Jason the pool guy

Dec 2017

I was called out to Ahwatukee, because this customers pump was losing prime due to a suction leak. I pulled out the equipment, put down a new equipment pad to replace the cracked pad that was there. I filled in the holes and leveled the ground in the equipment area. I raised the pad 3" to keep water from pooling up around the motor when it rained, or the filter is drained for cleaning. All the PVC pipe and valves were replaced, and the pipe painted to protect against UV damage.

$800

Phoenix, AZ

Sep 2017

The pool kept turning green, because of water restriction and poor water circulation. The home is almost 40 years old and was never designed to have a dedicated suction cleaner, or pop up floor heads. When the homeowner connected a suction cleaner to the skimmer, it eliminated the skimmer function, and restricted water flow. Removing the float valve from the skimmer caused the drain to stop working and forced all the water through the cleaners 3/4" hole and 30' of hose. The pool would turn green once, or twice a year. I fixed this problem by spreading the new equipment out, so the water flow was not so restricted at the equipment, and added a pressure side cleaner and booster pump so the water circulation was not affected by the addition of a cleaner. I used Dr. Dryden's Activate glass filter media instead of sand, because it never has to be replaced. The DE filter was replaced by a sand filter, so the homeowner could maintain the pool easier. She no longer has to recharge the filter with DE after a backwash, or take it apart every year to wash the grids.

$3k

Mesa, AZ

Sep 2017

Replaced DE filter with a cartridge filter. Replumbed the return side bank and replaced PVC connection to the Polaris pressure side cleaner booster pump with Polaris's new FLEX LINE.

$2k

Mesa, AZ

Nov 2016

Recently, one of my customers pump motors shorted out and was tripping the breaker. I ran into a problem putting in the new pump, with the way the original equipment was plumbed in. The original installers placed both the filter and the pump on one pad, one in front of the other, leaving only a couple of inches clearance for the pool return pipe over the motor. Since title 44 had passed, requiring all new motors/pumps to be two speed, or variable speed with digital controllers, there was no way to put the new pump on the pad. The new pumps digital controller would not fit with the way the return pipe was plumbed. Also, the aerator line was on one side of the pump and the return side on another. This is highly irregular. Usually, all the return lines are on a bank together. To correct the clearance issues and the need to plumb the return lines to different locations, I used two small pads, one for each piece of equipment and re-routed the aerator line close to the pool return so they were together like they should be. I never cut corners and I take my time to make sure my lines are straight and I am doing the best job I can. I don't have an "in and out" mentality.

$3k

Chandler, AZ

Nov 2016

My customers equipment was getting very old and they decided to replace everything with new. The old equipment was on a slope and the home owner did a fantastic job putting in treated wood as a base. I got rid of the old wagon wheel style valves, went with Jandy valves (which can be rebuilt) and replaced all of the pipe above ground.

$3k

Phoenix, AZ

May 2016

The equipment was starting to fail and the customer decided to update everything. I replaced all the in ground cleaning system pop up heads, the water valve for the pop ups, the pool and spa lights, all the pumps, the heater, the filters and replaced the old hard wired automation system with the new Hayward Omni Logic controller. This system is now controllable thu the customers phone and a tablet using a downloadable app thru the homes WI-FI system.

$15k

Gilbert, AZ

Mar 2015

The old pump failed, so it was a good time to update to something more energy efficient. Intakes on the variable speed pumps are lower than the old pumps, a design change that increases performance. Since the intake valve is located very close to the ground in this system, it became an issue with the new pump having an intake that was 2" lower than the last pump. This would have put the valve partially underground if I glued it on after cutting out the old valve. I raised the pad with paving stones 4.5". This was just enough to make up for the 3" I cut off when the old valve was removed and keep the valve above ground level. The old pump was plumbed in with out any straight pipe. There was no place to make a cut, making this install much more difficult. I like to add straight pipe in the event anything may need to be replaced in the future. With many places to cut, it is easy to add a union, or a coupler to make a repair if necessary. Unions on the pump, filter, return line and discharge pipe, also make it easy to remove sections of pipe. This allows easy access to the filter and pump when service is required.

$2k

Tempe, AZ

Mar 2015

This pool has an in-ground cleaning system with floor heads. I replaced a 48 square foot DE filter, because the tank cracked and it was leaking water under pressure. I believe this happened because the filter was undersized. A pool with a suction side cleaner runs a lower pressure, about 10-13 pounds usually. A pool with an in-ground cleaning system will run between 20-25 pounds of pressure. Its important to match the pool equipment to the system, not based on price. Depending on the size of the pool, the distance the equipment is away from the pool, whether it has a spa, a heater, the type of cleaning system it has, the diameter of the pipe, if there are water features etc, all determine what size pump is used, how much water the pump is supposed to move and what size filter is required to handle the flow rate. This 60 square foot filter was installed to lower the pressure at the filter. The old, 48 square foot DE filter was running a high pressure, 30-35 pounds per square inch. The 60 square foot DE filter is running at 20-25 pounds per square inch. 10 pounds per square inch is a lot. This filter will last longer with proper maintenance than the last, because the lower pressure puts less stress on the collection manifold and grids...not to mention the tank.

$1k

Gilbert, AZ

Jan 2015

The chlorine rinse killed the algae, but there was staining left behind. This acid wash removed the stains and brought out the beauty of the pebble tech's finish

$300

Mesa, AZ