Service

Lawrence, MA store - (978) 688-8307, SERVICE Extensions 14
Family Pools North, our New Hampshire store - (603) 642-9909

Our service team is available year round to answer your questions and provide on-site service on your inground swimming pool. We employ six qualified crews all experienced and trained, as well as, several in-store representatives to answer all of your questions and concerns. All of our crews attend technical seminars off-season to keep up-to-date with the latest in technology and service techniques.

Services provided, but not limited to, include:

• Installation of pool heaters, heat pumps, filters, pumps, motors, automatic vacuums, safety covers & fences, solar reels, and automated control & chemical systems
• Plumbing and equipment repairs
• Pool Inspections
• Pressure testing and leak detection
• Summerizing and Winterizing

Summerizings

Our Service Department offers either Full or Partial Summerizings. A Full Summerizing includes removing the pool cover and folding it up, removing all plugs and setting up the filtration system, replacing all accessories such as diving boards, ladders, and rails, checking heaters or automatic pool cleaners, setting up spa equipment where applicable, adding the initial Shock Treatment to the pool, and bringing back a water sample to our lab for a water analysis. At the time, they check the pool equipment for proper operation and note any work they deem necessary for future follow-up. When your water analysis is completed, you will receive a call from our store notifying you that your results are ready. We honor any requests when possible. For example, if you would like your cover placed in a garage or any special place, please notify us upon booking so we may note your slip properly. Likewise, if you would like your automatic chlorinator filled, extra Shock Treatment added to the pool, yearly chemicals delivered to your house, or any special requests, we would be glad to honor them. A Partial Summerizing is the same as a Full with the exception of the cover. If you would like to remove the cover yourself, we deduct $50 from the original price and consider that a Partial.

We do our best to try to accommodate all date requests, however, in New England, we have a short season and all of us would like our pools open at the same time...that would be in the same short time span between mid-April to mid-June with the bulk of openings being requested just prior to Memorial Day. We'd love to come to everyone's house on May 15th but I'm afraid we haven't found that Rent-A-Qualified-Service-Technician for One Month business as of yet so Will works, very strategically, organizing and routing our six full qualified crews to accomplish our fifteen hundred or so openings. We do have an automatic opening list if you have enjoyed our service and would like to get on it. You can call our Service Department at
978-688-8307 ext. 14 and put in your request for which week you would like your pool opened each year. Will will call you over the winter to confirm your date. We look forward to hearing from you!

If you elect to open your own pool, please see our helpful guidelines (click here).

Winterizings

Winterizing...kind of like a swear word. Who wants to think about winterizing? For better or for worse, we better. In New England, if your pool is not winterized properly, you could sustain serious and costly damage to your pool and equipment. For this reason, many people, literally thousands, contract Family Pools to provide a proper winterizing for their pool. We offer a Full or a Partial Winterizing, the only difference being the cover. If you choose to put the cover on yourself, we deduct $50.00 from the normal Full price and consider that a Partial. A Full Winterizing consists of draining the water from all pool plumbing including floor systems and plugging all lines, draining the filtration system, heating system, or any automated systems installed, winterizing spas as applicable, removing all accessories such as rails, adding Shock Treatment and Algaecide to the pool water, covering the pool, and cleaning filter internals if requested or bringing them to the store to be cleaned. Antifreeze is added as a double precaution but blowing the water out of the lines properly is the important part. Diving boards are only sometimes removed. We have found that depending upon the type of diving board base you have, some boards are better left on. We do have Weather Out diving board covers available in our store. You are welcome to purchase one in the store or have one delivered with the closing. If you request a cover, please let us know if you have a 6' or and 8' board.

As always, we honor special requests. If you would like your filter cleaned off in a particular area, please mark the spot or let us know. If you would like your accessories placed in a particular place, let us know. If you would like special chemicals added to the pool...let us know. Do you have a special way you like your cover put on?...you got it...let us know. If you do not have a safety cover (then you should indulge and contact us immediately...oh, did I get off the subject...sorry) then we will use whatever you have there to secure the cover. If you have water tubes but not enough then we will provide the rest of the water tubes needed and charge you. If you have AquaBloks, we'll use them and, if you need more, please request that we bring extra. If you have cement blocks, despite the fact that we do not recommend at all that you use these, we will put them around your cover but we cannot guarantee that they won't fall in and cause pool damage. Tim, our diver, of course, recommends highly that you use blocks. He does charge extra if he has to wear his dry suit.

