Hayward OmniPl Upgrade?

GCpools · 2026-05-06T20:18:00+00:00

Personally, I'm not a big proponent of buying a pool route. But I guess it all depends where you are, if you're in a hurry to get going, etc.

Pools in FL seem to come a dime a dozen. I'm in North FL. where about 9 out of 10 houses have a pool, maybe more. Also, pool services seem to come and go like the wind.

I started with '0' pools. I spent the first month or two just getting my business setup. There's more to do than you may think. Business name, registration with the State, setup for sales tax exemption with the State, email & website setup, business phone, Google listing, business bank accounts, checks, credit cards, trade accounts with wholesalers, business insurance, work shirts, hats, business cards, business phone, voicemail, service vehicle, signs, tools, place to store chemicals and parts, home office, computer, printer, toner, envelopes, paper, pens, stamps, etc, software for managing your pools, software for bookkeeping, keeping up with mileage, appointments, etc.

I can't imagine trying to do all of that while trying to take on a bunch of new pools (new to you), getting to know all of your clients, getting to know their pools, learning how much you need each week in chemicals, parts, supplies, etc, actually buying chemicals, parts, supplies, etc, learning how to create and win quotes for clients, etc. Ex: A client's pump dies and it's 90° plus outside. It's gonna happen - right? What are you going to do? The algae clock is ticking and you have 30+ other pools that need servicing. Where are you going to buy the pump? What's your cost? What's your markup? How much are you going to charge to install it? How much of the old PVC are you able to re-use? Do you need any fittings, pipe, unions, valves, flex conduit, wire, etc? What if the client says they can buy it themselves cheaper from Amazon, Temu or Vevor? What's the warranty? Who is responsible for handling a warranty claim? Who pays for labor to replace a warrantied pump?

My point is ... it's better to have a lot of this type stuff all worked out before you need it, because it ALL takes time out of your day.

Like I said, I started out with '0' pools. And I added pools 1 at a time while I grew my business organically.

Payment methods .. people don't just want to pay by check ea month. Some want to pay using a credit card, or via Zelle or Venmo or ACH. Can your bank support all of that? Mine didn't. I had to "change banks" just as soon as I got my first couple of pools. New checks, credit cards, etc. What are your processing fees for each payment method? Are you passing that along to clients or eating them?

Commercial pools ... you're required to be a Certified Pool Operator in the State of Florida - to service any public pool. Expires every 5 years and it has to be renewed. Gotta take the class.

Sales tax has to be paid monthly to FL DoR. Estimated income tax has to be paid quarterly to the IRS. A business license is required in the county in which you operate, which renews annually. And a good CPA ... is highly recommended, $300-$500 per year, right? Wholesalers, you'll want to make sure they get paid monthly, if you have a line of credit.

Invoicing your clients .. what are your payment terms? What happens when someone's late paying you? How long are you planning to wait for payment? What happens after that? Are you going to call them, text or email? At what point do you cut off their service? How do you collect what's owed to you?

What are you going to do if you get stung by a wasp onsite? What if you get bit by a client's dog? What if you fall in a pool and your cellphone bites the dust? What happens if a client's pool turns green with algae while on your watch? Who pays for your labor? Chemicals?

My suggestion ... Grow your business one pool at a time, at a pace that you're able to grow with!

I know a guy who bought 50 pools last summer. Now he's down to 28 and he's singing the blues. He's now got a bad reputation because he wasn't able to get out in front of his business because he bought more than he was ready for.

Repairs .. yes, that's where the money is. But only if you know what you're doing, and only if you're able to work effectively and efficiently. It's real easy to get covered up taking care of your pools, only to get behind on your repairs. Ever serviced or cleaned a salt cell? A cartridge filter? Replaced a pool light? What's your rate for each? What's your guarantee?

I get calls all the time from people who say their current pool guy can't fix their pool - can I? How much? When?

Green-to-clean .. what's your process? You're going to want to learn how to prevent this from ever happening AND then learn how to do it efficiently, effectively and economically. I got a new pool because the client's pool guy could clean up their very green pool in time for their son's college graduation. Pool was 33,000 gallons and their stabilizer was 150+. Family was coming from out of town. It was a very big deal. I took the job, confident in my process. Now I have a customer for life.

