Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on your pool and how much you'd like taken off your hands. Essentials starts from $38 for water testing and basic upkeep, Plus is $60 for regular skimming, brushing, and a filter backwash, and the Full Valet, Opulent Pure, runs from $75 weekly up to $95 monthly and adds a full vacuum for a deep clean. Chemicals are costed and charged separately from the plan price, based on what your pool actually needs that visit, rather than a flat add-on. Most Auckland homeowners land on Plus or Full Valet, especially over summer when bather load is higher. If your property also has a spa, it's looked after at every visit too, at no extra cost. There's no lock-in contract, so it's easy to move between tiers as the seasons change. Get in touch for a no obligation quote and we'll recommend the right fit for your pool.

Most Auckland pools do well with fortnightly to monthly visits, depending on usage and season, more often over summer when bather load and sun exposure are both higher, less over winter when the pool sees little use. A newer pool with modern equipment can often stretch to monthly even in summer, while an older pool, a heavily used family pool, or one surrounded by trees usually needs the more frequent end of that range to stay ahead of debris and chemical drift. Auckland's humid summers and heavy autumn leaf fall both add extra load between visits, which is part of why the right frequency varies so much from one pool to the next. We can recommend a proper schedule for your specific pool once we've seen it in person, rather than guessing from a general rule.

No. As long as we have safe access to the pool area, you don't need to be present, and many regular clients aren't home when we visit. Side gate access, a code for a lock, or simply leaving the gate unlocked on your service day is usually all it takes. You'll still get photos and a report after every visit, so you can see exactly what was done and how the water tested even if you weren't there to see it in person. If access ever changes, like a new gate code or a dog in the yard on visit day, just let us know and we'll work around it.

Depends on the tier. Essentials covers water testing and basic equipment checks, for owners who are comfortable doing their own physical clean but want a trained eye on water chemistry. Plus adds surface skimming and brushing on top of that, catching flow and pressure issues early rather than after they turn into a leak. Pure, our Full Valet tier, includes a complete vacuum and deep clean as well, so the only thing left for the owner to do is swim. Every visit, on every tier, comes with photos and a written report, so you can see exactly what was tested and done rather than take our word for it. Chemicals are costed and charged separately on every tier, based on what the pool actually needs that visit. See our Services page for the full comparison.

Green pools and other urgent issues are treated as a priority ahead of routine visits, rather than queued behind them. That means an assessment and stabilising treatment come first, then follow-up visits until the water is genuinely clear and balanced, usually 3 to 6 days depending on how far gone it is when we start. The filter gets backwashed early in the process too, since a clogged filter can't clear dead algae and debris out of the water once treatment starts. Draining and refilling is rarely the answer and can damage the surface if done incorrectly, so a proper shock and filter cycle is the standard approach. See our Green Pool Recovery service for the full process.

We handle chemical dosing and water balancing as part of our service, so you don't need to supply, store, or measure anything yourself. Every visit starts with a full water test, pH, chlorine, and alkalinity checked against target range, and the dose is worked out from that result rather than applied by habit. Chemicals are costed and charged separately from your plan price, based on what your pool actually needs that visit, not included as a flat add-on, so you're only paying for what actually went into the water. That also means you avoid the common DIY mistake of over or under dosing, which can waste product or push the chemistry further out of balance rather than fixing it.

We cover the wider Auckland region, including Howick and East Auckland, Inner City suburbs like Remuera and Ponsonby, North Shore areas like Takapuna and Devonport, and out to Mount Albert. Get in touch if you're unsure whether your suburb is covered. See the full list of service areas.

Yes. Our services are flexible with no lock-in contracts, so there's no penalty or notice period for moving between Essentials, Plus, and Pure as your needs change, or for cancelling altogether. It's common to start on a lighter tier and move up once summer demand picks up, or scale back over winter when the pool needs less attention. Just get in touch whenever you want to adjust your plan and we'll sort it from the next visit.

We can diagnose most common issues, filters, pumps, and leaks among them, during a visit and either fix it on the spot or advise on next steps if it's a bigger job. A pump making the wrong noise, a filter that's not keeping the water clear, or a chlorinator throwing an error code are all things worth mentioning when you book, since a proper diagnosis rather than a guess is what actually gets it sorted. Repairs and equipment work are covered separately from routine maintenance, with dedicated pages for the most common jobs like pump repairs, filter changes, and leak detection if you'd like more detail before booking.

Almost always a chlorine or circulation failure. A few days without proper sanitiser, a broken pump, or heavy rain diluting chemicals lets algae bloom fast, sometimes within 24 to 48 hours, since algae spores are present in most pool water and just need the right conditions to take hold. High phosphate levels can also feed algae growth even when chlorine looks okay, since phosphates are a food source algae thrives on. Warm weather speeds the whole process up, which is why green pools show up more often over an Auckland summer than in the cooler months, and why a pool left unattended during a holiday is a common trigger.