Worse than thinking about Winterizing, we ask that you please think about it in July...just briefly...just long enough to call and book your appointment.
Just like Summerizing, everyone needs their pools closed in the same short time span. If you choose to wait until September to call and book, we will gladly fit your closing in as soon as we can and will add your name to our ever increasing standby list of people hoping to close sooner. We do closings well into November so if you call real late, there's still time to plan that Halloween pool party...how fun is that! Remember if you do close late and we get freezing temperatures at night, simply run your filter...running water will not freeze. Also note that if you are planning a Partial, you can put the cover on anytime and we can come in after and finish the closing then you don't have to worry about the leaves. Just mark where the lines are so our crews know where to peel back the cover to cap the lines.

We do offer an automatic closing schedule. If you would like to get on this, simply call Will at 978-688-8307 ext 14 and request which week you would like your pool closed each year. He will book your closing automatically and call to confirm your date. For winterizing tips, please click here (add those FYI tips)

If you are considering closing the pool yourself, please check out handy checklist (click here). You can also rent blowers and pump covers from us.

Installations

We will gladly install anything you purchase from us and we will gladly back up our work. Our service crews are trained to install all kinds of equipment such as filters, pumps, heaters, heat pumps, chlorine generator systems, automatic chlorinators, mineral systems, safety covers, safety fences, automated control systems, solar reels, automatic cleaners, drop-in steps, rails, ladders, diving boards, and, actually, anything that you could install on a pool. They are also trained to install slides but, regretfully, our insurance, presently, does not allow us to do slide installations. We do, however, sell slides and would be happy to help you find the right one for you and give you any guidance we can in accomplishing the installation.

We know that some of you get bored easily and just love to install things yourself. That being the case, if you choose to purchase a product from us, we would gladly guide you in the right direction to choose the appropriate size and model for your pool and needs and we would be happy to let you talk to one of our trained professionals for guidance on installation.

Filter cleaning

Filter cleaning is recommended yearly at the end of each season. Occasionally, due to unfortunate water conditions, cleaning mid-season may be necessary. Read on here to find out more about Filter Cleaning.

If you are having any questions or problems with backwashing, please refer to our Troubleshooting page on "Why won’t my Vacuum work?"

In Field Repairs

I don't think that I could even begin to list for you all the repairs that we do or have done in pools. Just when you think, you've repaired it all...a moose runs across a cover or someone drives a lawnmower into the pool, a fire occurs, or someone develops a sink hole, or something...we even rescued someone from a pool once that was stuck inside because the ladder broke and they couldn't get out! It's true, all true!

Among daily routine repairs, however, we are available to help you find and repair leaks in both vinyl and gunite pools including plumbing and internal repairs, change light bulbs, troubleshoot and repair other pool lighting problems, circulation problems, equipment problems of all types, heating problems, diving board replacements, safety cover repairs, anchor replacements, automatic cleaner problems, tile repairs, automated system adjustments, and so on. We repair all different types of filtration equipment, pumps, and motors. Being in business since 1978 and retaining stable service crews gives us the advantage of being familiar with equipment old and new and being able to repair older equipment that other service companies may just replace (at a cost to you, of course). Some repairs are minor and some major...we cover the spectrum.

In an effort to service your needs even better, we have formulated a profile survey for you to fill out, if desired. By keeping our files up-to-date, we can stock more necessary parts and answer your questions more effectively knowing what equipment you have whether you stop by the store for parts or request a service call. Please take a moment to review our survey.

We look forward to servicing your pool. Don't be afraid to call even if you did do something silly like put it in reverse instead of drive and end up in the drink! Oh, and when you change the oil in your car and use your old chemical containers to put the oil in, remember to dispose of it properly...don't pour it in the pool! No...that hasn't happened only once!

Shop Repairs & Parts

Family Pools offers shop repairs in both of our locations, Lawrence, MA and Kingston, NH. If we can fix it, we would be glad to. Click here to find out about Shop Repairs & Parts