Vacation coverage
Going out of town? Your pool isn't.
A pool left alone for ten days in a Texas August is a different pool when you get back. Here's what to do before you go, and what coverage looks like if you'd rather not think about it at all.
What actually goes wrong while you're gone
It's rarely one dramatic failure. It's four small things stacking up.
Chlorine runs out
Summer sun burns through chlorine fast. A pool that's fine on the day you leave can be at zero by day five, and algae only needs a few hours at zero to start.
The water level drops
Evaporation in July can pull an inch a day. Below the skimmer mouth, the pump starts sucking air — and a pump running dry is the most expensive thing on the pad.
A storm fills it with debris
One Central Texas thunderstorm drops enough into the pool to clog the skimmers, stall the cleaner, and spike chlorine demand all at once.
Something trips or fails
A breaker trips, a timer resets after an outage, the pump loses prime. Nobody's there to notice, and the pool sits still for a week.
Winter trips have a different risk and it's a bigger one. A hard freeze while you're away, especially with a power outage, can crack a pump housing, a filter, or plumbing. Water features and raised spas freeze first because they're the most exposed.
Before you leave — the checklist
Fifteen minutes the night before saves a very unpleasant homecoming.
- Fill the pool to the middle of the skimmer opening, higher than you normally would
- Empty every skimmer basket and the pump basket
- Empty the cleaner bag or canister, and make sure the cleaner is actually running
- Test and correct chlorine, and make sure your stabilizer is in a range that will hold it
- Add a slow-dissolving chlorine source if you're gone more than a few days in summer
- Leave the pump schedule alone — do not cut run time to save money while you're away
- In winter: confirm freeze protection is on and know what it's set to (usually 37–40°F)
- Give a neighbor, house sitter, or your pool service gate access and your travel dates
- Photograph the equipment pad and the water so you have a before picture
- Know where your equipment breaker is, and make sure whoever's checking does too
What vacation coverage looks like
For weekly clients this is already part of the deal. For everyone else it's a one-time service.
If you're already on weekly service: tell us your dates. The visit before you leave gets set up for a longer gap in attention, water level gets brought up, and chemistry gets dosed for the stretch. You'll get photos while you're gone so you can actually see the pool from wherever you are.
If you maintain your own pool: vacation coverage is a one-time service — visits while you're away, full chemistry each time, baskets emptied, water level managed, and a report with photos after each visit. Priced by how long you're gone and how often you want somebody there.
If you travel in winter: freeze watch is worth more than the summer version. Freeze protection gets tested before you go, and if a hard freeze with an outage lands while you're away, somebody who knows how to drain your specific equipment is the difference between an inconvenience and a five-figure repair.
When you get back
Five minutes before anybody gets in.
Check the water level and the pump — make sure it's primed and moving water, not running dry. Look at filter pressure against your clean number. Empty the baskets. Test chlorine and pH before anyone swims, especially after a storm.
If the water has gone cloudy or slightly green, act the same day. Early algae is a weekend's work. Week-old algae is a green-to-clean.
Traveling soon?
Send us your dates and your address. We'll tell you what your pool needs while you're gone and what it costs to have someone there.