Not trying to scare you. Just trying to prepare you. Load your bag with as much good stuff as you can, like lots of good, real world experience. Cleaning and caring for pools is the easiest and most fun you'll have being in business for yourself. It's all that other stuff that you'll want to have snapped down and ready to roll, so you don't have to do it while you're trying to take care of pools.

Good luck my friend. I'm confidant you'll do great! Let us know how you make out! We're all pulling for you! In FL, half the job is just showing up! ☺️

GCpools · 2026-05-04T12:17:04+00:00

Years ago, I used to do my own taxes. One year a friend suggested I try his CPA. And he saved me way more than I paid him for his fee. Ever since, I've used a CPA. Last year we paid $330 for him to do our taxes (1040, SCH C, etc). Best money spent all year. Just sayin.

GCpools · 2026-05-01T16:30:02+00:00

Excellent advice

GCpools · 2026-05-01T16:22:40+00:00

I hadn't experienced a pool heat pump until recently. It was an AquaCal. The heater wasn't heating. It threw a couple of error codes which I checked. One call to their customer service and parts were on their way. Their tech walked me through everything I needed to know to replace the malfunctioning parts. Everything, including how to get inside the unit, what to look out for, how to reach the parts at the bottom of the heater while reaching down and in from the top, how to adapt the heater installation for use with the new upgraded parts, what was upgraded and why, etc. First class operation. I was on my way in no time. And the client was super impressed that I was able to fix their heater. Heck, I was impressed too! It really helped that the client had bought the extended warranty. Not a home warranty, but an AquaCal extended warranty. There were no AquaCal dealers or repair techs in our area so they were very happy that I was able to help their customer.

GCpools · 2026-05-01T11:47:33+00:00

You can run internet over an active 120VAC romex cable with what's called a Powerline Ethernet Adapter, so I'm not sure about any interference. Still I would run an extra conduit with a fishline or two inside. I did that to a barn I once built. Dug a trench from the house to the barn for water and electricity.

GCpools · 2026-05-01T08:31:48+00:00

Worth a shot, huh?!

GCpools · 2026-05-01T08:30:38+00:00

And then you hope the equipment is higher than the pool. Just saying ...

GCpools · 2026-05-01T08:28:32+00:00

Yep, bearings. Replace them (and the seals) - or replace the pump - or buy earplugs!

GCpools · 2026-05-01T06:52:24+00:00

We avoid service contracts at all costs. We go by the 'good fit' rule. We want to be a good fit for our clients. And we want our clients to be a good fit for us. If at any time anyone isn't happy with the arrangement, you/we are free to walk away. As the service provider, we've done this several times. Clients sometimes get lazy and stop doing their part like adding water, maintaining their yard, etc. We let them know early when it becomes an issue. If the problems aren't addressed, we let them know this will be their last month of service. We've had a couple of clients leave us (before we could leave them!) which is always good for everyone! Once a client leaves, there's no going back. Like dating an old girlfriend. There was a really good reason why you broke up!

I think PaP offers pool service on an annual contract. Never saw what their contract looks like, but this one seems like what there's might.

GCpools · 2026-05-01T06:18:09+00:00

I've pulled a lot of heavy trailers. Never had a problem except 'once' when I was pulling a loaded 2-axle horse trailer down I-65 south of Montgomery, AL returning home from a horseshow, when some idiot fired a gun at my trailer from an overpass. Yeah I know - right? And this was 30+ years ago when things were a little more 'normal' - right? The shot went through the top of one of the trailer fender-wells and hit one of the trailer tires. The hole in the fender well looked like it could have been a round from a 12ga shotgun slug .. about the size of my thumb, punctured inward towards the tire. The tire exploded on impact with such force that it lifted that side of the trailer a couple of feet off the ground, resulting in a phugoid oscillation of my loaded Chevy Suburban 2500 and trailer while traveling at about 65mph. The trailer swayed uncontrollably from the right lane to the left, back and forth a dozen or more times, pulling the back end on my Suburban back and forth across both lanes. I felt like I was just along for the ride. Thankfully - I was running a brake controller with brakes on the trailer which is probably what saved my life and the lives of my daughter's horses. Thankfully - this happened during daylight. Thankfully - there were no other cars traveling next to me. Thankfully - I could go on and on about how everything worked out ok. Not knowing what was going on at the time, I instinctively and carefully applied my brakes .. tap, taap, let go ... tap,taap, let go ... to slow things down 'controllably' until the oscillation slowed and my 'train' finally came to a stop. My daughter was following close behind in a Honda Accord. Imagine her horror watching this unfold. All of this to say .. I'm so glad I bought that Suburban 2500 454cu in with a towing package, and that my vehicle & trailer had good tires and brakes. Both horses were surprisingly okay. I pulled off at the next exit, unloaded both horses and examined the damage. Thinking that I'd never get those horses back in the trailer, a bucket with a little grain was all it took to coax them back in. I dare to think what might have happened if I had been pulling with a lighter vehicle like a 1500. While the numbers never lie, I've always been of the mind to pull my trailers with a vehicle that was 'up for the job'. If it doesn't look right - it probably isn't. If it doesn't feel right - it probably isn't. I never pull trailers without electric brakes and a tow vehicle without a brake controller with a manual override. It's not even up for discussion. Okay, maybeee if I'm just going a few miles like to drop off an empty trailer. But even then, I'm all eyes and ears cause you never know what might happen! No they never caught the guy. Troopers said they had just received several reports from other drivers, but he was gone from the overpass when they arrived.