Depends how far gone it is, but a typical recovery is usually 3 to 6 days, varying with how bad it is when we start: an initial assessment and stabilising treatment on the first visit, then follow-up visits until the water is genuinely clear and balanced, not just clear enough to look fine for a day. A pool caught early, still slightly cloudy rather than fully green, tends to sit at the shorter end of that range, while a pool that's been left for weeks with visible algae on the walls and floor takes longer, simply because there's more to break down and filter out. The water can look mostly clear well before it's actually safe to swim in, which is why the job isn't called done until testing confirms the chemistry has genuinely stabilised, not just that the colour has come right.

Rarely necessary and often makes things worse. It's expensive, and depending on the surface and the local water table, draining a concrete or plaster pool incorrectly can actually damage the shell rather than fix anything, since an empty shell can shift or crack under groundwater pressure it was never designed to resist. In most cases the existing water can be brought back with a proper shock and filter process: scooping out debris, backwashing the filter, rebalancing the water, then shock dosing and giving it time to clear, rather than starting from scratch. Draining also throws away water that's already most of the way to being fixed, so it tends to cost more time and money than simply treating what's already there. It's really only worth considering if the water's carrying a problem that treatment genuinely can't fix, which is uncommon.

It can be. Algae blooms are often paired with low or zero sanitiser, meaning bacteria and other organisms can be present too, not just algae, so it's worth treating as urgent rather than cosmetic. Swallowing contaminated water or getting it in a cut is where most of the health risk comes from, and green water also hides the pool floor, which is its own safety issue if anyone's tempted to swim before it clears. It isn't worth swimming in a pool until the green has genuinely gone and the water tests are holding steady, not just declared fine because it looks clearer today than yesterday.

What's actually included per visit versus what counts as an extra, how chemicals are charged, and what happens if a scheduled visit needs to move. Whether they're insured is worth confirming directly rather than assuming, and how they handle something urgent like a green pool outside the regular schedule tells you a lot about how the business is actually run day to day. It's also worth asking whether you get any record of what was done at each visit, like photos or a written report, or whether you're expected to just take their word for it. Ask, too, whether you're locked into a contract or can change tiers and cancel freely, since pool needs shift with the seasons and a plan that can't flex with that ends up costing more than it should.

Less than summer, but not none. Algae growth slows in cooler weather since it needs warmth as well as nutrients to bloom, but rain dilution, wind-blown debris, and equipment left unchecked can still cause problems. A pump that's turned off entirely over winter lets water sit still, which is exactly the kind of stagnant condition algae and scale both take hold in, so running it for a shorter period each day is usually better than switching it off completely. Monthly servicing over winter is common rather than stopping altogether, catching the small chemical drift and debris build-up before it turns into a bigger job come spring.

Rain dilutes chlorine and can lower pH and alkalinity, especially after a big downpour, so it's worth testing after any heavy rain event rather than waiting for the next scheduled visit. Rain also washes in debris and airborne contaminants from the surrounding roof and garden, which adds an extra load on the filter on top of the chemical dilution itself. Rainwater tends to be slightly acidic, which is part of why pH drifts down rather than staying put after a downpour, and a pool left untested through a wet stretch can drift further out of range than most owners expect.

Generally a few weeks before you plan to use it regularly, enough time to correct any chemical drift from winter, clean the filter properly, and catch any equipment issues before peak season demand. Starting early also means any repairs needed, a worn pump or a chlorinator that needs attention, get sorted before the busiest weeks of the year rather than competing with everyone else booking in at the same time. A proper start-up covers a full clean, a filter service, rebalancing the water, and an equipment check, so the pool is genuinely ready rather than just looking clear on the surface. See our Summer Pool Start-Up service for the full detail.

Cloudy water usually means something other than chlorine is out of balance. Commonly pH too high, fine contaminants suspended in the water that need a clarifier or flocculant to clear, or a filter that needs backwashing. High pH alone can cut chlorine's effectiveness significantly, so "more chlorine" isn't always the fix, and it's worth testing pH before adding anything further. A filter that isn't running long enough each day can also let fine particles stay suspended rather than getting caught, since it takes multiple full turnovers of the pool's water through the filter to genuinely clear it, not just one pass. If the water's cloudy but tests are otherwise in range, running the filter longer before assuming a chemical problem is often the simpler first step.

DIY has lower cash cost but a real time cost, often an hour or more weekly once testing, brushing, and equipment checks are all counted, and a real risk of chemical mistakes that end up costing more to fix than they would have to prevent. Overdosing chlorine, letting pH drift, or missing an early filter or pump issue are all common DIY mistakes that are cheap to avoid with regular professional testing but can be expensive once they've turned into algae, staining, or equipment damage. Professional service trades cost for time and consistency, especially valuable if you travel, aren't confident in the chemistry, or would simply rather spend a weekend doing something other than pool maintenance.

