
Scrubbing steps and walls
Adding the correct amount of chlorine to prevent algae and bacteria build up
Reset and adjusting time clocks
Backwash filter maintenance which helps to dislodge and remove any dirt or debris that may have become trapped

So as you can see an expert maintenance team will thoroughly service your pool to a very high standard and keep your pool working as safely and efficiently as possible.

Ok, so what’s the cost? Let’s find out.

What is the Average Cost of Monthly Pool Maintenance if you Hire A Company in Florida?

Obviously, as with any kind of costs, they do fluctuate and will depend on the pool service business in Florida that you hire and many other factors that we will discuss in more detail later.

Generally, the cost can be anywhere between $80 to $200 a month to keep your pool in tip-top condition.

If you shop around, however, you will be able to find expert pool management companies in Florida for around $75 to $125 a month, depending on the type of pool you have and other factors.

So why would there be a price difference between $75 and $125 you might be wondering.

Let’s find out what might lead to your monthly service maintenance costs being a little higher.

Which factors increase pool maintenance costs?

One of the main deciding factors when it comes to how much your pool maintenance will cost is the size of the pool and the frequency of service.

Obviously, the larger it is, the more time and chemicals it will take to keep it maintained.

Let’s find out some of them some of the main factors that will influence the cost of your pool service:

The size of your pool – More chemicals and more time/Labour is required to maintain larger pools.
Location – If your pool is positioned near any kind of tree or wooded area, it will attract more leaf debris than a pool placed away from a pool where foliage is likely to drop into your pool. It’s also important to understand that any pool situated in areas with a high rainfall will cost more to service.
Type of pool – The cost of pool maintenance will alter depending on whether your pool is saltwater, chlorine, or a natural pool.
Usage – Any pool that has a lot of use will cost more to maintain than a pool which gets only occasional light use, perhaps only at weekends.
Pool equipment – If you have extra equipment for your pool such as heating and lighting, this may also have a bearing on the cost of service, as you may require more service call outs and/or repairs.
Water Features – These can include spa additions, water fountains, waterfalls, and more. These usually require special attention.
Non-Screened Pools – These are pools that do not have screening around it. Screens protect your pool from leaves falling in, frogs jumping in, and dirt blowing into your pool. If you have one installed, you can usually expect to save on pool maintenance!
Equipment – Pool equipment that is in a hard to reach usually will drive costs up since it will take more labor to maintain the pool.

So that’s given us a breakdown of the kind of factors that might influence the cost of your pool service.

These are variable costs that will be included on your monthly pool service plan and will of course alter depending on the kind of pool you have and, for example, whether it’s a skimmer pool or an overflow style.

Ok, so finding any kind of reputable company can be a minefield when you are looking for pool maintenance in Florida. So how do you find a company you can trust?

If you shop around, however, you will be able to find expert pool management companies in Florida for around $75 to $125 a month

How Do You Find a Reputable Company?

Check out Their Google reviews

It goes without saying to check out reviews on Google. Compare the bad ones with good reviews so you can find out the kind of ways a trustworthy and reputable company will service your pool.

Do good reviews demonstrate that a pool company shows up to clean their pool when they say they will? Are their prices consistent? And can you see any bad reviews which say the pool wasn’t cleaned to a good standard?

You will also find that pool service companies you can trust will having listings on some or all of the following:

Yelp
BBB
Home Advisor
Yahoo
Bing
Facebook & More!

Sublime Pools & Spa proudly has 5 Star reviews on ALL platforms!

Are they certified and insured?

Another important consideration is to make sure you check certification and insurance. Otherwise, any bad repairs which could potentially damage your pool could end up costing you more than you bargained for.

The best pool service companies will always have certification clearly displayed on their website or other literature.

So are there any other red flags to keep watchful of? Let’s find out.

What red flags to watch out for when choosing a pool company

Skipped pool cleaning – Some of the more unscrupulous pool services companies will overbook and could skip servicing your pool. A reliable company will have tickets they leave at your premises which give all the details including time of attendance, the condition of the pool, and outline any maintenance. At Sublime Pools & Spa, we take it to the next level and send an SMS letting you know that your pool has been serviced!
Used parts for repairs a trustworthy pool company will, of course, use brand new parts for repairs, so if you are having a large number of repairs done, check the parts before they are installed, by asking to see them.
Extra pool chemical charge A trustworthy pool company should charge one flat rate and should not add extra charges for any additional chemicals that have been approved at the beginning of your contract. You should know what your yearly cost for maintenance will be before signing up with a company. These costs obviously exclude pool repairs.

Can they be reached easily by phone?

Some of the more spurious pool service companies can be discovered purely by the fact they will be difficult to reach by phone.

It stands to reason that a company difficult to get hold of is not going to bring you the best service. This is a red flag in the service industry so any company you struggle to speak to by phone is best avoided.

Do they have a "No Green Pool Guarantee"?

Only the best pool company will restore your pool without charge if it turns green for any reason other than weather or pool equipment which has broken or not functioning correctly. ONLY Sublime Pools & Spa proudly offers this guarantee!

Contact Broward's Premiere Pool Cleaning Company for a FREE Digital Quote Within 24 Hours!

So we hope our article has given you all the information you need to decide whether or not to hire a professional pool maintenance service in Florida!

Don’t forget to get in touch with one of our friendly expert team to talk about your options and help you free up more of your precious time enjoying your pool.

If you live in Broward County, Sublime Pools & Spa is ready to provide excellent monthly pool service right away! We can send you a quote via email or text without even showing up! If you would like to learn more, Call us at 754-260-7193. We take pride in our unbeatable guarantees and our values that keep our company afloat!

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