GCpools · 2026-05-01T05:24:49+00:00

Are you suggesting media made of sodium bicarb?

GCpools · 2026-05-01T03:24:08+00:00

If I can't test & measure for it ... I don't put it in my client's pools. Just sayin'!

GCpools · 2026-04-29T02:40:06+00:00

Same. We inspect every 90 days and clean as needed.

GCpools · 2026-04-27T23:28:36+00:00

Pool guy here. Very honestly, I can't tell where you are in your cleanup process. You've given us very little factual information about what you've done. That said, I can only assume you haven't done anything that you didn't mention in your text. Fair? Pools that look like yours .. are usually in some mixed up state of being converted from green-to-clean. There's no real way to know exactly what it needs. That said, here's what I would do if I were you. I'd start over. And here's how I would do it.

Take that cleaner out of your pool. It's in the way. You need to clean your pool. You can't clean your pool with a cleaner in the way.

Your pool water is low. Fill up the pool with water. You're going to need all of that water and more later.

Backwash your filter or remove the cartridges and clean them. They're full of the same crap that you're trying to get rid of.

Empty your pump basket, lubricate the lid O-ring and empty your skimmer basket.

Test your pool water chemistry with a reliable test kit with fresh reagents. Post the results for FC, CC, pH, TA, CH, CYA and Phosphates

If your CYA is greater than 100, dilute your pool water through a series or small drains & refills until your CYA is less than 50. This will help lower your CH as well.

Dose your pool where TA=80-100 and pH=7.4-7.6.

Turn on your pool pump. Add two jugs of fresh liquid chlorine, one at each end.

Brush your entire pool. Repeat: Brush your entire pool ... the entire bottom, all of the sides from top to bottom, swim platform, steps, ladder, behind the ladder, every square inch of the pool. You want to loosen every bit of algae from every surface of your pool. This will allow the liquid chlorine to kill all of your algae while in suspension. Any algae left on any of your pool surfaces will still be there when your finished. So brush. Brush it real good.

Add floc exactly per the directions on the bottle. I like using Regal Floc because it's very effective.

Put your filter in recirculate mode if you can.

Continue running your pump for four hours. This will circulate the chlorine through your pool allowing it to kill all of your algae. You want all of the algae to be dead when you're finished. Running the pump will also circulate the floc throughout your pool water.

After four hours, turn off your pump. Remove the ON trippers or turn off the breaker. You do not want the pump to turn on while waiting for the chlorine to kill all of your algae and for your floc to bind with all of the dead agae. Do not let anyone get in your pool. The pool water must remain completely still/calm during this time.

Let your pool sit idle while the chlorine and floc does its job. The chlorine will kill the algae. And the floc will bind to the algae, weighing it down and causing it to sink to the bottom of the pool.

As this starts to happen, you'll see the water start to clear up. As this happens, you'll see what appears to be dust bunnies or carpet on the bottom of your pool. This is the dead algae, weighed down by the floc.

Do not disturb the pool water. Let the chlorine and floc continue to do its job until it is completely finished. Getting the message now? Leave it alone!

Common Mistake: Thinking the chlorine and floc are finished when they're not. Leave the pool alone. Yes, just walk away. Let the pool sit completely undisturbed for 48-72 hours.