Evaporation typically accounts for a small, consistent daily drop, generally a few millimetres a day, more in hot, windy, or dry weather and less when the pool's sheltered or covered. If you're losing noticeably more than that, especially with the pump off overnight, it's worth checking for a genuine leak in the shell, plumbing, or around fittings, since a real leak tends to lose water at a steady rate regardless of whether the pump's running. A simple way to tell the difference is marking the water level and checking it again after 24 hours with the pump off, then comparing that to a normal day with the pump running as usual. On pools with a multi-port valve (MPV), a damaged spider gasket is a common culprit, letting water leak out through the waste port even when the valve's set to filter. Fitting a 2-way valve is often a cost-effective fix compared to replacing the whole MPV.

Common causes include sunscreen, body lotion, and airborne contaminants like roof overspray or barbecue smoke settling on the water over time. It tends to show up as a faint sheen or ring around the waterline rather than an obvious slick, and it's a surface issue rather than a sign the water itself is unsafe. An enzyme-based cleaner formulated for oils breaks it down without needing to over-chlorinate the pool to deal with it, and regular brushing at the waterline helps stop it building into a visible ring in the first place.

Concrete and plaster pools are more porous, so algae takes hold more easily and they usually need more frequent brushing to stay ahead of it, especially in the first few years before the surface fully hardens. Fibreglass is smoother and resists algae better, but it can still stain, particularly around fittings and the waterline, and its gelcoat surface has its own maintenance needs over time as it ages. Both pool types need the same core water testing and chemical balancing regardless of surface, the difference is mainly in how much physical brushing and surface care each one needs to stay looking right.

No. Wait until it's fully cleared and chemically balanced, confirmed by testing, not just visually "looks okay." A green pool usually means chlorine dropped low enough for algae to take hold, and where algae can grow, bacteria and other organisms often can too, so a pool that looks mostly clear can still carry more risk than it appears to. Green water also hides the pool floor, which is its own safety issue if anyone's tempted to get in before it's properly cleared. It's also common for water to look clear a day or two before the chemistry has genuinely stabilised, since dead algae can clear from the water visually before the underlying chlorine and pH levels have settled into a safe, steady range. Wait for confirmed test results, not just a visual check, before swimming again.

Ideally weekly, more often during autumn leaf drop or after storms, when debris can build up fast enough to matter within a few days rather than a week. A clogged basket restricts flow and makes the pump work harder than it needs to, and if it's left long enough the pump can start losing prime or struggling to circulate the water properly. It's one of the quickest checks a pool owner can do themselves between scheduled visits, and it's worth a look any time the water seems to be circulating more slowly than usual.

Once or twice a week. Brushing stops algae taking hold on walls and floors and helps prevent staining and scale, even in a pool that looks clean, since algae and scale can start forming in shaded corners, steps, and behind fittings well before they're visible from the surface. Areas with less water movement, like corners, steps, and around ladders, are worth extra attention, since these are the spots the pump's circulation reaches least and where algae and scale tend to get a foothold first. A pool with a concrete or plaster surface generally needs more frequent brushing than a fibreglass one, since the more porous surface gives algae more places to take hold.

Yes. Skimmers only catch floating debris that's still on the surface and hasn't sunk yet. Anything that sinks, like sand, fine debris, or dead algae after a treatment, settles on the pool floor and needs vacuuming to actually come out of the water, since the skimmer basket never sees it. Left long enough, that settled debris can feed algae growth and make the water look duller even when the chemistry is otherwise in range. Manual vacuuming gives the most thorough result, while some pools also run an automatic pool cleaner between full vacuums to keep on top of it day to day.

A cover cuts debris, heat loss, and evaporation, and can reduce chemical use by keeping sunlight, which breaks down chlorine, off the water, though it's not essential for every pool. It depends on how exposed your pool is to trees, wind, and rain, a pool surrounded by trees benefits more from a cover than one in an open, sheltered spot with little overhead debris. Auckland's mild winters mean freezing isn't a real concern the way it is in colder climates, so the main upside here is less debris and evaporation to deal with, and a smaller chemical bill, rather than any risk of ice damage.

Basic chemistry drift, pH or chlorine a little off after a hot week or some rain, is usually manageable with a test kit and a straightforward adjustment. Equipment faults, green water that won't clear after a shock dose, structural issues like cracking or persistent staining, or anything electrical around the pool are worth calling a professional for, since a wrong guess on any of those can waste money or, with electrical work, be a genuine safety risk. Pool electrical wiring specifically requires a licensed electrician in New Zealand, so that's never a DIY job regardless of how minor the symptom looks. If in doubt, a quick call to talk through what's going on is usually enough to work out which category a problem falls into.