How’s 2026 going?

Time slows for nothing. The last 18 months of building the Poolluminati has been nothing short of one of the most rewarding ventures I have ever taken on. I have met some great people as the company grows, ranging from people in the pool industry to the customer base itself. So many different stories, situations, pools and outlooks on how we end up where we are. 2026 through the first quarter of the the calendar year has shown explosive growth and most of that goes back to the reason The Poolluminati was created in the first place. A lot of pool guys and pool service companies are really bad at what they do.

In the the past month alone, I have taken no less than five accounts away from companies that are just lost in the sauce. The one thing they all have in common? Poor communication and not balancing the water. The “tablet tossers” are out there in force in 2026, loading your pool with CYA weekly with no regard to PH or Alkalinity. One of these new accounts was a bad start up where no stabilizer was added and the filters weren’t cleaned in years. How do I know? I saw there was zero flow from the pool pump, opening the filter housing and boom, no bands and full of debris. The worst part? The sure as hell charged her for cleaning the filters, pure fraudulent business practice. It’s all rather mind blowing to see some of this stuff in the field, but let’s not just focus on what other companies are doing wrong though — that’s their problem. Let’s talk about what The Poolluminati is doing to make pools better and one of those focuses has been on filtration. This year I have been busy installing some high quality filter systems for clients, my favorite of which is the Aquastar Pipeline filter, PLF27000 and PLF 25000.

These filters are really a big step in the right direction of getting rid of DE filters and sand filters. They offer fantastic filtering while eliminating messy plumbing, maintenance and backwashing. I will continue to spread the word to clients and provide them an option to upgrade their systems. I have also installed a great value option that appears to do an outstanding job filtering the water AND get this… the filter price itself is cheaper than the cost to replace sand an old sand filter.

Speaking of filters, we have to bring up plumbing. Why plumping? Because there is a right and wrong way to plumb pool equipment and in the last year I have learned some things that I am just not seeing being done in the field in existing systems. I am really proud of my plumbing lately, taking some of these systems where the pumps were struggling and being super loud, and allowing them to flow efficiently by utilizing better pipe runs with less choke points. I have looked at a lot of old plumbing that I have cut out of systems and I am seeing things like, bad angles, unnecessary turns and pipe that wasn’t beveled before assembly, These seems like small things, but they add up and really matter to your system. Watching a lot of install on the internet, I also see companies not using cleaner on joints and pipe before they are primed.

The work truck got some stickers. Very subtle, just logos and a QR code… no words. Again, if you know, you know. I like the subtle marketing. As marketing spend has increased I have also reinvested a lot of money into tools and equipment so far this year and that will increase as future phases are reached. I picked up a Vac Daddy that has proven to be a nice tool for specific situations. You quickly learn in this business, you will not use all your tools daily, but having the correct ones when needed make all the difference between you and the next company.

All in all, a lot is happening and I am dedicated to covering all the angles that provide value to my clients. Thanks for reading my blog that I actually took to the time to write, unlike all these AI websites out there. I’ll see you around.

Who do you trust with your POOL?

Some of the most profitable businesses in our economy revolve around the most expensive purchase American’s make; their home. Over the last 40 years, the number of skilled tradesmen in the United States has decreased while demand increased through new construction and maintenance of existing homes. This gap in competent workers is apparent when you look at home inspections, poor business reviews, local news consumer investigations and so on. No home service has been insulated by this lack of qualified workers and that goes for the pool industry as well.

While gas prices increase, chlorine prices increase and business margins diminish, workers are often left in a position of a stale wage. Pool service owners are forced to get more pools under contract and squeeze them into their routes. If you have read the “About Us” section I spoke of this some as to why The Poolluminati was born. The pool care expert now working on your pool probably has the most pools they have ever had to service and less time to make sure everything is good. To make matters worse, the pool technician is probably under trained as well as overworked… and based on the wage, probably looking for a better paying job doing something else.

These factors have been a disaster for home owners who want quality service at fair prices. As we see a record amount of small businesses file for bankruptcy, it is my opinion that much of the home service industry is going to get flushed as well. Like any real economy though, only efficient well run businesses will emerge from the ashes in the beginning and that will probably take place in the pool space as solid solopreneurs that can provide value (before they try to scale beyond their control again).

In the meantime though, it is critical to know who you are trusting with you property. Do they really care about your stuff, or are they their for paycheck? Did the guy that used to clean your pool exit the field and just hire some untrained personnel to manage your pool? Are they just doing what needs to be done on a full service, or are they cutting corners and ripping you off? Unfortunately, more of the negative is probably happening than people realize. Most pool owners think if the water is clear it must be good. I am sad to say that there is much more that goes into this than just clear water. If you have struggled to find a good pool service or are beginning to question what your current service is doing, give us a call so we can discuss what should be provided and how we can help.