Questions people ask before they call

Jeff works out of South Surrey and covers Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Delta, New Westminster, Abbotsford and the wider Fraser Valley. If you're just outside that, call and ask — it depends on the week.

It depends on the size of the pool or tub, what condition it's in, and how often you want it looked at, so Jeff quotes each one after he's seen it. Quotes are free.

No. Some customers are on a regular schedule and others call when something needs doing — a green-up, an opening, a repair. There's no lock-in either way.

Usually, and usually without draining. Green water is an algae bloom, which normally means the sanitiser dropped, the filter isn't keeping up, or both.

Green-to-clean means testing, shocking, correcting the chemistry, then clearing the water through the filter over a few days. Leave the pump running while you wait, and don't swim until it's been tested.

At least weekly for a pool in regular use — more often in hot weather, after heavy use, or after a big rain. Hot tubs hold far less water so they swing faster; two or three times a week is more realistic.

• Water testing and chemical balancing
• Skimming, brushing and vacuuming
• Emptying skimmer and pump baskets
• Checking and cleaning the filter
• A look over the equipment for anything starting to go

Most no-heat calls come down to a few usual suspects: a dirty or clogged filter choking the flow, a flow or pressure switch, a tripped high-limit, or the heating element itself.

Two things worth checking before you call — is the filter clean, and is the water level above the intake? If both look fine, it needs eyes on it.

Yes — hot tubs, spas and swim spas. Drains and deep cleans, refills and start-up, water balancing, filter work, and troubleshooting when something stops heating or circulating.

Repairs too — pumps, heaters, filters, plumbing and general equipment troubleshooting, plus installing new equipment when something is genuinely finished.

The approach is repair before replace. If a part can be cleaned rather than swapped, it gets cleaned.

Early. Spring openings and fall closings both bunch up into a few short weeks, so the calendar fills fast at either end of the season.

Jeff Kingdon. It's his company and he does the visits himself rather than sending a rotating crew. He's been servicing pools and hot tubs around the Fraser Valley for 20 years.

Usually the opposite of what people assume. A sharp chlorine smell generally means chloramines — spent chlorine that's already bound to contaminants — rather than too much sanitiser. It's a sign the water needs testing, not less chlorine.