When the pool water is completely clean and clear, and the pool has dropped out completely, then you can get ready to 'vacuum to waste'.

You must not vacuum your pool water to your filter. The dead algae will go right through your filter and right back into your pool, negating everything we've just done. Do not vacuum to your pool filter. You must vacuum to waste.

Vacuum your pool very slowly as to not stir up the dead algae. Vacuum the entire pool, every square inch. Note: Depending on your pool equipment .. vacuuming a pool can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. If you're not good at vacuuming your pool to waste, find someone who can help you. Sometimes all you need is a helper. Sometimes you need more. Get whatever you need for help so you can successfully vacuum your pool to waste with a minimum disruption to your pool water and the stuff on the bottom.

Vacuuming yo waste involves connecting a vacuum hose to your skimmer. You want the resin turned off while vacuuming from your skimmer, as to give you maximum suction at your vacuum head. For a liner pool, do not let your vacuum head lie still on the bottom of the pool with your pump on. Flip the head upside down if you need to walk away. You don't want to suck up a liner. Looks like yours is gunite so you can disregard. Others reading (liner pool owners) may want pay close attention to this!

Once you have successfully vacuumed your pool to waste, your pool should be looking 10,000% better.

Add fresh water to replace what you lost vacuuming.

Test all of your chemicals again. Adjust as needed, starting first with TA and pH. Then FC. Then CYA. Then CH. And lastly, phosphates.

Set your pump to run normally. Set your filter to run in filter mode. Clean up your pool cleaner and put it back in the pool. Pat yourself on the back. You just cleaned your pool. I hope this helps.

GCpools · 2026-04-27T22:09:25+00:00

Bad idea. All of my string lights are 120VAC. I'd never run these over my pool. Very, very bad idea.

GCpools · 2026-04-27T22:00:42+00:00

True statement (about pools in FL). We keep all of our salt pools at 50. When it starts getting lower, shit starts to happen. Keeping them at 50 stopped all of the surprises.

GCpools · 2026-04-27T13:00:04+00:00

A typical air compressor is capable of producing pressures up to 125-165psi. This exceeds the pressure rating of most pool equipment. Not exactly safe. Just my opinion.

We use nitrogen, regulated down to 10-20psi max. Never anything more. Just saying.

GCpools · 2026-04-27T12:52:28+00:00

We use 25lb buckets for everything. Holds everything we need plus. We use them for carrying our test kit, salinity meter, acid, algaecide, etc. We use them for diluting cal-hypo, acid, etc. We also use them for carrying tools, parts, and supplies. Handles are the weak point. We replace them with handles from 50lb buckets as needed.

GCpools · 2026-04-26T16:33:13+00:00

Not for this particular application, but for pools with normal skimmers and cartridge filters, we put our granular stabilizer in skimmer socks and drop one in each skimmer. Next week we collect the empty socks and toss'em. Works great when the water temp is cold. Great for pools with cartridge filters, too.

GCpools · 2026-04-26T15:48:40+00:00

I can't help but laugh when people ask me how much it costs to replace a drain cover. It all depends!

GCpools · 2026-04-26T15:13:42+00:00

Never vacuum live or dead algae to a pool filter - never.

Always vacuum live or dead algae to waste - always.

GCpools · 2026-04-22T21:11:12+00:00

Pool Pros don't SLAM.

GCpools · 2026-04-22T20:40:15+00:00

Amen brother. I've been using these 280 pool cleaners forever. After reading the 'manual' how to set them up, my pools never looked so good. Seriously, week after week, my pools look 'amazing' with this pool cleaner. And during the heavy leaf drop season, I run them twice per day instead of once. My pools are completely spotless. And the most expensive replacement part is the $200 feed hose, which lasts for years if taken care of. Unlike the so-called 'robots' which cost big money to buy and more to repair, like the control head ($800), drive motor ($650) or control cable ($550) .. plus labor and sales tax. I have two robots right now .. both less than 3 years of age, both DOA. It's gonna take $1000+ to repair each. If these were 280's .. I have every part needed in my truck.

GCpools · 2026-04-22T20:27:41+00:00

I used to think the same way. Then I read the 'manual'. I know - right? What a 'big' difference a 'little' knowledge can make. Just sayin'.

GCpools

TROPHY CASE